Bryson Armstrong has a pretty good idea of what UCF will be facing this Saturday when they go up against Navy and their triple-option offensive attack.
Armstrong spent the first four years of his career at Kennesaw State playing for head coach Brian Bohannon, who favored the same style of offense. Bohannon and Navy coach Ken Niumatalolo both come from the coaching tree of Paul Johnson, who popularized the triple-option flexbone during stops at Hawaii, Georgia Southern, Navy and later Georgia Tech. Bohannon also spent six years on Niumatalolo's Navy staff during the mid-2000s.
Armstrong, a linebacker at heart who also plays a bit of defensive back this year, knows a thing or two about defending it.
"It's actually nice for once going against an offense that doesn't cut you every day in practice," Armstrong said, a reference to the low blocks employed by option teams. "That's been nice. I do have a little experience playing (against option). I was (at Kennesaw State) for four years. We were going against them every day. I know how to defend a cut block somewhat. Some of the things they'll do as an offense (I'm experienced with), so that will probably help going into this game."
The bye week was beneficial not only because of the rash of injuries suffered in the Louisville game, but to spend extra time preparing for the unique challenge.
"We've worked hard on how to defeat a cut block," Armstrong said. "They're going to be chopping at our legs all game. It's important to know how to defeat that. We're going to have to be tough. They're going to run the ball. They'll try to run it down our throat. It's our job to stop that. Take the run away. If we can do that, we should be successful."
Doing their best this week to replicate Navy's option is UCF's scout team offense, led by reserve quarterback Parker Navarro.
"They've done a great job getting in there and watching film," Armstrong said. "That's another thing. Playing Navy, when you get out there Saturday, it may seem a little bit faster because our offense isn't used to running the triple option. But they've done a really good job of doing their best to implement what Navy does on offense. Parker gives us a great look every day at practice. He's been a huge help."
Navy reached a bowl game in four of their first five seasons in the American Athletic Conference, including 11-2 finishes in both 2015 and 2019, ending the season nationally ranked in both years. They struggled to a 3-7 mark during the COVID year of 2020 and are a winless 0-3 this season, dropping games so far to Marshall, Air Force and Houston.
"I think if we stop the quarterback, No. 7 (Xavier Arline), that will help us out," Armstrong said. "You hold the B-Back to under 100 yards, which is like the fullback, I think any time you can limit his big plays, that will help us a lot. Of course they've got their slot backs. If we can limit all the runs we should be successful. Make sure we're disciplined with our eyes, so when they do try to go deep on us, (they won't) catch us off guard.
"I think playing Navy will be a huge test for us. We haven't always been disciplined as a defense. In order to play Navy well, in order to beat them, we're going to have to be extremely disciplined. I would say that and tackling better. We'll have to do that. Including myself. I think forcing turnovers, getting the ball out more. We're emphasizing that more. That will help us as a defense."
For Armstrong, there's also strong familiarity within Navy's coaching staff. The Midshipmen defensive coordinator is Brian Newberry, who coached Armstrong earlier in his Kennesaw State career.
"We've got a good relationship," Armstrong said. "He recruited me at Kennesaw State. I was there three years with him, then he went to the academy with a couple other coaches. He's a great guy. He just had another baby. I'm proud of him. I look forward to seeing him on Saturday. It'll be fun to catch up."
The Louisville game was a rough one for UCF's defense, which gave up over 500 yards of offense and struggled to contain quarterback Malik Cunningham at times. Several defenders exited the game with injuries, including defensive tackle Ricky Barber, linebacker Tatum Bethune and cornerback Corey Thornton.
"That's something I struggle with is putting a loss behind you," Armstrong said. "With the 24-hour rule, sometimes a loss will hang on and be longer than 24 hours. We've got to get rid of it. It's in the past. Learn from our mistakes. We watched the film. It wasn't always pretty. We've been learning from it and getting better from it."
The early part of the season has been an adjustment for Armstrong, a former FCS All-American linebacker.
"I've learned a lot from Coach T-Will (Travis Williams), Coach Addison (Williams) and Coach (David) Gibbs," Armstrong said. "Just being able to learn from those guys, they've helped me a lot. It's been a little bit faster here. Offensive line will get up on you a little faster. I've had a lot of fun. I've enjoyed the past three games. I'm looking to improve."
Last edited:
