Abey could be back in the mix at quarterback
Navy offensive coordinator Ivin Jasper said Zach Abey could be back in the mix at quarterback for Saturday’s home game against Houston.
Abey returned to the starting lineup at wide receiver Saturday after sitting out the Air Force game with a leg injury. The Archbishop Spalding graduate hurt his left knee during the second half of the game against SMU on Sept. 22.
Abey played strictly a blocking role in Saturday’s 24-17 loss to Temple and was not used as the short-yardage or goal-line quarterback as he was through Navy’s first four games. The 6-foot-2, 212pound senior was wearing a bulky knee brace during practice last week and appeared to have a slight hitch Saturday, 3:30 p.m. TV: CBS Sports Network Radio: 1090 AM Line: Houston by 11 when running sprints.
Navy made an unexpected change at quarterback late last week with coach Ken Niumatalolo deciding to start Garret Lewis and move Malcolm Perry to slotback. Niumatalolo said that decision was made because the Midshipmen were shorthanded at slot with starter CJ Williams and top backup Keoni-Kordell Makekau both unable to play because of injury.
It proved prescient as starting slotback Tre Walker got injured on Navy’s first possession against Temple and played sparingly the rest of the way.
Lewis did a solid job of directing the offense for just over one half of football, leading three long drives that produced a pair of touchdowns and a field goal. However, things went south after Navy took a 17-7 lead when fullback Nelson Smith scored on a 12-yard run to cap the opening possession of the third quarter.
The Midshipmen amassed 217 yards on five possessions to start the game, but mustered just 67 yards on five possessions to close it. Speaking outside the Navy locker room afterward, Jasper expressed frustration about the up and down nature of the offense this season.
“We started off great and were moving the ball well. Guys were making plays and we were grinding, just running the offense the way we’re supposed to,” Jasper said. Navy’s Zach Abey, left, made nine starts at quarterback in 2017. “We had a great drive to open the second half then the mistakes started happening. It was a little bit of everything.”
Six games into the season, the Jekyll and Hyde nature of the Navy offense has become a trend. There are times when the Midshipmen operate their triple-option attack with the precision of years past, but far too many other instances when they cannot move the ball at all.
“It’s kind of who we are this season, just very inconsistent,” Jasper said. “Wehave to find a way to be more consistent with our execution. We just have too many things going wrong. I’ve got to do a better job of calling plays and our kids need to do a better job of executing their assignments.”
Jasper had no answer when asked where the Mids are going with regard to the starting quarterback. Will Lewis start again Saturday when Navy hosts Houston, or will Perry reclaim the job? Will Abey return to his specialty role as short-yardage and goal-line quarterback or be given an opportunity to direct the complete offense?
Abey made nine starts at quarterback in 2017 and posted the second-highest singleseason rushing total in program history with 1,413 yards.
“It’s week to week. We’ll talk about it as a staff and come up with a plan. We should have Zach back full-go next week. We wanted to be careful with him today because of the knee,” Jasper said.
“Garret did some good things today so that is something to build on. Malcolm is a great athlete so wewant to keep him on the field in some capacity. We’ll talk about it on Monday and go from there.”