Senior Connor McMahon has started a lot of games on the offensive line for Navy and has experienced the full spectrum of highs and lows — sort of.
In McMahon’s mind there is an asterisk next to the joy he felt when the team beat Army in his plebe year because he native never entered the game. However, he has started nearly every game since.
In fact, his streak of consecutive starts will reach 34 Saturday in Landover when Navy takes the field against archrival Army — giving McMahon one last chance to taste the most satisfying victory a Midshipman could experience.
As with most Army-Navy games, whoever wins the line of scrimmage has a good chance of winning the game. For McMahon, that means finding ways to open holes against an Army defense that is yielding only 104 rushing yards per game, which ranks 12th nationally.
“They are a very talented team. They have been dominating some teams and they have a really good offensive line. Our defense has a great challenge, but I think their defense is just as good,” McMahon said.
McMahon thinks it’s no coincidence that when Navy’s offensive played well this season, it was reflected on the scoreboard.
“The games you’ve seen us win by a lot — we had some of our best games,” McMahon said of the unit. However, Rice, for example, was one of our worst games up front. The outcome of a lot of the games does come down to the O-line.”
Offensive success, once a staple during Navy’s triple option era, was hard to come by in McMahon’s first two years as a starter. Coach Ken Niumatalolo was fired after losing to Army during McMahon’s sophomore year and replaced with Brian Newberry.
“Coach Ken was a great coach and loved by everyone, but the change to [Coach] Newberry has been amazing as well as he has taken our program to the next level,” he said.
Prior to this season, Drew Cronic was brought in as offensive coordinator and Jay Guillermo came along to help with the offensive line.
The new chemistry on the offensive coaching staff worked, and McMahon credited Cronic’s “amazing” play calling and quarterback Blake Horvath’s decision-making as the main reasons for the offense’s awakening and for Navy’s 8-3 record this season. He also said it has helped to not have the constant shuffling of starters like in years past on the line.
“I’ve been playing since my sophomore year and there was almost constant rotating of [starters] which doesn’t help. It’s been nice seeing the same guys next to me this season,” McMahon said.
McMahon had high praise for his offensive line coaches, crediting them with building “the best O-line in years” at Navy. That high praise was reciprocated by Guillermo, the first-year offensive line coach.
“[Connor’s] such a great leader for us. He has bent over backwards to do anything he can for Navy football,” Guillermo said. “He’s a huge reason why we have been able to have some of the success we’ve had on offense and up front.”
Earlier this year, Guillermo credited McMahon’s leadership as playing a role in the coaching staff deciding that the senior was the perfect player to wear jersey No. 68 to honor David Forney, who tragically died a few months after his senior season at Navy. McMahon believes he has done everything in his power to fulfill the heavy responsibility.
“I am very proud to be able to wear this number, and I think as a team we have done him proud. We still have the opportunity to be the second winningest team in history,” said McMahon, who last week was named honorable mention All-American Athletic Conference.
Connor won’t be the last McMahon from Canon-McMillan High School outside of Pittsburgh to put on a Navy football jersey. His younger brother, Matt, signed his Navy commitment letter earlier this month and will head to the prep school next year.
“It’s a big deal for him and for my family. I’m very happy that he is going to carry on the legacy,” said the elder McMahon.
Matt said that seeing his role model play in his final Army-Navy game will be emotional for the McMahon household and that he is proud to be following in his brother’s footsteps. That didn’t stop him, however, from taking a fun swipe at his sibling. When asked who the better player is, there was no hesitation.
“I’ve had a better high school career — if you look at all of my accomplishments. I think I definitely could be the better player,” said the younger McMahon.
Connor McMahon, who service selected Navy pilot, credited his coaches and his parents, who have attended every home and away game that he has played in, with being there for him throughout his four years in Annapolis. And after the Army game, he knows they will be there for the Armed Forces Bowl against Southeastern Conference powerhouse Oklahoma.
McMahon was happy his lone postseason appearance didn’t come in the Military Bowl at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium.
“I love that we are playing somewhere different and hopefully it will be warm. It’s pretty simple – we spend 95% of our time in Annapolis. It is going to be huge for our morale to just go to a new place,” he said.
But McMahon had no interest in talking about the Sooners.
“Army is the focus,” he said.
125th Army-Navy Game
Saturday, Dec. 14, 3 p.m.
at Northwest Stadium, Landover
TV: CBS
Radio: 1430 AM