Navy senior slot back Brandon Chatman has run for more than 200 yards in the Mids’ past two games, and now he’s excited for his final game at Notre Dame Stadium against the Fighting Irish.
“I try not to think about it too much because it’s a little emotional,” Chatman said Glenn Clark Radio Nov 4. “I have aspirations to go to the league, but at the end of the day, nothing is guaranteed. I know all I’ve got guaranteed right now is four or five more games. It’s a little bittersweet — but as for playing college ball and being able to go to those stadiums and things like that … it’s an experience that many people don’t get to experience, so I definitely take advantage of it.”
Most recently, Navy lost to North Texas, 31-17, which snapped the Mids’ 10-game winning streak dating back to last season. Now, they’ll take on the 10th-ranked Notre Dame, which has won six straight games since an 0-2 start.
Chatman says Navy’s focus and unity will help them take on the Irish.
“The only people that are going to believe in us are the people on the field, the people to my left and my right, or in that football building with me,” Chatman said. “We are the only ones that do believe. People don’t know what we have to do every day and what we go through and how hard we work. They can talk about, ‘They lost to North Texas,’ but that was just a wake-up call to us. Now we’re ready to go.”
Chatman was asked about the atmosphere of the team after the loss to North Texas. Navy is locked in and ready to play Notre Dame.
“Even in the weight room [on Nov. 3, strength coach Jim Kiritsy] was like, ‘Everybody came into work, but I can feel like the energy and 10 percent of [everybody’s] mind is still thinking about Saturday,'” Chatman said. “I think that’s a good balance, where it’s on your mind and you’re thinking, ‘We don’t want to feel that feeling again.’ … Everybody’s coming in ready to work, locked in. The atmosphere, I feel like people are ready to go.”
Chatman was asked what the team could improve and learn from after their first loss of the season. Navy ran for 311 yards, averaging 7.1 yards per rush, but turned the ball over three times.
“We move the ball, turnover. We move the ball, penalty, so it’s like those little things,” Chatman said. “We already knew that. We had that in a couple games before, and we got away with it, and North Texas was a team that made us pay for it.”
Chatman has run for 360 yards and two touchdowns and has caught 13 passes for 124 yards so far this year. He reflected on what this season personally meant to him, apart from stats.
“Prior to maybe the past two games, I did a lot of blocking and I take that personal and try to block as if I’m running the ball so that whoever can get in the end zone,” Chatman said. “I maybe had a good game against FAU, and Eli [Heidenreich] had like a legacy game blocking, so it goes hand in hand — everybody doing their job so everybody can get in the end zone.”
Chatman, typically described as a light, upbeat, and humorous personality, was asked where his radiance and positivity come from.
“It’s just the love for the game,” Chatman said. “It’s a game that I love to be around. The guys are great people. At a young age, things weren’t always the best, and at times I let things bring me down. The people that I ran to, and even my family, just trying to instill into me just to always be positive and make it through the little things.”
For more from Chatman, listen to the full interview here:
Photo Credit: Courtesy of Navy Athletics