BYU will present big test to Mids defense

Cougars ranked 28th in total offense in ’19 season

NAVY FOOTBALL

Navy’s defense made a dramatic improvement last season, moving from the bottom of the Football Bowl Subdivision rankings in almost every key statistic to the upper third.

To a man, players and coaches think the unit can take another quantum leap forward. That confidence is based off the fact so many returning players have a year’s worth of experience in defensive coordinator Brian Newberry’s unique system.

The Midshipmen will find out quickly whether the defense has progressed as expected.

Brigham Young University brings a potent offensive attack featuring numerous talented players to Annapolis for the season opener against Navy on Labor Day night.

Junior quarterback Zach Wilson, entering his third season as the starter, leads an attack that ranked 28th nationally in total offense with an average of 443.8 yards per game in 2019.

However, the Cougars finished 67th out of 130 FBS schools in scoring offense with 28.5 points per game. That was mostly because BYU ranked 120th in red-zone offense efficiency and 94th in turnovers committed (21).

Offensive coordinator Jeff Grimes is hoping the Cougars can do a better job of finishing drives with touchdowns, and Wilson will be the key. The 6-foot-3, 210-pounder took over as the starter midway through his freshman season and has amassed 3,960 career passing yards.

“I think the quarterback is a very good player,” Newberry said. “He’s very athletic and [he] can create some problems when he scrambles or moves around the pocket. He can make just about any throw on the field and spread the ball around.

“Last season, they say he was about 80 percent from a health standpoint. So it’s scary to think about what he’s going to be at 100 percent.”

Navy coach Ken Niumatalolo said Wilson has some of the same characteristics as Kansas City Chiefs star quarterback Patrick Mahomes in terms of throwing the ball from different angles and release points.

Wilson only played in nine games last season due to a nagging shoulder injury

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and completed 62% of his passes for 2,382 yards and 11 touchdowns with nine interceptions.

Wilson will be without his top three receivers from last season. Wideouts Micah Simon and Talon Shumway both graduated, while tight end Matt Bushman recently suffered a season-ending injury. Those three accounted for 1,865 yards and 10 touchdowns in 2019.

Junior Gunnar Romney is the top returning receiver, having hauled in 31 passes for 377 yards a year ago. Junior Dax Milne will be asked to step up at the wide receiver spot after totaling 285 yards on 21 catches.

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