In Navy’s fourth-straight defeat and sixth of the season Saturday against Tulsa, defensive coordinator Brian Newberry didn’t think his defense played badly. His unit compensated for a lackluster output on the other side of the ball by stuffing the Golden Hurricane’s offense in every way it could. One moment, however, marred the performance and broke the defense’s back, in the words of Newberry.
Navy’s offense had just come off a good drive late in the third quarter. The backbreaker came soon after, when Tulsa quarterback Zach Smith locked on wide receiver Josh Johnson.
Though four Midshipmen surrounded Johnson, no one could come close enough.