Green Wave escape Midshipmen’s rally
Late 2-point conversion erases second-half comeback by Navy
NEW ORLEANS – Navy almost passed its way to an improbable come-frombehind victory on a hot, sunny day in the Big Easy.
Unfortunately for the Midshipmen, their defense could not get a stop when one was desperately needed and a valiant comeback went to waste.
Quarterback Justin McMillan completed a 2-point conversion pass to tight end Charles Jones with 1:27 remaining in the game to give Tulane a thrilling 29-28 victory over Navy before an announced crowd of 20,042 at Yulman Stadium on Saturday.
McMillan completed four passes during a 71-yard touchdown drive that put Tulane in position to go for the win. The 6-foot-3, 210-pound left-hander tossed a 26-yard scoring strike to wide receiver Jaetavian Toles and head coach Willie Fritz made the gutsy call to go for two instead of kicking an extra point that would have tied the score.
“I thought we were doing really well offensively and our defense was kind of tired,” Fritz explained. “I went over and told the athletic director I was going for two. I just wanted make sure I still had that contract. He said I did, so we went ahead with it. So, a lot of things played into it. We still had three timeouts left. If it didn’t work, maybe we try an onside kick.”
McMillan rolled left then threw back to Jones, who had gotten behind the defense heading toward the right corner of the end zone. It was eerily similar to the SMU loss when Navy gave up a game-winning two-point conversion pass in overtime.
“It’s hard, man. That’s the second one we’ve lost like that – late, last play,” Navy coach Ken Niumatalolo said. “I’m proud of our kids who fought hard and bounced back. We’ve got to find a way to finish that game and we didn’t. Once again it was a NAVY VS. ARMY microcosm of our season.”
Navy got the ball back with 1:27 left on the clock, but was unable to pick up a first down. Quarterback Zach Abey sandwiched incomplete passes around a sack that resulted in a 9-yard loss. Abey then held onto the ball too long and was sacked again on fourth-and-19, sealing another heartbreaking loss for the Midshipmen (3-9, 2-6).
McMillan completed 18 of 29 passes for 291 yards and three touchdowns for Tulane (6-6, 5-3), which became bowl eligible for just the second time in the last 16 years. McMillan tossed scoring strikes of 55 and 52 yards in the first half as the Green Wave grabbed a 21-3 lead then narrowly escaped an embarrassing collapse.
Unable to run the ball effectively in the first half, Navy took to the air in the second half. Abey overcame some errant throws early to establish a career-high with 167 passing yards, completing 7 of 13 attempts.
“When their safeties are playing six yards off and filling the hole before I even get to the line of scrimmage you’ve got to throw. Anybody could see that,” Abey said. “It felt good to get the passing game going in the second half.”
On back-to-back plays in the third quarter, Abey caught a touchdown pass from slotback Malcolm Perry then turned around and threw a touchdown pass to Perry. Those two plays were part of a dramatic turnaround that saw the Midshipmen score 24 straight points and take a 28-21 lead with 3:44 left in the fourth quarter.
It turned out that was plenty of time for Tulane, which needed just seven plays and just over two minutes to score the necessary touchdown. McMillan narrowly avoided a sack on the 2-point conversion pass, getting rid of the ball just as a Navy defender was bearing down from behind.
“That’s kind of the story of the season. We battled and played hard, but didn’t do enough,” Navy defensive coordinator Dale Pehrson said. “On the last drive, they got some momentum and we couldn’t get them off the field. A lot of things that had been working in the second half didn’t on that drive. It’s frustrating and it’s disappointing. I feel bad for the kids.”
Tulane put 10 defenders in the box and effectively shut down the power running game Navy had revived since Abey took over as the starting quarterback. The Midshipmen had difficulty moving 320pound nose tackle Jeffery Johnson and Abey missed on several early pass plays that might have loosened up the Green Wave alignment.
“We had some guys open in the first half and Zach missed them. To his credit, he bounced back in the second half and started hitting those passes,” Niumatalolo said. “We knew (receivers) would be open because they were all up there playing the run.”
De’Andre Williams, a 290-pound tackle, helped Johnson control the point of attack – giving Tulane’s linebackers and safeties the freedom to flow to the football. Navy tried to pound the ball between the tackles to no avail and managed just 95 total yards of offense in the first half.
All Navy can do now is look ahead to the season finale against archrival Army (9-2), which has enjoyed its second straight strong season.
“This one is over and we’ve got to move on. We have two weeks to get ready for the biggest game of the season,” Niumatalolo said. “Army is a good team and we have to get better in order to get ready.”