Injuries provide backups chances to stand out
Freshman Perry moves to quarterback position with Harrison, Llanusa sidelined
When Navy coach Ken Niumatalolo called for a field goal during Saturday morning’s practice at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium, it wasn’t starting kicker D.J. Grant-Johnson who trotted onto the field.
Instead, sophomore Bennett Moehring came on and booted a 33-yarder through the uprights.
Navy completed its first full week in pads Saturday, and injuries are beginning to make an impact on the depth chart. Several players who opened preseason camp atop the depth chart have been standing on the sidelines and their replacements are gaining valuable experience. In some cases, the backups are closing the gap.
Moehring, a highly touted kicker out of Bentonville, Ark., has been kicking a lot of field goals while Grant-Johnson nurses what appears to be an ankle injury. Erik Harris, another sophomore, also made a field goal during Saturday’s practice in front of a few thousand fans on a hot morning in Annapolis.
“Oh, yeah. Nothing is set in stone,” Niumatalolo said when asked afterward whether there is competition at kicker. “D.J. kicked really well in the spring, but he has to be able to kick now. Hopefully, he’ll be back [this] week. But if he’s not ready to go, Bennett is ready to step up. Erik Harris is another guy that has come out of nowhere.”
Projected starting fullback Shawn White rolled his ankle during Navy’s first padded practice Monday and has been in a walking boot ever since. The 6-foot-1, 255-pound senior cannot afford to miss much time because Chris High is breathing down his neck.
High has been working with the first string and has looked good. The 6-foot, 224-pound junior is a rugged runner who only got five carries last season but averaged 6.2 yards.
“I love Chris High. I think Chris has a chance to be a really good player,” Niumatalolo said.
Senior Myles Swain also has shown flashes at fullback, while sophomore Mike Martin has moved to that position from slotback and done some good things.
Senior wide receiver Jamir Tillman is in no danger of losing his starting spot, but his absence from practice Saturday morning because of illness gave others an opportunity to run with the first team. Taylor TV: Radio: Jackson drew a roar of applause from the crowd by beating a cornerback down the sideline and catching a long touchdown pass from backup quarterback Will Worth.
Jackson, a long strider with deceptive speed who looks a lot like Tillman, is on the depth chart for the first time. The 6-foot-3, 210-pound sophomore was selected to play in the Blue-Grey All-American Bowl as a senior at Texas High in Texarkana.
“Taylor’s probably had as good a camp as anyone on our team. He struggled a little bit in the spring but got his act together and had a strong offseason,” Niumatalolo said. “I’m really excited about what he’s doing.”
On defense, inside linebacker Daniel Gonzales has yet to practice because of an undisclosed injury. The senior captain, who is the team’s second-leading returning tackler, is expected to get clearance to put on the pads this week.
Winn Howard has been making the most of his time as the top strong-side linebacker. The 6-foot-2, 216-pound junior from Colorado has been getting most of the repetitions with the starters and has shown improvement.
Tyris Wooten and Elijah Merchant began August drills atop the depth chart at cornerback. Merchant has missed considerable time, and Wooten was also out of commission Saturday. As a result, sophomore Jarid Ryan (Severn School) and freshman Noruwa Obanor were working with the starters. QB shuffle: Jonah Llanusa was the starting quarterback at Naval Academy Prep, and there were favorable reports out of Newport about his performance. Unfortunately, Llanusa will likely miss his freshman season after suffering a broken wrist.
“Jonah will be back in the spring. He’s a guy we were counting on to be ready to go,” offensive coordinator Ivin Jasper said.
Another freshman quarterback, Jacob Harrison from Centerville, Ohio, is also sidelined with an injury. That left the Midshipmen short at the position, so the coaching staff switched slotback Malcolm Perry to quarterback.
Perry, who played quarterback at Kenwood High in Clarksville, Tenn., has ascended the depth chart quickly and is sharing third-string repetitions with sophomore Zach Abey (Archbishop Spalding). Perry figures to get playing experience running the offense while directing the junior varsity along with fellow freshman signal-caller Jon Jon Roberts.
“Malcolm moved in there, and to be honest with you, has looked really, really good,” said Jasper, who also coaches the quarterbacks. “He’s very, very quick and has a good head on his shoulders. He’s looked very promising.”
Jasper saw Perry play slotback for Naval Academy Prep when it met the Navy junior varsity last fall. Perry, 5-9, 185 pounds, has an impressive highlight tape from his senior year in high school. Current starter Tago Smith was also recruited by Navy as a slotback after playing quarterback at Fayette County High in Georgia.
“It’s kind of the same situation as Tago. Great athlete at the high school level, could do everything,” Jasper said of Perry. “The kid just has something about him. He still has a lot to learn, but all the tools are there. We just have to get him coached up.”
Navy’s top quarterbacks (Smith and Worth) are both seniors, so the starter next season is destined to be inexperienced. Jasper is trying to address that situation now by making sure the top candidates to take over get plenty of practice repetitions.
“My goal is to get those third guys ready — Malcolm Perry and Zach Abey. I want to go into the spring with guys that have some experience,” Jasper said. “So sometime this season, depending on the situation, we’ll try to get those guys in there to get them some game experience.”
Abey was the Capital-Gazette Communications Player of the Year as a senior at Archbishop Spalding. The 6-2, 218-pound Pasadena resident is considered athletic enough to play either fullback or safety, but the coaching staff has decided to keep him at quarterback.
Jasper said Abey and classmate Garrett Lewis came out of spring camp even on the depth chart. However, Abey was not quite as adept at executing the triple-option and therefore was slightly behind Lewis.
“We came back this summer and it was obvious Zach had gotten better, while Garrett got hurt and missed like six practices,” Jasper said. “I’m very pleased with where Zach is at. With what he can do, he’s a great fit for this offense.” Off target: There was a passing period during Saturday morning’s scrimmage, and Smith did not fare so well. Smith attempted to throw an out pattern on three straight plays and managed only one completion. Two were overthrown, while the third was a low liner that forced wide receiver Craig Scott to dive and make a difficult catch.
Jasper was not happy with the series of passes but is not concerned that Smith can’t make that pass to the sideline, which is a staple of the Navy offense.
“Tago struggled today, but he’s been throwing the ball great during this camp. Those are the kind of throws he’ll have to make at some point this season,” Jasper said. “The throws that we need to make, he’s good at. He can throw the football. He has a great arm. When the time comes, he has to stick it.” Tough loss: Navy returns the fewest starts (eight) along the offensive line of any program at the Football Bowl Subdivision level. Right tackle Robert Lindsey had four of those starts, and it appears he will miss the entire season with a back injury.
Blake Copeland, who has made two career starts, is now No. 1 at right tackle with sophomore Jake Hawk (Meade) moving into the backup role. Strange switch: Wide receivers coach Mick Yokitis was spotted giving special instruction to one of the players at his position.
After each play, Yokitis could be seen explaining things to Terrance Laster, who has been an outside linebacker for his entire career at Navy. The 6-1, 224-pound junior from Cary, N.C., was buried on the depth chart at outside linebacker and is now giving wide receiver a shot.
“Terrence is a really athletic guy. He was at a really deep position. We’re just trying to find a way to get him on the field,” Niumatalolo said.