It's a good thing I'm not a gambling man because I misread the line on the Navy-Pittsburgh game.
Navy is a 3, 3.5 or 4-point underdog depending on the oddsmaker. I quickly checked the USA Today odds and saw Navy +3, which I misunderstood to mean that Navy was giving three points. That actually means they are getting three points!
That folks, is why I don't gamble.
Either way, the line is extremely close which means oddsmakers see this game as close to being a tossup.

I was just forwarded an article from the Cedar Rapids Gazette that reports that Navy and Iowa State have signed a home-and-home contract to meet in football.
Navy will play at Iowa State in 2018 and will then host the Cyclones in 2019. The Midshipmen have never played a football game in the state of Iowa. I just spoke with Navy athletic director Chet Gladchuk and he confirmed the basics of the contract.
Iowa State athletic director Jamie Pollard also announced contracts with Air Force and Army.
"It's an honor for our institution to host Army, Navy and Air Force and I
know that our fans will enjoy the match-ups," Pollard said. "The added bonus is our student-athletes, as well as our fans, will have the opportunity to witness the pageantry and prestige these three service academies offer during the football season."
Navy does not formally announce all future opponents, but I am going to sit down with Gladchuk this week and confirm some matchups that have been reported by other media outlets. For instance, the newspapers that cover Western Kentucky, South Alabama and San Jose State have all reported future football contracts with Navy.
I don't consider those upcoming opponents notable enough to write a story about. However, Iowa State - because it plays in a BCS Conference and has never played Navy - is an addition to the future schedules that would intrigue Navy fans.
The Capital was the first outlet to report that Navy had signed a contract with Ohio State since that was very out of the ordinary and extremely noteworthy. Our recent story about Navy extending its contract with CBS College Sports Television mentioned that Northwestern, Mississippi and Syracuse were also on the schedule between now and 2018. Those are three other future BCS opponents that are somewhat noteworthy and had not been previously reported.
When I sit down with Gladchuk this week, I will try to nail down what year Navy is playing these various schools.

Sorry I took a brief sabbatical, but I needed the bye week to recharge the batteries. Navy coaches and players talked about being worn down by the tough stretch the team just came through. What about reporters?
It's hard work sitting up in that press box typing in-game blogs then having to write three or four stories afterward. The Capital editors decided (out of nowhere) they wanted a front page story about the Wake Forest upset and the big Air Force win. Considering I already write a game story and extensive notes package, that really put the pressure on me to crank out the copy.
So I needed the bye week to take a mental break from Navy football. It wasn't much of a break considering I attended a practice, did a sit-down interview with head coach Ken Niumatalolo in his office and wrote two stories.
However, the bye week is over and it's back to the grindstone again. Navy plays Pittsburgh on Saturday and that shapes up as an interesting game. Pittsburgh has won four straight since its shocking season-opening loss to Bowling Green. The Panthers are coming off an upset of 10th-ranked South Florida and will be looking for revenge on the Midshipmen, who escaped Heinz Field with a 48-45 double-overtime victory last season.
I see that Navy is an early favorite, which is interesting. I guess that's due to home field advantage. I would imagine the Midshipmen are anxious to play at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium after not doing so for a full month.
Navy has not beaten more than one ranked opponent in the same season since 1957. With a victory over No. 16 Wake Forest under its belt, Navy could really make a statement by also defeating No. 24 Pittsburgh.

Back on Sept. 13, Navy's chances of earning a sixth straight bowl berth looked questionable. Navy was 1-2 after suffering consecutive road losses to Ball State and Duke. More troublesome was the fact the Midshipmen were facing an ominous stretch of three potentially tougher games leading up to the current bye week.
On the horizon was a Rutgers program that had been to three straight bowls, a Wake Forest team that was an early favorite to win the Atlantic Coast Conference and service academy rival Air Force.
Rutgers, which had manhandled Navy each of the past two seasons, came to Annapolis. However, the meetings with Wake Forest and Air Force were on the road. Making matters even worse was the fact the Falcons had two weeks to prepare for the Mids.
It was not hard to imagine the Mids losing five straight and falling to 1-5. That would have been an almost impossible hole to dig out of. Instead, Navy has risen up and responded with three straight wins - snapping a three-game losing streak to Rutgers, stunning 16th-ranked Wake then turning back Air Force.
All three games were battles and Navy had to dig deep to win each one. The Midshipmen rallied from a halftime deficit versus the Scarlet Knights, forced six turnovers and played stout defense to stymie the Demon Deacons and scored two touchdowns off blocked punts against the Falcons.
Following the Air Force victory, head coach Ken Niumatalolo's chest swelled with pride when a reporter pointed out that Navy had found a way to finish the first half of the season 4-2 against all odds.
"Our kids have been doing this the last three weeks. Our kids just continue to fight and I couldn't be more proud of them," he said. "This is a tough stretch we've had. We played Ball State on a short week, we were on the road against Duke, Wake Forest and Air Force. Our kids didn't flinch. They have stepped up to every challenge they have faced and taken it head-on."

