Midshipmen’s slotback depth tested
Injuries, inexperience affect production at key position for struggling Navy offense
Navy suddenly found itself thin at slotback for last Saturday’s game against Temple.
Starter CJ Williams sat out with an upper body injury while top backup Keoni-Kordell Makekau was sidelined with a leg issue.
It’s not the first time the Midshipmen have seen multiple key players go down at that particular position. In seasons past, the program’s tremendous depth at slotback has shown through.
So it was somewhat surprising to hear coach Ken Niumatalolo state after the Temple loss the reason why he moved Malcolm Perry from quarterback to slotback.
“Just watching a bunch of young A backs in practice, I just felt like I’d rather have Malcolm over there than some of those younger guys who haven’t played yet,” Niumatalolo said.
Perry replaced Williams in the starting lineup and led the slotback corps with 48 rushing yards. The 5-foot-9 speedster had a 30-yard touchdown run called back by a penalty.
Niumatalolo apparently made the decision last Thursday, which means Perry had just one practice to re-acclimate to playing slot after being the starting quarterback for the first five games. He started nine games at slotback last season.
“The beautiful thing about Malcolm is that he’s so athletic and has such a great football mind that it’s a little bit like riding a bike for him,” Navy slotbacks coach Joe DuPaix said. “Malcolm had to knock off the rust as far as a few little things, but he can do everything we need. Having Malcolm come over and help us out was a boost because he has a lot of game experience.”
Tre Walker is the senior leader of the slotbacks and initially provided the response one would expect when asked about the position being depleted by injuries.
“In the A back room we’re all about the next man up mantra. We have a bunch of guys in our group who can step up and make plays at any moment,” Walker said.
However, that sentiment contradicts the statement made by Niumatalolo following the Temple contest that he was not real comfortable with starting any of the young slots.
Junior Tazh Maloy along with sophomores Myles Fells and Tyreek King-El all played against Temple, but it was Perry and Walker who got the majority of repetitions. Walker was asked what he tells those youngsters who were passed over for the vacant starting spot.
“It’s one of those deals where you have to learn from it and not take it the wrong way,” Walker said. “Obviously, Malcolm has played a lot before so he has a good understanding of what it takes. They just have to trust the process and keep working to get better because their chance is going to come.”
DuPaix, in his second stint as the position coach, is bullish on the abilities of the younger slotbacks and said the issue is simply lack of game experience.
“It’s just a young inexperienced group. They’re all still learning and striving to reach that standard that we have set for the position,” said DuPaix. “Really, all that’s missing is experience and maturity, which will allow the game to come to them slower. They’re all developing and we’ll get to the point that Coach Niumat will feel really CJ Williams has been Navy’s most productive slotback, gaining 348 all-purpose yards. confident in those guys.”
DuPaix coached the slotbacks during his initial stint as a Navy assistant from 2008 through 2010. He was rehired last spring and once again assigned to tutor the “A” backs as they are called in triple-option terminology.
Navy was hit hard at the position by graduation, losing starters Josh Brown and Darryl Bonner along with backups John Brown III and Jahmaal Daniel. Another slot that saw some action a year ago, Reggie Hayes, transferred. Further depleting the depth chart was the decision to move Perry to quarterback.
So DuPaix is grooming a new group of slots. Fells and Maloy are the backups behind Williams and Walker while King-El and fellow sophomore Justin Smith are listed third on the depth chart.
“We always talk about learning knowledge and activity knowledge. You learn how to play the position in the classroom and on the practice field, but it’s quite another thing to implement all that in the game situation,” DuPaix said. “All these young guys are coming along and I have 100 percent faith and confidence in them. I feel very confident about the future of the position. It’s a sophomore and freshmandominated group and there is a lot of upside there.”
Fells saw the most playing time in a backup role against Temple and took a pitchout 12 yards for a first down. The 5-foot-11, 180-pound product of Little Rock, Arkansas has appeared in five of six games so far this season.
“Myles Fells played a big chunk of the game last Saturday and is coming on strong. He’s a great talent with a lot of ability as far running, catching and blocking,” DuPaix said.
Maloy also had an expanded role against Temple and had his first career catch. The 5-foot-7, 178-pound native of Pflugerville, Texas, has 11 carries for 50 yards.
“Tahz is a junior who had not played a lot of football before this season. He has done a really nice job so far,” DuPaix said.
King-El got into the Lehigh game at mop-up time, but saw his first meaningful game repetitions this past Saturday versus Temple. The 5-foot-8, 178-pounder was a standout track and field athlete at Pebblebrook High in Atlanta.
“Myles and Tahz definitely have great potential. Tyreek is another talented player. We have a bunch of guys that can get out there and make things happen,” said Walker, adding that those three players would all be improved because of last Saturday’s game experience.
“It definitely will help them. It’s one thing to get practice reps, but game reps are a lot different. Once you get out there and get that confidence in yourself it definitely makes a world of difference,” Walker added.
Smith and junior Travis Brannan are in the next group of slots with both contributing this season as members of multiple special teams. Brannon, who was a first team All-State selection as a senior at Vandergrift High in Austin, Texas, made two tackles on kickoff coverage against Temple.
Williams has been Navy’s most productive slotback, ranking second on the squad in all-purpose yardage with 348. The 5-foot-8, 180-pound Texan leads the Mids in receiving with 148 yards on six catches.
Speaking on Tuesday, DuPaix was hopeful Williams would be able to practice this week and play on Saturday against Houston. The sophomore standout suffered the upper body injury during the Air Force game.
“CJ is a versatile player who certainly brings a lot to our group. He has a great mind for football and just picks things up really quickly,” DuPaix said. “Even over the course of a football game, CJ sees things that need to be done and does them correctly. I think his biggest attribute is a keen knowledge of the game.”
Meanwhile, Walker – the most experienced slotback – is still not100 percent after undergoing reconstructive knee surgery last season. The Texarkana, Texas, resident was lost to a severe knee injury in the third game against Cincinnati and missed spring practice while rehabilitating. He remained limited during August training camp and has been wearing a knee brace during practice and games this season.
“Tre probably is not back to where he was before the injury because he really did not go through a full rehab. He was out there on the field a lot earlier than most people would be,” DuPaix said. “I know that’s been frustrating for Tre, but the kid has a warrior mentality and works extremely hard.”
Walker said the knee is getting stronger by the day and he is gaining more confidence to stop on a dime or make sharp cuts as a result. He is relying on experience and savvy to make up for whatever physical shortcomings there might be.