Tuesday, Dec. 26

Navy Head Coach Paul Johnson:

How does it feel to be in Charlotte playing in a bowl game?
Well it’s tremendous. I think anytime you have an opportunity to play in a postseason game like the bowl game, it’s great. And to come to Charlotte, everyone has been very hospitable and we’re looking forward to the game.

Does it feel good to get your future out of the way, knowing that you’ll be at Navy?
I don’t ever worry about that anyway. People are going to say what they say, you know. I just worry about trying to keep the job that I have. That’s all I can do.

What do you know about Boston College?
Well, their big and physical and a very talented team. I’m not sure they’re not the best team in the ACC. Their quarterback is very experienced and very efficient. Defensively, they’re Top-30 in the country with some really huge guys. It should be a big challenge for us.

How’s your team looking?
We’re a little rusty today, but you can expect that. We took some time off to go home for Christmas and came back. But our guys will play hard and if you do that, you always have a chance.

How does it feel for your team to go to bowl games?
Yeah, it’s fun. I hope they understand what it takes to get here and the effort that it takes to be competitive. So we’ll see. I know Boston College has won a bunch of bowl games in a row. Like I said, it’s going to be a huge challenge.

What is it about Coach Green’s defense that has made it so successful?
Like the rest of the team, they play aggressive and play hard. We’re the type of football team, we don’t have a lot of big play guys. It’s definitely a team-type deal. At different times, everybody’s had to pull their part and play hard. Certainly we’ve had some good production out of our defense.

Are you worried about the extra time BC has had to figure out your offense?
No, not really. It all comes to execution. It doesn’t matter how much time you have or how much you figure out. I’m more worried that they’re big and physical and run fast than I am that they’ll figure it out. They’ll have a good plan. They’ve got good coaches and good players and like I said, they’re very good on defense. So we’ll go out and give it our best shot and see what we can do.

Navy Quarterback Kaipo-Noa Kaheaku-Enhada

How was it to get back in practice finally?
It feels good to be back with the team and with guys. It was a little slow moving today, but we’ll pick it up in the next few days.

How has the team adjusted to your style of play?
I think we’ve come a long way since then, since Brian had his injury. We’re starting to click now. Everyone is working together and we’re executing at the level that we want to execute.

How glad are you to play in another bowl game?
Whenever you got an opportunity to play in a bowl game, it’s a great thing. It shows great things about your team and how far you’ve come throughout the year. We’re looking forward to playing. When you make it to a bowl game, it’s your chance to celebrate your season.

How glad are you to have your coach intact?
It’s always a good thing to have your head coach around and you know he’s going to be there for a while. I feel bad for BC having their coach leave and to have to come here and get focused and get ready to play. At the same time, you have no control over that. As players you have no control over what the coaches are doing, because they’re doing what they do for their families. It feels good knowing that our coach is here, but we just want to go out there and play ball.

How is being at a military school, with graduation and service looming, mentally?
Football is our chance to let loose in a military school, you know. So we go out there, like I said, it’s our chance to push everything aside and be who we are. We’re athletes, we’re football players that go out everyday and play the game we love. I look forward to that every game.