I received a ton of positive response about the article I wrote on the 1958 Cotton Bowl team that was honored at halftime of the Navy-Rutgers game.
I love history and thoroughly enjoyed researching that great team, which was coached by Eddie Erdelatz and featured such legendary players as Bob Reifsnyder, Tom Forrestal, Ned Oldham, Harry Hurst, Tony Stremic... the list goes on and on.
I tried to mention as many players as possible in the story and listed the coaching staff. Unfortunately, I omitted one assistant, and it turned out to be the only member of the coaching staff who is still living and who attended the reunion in Annapolis a few weeks ago.
I can't believe I forgot to write about Wayne Hardin, who would become head coach at Navy after Erdelatz departed. Hardin was well-respected and well-liked by the players and was a very knowledgeable football man, Reifsnyder said. Hardin would later coach at Temple and was recently inducted into the College Football Foundation Hall of Fame.
Sorry Wayne. You deserve better.

I spent last night at the Marriott in Colorado Springs, which was predictably filled with Air Force fans. Several of them were drinking at the lobby bar as I grabbed a late dinner.
Upon learning that I was a Navy beat writer for the Annapolis paper, a couple of the Air Force supporters wanted to discuss yesterday's service academy showdown and Navy's continued dominance of the series.
Both men believed firmly that Air Force had out-played Navy the past two seasons, and it was hard to argue with that point. However, we all agreed that Navy has done what winning teams do by making key plays at critical times to pull out the victory.
Air Force dominated yesterday's game statistically, out-gaining Navy 411-244 and picking up 20 first down to 13 for the visitors. However, the Midshipmen made some huge momentum-changing plays - scoring two touchdowns off blocked punts, coming up with a pair of crucial fourth-down stops in their own territory and forcing the Falcons to settle for field goals on two drives inside the 10-yard line.
Looking back at the game, I believe the biggest sequence of the game came when Air Force had first-and-goal from the Navy 7-yard line and an opportunity to take a 17-10 lead. Tailback Savier Stephens appeared to score a touchdown, but a replay review showed he was down before reaching the ball over the goal line. Head coach Troy Calhoun elected to go for it on fourth-and-one, but his play call was questionable.
Instead of having powerful fullback Todd Newell (team-high 50 yards) pound it up the gut, Calhoun called for a sweep with wide receiver Ty Paffett taking a pitch some 5 yards behind the line of scrimmage. It was a slow-developing play and the Navy defense reacted well, swarming Paffett for a 1-yard loss.
"We've got to be able to punch it in from there. You've just got to," a frustrated Calhoun said afterward.
Another key series came after Navy recovered an onside kick with 2:33 remaining in the game. A big defensive stop would have given Air Force the ball back with plenty of time to mount a game-winning touchdown drive. It almost happened as the Midshipmen were forced into a fourth-and-one situation.
Navy head coach Ken Niumatalolo showed a winning attitude and guts by going for it instead of trying to pin Air Force deep in its own territory with a pooch punt. Fullback Eric Kettani got the call and dove over the top for the first down that clinched victory with 55 seconds remaining.
"I wanted it to be in our hands," Niumatalolo said of the crucial fourth-down call. "I wanted to finish the game right there. I didn't want to give them the ball back."

Navy has scored another touchdown off a blocked punt!
Air Force was backed up at its own 19-yard line when Ryan Harrison was called upon to punt. Harrison tried a rugby-style punt, running to his right after receiving the snap. However, Navy's Blake Carter blew past the blocker and smothered the punt at the 5-yard line. The ball rolled into the end zone and was recovered by Bobby Doyle for a touchdown.
Needless to say, it marks the first time in program history that Navy's had two blocked punts result in touchdowns.

A superb punt by Kyle Delahooke pinned Air Force down at its own 15-yard line and Navy then forced a fumble on first down as safety Wyatt Middleton came up hard and jarred the ball loose from tailback Savier Stephens. Middleton put his helmet right on the ball and it popped up in the air into the arms of end Matt Nechak.
However, Navy did not take full advantage of the turnover deep in Air Force territory. The Midshipmen were unable to move the ball and had to settle for a 32-yard field goal by Matt Harmon.
Harmon has tied a single-game school record with four field goals.

