Fullback ready to make impact vs. Army

Anthony Gargiulo would prefer to forget the 2017 Army-Navy football game.

It was one of those disappointing days that did not go well for Navy or its standout fullback.

Navy suffered a crushing 14-13 loss to Army when kicker Bennett Moehring’s last-second field goal narrowly missed. Gargiulo was helpless to impact the outcome since he did not get into the game for a single play, which was a surprisingly development to many observers.

Gargiulo clearly was in no mood to discuss the events of Dec. 9, 2017 when asked to do so during the Army-Navy media event at Lincoln Financial Field last week.

“What happened last year is in the past and now we’re preparing for this year,” Gargiulo said.

Gargiulo emerged as an important weapon in Navy’s offense toward the end of the 2017 campaign, taking over as the starting fullback and putting forth some strong performances. The 6-foot-2, 239-pounder rumbled for 145 yards and a touchdown in a big victory over SMU that got Navy bowl-eligible then added 87 and 71 rushing yards against Notre Dame and Houston.

Army-Navy football is traditionally a fist-fight since both defenses are so adept at defending the triple-option offense of the other. First downs are hard to come by and it seemed likely the Midshipmen would use their battering ram of a fullback to get the really tough yards up the middle.

As it turned out, Navy had a completely different game-plan – one impacted by a nagging injury that limited Gargiulo’s practice availability.

Coach Ken Niumatalolo and offensive coordinator Ivin Jasper moved Malcolm Perry from slotback to quarterback for the second time that season and had him operate primarily out of a shotgun formation.

It was hard to find fault with that game-plan after Perry ran for 250 yards and a touchdown while finding seams in a zone blocking scheme. It was almost a repeat of the SMU contest when Perry rushed for 282 yards and four scores.

Two factors played a role in the coaching staff’s decision to use Chris High and Josh Walker as the fullback’s against Army. First and foremost, Gargiulo had not been able to practice muchwithin the unique formation that saw the fullback line up deeper in the backfield alongside the quarterback.

“Sadly, I suffered a minor injury during the bye week that kept me out of practice. I came back the week of the game and was able to practice a couple days,” Gargiulo said. “It was painful, but nothing that would have stopped me from playing.”

After Moehring’s 48-yard field goal attempt barely missed wide left in the wind and swirling snow, his own circumstance was the last of Gargiulo’s concerns.

“I felt bad for the seniors that they didn’t get to go out with a win over Army,” he said. “I felt bad for Bennett because we didn’t set him up in the best position. Those two offsides penalties pushed us back and made that kick more difficult for him.”

One of the reasons why teammates voted Gargiulo as the offensive team captain is because he always kept his head down and worked hard even when not playing on Saturdays. The New Jersey native never said a word to anyone about not getting to play against archrival Army.

What took place a year ago sets up a scenario in which Gargiulo can gain a measure of redemption. Navy’s battering ram of a fullback has battled through a sore quadriceps to reclaim the starting job and gained some tough yardage between the tackles the last three games.

“I definitely believe that I’m at the top of my game right now and I’m feeling really good physically,” Gargiulo said.