Perry good: QB leads Mids to win
Senior quarterback rushed for 108 yards and two TDs
EAST HARTFORD, Conn. — Quarterback Malcolm Perry continues to etch his name into the program record book and Navy continues to build on an impressive bounce-back campaign.
Perry rushed for 108 yards and two touchdowns as Navy overpowered Connecticut, 56-10, on Friday night at Pratt & Whitney Stadium at Rentschler Field. Perry also passed for a score as the Midshipmen amassed 573 total yards and extended their winning streak to five games.
Starting fullback Nelson Smith ran for 86 yards and a touchdown, while backup Jamale Carothers continued his scoring spree as Navy improved to 7-1 overall and 5-1 in the American Athletic Conference.
This marks the third time during the current triple-option era (2002-present) that Navy has started a season 7-1, matching the 2004 contingent. In 2015, record-setting quarterback Keenan Reynolds led the Mids to a 9-1 on Nov. 21.
Perry is evoking memories of Reynolds and being mentioned in the same breath with one of Navy’s all-time greats. Friday night’s output gave Perry 1,042 rushing yards through eight games, making him only the second player in program history to surpass the 1,000-yard plateau in three seasons.
Reynolds also accomplished the feat from 2013-2015 on the way to becoming Navy’s all-time leading rusher with 4,559 career yards. Perry now has 3,384 rushing yards, just 18 shy of surpassing quarterback Chris McCoy (1995-97) for third place on Navy’s career chart.
Carothers, the sophomore sensation with the breakaway speed, scored on runs of 6, 13 and 23 yards and now has eight touchdowns in the span of four games. The 5-foot-9, 203-pounder, who contributed 65 rushing yards on Friday night, has scored at least one touchdown in four consecutive contests as the Mids continued their impressive rebound from a 3-10 season — their worst record since 2002.
Perry was the catalyst as Navy continued its penchant for producing big plays. Perry opened the scoring with a 58-yard touchdown run then later tossed a 58-yard scoring strike to wide receiver Mychal Cooper.
Perry only completed three throws the entire game, but still amassed a career-high 165 passing yards. Early in the fourth quarter, Perry zipped a pass across the middle to wide receiver Ryan Mitchell, who turned the short crossing pattern into a 74-yard gain.
Safety Kevin Brennan recorded a careerhigh 12 tackles to lead the Navy defense, which limited Connecticut to 313 total yards. Inside linebacker Diego Fagot made nine tackles, while defensive end Jackson Perkins contributed a career-best six tackles and an interception.
Connecticut (2-7, 0-5), under the direction of third-year head coach Randy Edsall, has been outscored 226-77 (an average of 45-15) by American Athletic Conference competition. Edsall was the head coach at Maryland from 2011 through 2015.
Navy won the pregame coin toss and deferred, a wise decision considering it forced Connecticut to punt after only one first down. The Midshipmen took over at their own 36-yard line and it took only three plays and 1:16 to take a 7-0 lead.
Perry took an option keeper to the right side, cut upfield, spun out of a tackle attempt then turned on the jets — pulling away from several chasing defenders en route to a 58-yard touchdown jaunt.