A replay review has just caused a major shift on momentum. Air Force was driving in Navy territory and appeared likely to get at least a tying field goal. However, head coach Troy Calhoun elected to go for it on fourth-and-three from the Navy 37-yard line rather than attempt a field goal with the wind.
Quarterback Shea Smith appeared to get the first down with a 4-yard gain on a keeper. However, a replay review showed that Smith's knee hit the ground before he gained the first down. He was credited with only a 2-yard gain and Navy took over on downs.

Matt Harmon has booted a 44-yard field goal into the wind to put Navy back ahead. Quarterback Jarod Bryant completed a 38-yard pass to slot back Shun White to set up the field goal.

Air Force has answered quickly, driving 61 yards on 10 plays for a tying touchdown. Quarterback Shea Smith throw a short pass over the middle to wide receiver Kyle Halderman, who then used his speed to blow past several defenders for a 19-yard touchdown.

Navy has seized momentum in a big way to start the second half. First, Air Force returner Reggie Rembert fumbled the opening kickoff and was only able to get to the 9-yard line. Then, on the first play of scrimmage, a botched center-quarterback exchange resulted in a fumble and Navy linebacker Ross Pospisil recovered at the 10-yard line.
Navy needed just three plays to score a touchdown with quarterback Jarod Bryant racing untouched through a huge hole to give the visitors a touchdown lead with just 1:03 elapsed in the third quarter. It was a well-designed play as slot back Shun White went in motion and several defenders followed.

Matt Harmon booted a clutch 48-yard field goal as time expired in the first half to tie the score at 13. Navy is extremely lucky to be tied after committing four fumbles in the first half.
Air Force out-gained Navy 198-125 in the first half, but managed only a field goal on two trips inside the Navy 10-yard line.
Quarterback Shea Smith is doing a good job of directing the Air Force attack, completing 3 of 6 passes for 72 yards and distributing the ball well in the option game.
Quarterback Jarod Bryant, who was briefly knocked out of the game late in the second quarter, leads Navy with 65 yards rushing. Fullback Eric Kettani has 35 yards rushing.

On paper, Navy is a vastly more experienced offensive team than Air Force. You wouldn't know it from watching this game. Navy has been mistake-prone and unable to sutain any offense. Air Force, meanwhile, is running the option to perfection and moving the ball nicely.
After falling to score on fourth-and-goal from the Navy 1-yard line, Air Force forced a punt then drove down for a field goal to take its first lead of the game. Ryan Harrison connected from 23 yards out to put the Falcons ahead with 2:48 remaining in the second quarter.
Navy quarterback Jarod Bryant stopped a promising drive by fumbling on a scramble. After gaining 64 yards on its opening possession, Navy has managed just 40 yards since.

Senior slot back Shun White continues to kill Navy with bad fumbles. White fumbled on the very first play from scrimmage after the Air Force field goal and it proved costly.
Safety Chris Thomas jarred the ball loose with a basic tackle and defensive end Jake Paulson picked up the loose ball and returned it 12 yards to the Navy 8-yard line. Quarterback Shea Smith then scored on a keeper on fourth-and-goal from the 2-yard line to tie the score with 1:32 left in the opening stanza.
White now has three fumbles this season, one which led directly to a touchdown by Duke, one that came at a crucial juncture versus Wake Forest and now this one that totally changed the momentum of the game.

Air Force is on the board thanks to a 24-yard field goal by Ryan Harrison at the 3:33 mark of the first quarter. Key play on the drive was a 43-yard pass completion from quarterback Shea Smith to wide receiver Kevin Fogler.
Someone in the Navy secondary blatantly blew his coverage assignment as Fogler was wide open some 10 yards behind the nearest defender.

Navy just made the type of huge play that can turn a rivalry game like this. Greg Shinego stormed in to smother a Ryan Harrison punt, Wyatt Middleton quickly scooped the loose pigskin and raced 25 yards untouched into the end zone to give Navy a 10-0 lead with 6:08 remaining in the first quarter and silence the sellout crowd at Falcons Stadium.
It was Navy's first blocked punt for a touchdown since Gino Marchetti single-handedly accomplished the feat in 1999.

Moments before the opening kickoff, Kaipo-Noa Kaheaku-Enhada put his helmet under the bench. That was an obvious sign he was not starting since Navy was getting the ball to open the game.
Sure enough, Jarod Bryant started at quarterback and led Navy to a field goal on its opening possession. Bryant broke a 29-yard run into Air Force territory, but the drive stalled and the Midshipmen settled for a 35-yard field goal by Matt Harmon. It was the 10th consecutive successful field goal for Harmon.

