Army Football: 3 takeaways from comeback win over Navy

2. Zach Abey came up short once again against Army

At the beginning of 2017, Zach Abey could do no wrong at quarterback for Navy. The Midshipmen field general ran the Navy triple option with a deft touch, passing judiciously and leading a potent ground game.

That came on the heels of a revelatory 2016 campaign. Abey ran for 73 yards and two touchdowns in his first Army-Navy Game. He also went 6-of-10 passing for 89 yards, albeit with two interceptions.

If that wasn’t enough to prevail against Army, his performance this year certainly wasn’t going to cut it. Abey completed one passing attempt for a two-yard gain. More telling, he ran just twice for three rushing yards. Without a productive game by the linchpin of the offense, Navy clung to a tenuous lead that wasn’t enough to win.

Navy has always been most successful when their quarterback is moving the ball effectively. Abey came up short in the snow, and too many drives stalled as a result for the Midshipmen. It was a losing recipe on Saturday.