Mids’ offense on a roll
Navy hoping to continue wave of offensive resurgence against Tulane
NEW ORLEANS – When the tripleoption is operated properly it is poetry in motion.
Slotbacks are moving prior to the snap, the fullback is powering into the hole on every play and the quarterback is distributing the ball where it is supposed to go based off how the defense reacts.
Navy was running the triple-option to perfection last Saturday against Tulsa. Quarterback Zach Abey was on point in terms of reading the defense and did a superb job of dealing the ball as the Midshipmen amassed 404 total yards of offense during a 37-29 victory on Senior Day.
“We ran the Navy offense. I think we executed in every way for most of the game,” Abey said afterward. “We played physical and got after those guys and it showed. Everyone did their job and we were winning our one-on-one battles up front. We just executed well and that’s the outcome you get.”
Coach Ken Niumatalolo agreed and gave a lot of credit to Abey, who seemed very confident and comfortable in his third outing since being reinstated as the starting quarterback.
“I thought Zach played a great game. I’m really, really proud of him. It was one of his better games,” Niumatalolo said. “Zach managed the game, got us in the right plays, made some good checks and ran real physical. He ran the offense the way Coach Jasper has taught him to run the offense.”
Navy’s offense looked disjointed for most of this season and that was due to a myriad reasons. The Midshipmen opened the season with Malcolm Perry as the starting quarterback and it appears offensive coordinator Ivin Jasper introduced some different schemes designed to highlight his abilities.
Navy incorporated more zone blocking plays with the goal of creating running lanes for the slippery speedster. That plan worked at times as Perry broke loose for a 75-yard touchdown run in the season opener at Hawaii then rushed for 222 yards against Lehigh, including a 62-yard breakaway.
However, Air Force showed how to stop that type of offense, effectively clogging the gaps and leaving no running lanes for Perry, who was limited to 54 yards on 19 1090 AM attempts, an average of just 2.8 yards per carry.
Jasper acknowledged putting together a poor game-plan for that game and had not anticipated Air Force employing an even front. It was stunning to see the Midshipmen call very few read triple-option plays in that contest.
Garret Lewis took over as the starting quarterback the following Saturday against Temple with Perry returning to his natural position of slotback. Navy’s offense was out of sync in that matchup, managing a mere 284 total yards in a 24-17 loss.
Lewis remained at the helm for the home game against Houston and performed real well as Navy rolled up 522 yards – 344 rushing and 178 passing. That disappointing 49-36 defeat was on the defense as the Midshipmen got shredded for 570 yards by quarterback D’Eriq King and the Cougars.
Navy rushed for 292 yards during a 44-22 defeat at the hands of Notre Dame in San Diego. However, the final numbers are somewhat deceiving as the Midshipmen gained only 72 yards and picked up just two first downs while being shut out in the first half.
Abey was the surprise starter at Cincinnati and Navy’s offense hit rock bottom that day, posting a pathetic total of 171 yards in an ugly 42-0 loss. It marked the first complete effort of the season as the Mids were bad in both halves instead of just one.
Inconsistency has been the theme throughout the season for the offense, which just could not get out of its own way for 10 games. Promising drives were short-circuited by penalties, mistakes and negative plays. Solid first halves were followed by terrible second halves and vice versa.
When asked about the offensive struggles in recent weeks, Niumatalolo has repeatedly brought up the Houston game and the second half against Notre Dame as evidence Navy could drive the field when executing correctly.
“I think people got caught up with the Cincinnati game and that became our whole season,” Niumatalolo said defen- sively. “We put up a lot of points and yards on Houston. We scored 22 and rushed for almost 300 against the Irish. It’s not like we’ve been totally inept.”
A recent film session with Niumatalolo in his corner office on the third floor of Ricketts Hall revealed numerous instances in which Navy shot itself in the foot offensively. Here was an offensive lineman failing to pick up a blitzing linebacker, turning a possible touchdown pass to a wide-open receiver into a sack. There was a slotback going the wrong way and leaving the quarterback with no pitch option on a perimeter play.
Niumatalolo had a whole low-light reel of such mistakes that prevented touchdowns, killed drives and turned the tide of games.
“We’re just so inconsistent. That’s been the issue,” Niumatalolo said recently. “Once we stop doing that self-inflicted stuff we can move the ball. That’s been our message: When we do what we’re supposed to do we can move the ball against anybody.”
Navy’s offense showed signs of life during the second half of the Central Florida loss a couple Saturdays ago. After fumbling twice to spoil promising possessions during the first half, Abey seemed to settle in at quarterback and directed three touchdown drives.
“I’m encouraged because I saw some stuff in the second half that hopefully we can build off,” Niumatalolo said the following Monday.
Sure enough, Navy finally put it all together on offense against Tulsa, rolling up 389 rushing yards. Abey was making the right reads and delivering the ball to the right spots as all three elements of the option surpassed 100 yards on the ground.
“It definitely felt good. We knew we had it in us, it was just a matter of when it was going to come out,” Navy senior slotback Tre Walker said. “We’ve shown bits and pieces all season, but in that game it all finally clicked and we did what we needed to do.”
Abey rushed for 128 yards and two touchdowns while fullbacks Anthony Gargiulo and Nelson Smith combined for 106 yards and two scores. Walker and Malcolm Perry led a slotback contingent that contributed 156 yards and a touchdown.