Navy's defense was dealt a blow when starting safety Kwazel Bertrand suffered a broken ankle against Air Force.
Bertrand was playing well and may have put forth the peak performance of his career in the big victory over Air Force, recording eight tackles while forcing and recovering a fumble. Two of Bertrand's stops came on consecutive plays from the goal line as the Falcons failed to punch it in from just 1-yard out.
Navy coaches have long preached the mantra of next man up and in this case that would be junior Daiquan Thomasson, who has taken over at the rover position.