Navy's dress list stated that quarterback Kaipo-Noa Kaheaku-Enhada would be wearing a sweatsuit and watching today's game from the sideline.
When Navy came out for pregame warmups, Kaheaku-Enhada was in uniform with full pads and looked like he fully intended to play. Kaheaku-Enhada seemed to be running well during warmups and told a Navy athletic official that his injured hamstring felt much better.
We'll let you know shortly whether or not Kaheaku-Enhada starts the game. It's an overcast day in Colorado Springs - 67 degrees with strong southeast winds of 25-35 miles per hour. There is a chance of light rain showers.

It's anyone's guess as to whether starting quarterback Kaipo-Noa Kaheaku-Enhada will be able to play in tomorrow's service academy showdown against Air Force.
Kaheaku-Enhada did not practice in pads all week, which was not a good sign. However, the savvy and experienced senior doesn't really need to practice since he knows Navy's triple-option offense so well. It would make sense to give him as much rest and treatment as possible.
Kaheaku-Enhada made the trip to Colorado Springs and participated in today's walk-through session. Head coach Ken Niumatalolo has said it will likely be a game-time decision based on how the Hawaii native looks in warmups.
My gut tells me that Kaheaku-Enhada won't play at all today. Hamstring injuries are sensitive and the veteran signal-caller has already aggravated the left one he partially tore in preseason. Navy has a bye week and the safe decision would be to sit Kaipo today and allow him to rest and rehabilitate even further during the bye week. That would increase the chance he could play on Oct. 18 against Pittsburgh.
On the other hand, there is no game on the schedule more important than this one as it will likely determine whether Navy recaptures the Commander-in-Chief's Trophy. Perhaps the coaching staff should try to get as much as it can out of Kaheaku-Enhada today then allow him to sit for as long as it takes to get completely healthy.

I spoke with former Navy head coach Paul Johnson this week. I called Johnson out of the blue just to say hello and let him know I've been impressed by the job he's already done as head coach at Georgia Tech.
As many diehard Navy fans know, Johnson and I developed a special relationship based (I think) on mutual respect and I hope to maintain that relationship for many years to come. I honestly believe that Paul Johnson is one of the best head coaches in all of football (college or professional) and I think he's going to accomplish some truly great things before his career has concluded.
Of course, Johnson follows Navy very closely and had an opportunity to watch the Wake Forest game live since Georgia Tech had a bye week. He was thrilled for the Midshipmen and those members of the coaching staff that he considers close friends, especially head coach Ken Niumatalolo and offensive coordinator Ivin Jasper.
Jasper told GoMids.com that Johnson sent him a text message that read: "Great win, great job." My immediate thought was the same as GoMids.com reporter David Ausiello: Johnson knows how to text message??? Jasper was surprised as well and said Johnson either learned or his 15-year-old daughter Kaitlyn was doing it for him.
Johnson told me that he thought the new coaching staff was "doing a great job" and that he felt confident that Navy could beat Air Force and reach the six victories needed to qualify for the Eagle Bank Bowl.

Doug Rhoads, coordinator of football officials for the Atlantic Coast Conference, has determined that the two chop blocking penalties called against Navy during the Wake Forest contest were incorrect.
Navy head coach Ken Niumatalolo didn't need to hear the formal report from Rhoads since head referee Scott McElwee admitted to him during the game the calls were wrong. Those were among several curious rulings by the ACC officiating crew, which also included umpire Terrence Ramsey, linesman Mike Owens, line judge Sterling Allen, back judge Richard Wilborn, field judge Michael Triana and side judge Ronnie Stewart.
Navy was also not happy about a helmet-to-helmet hit that knocked kickoff returner John Angelo unconscious and a holding penalty on slot back Bobby Doyle that wiped out a first-down run. Doyle was whistled for grabbing at the ankles of a defender, but television replays show him executing a legal block then simply falling to the ground.
There were also two occasions that flags thrown against Wake Forest were picked up after the alleged infractions were deemed not to have occurred. One of those penalties that was overruled was a facemask against quarterback Jarod Bryant, which television replays clearly show did indeed happen.
Niumatalolo could only shrug his shoulders and hold up his hands when asked what Navy could do about the poor officiating.
"We go through the normal process. We write it up and send in the clips to the official's observer and let him review it," Niumatalolo said.
Niumatalolo then made an apparent Freudian slip when he said of the officials: "I know they're not human and they make mistakes."
As soon as the words left his mouth, Niumatalolo and the three beat reporters listening realized the mistake. Of course, the head coach meant to say that he understands that officials are human and thus make mistakes. Or did he...
"I'm going to stop while I'm ahead," Niumatalolo said.

