Greer Martini can coach it because he lived it.

An extra week gave the linebackers coach time to set his sights on Charlotte’s. His thoughts on five games against Army or Navy while at Notre Dame were on full display: He collected at least nine tackles in every game he faced as a service academy player.

Perhaps more importantly, he beat the Fighting Irish 4-1 against them.

Option crimes have evolved, but their foundations remain. There were two weeks between a lopsided victory over East Carolina and the 49ers’ last chance at a notable victory, which would be the program’s first win over a top 25 opponent in its abbreviated history.

It will also have to take place in Annapolis for the first time.

“I coached in that stadium a number of times as a high school coach,” coach Biff Poggi said. “I was at a Navy game and I think it was homecoming (like this). It’s an incredible environment because Navy graduates come back and really care about their team.

“It will be quite a challenge.”

The challenge is simple in theory.

Navy’s undefeated start against Bucknell, Temple, Memphis, UAB and the Air Force was not due to the program’s ability to hide its plans and plans, but to its ability to execute them.

Each defense will have a similar plan to defend the Midshipmen. Linebackers, defensive ends and backs are each assigned a player to focus on during an option play: one gets the pitchman, another the dive, and a third keeps his eye on the moving back who may soon be waiting behind the quarterback for a throw .

The group will attack as one, and Martini learned in his time defending it that a team with players good at disrupting that sync are the ones who can stop it.

“The whole system is designed to create numbers,” Martini said. “They force you to be extremely disciplined with your eyes, they have to be in the right place. It takes a team of guys who work maniacally to kick the ball, you have to have a man who can make the difference. “

Navy has rushed for 295.6 yards per game and has five players with at least 150 yards this year. Quarterback Blake Horvath leads the team with 565 ground yards and 10 touchdowns, but also brings flair to the system with 771 passing yards.

He wasn’t at the helm in Navy’s 14-0 victory in Charlotte last year, when the latter held the Midshipmen to 265 yards and a first-half shutout. The 49ers ultimately allowed a touchdown in each of the final two quarters to fall behind, but showed the ability to stop the run.

Reid Williford will be tasked with making a lot of correct reads, making form tackles and passing on the communication in the helmet to the rest of his defense. The four tackles he made against Navy last year are just a starting point. Prince Wallace-Bemah will be by his side to help.

The backs behind him can’t take the day off either. It’s all about the eyes, regardless of position.

“We have guys for everyone, some guys are on the running backs, some are on the fast guys outside,” Williford said. “In that respect it’s simple, but only if you keep your eyes in the right place. You have a man and your assignment is your job, but they’re going to do a lot of moves and moments to confuse your eyes. That’s the part that makes it hard.”

The microphone in the linebacker’s helmet will be turned off when the play clock reads 15 seconds on each play.

A bye week earned him and the group extra seconds. They spent time outside the facility to heal, but the time spent in the walls was used to watch videos of the system to learn it – the recon team that went against the defense in practice had to make it even faster learn.

A few on-field practices gave Charlotte a chance to work on blowing up lead blockers and making tackles through contact.

Overtime was spent on iPads, watching movies with a notepad nearby. Players who have never used the system before can only do so much to replicate it, even with an extra week.

“This is the Navy, that system is what they are best at and what they are known for,” Williford said. “Our scout team does a great job, but you’ll never really be able to replicate it unless you see (the Navy) execute it.”

Martini managed to subdue the system several times as a player and now has Williford and company ready to replicate his thoughts from the sidelines.

Charlotte must keep things simple and focused to take down the Midshipmen. The Navy has repeatedly shown that the task is often more complex than it seems.

Odds and Ends

A Charlotte victory over Navy on Saturday would be historic. The program met a top-25 team last year when it traveled to Gainesville to compete against the Gators. It was the fourth loss in as many against ranked opponents in the 49ers’ FBS era. A win over Navy would put the 49ers first, after the Midshipmen earned a No. 25 spot in the final AP Poll.

Annapolis is familiar territory to many. The 49ers have 10 players from Maryland and Poggi’s impact on the state’s high school landscape is enormous following title-winning stints at the Gilman School and Saint Frances Academy in Baltimore.