2007 Poinsettia Bowl

Colleges and Universities A-Z Naval Academy - Annapolis
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<p>Comments from Navy Head Football Coach Ken Niumatalolo Following Practice On Wednesday, Dec. 13</p>

<p>On the first couple of days </p>

<p>"Things are going well. We have tried to keep things in place so there hasn't been much change. We have tried to keep the continuity of everything so there is some familiarity with what we are doing." </p>

<p>On retaining the coordinators </p>

<p>"I'm ecstatic that Ivin and Buddy are coming back and we are still working with the other guys, but I'm excited that a lot of the staff is coming back." </p>

<p>On being able to watch the defensive side of the ball during practice </p>

<p>"It's been a great experience for me. I've enjoyed watching the defensive guys play and the defensive coaches coach. It has given me a different perspective. Our defense is working hard and I think we've continued to get better. We got better at the end of the season and I'm excited about the progress that we've continued to make." </p>

<p>On the offensive line not getting much glory for three-straight rushing titles </p>

<p>"Football is the most the selfless sport there is. Everybody has a specific skill and everybody knows their role and if you have a team that buys in to their roles you will be successful. If you have too many guys that only think about themselves it makes it hard to win games." </p>

<p>On Ivin Jasper's transition from quarterbacks coach to offensive coordinator </p>

<p>"He's done a great job. As the quarterbacks coach you are thinking that way anyway. The only thing you aren't doing is calling the plays, but you are looking at the overall schematic of your game plan and you are looking at the entire defense and what kind of schemes they are employing. From his standpoint it has been a smooth transition." </p>

<p>The transition from assistant coach to head coach </p>

<p>"I am who I am. I'm not trying to come in here and be General Patton or anything. I am just trying to do the best I can." </p>

<p>Preparing for a bowl game </p>

<p>"It's a little different because we have to practice around finals, but it's the same thing we dealt with two years ago when we went to San Diego so we are trying to follow that same game plan and practice schedule. When we go to San Diego we are going to practice at the same time, practice at the same place, eat at the same places, just so the guys can have familiarity with what is going on. I think that has helped the transition." </p>

<p>On Utah </p>

<p>"Utah is good. They are always one of the better teams in the Mountain West Conference and Coach Whittingham is an excellent defensive coach and I know he has a great staff. We will have our hands full. I know what kind of players they recruit, because I have recruited the West Coast. They have good football players. It will be a really tough game."</p>

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<p>By Michael Yang</p>

<p>YouTube</a> - Navy Football 2007 - We salute you</p>

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<p>For: Immediate Release
Sent: December 13, 2007
Contact: Scott Strasemeier (410) 293-8775</p>

<p>SAN DIEGO, Calif.--The Naval Academy will be hosting a Poinsettia Bowl Pep Rally aboard the historic USS Midway on Wednesday, Dec. 19 at 5 p.m. The pep rally is presented by AT&T and admission is free. Navy fans are encouraged to come out and meet the new and new head coach Ken Niumatalolo. </p>

<p>On game day (Thursday), the Fifth Annual Brigade of Midshipmen Bowl Game Tailgate will take place from 2:30-6 p.m. in Section A-4 of the parking lot at Qualcomm Stadium. Midshipmen attending the game through the Midshipmen Welfare Fund will be admitted free of charge. In addition, each Midshipman may bring up to two guests free of charge. For all others the price of the tailgate is $35 for adults, $25 for children under 12. Tickets may be purchased through Anthony Travel at 1-800-736-6377 or by logging on to their web site at: Anthony</a> Travel Inc. | Event Travel </p>

<p>Tickets may also be purchased in the lobby of the Navy team hotel (The Manchester Grand Hyatt), on December 18 and 19 or at the entrance of the tailgate on the day of the event while supplies last. </p>

<p>The tailgate is presented by UniStar Nuclear Energy and is generously supported by AT&T, Lockheed-Martin and Navy Mutual Aid Association. The Midshipmen Store, the Naval Academy Gift Shop, Naval Academy Catering, official USNA web sales and the Dry Dock and Steerage Restaurants have provided major funding for the Brigade of Midshipmen Tailgate.</p>