I've received a couple e-mails and phone calls about the officiating for Saturday's game between Navy and Wake Forest.
Let my begin by saying that I have been involved with athletics my entire life - as a high school player, youth coach and reporter. I have seen games from every viewpoint and can honestly say I can't think of too many times the referees determined the outcome.
That being said, the officiating for the Navy-Wake game was extremely poor and not nearly befitting the caliber of the competition on the field. Some of the mistakes that were made were amateurish at best.
Navy was twice flagged for committing a chop block when replays showed that no such violation occurred. It was obvious the official that made the call did not know or understand the difference between a chop block and a cut block, latter of which is legal.
Navy's triple-option offense is almost entirely dependent on players executing cut blocks. All of Navy's offensive players, from linemen to slots to receivers, are taught the proper way to cut block. Meanwhile, the coaching staff drills into every player's head that they cannot chop block and much time is spent to ensure that such illegal blocks never happen during the course of a play.
Rest assured, if Navy is whistled for a chop block it was either an inadvertent event based on a freak collision or a cut block that looked like a chop block.
Navy athletic director Chet Gladchuk deserves some credit for correcting this problem during the Wake Forest game. Gladchuk saw on television replays that no chop block occurred and complained vehemently to the ACC observer of officials that was seated in the press box.
Clearly, the official observer agreed because moments later I heard him call down to the field and tell someone (I'm guessing the scorer) to inform referee Scott McElwee that neither of the blocks that drew a flag had been illegal. I heard the official observer give a quick explanation of what constitutes a chop block and why what Navy was doing was instead a cut block.
There were several other missed or inaccurate calls, none more obvious than the helmet-to-helmet hit that briefly knocked Navy kickoff returner John Angelo unconscious. Everybody at BB&T Stadium saw that it was a helmet-to-helmet hit except the official who was standing right there watching it.
Some distressed fans have asked what Navy can do about the sub-standard officiating. Others have wondered why Navy continues to employ ACC officials. Here is how it works.
In most cases, the visiting team provides the officials. As a result, if Air Force plays at Navy the officials will come from the Mountain West Conference. When Rutgers played at Navy a couple weeks ago, the Big East Conference provided the officiating crew.
Because Navy is independent, it does not automatically get officials from a certain conference. As a result, Navy entered into a contract with the Atlantic Coast Conference to provide officials for all away games and selected home games.
Because of that contract, Navy officials have the right to complain to Doug Rhoads, the director of ACC football officials. Navy no doubt sent videotape from the Wake Forest contest to Rhoads to illustrate some of the mistakes that were made on Saturday.
This was not the first Navy game in which the ACC officiating crew did a poor job. As a result, Gladchuk may seriously consider not renewing that contract and using officials from a different conference instead.

Corey Johnson covered an onside kick to secure Navy's first victory over a ranked opponent since 1985.
Senior fullback Eric Kettani rushed for a career-high 175 yards and the Navy defense forced six turnovers to key a 24-17 victory over 16th-ranked Wake Forest in front of 33,173 at BB&T Field.
Ketric Buffin, Ross Pospisil, Wyatt Middleton and Emmett Merchant made interceptions for Navy (3-2) while Billy Yarborough and Ram Vela had fumble recoveries. Jabaree Tuani and Ryan Griffith were credited with forced fumbles.
It was a superb effort by the Navy defense, which held a high-powered Wake Forest attack to 313 total yards and two touchdowns. Buffin led the way with seven tackles while a whopping eight different players made five apiece.
Navy had not beaten a team ranked in the Associated Press Top 25 since knocking off No. 20 Virginia on Sept. 28, 1985.

After trading turnovers, Navy may have just gotten the touchdown it needed to seal this victory.
A fumble by Shun White gave Wake Forest an opportunity to the the score, but Navy cornerback Emmett Merchant stepped in front of a pass by Wake quarterback Riley Skinner to get Navy the ball back. It was the sixth turnover of the game for the Demon Deacons, four of which were interceptions.
On Navy's first play from scrimmage, fullback Eric Kettani broke a 57-yard run to the Wake 6-yard line. Two plays later, backup quarterback Jarod Bryant raced into the end zone from 5 yards out on a quarterback keeper to put the Midshipmen ahead by two touchdowns.
Kettani has established a new career-high for rushing with 175 yards on 19 carries.