Navy Midshipmen Defensive Stars To Watch Against East Carolina Pirates

Here are some of the top defensive stars to watch for both the Navy Midshipmen and the East Carolina Pirates on Friday.

Sep 9, 2023; Annapolis, Maryland, USA; Navy Midshipmen linebacker Colin Ramos (44) returns a fumble return as Wagner Seahawks running back Rickey Spruill (36) divers to tackle during the first half at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium. / Tommy Gilligan-Imagn Images

The Navy Midshipmen hope to bring their best defensive performance of the season when they face the East Carolina Pirates on Friday at Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium in Greenville, N.C.

Kickoff is set for noon eastern on ESPN.

The Midshipmen (7-3, 5-2 in American) enter the game with the No. 8 rushing offense in the country, which means the East Carolina defense could have a problem. The Pirates are the No. 82 run defense and allows 156.5 yards per game. That will be a key match-up in the contest.

So will the East Carolina (7-4, 5-2) pass game, which is No. 18 in the country and averages more than 280 yards. That puts the onus on the Navy pass defense, which enters the game No. 70 and allows 220 yards per game.

So the matchups are clear. Now it’s down to the players.

Here are three defensive players to watch for each team going into Friday’s contest.

Navy

LB Colin Ramos

Ramos continues to set the pace for the Navy defense as he's the only player with more than 100 tackles. He enters the East Carolina game with 102 tackles, along with three sacks, two passes defended and a forced fumble. With a week of rest thanks to the bye week, he should be as fresh as he's been all season.

S Rayuan Lane III

Given how good East Carolina's passing game is, Lane needs to have a good day. He's picked off two passes and returned one for a touchdown. He's also forced three fumbles, defended three passes and has 52 tackles, including 33 solo shots. While Navy shouldn't ignore East Carolina's run game, Lane will be more help against the pass this week.

DB Dashaun Peele

Lane has had a good year, but Peele has had a great year. He leads Navy with four interceptions and 166 return yards. He's also returned two of those interceptions for touchdowns. He enters the game with two sacks and 36 tackles, including 21 solo shots. Navy needs him to come up big when the ball is in the air.

East Carolina Pirates

DB Omar Rogers

East Carolina's leading tackler is bound to have a busy day against Navy's run-based offense. He enters the contest with 83 total tackles, including 37 solo. He’s sacked the quarterback once, picked off a pass and recovered a fumble. This may be the busiest Rogers has been all season defending the run.

LB Zayke Barker

Barker is the second-leading tackler on the Pirates with 72 stops. He has two quarterback sacks and two forced fumbles. He's been highly productive during East Carolina's current four-game winning streak and he’s laid the groundwork for another good day against the Midshipmen on Friday.

DL Elijah Morris

Navy won’t throw the ball that much, but that doesn't mean that East Carolina’s leading pass rusher won't have an influence on the outcome. Morris leads the team with four sacks, but he also has 27 tackles. He'll be tasked more with helping to defend the run and set the edge than rushing the quarterback against Navy.