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<p>Jasper</a> promoted to offensive coordinator - Examiner.com</p>

<p>
[quote]
Navy coach Ken Niumatalolo acted swiftly this week to return a sense of continuity to the football program in the days after Paul Johnson resigned to take over as head coach at Georgia Tech.</p>

<p>He made his first mark by promoting Ivin Jasper to offensive coordinator from quarterbacks coach, as Jasper will call plays in the Poinsettia Bowl in San Diego on Dec. 20. The move by Niumatalolo, who also retained defensive coordinator Buddy Green, is in stark contrast to Johnson’s days, as Johnson was one of few head coaches in the country who doubled as offensive coordinator....

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<p>Salt</a> Lake Tribune - Utes: Utes set for Navy offense</p>

<p>
[quote]
Seeing the numbers Navy's triple option offense has put up this year is enough to make any team want extra time to prepare. </p>

<p>The Midshipmen have finished as the nation's best rushing team three years in a row, have scored on 37 of their last 57 possessions, have 14 scoring plays of 25 yards or more and have punted just 21 times in their 12 games. </p>

<p>Luckily for the Utes, they've enjoyed several extra weeks to get ready for Navy since they are playing in a bowl game and not the regular season....

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<p>Offensive Coordinator of I-AA's Top Offense Coming To Navy To Coach The Slot Backs (San Luis Obispo Tribune)</p>

<p>Joe DuPaix guided the Mustangs to a record-setting offensive season as Cal Poly led the Football Championship Subdivision in total offense</p>

<p>San</a> Luis Obispo County’s website | 12/14/2007 | Poly’s offensive coordinator will coach running backs for Navy</p>

<p>
[quote]
The Cal Poly football team will return 10 of its 11 starters on offense next season, but the Mustangs won’t be returning the services of offensive coordinator Joe DuPaix. </p>

<p>DuPaix, who recently wrapped up his seventh season at Cal Poly, told The Tribune on Thursday he has accepted an assistant coaching position at Navy and will join newly named Midshipmen head coach Ken Niumatalolo’s staff in January. </p>

<p>“It’s bittersweet,” said DuPaix, who will coach running backs at the Naval Academy. “I absolutely love the people at Cal Poly.The team is just unreal, and I learned a ton from them. I appreciate all I have learned here under coach (Rich) Ellerson the past seven years.” ...

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<p>YouTube</a> - Army Navy Game 2007 Company Linebacker Spirit Spot</p>

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<p>Assistant</a> coaches eager to carry on success at Navy - Navy Sports - (HometownAnnapolis.com)</p>

<p>
[quote]
For Ivin Jasper, the decision to remain at Navy as an assistant coach went way beyond difficult.</p>

<p>Agonizing! Gut-wrenching! Those words would better describe the emotions Jasper felt as he wrestled with his future in college football. Choosing which path to take in one's career is never easy and Jasper had less than 24 hours to make a decision....

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<p>Salt</a> Lake Tribune - Ute football: QB Kaheaku-Enhada is Navy's No. 1 option</p>

<p>
[quote]
Navy quarterback Kaipo-Noa Kaheaku-Enhada is a speedy runner with a good arm. But those skills are almost secondary to the biggest threat he uses against opposing defenses - his decision making. </p>

<p>As the player who controls what Navy does in the option offense, Kaheaku-Enhada has to make a quick decision every time Navy snaps the ball and the defense responds. Does he give the ball to the fullback, get it to a slotback or keep it himself? </p>

<p>Based on Navy's success this year, Kaheaku-Enhada has made the right decisions the majority of the time. Kaheaku-Enhada has led the Midshipmen to their fifth straight bowl appearance, rushing for 782 yards and passing for 830....

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<p>Deseret</a> Morning News | Poinsettia Bowl: A primer on Navy football</p>

<p>
[quote]
Up until now, perhaps all you know about the Navy football team, which faces Utah in next week's San Diego County Credit Union Poinsettia Bowl, is that the Midshipmen score a lot of points and are the No. 1 rushing team in the nation.</p>

<p>So with the Utah-Navy matchup just five days away, here's a primer on Navy football....

