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Navy Football: 5 reasons Midshipman will be better than Army in 2018

By Gavin Jernigan

PHILADELPHIA, PA - DECEMBER 12: The Navy Midshipmen run off the field after warm ups before the game against the Army Black Knights at Lincoln Financial Field on December 12, 2015 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)
PHILADELPHIA, PA - DECEMBER 12: The Navy Midshipmen run off the field after warm ups before the game against the Army Black Knights at Lincoln Financial Field on December 12, 2015 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images) /
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(Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images)
(Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images) /

2. A Triple Option at Quarterback

Unlike many other years, Navy has three players who could legitimately start at quarterback. Last year, Zach Abey started the majority of the games and did a very good job in his first year running the offense. To highlight how well he was doing, Abey made the Heisman Candidate watch list for a portion of the 2017 season.

In week 10 of the season, when Navy traveled to South Bend to play the Notre Dame Fighting Irish, Coach Niumatalolo gave Garret Lewis, of Buhl, Alabama, the start under center in hopes of  lighting a spark on offense. Lewis, who has a strong arm, shared time under center with Abey during the game and, together, they gave the Midshipmen a chance to tie the game late in the fourth quarter. Lewis was used at various other times during the season in primarily passing situations.

light. Related Story. Navy Breakout Stars in 2018

But this year, junior Malcolm Perry, is set to take over the offense. Perry has played both running back (called the “A-Back” position in Navy’s triple-option offense) and quarterback during his time in Annapolis. He made the full transition to quarterback last year before the Army-Navy game. Perry is a special player who will absolutely gain national recognition early in the coming season. Do not be surprised if you see him on a Heisman watch list this season.

Uncertainty for Army

As for Army…well, they don’t really have a viable option at quarterback at the moment. And that’s a big deal when you run a triple-option offense that is dependent on a quarterback to make sound decisions every single play. Army is attempting to replace three-year starter Ahmad Bradshaw who, after Coach Monken, was the next reason for Army’s past two decent seasons.

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