Perry takes the helm for Mids
QB’s development will be on display against Hawaii
Navy offensive coordinator Ivin Jasper will get a feel for how far Malcolm Perry has come as a quarterback as soon as the Midshipmen take the field for their initial offensive possession tonight.
Perry will stride to the line of scrimmage, survey the Hawaii defense then crouch under center. As Perry is barking signals and watching for any last-second defensive shifts, he must recognize what he’s seeing and get Navy into the right play.
“Malcolm is ready to play. I think the biggest thing for him is getting out there on the field and seeing what defense they’re playing,” Jasper said. “Going into a game in which you don’t know what you’re going to see causes some anxiety.”
Jasper is widely recognized as one of the country’s foremost instructor of tripleoption quarterbacks. He has transformed signalcallers of all shapes, sizes and skills into effective operators of the option.
Perry is his latest pupil, and probably one of his most talented. The 5-foot-9, 185-pound junior boasts game-breaking speed and jaw-dropping moves.
In three cameo appearances at quarterback last season, Perry rushed for 646 yards and seven touchdowns. He electrified the crowd at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium by breaking loose for touchdown runs of 92 and 91 yards.
Perry was a slotback playing quarterback last season. Jasper usually lined up Perry in shotgun formation and employed the read option with zone blocking scheme.
Navy will continue to use some of that scheme, but the plan is to have Perry implement the complete triple-option system. Jasper spent the entire offseason giving Perry a crash course on the intricate offense with the ultimate purpose of having the entire playbook available in 2017.
Navy fans will see just how far the phenom has come as a quarterback when the Malcolm Perry era begins tonight at Aloha Stadium. Executing the offense is just one part of the equation. It all starts with Perry being able to read defenses and adjust Season opener Tonight, 11 TV: CBS Sports Network Radio: 1090 AM Line: Navy by 10 Navy's Malcolm Perry perry runs for a 91-yard touchdown against Air Force last season at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium. accordingly.
“We’ve given Malcolm a lot of looks from the scout team defense. It’s just a matter of getting out there, recognizing what they’re in and relaxing,” Jasper said. “You try to play the game here in practice, stress him as much as you can – enough to make him uncomfortable. So when the game comes he is ready.”
No Navy quarterback understood the triple-option better than Keenan Reynolds, a four-year starter. As a junior and senior, Reynolds was particularly adept at reading defenses and adjusting. He graded out extremely high making checks, reads and running the right plays.
Barring injury or some other unforeseen circumstance, Perry will be a two-year starter for the Midshipmen and Jasper hopes he also reaches a high level mentally. Jasper wants the Tennessee native to start the process tonight by being calm, cool and collected.
“Malcolm is high energy – he’s wired and does everything at full speed. I want him to slow down the mind part,” Jasper said. “He needs to learn how to slow everything down. We want him to play relaxed and really fast and with a lot of confidence.”
Jasper has presented Perry with every scenario in order to gauge how he reacts. Film study is also intense.
“I’m learning something new every day out here. Coach Jasper is really good at stressing me in practice and the meeting room so that I’m ready for whatever comes at me during a game,” Perry said. “I’ve grown a lot. As far as knowing the offense, recognizing defenses and all that… I feel like I’ve improved a lot. That being said, I still have a long way to go so I just have to keep working.”
Jasper spent most of spring camp emphasizing the passing game with Perry. Perry attempted just two passes last season and the only one he completed came when he was playing slotback – a 5-yard touchdown toss to quarterback Zach Abey off a trick play.
Spring camp was loaded with skeleton drills and seven-on-seven passing situations with Jasper fine-tuning Perry’s throwing mechanics. Perry, who played quarterback at Kenwood High and practiced at the position for part of his freshman season at Navy, shrugged when asked if he’s improved as a passer.
“I’m still improving. I feel like I’ve gotten a lot better so we’ll see come Saturday,” he said.
Jasper just wants Navy to throw the ball effectively enough to keep defenses honest. The 11th-year offensive coordinator believes Perry will make plenty of plays with his feet while also getting the fullbacks and slotbacks involved as necessary.
“With Malcolm, you don’t really need much. We just want to be simple and run the basic offense because Malcolm will make a lot of plays out of nothing,” Jasper said. “He’ll make me right as a play-caller and make the offense right when we miss a block.”
Perry did not want to talk about the pressure that comes with being at the helm of Navy’s triple-option offense. The quarterback gets most of the credit when the offense runs smoothly and almost all the blame when it does not.
“I don’t like to think about that. I just like to go out and play football,” he said. “Right now, all there is to do is just go out there and play. I feel ready.”