Navy sophomore fullback Daba Fofana, who led his team to a 19-17 win against UCF on Nov. 19, credits the Mids’ sense of brotherhood and ability to stay mentally tough for their solid play of late — two things they will need in their upcoming matchup against Army on Dec. 10.
The 5-foot-8, 205-pound rusher dominated UCF’s defense, racking up 114 yards on 20 carries. Fofana showed exceptional power and speed, especially when he broke off a 46-yard run on the game’s first drive. The sophomore back leads the team in rushing and carries, with 799 yards and six touchdowns on 175 attempts.
The Cumming, Ga., native has been the focal point of Navy’s run-first offense, producing three games of 100-plus rushing yards. Two of the three have come recently, against Notre Dame and UCF. Fofana’s emergence has come at the perfect time for the Mids, too. They just played two ranked teams competitively and are now preparing for their biggest game of the year against Army.
“It’s an amazing feeling,” Fofana said of the UCF win on Glenn Clark Radio Nov. 22. “It’s what we’ve been praying for and it’s what we’ve been working for in the entire offseason, too. They have fifth-, sixth-year guys, but we have the brotherhood, the tighter group of players. … Just being around the brotherhood and having all those guys helps a lot better than having a team full of transfers and guys from everywhere else.”
Fofana says the past few weeks have been “amazing,” noting that the team’s mental toughness and confidence shined against Notre Dame. Down 35-13 at halftime, Navy outscored the Fighting Irish, 19-0, in the second half. Even though the Mids lost the game, 35-32, it showed them they could beat any opponent.
“That just gave us confidence going into the UCF game, which ultimately led us to a win,” Fofana said.
Fofana doesn’t believe he was the main reason for Navy’s success against UCF. Rather, he gives all the credit to the team’s sense of brotherhood, his offensive line and the coaches.
“It’s all because of the O-line,” Fofana said of his success on the ground this season. “They’re coming off the ball, moving people off the spot. It’s really because of them that I’ve gotten all those yards and all of that.”
Fofana believes the coaching staff’s “next-play mentality” is what powers Navy at its core, allowing the Mids to come up with big wins. Fofana says this mentality keeps the players focused on the moment rather than drifting to failures of the past or looking too far into the future.
Navy’s focus has now shifted to its annual matchup against Army. Fofana recognizes the sheer importance of this game and finds it hard to believe at times that he is starting in the Army-Navy game.
“I’m just going to thank God for everything he’s put me through and for the opportunities he’s given me,” Fofana said of starting against Army. “If you were to ask me a couple years ago if I’d be starting in the Army-Navy game this year, I would have said, ‘No way, you’re crazy.'”
Why is that?
“First of all, because I didn’t want to go to military academy,” Fofana said. “But then second of all, it’s because I know how much work it is to start on a college football team, let alone get some playing time. But He’s helped me get to this point and all the glory goes to Him.”
Navy beat Army last year, 17-13, after losing to the Black Knights, 15-0, in 2020. Fofana says the rivalry will be as heated as ever as the Mids look to make it two in a row.
“Even when we play Air Force, it’s always that we-have-to-win mentality,” Fofana said of the Army-Navy rivalry. “Just keeping our dominance in the rivalry. We might get along after the game because we’re all service academies, but when we’re in between the lines, it’s war.”
For more from Fofana, listen to the full interview here:
See Also:
• Glenn Clark: Easy To Miss That What Navy Football Is Doing Is Remarkable
• Navy WR Jayden Umbarger: ‘Couldn’t Ask For Anything More’ Out Of Academy Experience
Photo Credit: Kenya Allen/PressBox