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<p>Whittingham had to replace wildly successful Meyer as coach</p>

<p>Utah</a> coach carves own niche - Navy Sports - (HometownAnnapolis.com)</p>

<p>
[quote]
If Ken Niumatalolo needs a blueprint for how to make the quantum leap from long-time assistant to first-time head coach, he needs only look at Navy's opponent in next Thursday's Poinsettia Bowl.</p>

<p>In fact, the similarities between Niumatalolo's current situation and the Utah head coach Kyle Whittingham faced three years ago are striking....

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<p>Attack enables once struggling programs to thrive</p>

<p>SignOnSanDiego.com</a> > Sports -- Football's big equalizer: gotta 'spread' the wealth</p>

<p>
[quote]
In November 1999, officials from Texas Tech University hired a special consultant for $180,000 and told him to solve a riddle. </p>

<p>They asked: How can we fill the football stadium with fans and win lots of games despite significant disadvantages in recruiting and resources? </p>

<p>The consultant, Barry Terranova, did his work and came up with an answer: Hire a coach to install the spread offense. </p>

<p>“It's something you'll continue to see proliferate because people have found it incredibly difficult to stop,” Terranova said. “With some teams that otherwise should have problems being competitive, it made them competitive.” ...

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<p>SignOnSanDiego.com</a> > Sports -- Navy coach keeps options open</p>

<p>
[quote]
On the morning of Dec. 7, Navy head football coach Paul Johnson walked into the office and told his boss, Chet Gladchuk, that he was leaving to become the new coach at Georgia Tech. </p>

<p>Other athletic directors still might have been searching for a replacement. </p>

<p>But Gladchuk already had made up his mind long ago. The previous evening, he even placed a call to Ken Niumatalolo, Johnson's longtime assistant, and told him to get ready to come back from a recruiting trip in California. </p>

<p>Gladchuk had a new job for him – as Johnson's permanent successor. </p>

<p>“It was absolutely without any hesitation,” Gladchuk said....

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<p>SignOnSanDiego.com</a> > Sports -- More than usual, San Diego a Navy town this week</p>

<p>
[quote]
Don't worry. We're not being invaded. It only might seem like it this week when the U.S. Naval Academy sends a series of units into local sports venues. </p>

<p>Navy's men's basketball team faces San Diego State at Cox Arena tonight at 7. </p>

<p>Navy's women's basketball team faces SDSU tomorrow at 7 p.m. </p>

<p>On Thursday, the Navy football team (8-4) faces Utah (8-4) at Qualcomm Stadium in the San Diego County Credit Union Poinsettia Bowl....

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<p>North</a> County Times - Aztecs - Navy sticks with successful formula with new head coach</p>

<p>
[quote]
If it ain't broke, why fix it? That's the sort of homespun, Southern-fried wisdom that was the calling card of former Navy football coach Paul Johnson. It's also the theory to which the Naval Academy subscribed in replacing Johnson, a North Carolina native who returned to his roots when he left to take the head job at Georgia Tech earlier this month.</p>

<p>Five years ago, Johnson inherited a program that had gone an abysmal 1-20 in the previous two seasons and that many college football observers assumed could never again compete in a modern era dominated by ever larger and faster athletes....

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<p>Navy head football coach Ken Niumatalolo's Sunday afternoon press briefing is available on Navy All-Access.</p>

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<p>Utah, Navy share common perspective
Teams will square off in Poinsettia Bowl Thursday night
By Sandra McKee | Sun reporter </p>

<p>The Naval Academy and its sister military schools are recognized for their players' higher calling after the fun of football is over, but the military institutions aren't alone in their ability to turn out athletes with a world view.</p>

<p>When Navy meets Utah on Thursday in the Poinsettia Bowl in San Diego, it will be facing a mature team with many players who have football and bowl games in perspective.</p>

<p>"On our team there are 10 players right now who are returned Mormon missionaries," said senior strong safety Steve Tate, who decided he wanted to go to Utah while in the second year of his mission in Argentina after his freshman year at Utah State.</p>

<p>The mission was in Buenos Aires and it was there he decided there was no place like home.</p>

