Spalding product Umbarger a bright spot
Amaris Umbarger watched from the bright blue Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium seats in the first quarter when emotion struck her.
She watched her son, Archbishop Spalding product Jayden Umbarger, emerge from behind the line of scrimmage with the football tucked under his arm and speed up the sideline.
She watched her son finish the first run of his collegiate career and thought of his grandmother, Patricia.
“His [Jayden’s] grandmother passed away about a year ago, before she had a chance to see him play,” Amaris Umbarger said. “All I could think about, if she was here now, how proud she would be of him at that moment.”
The mostly flavorless offensive performance and wet-paper nature of the defense
gave Navy fans little to smile about during Saturday’s season-opening 49-7 loss to Marshall.
In a forgetful game like this one, it’s worth highlighting the few positives: something to cling to until next week. The most tangible notable moment came in the
fourth quarter when sophomore quarterback Xavier Arline crossed the goal line for his first career touchdown and Navy’s only score of the afternoon, but it was far from the only highlight.
After playing as a former quarterback and part-time receiver at Spalding, where he earned All-County and All-Metro honors as a senior, Umbarger didn’t see any varsity action in 2020. When he got the chance to show out for the first time in a Navy uniform Saturday, he made the moment count.
On fourth down, quarterback Tai Lavatai executed a well-disguised reverse by tossing the ball to Umbarger, who bolted around the right end and raced 28 yards up
the field, giving the Mids a golden chance they’d ultimately squander with two sacks.
Patricia Umbarger attended every one of Jayden Umbarger’s games before college. There’s a photo after a Spalding game,
where Umbarger found his grandmother on the sidelines and wrapped her up in a huge hug.
“Jayden could do no wrong in her eyes,” Amaris Umbarger said. “She texted him every [night], even when he was at Navy Prep School, when he couldn’t have his phone.”
When Patricia Umbarger died last summer at the age of 69, Jayden Umbarger was still in his last week of training at the Naval Academy. He wanted to stay put, stay busy and stay focused, his mother said. Umbarger watched the livestream of her funeral from the church on the grounds of the academy.
“The last thing I said to him last night was to have fun and ball out like it was your last time you will ever play, even if it’s just one play,” Amaris Umbarger said. “That’s life. Sometimes you only get one chance.”
The former Cavalier’s first career rush made for a bright spot in the bleak first half — and his was one of a few firsts on Saturday.
With about 14 minutes left in the second quarter, 6-foot-2 junior raider Nicholas Straw crashed into Marshall running back Sheldon Evans. The ball skittered on the ground towards the left side of the field and senior free safety Kevin Brennan swooped in, scooping it up and giving Navy possession on the 21-yard line. Brennan later made his third career interception in the third quarter for his second turnover of the day.
It was the first forced fumble for Straw and subsequent first fumble recovery for Brennan.
“Kevin’s Kevin. He’s been one of our leaders for the last three years. He’s worked hard, comes to work every day the same,” Navy coach Ken Niumatalolo said. “We’re gonna need him as we press forward.”
Senior corner back Michael McMorris has recorded his fair share of notable moments.
He led the Mids in pass breakups as a 13-game starter in 2019 and contributed 47 tackles to a defensive unit that made huge strides in the team’s successful season. Despite the miserable 2020 season, McMorris
proved just as valuable, posting 38 tackles on the year.
But after all that, he still left room for firsts — at least, until Saturday.
As Marshall quarterback Grant Wells geared up to make yet another pass, McMorris pounced on him on a corner blitz, dragging Wells down 8 yards behind the line of scrimmage and punching the ball out of his hands.
Though the Herd recovered possession, McMorris popped to his feet with his first career sack in hand.
Later, in the third quarter, James Harris II had his own career moment. The 6-foot senior mostly played special teams in 2019 and 2020 but switched to full back this fall. That choice paid off on one play, as Harris hauled his longest rush of his three seasons (27 yards).
Freshman corner back Mbiti Williams Jr. also put his mark on his first career game with an interception with about 3 ½ minutes left in the third quarter.
“Our guys will look at this, it’s a tough pill to swallow. But there’s some guys that did some good things,” Niumatalolo said.