Mustangs launch defense against Navy

Disappointing records. Fired coaches. Hired coaches. Two schools with similar goals will clash at Gerald J. Ford Stadium Saturday.

The match-up between the SMU Mustangs and Navy Midshipmen has the makings of a battle between offense and defense.

SMU and Navy both hired new head coaches – Phil Bennett and Paul Johnson, respectively. With Bennett as defensive coordinator since 1999, Kansas State ranked second in the nation in total defense in 1999, fourth in 2000, and third in 2001. He helped Kansas State reach the Holiday, Cotton, and Insight.com Bowls.

Bennett has been defensive coordinator at seven schools. He was twice nominated for the Frank Broyles Award (1999, 2001) for the nation’s top assistant coach.

Johnson, however, has led many offenses to stellar numbers. A former offensive coordinator at Navy, Johnson led the team to a 9-3 mark in 1996 and a berth to the Aloha Bowl. Prior to his first stint with Navy, Johnson coached the Hawaii Warriors offense for eight seasons. In that period, Hawaii won its first ever WAC title and broke more than 160 school offensive records.

Both coaches are decorated with credentials, but it will ultimately come down to the players.

SMU returns seven starters on offense and eight on a defense that was the best in the conference last season. Senior cornerbacks Jonas Rutledge and Kevin Garrett are among the best tandems in the nation and the defensive line and safeties are as strong as last season.

The unit is anchored by senior linebacker Vic Viloria, a preseason nominee for the Butkus Award presented to the nation’s best linebacker, as well as the 2002 Rotary Lombardi Award Watch, an honor for the nation’s top lineman or linebacker.

“Vic is a throwback linebacker,” said Bennett in an interview after a spring scrimmage. “He loves to play the game and is a tough, hard-nosed guy. I am expecting big things from him.”

Navy will attack on offense. Johnson’s offensive strategies have succeeded at every level of coaching, most recently in Division I-AA with Georgia Southern, where his team won two National Championships and five Southern Conference championships.

Navy has a very dark recent past. The program has only managed one victory in the past two seasons, going 0-10 last year. Johnson believes that the program is more than salvageable.

“I look at this as an opportunity and a challenge,” Johnson said. “I know you can win here because we did it when I was coaching here before.”

When SMU’s defense is on the field against Navy’s offense, the battle should be intense. If Navy can execute Johnson’s strategies and SMU can continue its high level of play, the competition should prove more than entertaining.