Sudden change of direction for Mids

After 6 forgettable quarters, things take a turn for the better

Stunning.

That’s the only way to describe what happened at rain-soaked Yulman Stadium on Saturday. It was as though Navy and Tulane played two completely different football games.

The Green Wave dominated on both sides of the ball during the first half and took a commanding lead into the locker room. The Midshipmen looked every bit as inept offensively and defensively as they did during the blowout loss to BYU in the season opener.

However, Navy’s football team finally showed up for the 2020 season after intermission.

Inside linebacker Diego Fagot spearheaded a defense that pitched a shutout in the second half, while quarterback Dalen Morris directed an offense that at long last came to life and amassed almost 300 total yards over the final 30 minutes.

Kicker Bijan Nichols was the hero again, calmly drilling a 33-yard field goal to give Navy a thrilling 27-24 come-from-behind victory over Tulane. It was the second straight season Nichols beat the Green Wave with a field goal as time expired.

The Midshipmen rallied from a 24-0 halftime deficit, making this the greatest comeback in program history.

There are so many elements of this crazy contest to unpack. Let’s start with Morris, who fashioned his own remarkable comeback.

After struggling mightily in the 55-3 season-opening loss to BYU, Morris lost the starting job. That was a somewhat surprising decision considering how much coach Ken Niumatalolo and offensive coordinator Ivin Jasper praised the senior signal-caller for his performance throughout preseason camp.

Morris was definitely shaky during his first career start and basically did nothing positive before being yanked at halftime. However, Navy’s offensive woes were hardly his fault as the real culprit was an offensive line that simply could not block BYU.

Nonetheless, Niumatalolo and Jasper decided not to give Morris a second chance to prove himself. Rumors the staff was planning to start a freshman against Tulane proved true as Xavier Arline trotted out for the first possession.

Arline became the youngest quarterback to start at quarterback in Navy football history. He is only the second plebe to do so during the current triple-option era (since 2002), joining Keenan Reynolds.

Reynolds did not make his first career start until the sixth game of 2012 at Central Michigan. Of course, he never relinquished the job and enjoyed a record-setting career before being drafted by the Baltimore Ravens and playing briefly in the NFL.

Only five freshmen have started at quarterback in Navy history. None of them was as small as Arline, who is generously listed at 5-foot-9 and 165 pounds.

Arline posted impressive statistics as a quarterback at Shoreham-Wading River High on Long Island while playing against rather weak competition. He has potential but received a rude introduction to big-time college football.

The Midshipmen managed to gain only 28 total yards and picked up just one first down during four possessions with Arline at quarterback. Jasper, the quarterbacks coach, put the plebe in shotgun formation and installed an offense that was similar to what Arline ran in high school.

Arline started well, picking up 9 yards off an option keeper. It was all downhill from there as he was limited to 4 yards on six subsequent carries. He did not attempt a pass.

Morris took over midway through the second quarter and could not jump-start the offense initially as the Midshipmen failed to muster a first down on two possessions.

For the Navy offense, the ugly first half was summed up by one miserable play.

The Midshipmen lined up to go for it on fourth-and-3, but longtime observers knew Niumatalolo was only trying to draw the Green Wave offside. Center Pierce Banbury, who made his first career start, was not supposed to snap the ball. However, Banbury lost his grip on the soaking wet pigskin and it turned into a fumble that produced a turnover on downs.

Tulane took possession at the Navy 46-yard line with an opportunity to add to its advantage. The Green Wave appeared headed for a touchdown until cornerback Cameron Kinley picked off a pass that quarterback Keon Howard was trying to throw to a receiver in the end zone.

That proved the turning point.

Navy regrouped during the intermission and came out as a different team.