PHILADELPHIA – One of the mottos of the Navy football program under head coach Ken Niumatalolo has been “No excuses.”
It is printed on T-shirts the Midshipmen wear and the slogan can be found throughout the football facilities in Ricketts Hall.
That being said, Navy had plenty of legitimate excuses for last year’s loss to archrival Army. The Midshipmen had less than one week to prepare for the big game for the first time in decades and also had a slew of key players sit out with injuries.
Navy accomplished one of its primary season goals by winning the West Division and earning a berth in the American Athletic Conference championship game last season.