Things got wild in Houston
Mids escaped with a win in a back-and-forth shootout
There is a lot to unpack when reviewing Navy’s wild, wacky win on Saturday night at TDECU Stadium.
Where to begin?
Let’s start with the offense, which was simply spectacular from start to finish as Navy outlasted host Houston, 56-41, in a back-and-forth shootout. Quarterback Malcolm Perry and fullback Jamale Carothers led the way as the Midshipmen amassed 554 total yards.
Perry continued his spectacular season by rushing for 146 yards and a touchdown. As usual, the 5-foot-9, 185-pound speedster turned multiple option keepers or scrambles into long gains – breaking runs of 54, 36 and 29 yards.
Navy conducted a clinic on how to execute the quick trap play and Carothers was the beneficiary, establishing careerhighs by rushing for 188 yards and five touchdowns. The 5-foot-9, 203-pound sophomore with the explosive burst and superb finishing speed did all his damage by rambling through huge holes up the middle.
It’s rare for any team to have two home run hitters like Perry and Carothers, both of whom are a threat to go all the way every time they touch the ball. They would be the first to credit the dominant efforts of the offensive line, which blew the Cougars off the ball all game and created massive running lanes.
Navy’s line is anchored by center Ford Higgins and also consists of tackles Kendel Wright and Billy Honaker along with guards David Forney and Peter Nestrowitz. All five are worthy of consideration for All-American Athletic Conference honors with Higgins and Forney getting my vote for first team.
With a triple-option team like Navy, blocking is not just limited to the offensive line. The Midshipmen have been getting yeoman work out of the wide receivers and slotbacks all season.
Carothers, who was named American Athletic Conference Offensive Player of the Week on Monday, has been a remarkable story. The youngster from Bowling Green, Kentucky played in a junior varsity game earlier this season!
Carothers traveled to Tulsa and saw action in that game, catching a 26-yard pass off a gadget play and rushing for 52 yards and a touchdown on five carries. His playing time and production has steadily increased since.
It is simply stunning that Carothers has rushed for 637 yards and 13 touchdowns in only eight games. The 2016 Gatorade Player of the Year and Mr. Football in Kentucky is averaging 8.4 yards per carry.
Perry continues his assault on the Navy record book while adding to his growing legacy with each passing game. The Tennessee native has amassed 1,500 yards and 19 touchdowns rushing along with 1,027 yards and six scores passing. Those numbers warrant serious consideration for American Athletic Conference Offensive Player of the Year.
Perry needs just 88 rushing yards to set the single-season school record for rushing yardage, a mark legendary running back Napoleon McCallum has held since 1983. On Saturday, Perry moved past former triple-option quarterback Chris McCoy (3,401 yards, 1995-97) into third place on Navy’s career rushing chart.
With two games remaining, it’s unlikely Perry will surpass McCallum (4,179, 198185) or fellow all-time great Keenan Reynolds (4,559, 2012-2015).
It should be noted that Navy’s offense was somewhat shorthanded on Saturday with starting slotback Tazh Maloy and starting wide receiver Mychal Cooper both sidelined by injuries.
Keoni-Kordell Makekau moved into the starting lineup in place of Maloy and made a sensational over-the-shoulder catch of a Perry bomb that produced a 60-yard gain.
Navy called for a wide receiver reverse during the second half and freshman Mark Walker got the job done when called upon. Walker, who has made cameo appearances in four games – mostly at the end of blowout wins – made a defender miss in the backfield then turned it upfield and picked up 13 yards.
Unfortunately, it wasn’t a very strong game by the Navy defense, which did not force Houston into a single punt. Quarterback Clayton Tune looked like the second coming of Case Keenum or Kevin Kolb in completing 23 of 35 passes for 393 yards and four touchdowns.
Navy got very little pressure on Tune, who also led the Cougars in rushing with 61 yards. Inside linebacker Paul Carothers was credited with a sack, but that actually came off a designed bootleg play on which it appeared Tune wanted to run. The Midshipmen were also awarded three quarterback hurries, but for the most part Tune did a nice job of escaping the pocket to extend plays on the rare instances he felt pressure.
Houston has an impressive stable of wide receivers with Marquez Stevenson (8 catches for 133 yards and two touchdowns) and Tre’von Bradley (3 catches for 99 yards and a score) doing the most damage. Courtney Lark only caught two passes, but one went for 52 yards to set up a touchdown, while the other resulted in a 26-yard score. Asked to cover downfield on a day the quarterback had plenty of time to throw, Navy’s linebackers and defensive backs were exposed. Defensive coordinator Brian Newberry has hidden this issue most of the season by getting sacks or pressuring passers into hurried throws.
Tremendous improvement on the defensive side of the football is a major reason why Navy is 9-2 heading into the annual showdown with archrival Army. The Midshipmen entered Saturday night’s contest ranked 24th nationally in total defense and 35th in scoring defense. However, the defense has been trending in the wrong direction the past three games – giving up 52 points and 410 yards to Notre Dame, 28 points and 344 yards to SMU and now 41 points and a season-high 527 yards to Houston.
Air Force was on the short list of opponents that have moved the ball successfully against Navy, using its brand of option offense to amass 354 yards in a 34-25 loss earlier this season. Newberry needs to find a way to revitalize his unit during the next two weeks and had better devise a sound game plan for Army’s triple-option.
To its credit, Navy’s defense did come up with four interceptions against Houston with three coming from safeties playing deep center field. Kevin Brennan took a potential touchdown away from the Cougars by ripping the ball away from Stevenson in the end zone.
Safeties Noruwa Obanor and Evan Fochtman had pickoffs on post routes in which Tune unwisely threw into double coverage.
Outside linebacker Carter Bankston made an outstanding play when Houston was deep in its own territory, sniffing out a screen pass then dropping into the area where Tune wanted to throw. Bankston returned that pick nine yards to the 3-yard line to set up a Navy touchdown.
Brennan and Obanor appeared on behalf of the defense during the post-game press conference on Saturday night. Neither of them bragged about the defensive performance.
“Honestly, I don’t think we played well,” said Obanor, who did praise Houston for having “the best receiving corps we’ve played against all season.”
Brennan was equally as frank, saying
“we probably played one of the first halves of football as a defense this season. We can’t play like that if we want to win games, especially against Army. Turnovers are big, but at the end of the day we have to execute better.”
In the end, a win is a win and Navy got one at a venue where it had trouble in the past.