Navy, as an institution and a member of the American Athletic Conference, elected to participate in the 2020 college football season despite the ongoing pandemic.
From the day that decision was made, the Midshipmen needed to be all-in with regard to getting ready to go.
From a practice standpoint, that was not the case. Coach Ken Niumatalolo took a cautious approach to preseason preparation, choosing to tip-toe toward the starting line.
Navy did not practice live, meaning the front-line offensive and defensive players never had to block or tackle each other in live scrimmage situations.
It was clear after just one offensive and defensive series of the season opener Monday night against Brigham Young University that was a major competitive mistake.