<p>"I'd grown up five minutes from Utah in Salt Lake," he said. "While I was on my mission, coach [Kyle] Whittingham contacted my dad and I just changed my mind and decided I wanted to come here."</p>

<p>When he came back from his mission, he also married his high school sweetheart, Savannah, who loved him enough to survive two years on letters, e-mails and a total of four phone calls while he served in South America.</p>

<p>"I think our Mormon background gives us a lot more in common with Navy and Air Force, a team we see every year, than you might imagine," said Tate, 24. "Those guys give up nearly everything to go to the academies and they play football for fun. They have their priorities straight. They're mature guys. And they're leaders.</p>

<p>"When we go on our missions, we learn perspective. We pay our own way, learn a foreign language, go out into communities, knocking on doors and preach the gospel. It's a humbling experience. You get doors closed in your face. You get yelled at. You develop a thick skin. After that, hearing a coach yell at you, well, you've been there."</p>

<p>It's difficult to imagine coach Whittingham yelling very much at the 5-foot-11, 195-pound NFL prospect, who has been a major anchor in Utah's defense that ranks No. 2 nationally in pass defense, No. 3 in scoring defense and No. 15 in total defense, allowing 319.4 total yards a game.</p>

<p>Over the last two seasons, Tate has made 200 tackles and spent an inordinate amount of time in opposing team's backfields. This season his 10 tackles for loss and two sacks lead all Mountain West Conference defensive backs and tie him for 10th among all defenders nationally.</p>

<p>"Our defense allows the strong safety to have more freedom, to run to the football," he said. "I still have pass responsibilities, but it allows me to be in good position to make plays."</p>

<p>The Utes have had nearly three weeks to prepare for Navy, a team Whittingham views as a challenge. He also views the long lapse between games as a possible problem.</p>

<p>"We want to keep [Utah players] fresh," he said after one practice last week. "We don't want to wear them out."</p>

<p>It helps the Utes that Navy's triple option isn't a total mystery. The Utes face Air Force every year. "When you play against the triple option, it's the defense that has to make all the adjustments," Tate said. "Their offense is going to do what it does. About 90 percent of the time the opposing team knows what their offense is going to run, but they've got a very good quarterback and fullbacks who run hard. I have the utmost respect for Navy. You know what they're going to do, but it's very hard to stop because they do it so well."</p>

<p>Like Navy's other opponents this season, part of the defensive strategy will be for Utah to keep its own offensive unit on the field as long as possible.</p>

<p>"We have an All-American punter," Tate said. "But we want to keep him on the bench."</p>

<p><a href="mailto:sandra.mckee@baltsun.com">sandra.mckee@baltsun.com</a></p>

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<p>Niumatalolo goes from 'go-fer' to skipper of Navy football program</p>

<p>Humble</a> to be on Point - Navy Sports - (HometownAnnapolis.com)</p>

<p>
[quote]
A full bathroom is attached to the spacious office reserved for the head football coach at the Naval Academy. </p>

<p>Ken Niumatalolo keeps forgetting to use it.</p>

<p>After practice this week, Niumatalolo headed to the locker room showers as he'd always done. Some of the assistant coaches had to remind Niumatalolo there was no need for that anymore.</p>

<p>"They were like 'What are you doing. You have a shower in your office.' I'm still getting used to this deal," said Niumatalolo, who spent 10 years as a Navy assistant....

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<p>City, bowl officials savor past, future relationship</p>

<p>Mids</a> have San Diego support - Navy Sports - (HometownAnnapolis.com)</p>

<p>
[quote]
When organizers of the highly successful Holiday Bowl decided to take on another postseason event, they had no idea whether two college football games in the span of a week would fly in San Diego.</p>

<p>By far the biggest concern with launching the Poinsettia Bowl back in 2005 was that it might in some way detract from the Holiday Bowl, which had developed a sterling reputation during its 27-year history....

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<p>UTAH FOOTBALL: Matchup with Navy fails to create buzz at box office
By Jay Drew
The Salt Lake Tribune
Article Last Updated: 12/17/2007 11:33:22 AM MST</p>

<p>Posted: 11:32 AM- Utah's football team will be going for its seventh-straight bowl win on Thursday, is playing in its fifth bowl game in as many years and as a chance to become just the sixth team in 116 years of Ute football to win nine or more games in a season. </p>

<pre><code>Ute fans far and wide are on the old bandwagon, ready to storm sunny San Diego in a few days to revel in another big win and party like it's the first day of 2005 all over again.

Well, not exactly.

About 5,000 Ute fans are expected to be in attendance at spacious Qualcomm Stadium, the school will have to eat thousands of its allotted 10,000 tickets at $35 to $45 apiece and, frankly, there's not much buzz surrounding the game around town, even the most ardent of Utah fans acknowledge.

What in the name of Urban Meyer is going on here?

"I think a lot of Utah fans jumped off the bandwagon after [the] UNLV [loss] and were running alongside it waiting to see if we could beat BYU," said Mark Thomas, a longtime Utah fan. "When we didn't, they stopped running and started making plans for the holidays that did not include Utah football. I'm not saying I agree with all this, but maybe [it is] just an idea why people are not going to the game."

For some, the apathy - compared to the Fiesta Bowl fever that may never be matched again - begs the question: Is this as
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<p>good as it gets for the Utes? </p>

<pre><code>"I don't think so," said senior safety Steve Tate, a graduate of nearby Skyline High who has followed the program his entire life. "The program really is making strides. You are starting to see the steps [upward] right now. We're on the rise, and it is just a matter of getting over the hump and getting rid of these four-loss seasons."

Still, it appears that the 8-4 Utes, despite their impressive string of bowl wins, have lost the momentum generated by that 12-0, BCS-busting season three years ago. At least, they've seemingly lost a chunk of their following, after they enjoyed a huge home-crowd advantage at sold-out Sun Devil Stadium on Jan. 1, 2005 against overmatched Pitt.

One sign was that they failed to sell out Rice-Eccles Stadium when No. 11-ranked UCLA visited Salt Lake City on Sept. 15, a perfect weather day.

Utah assistant ticket manager David Woodbury said that by midday Friday the school had sold "about 4,500 tickets" to the Poinsettia Bowl. He believes an additional 500 or more tickets have been purchased through the bowl itself by Utah fans.

That's better than last year, when only 2,000 or so tickets were sold for Utah's appearance in the Armed Forces Bowl in Fort Worth, Texas. But this is a more ideal destination - San Diego in December. That the game is in the middle of the week may also be hurting ticket sales, Woodbury believes.

Adding insult to injury for the Utes is that the rival BYU Cougars quickly sold out their allotment of Las Vegas Bowl tickets and have been poaching more away from UCLA. Granted, it is a lot easier, and cheaper, to get to Las Vegas for most Utah and BYU fans than San Diego.

What gives?

An informal survey of sports talk radio hosts in Salt Lake City found that calls are running 3-1 or 4-1 about BYU, compared to Utah.

"Utah fans are fickle, always have been, always will be," said Thomas, the Ute fan. "Couple that with the fact that we play in the MWC, we are playing Navy, and you can't help but feel that Utah football is once again irrelevant."

Don't tell that to coach Kyle Whittingham, who is 23-14 since taking over for Meyer after that glorious 2004 season. He said last week the momentum is still there.

"I think so," he said. "It has helped in recruiting. We have had some great recruiting classes since then. We are still riding that wave, to a certain extent."

True, Utah's 2008 recruiting class is shaping up to be one of the best ever, but ask any of the 12 or so players who have committed to the program so far, and none bring up what happened three years ago.

"I wouldn't say we've lost momentum," Tate said. "I would say our fans saw something great, going to that Fiesta Bowl. Maybe they see the [Poinsettia] Bowl as not a high priority on their to-do list. But we are happy about going there. It's a great opportunity for us, regardless of whether a lot of fans show up."

Tate and defensive end Paul Kruger said it is nothing a conference title won't cure. The Utes haven't contended for one since back-to-back outright conference crowns in 2003 and 2004, and those are the only two outright titles they've won the last 50 years.

"We haven't peaked, "Kruger said. "I really believe that this season has been a huge builder for us. Our team is on the rise and we're going to win nine games this season, and so that's going to be a really good season."

Apparently, not good enough, though, for thousands of "fickle" Ute fans.
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