Navy quarterback Jarod Bryant, who is not known for speed, appeared to be the quickest player on the field against Duke this past Saturday.
Bryant evaded defenders as he rushed for 69 yards in the fourth quarter to rally the Midshipmen to a 46-43 victory.
The backup signal-caller?s quick feet late in the game could be credited at least in part to standing on the sideline for three quarters before relieving a tired Kaipo-Noa Kaheaku-Enhada. Bryant led Navy to three scoring drives, including one in the final minute, culminated by a game-winning, 44-yard field goal by Joey Bullen on the game?s final play.
“It?s not often when you get a chance to redeem yourself,” said Bryant, who fumbled the ball away on the first play of overtime in last week?s loss to Ball State.
Bryant was one of several reserves who contributed in Midshipmen (2-2) rallying from a 36-25 halftime deficit against Duke to end a two-game losing skid.
Navy coach Paul Johnson said he?s willing to replace his starters to get the maximum production from his players, including when Navy hosts Air Force (3-1) at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium on Saturday afternoon at 1.
“In a game like [Duke] when they were tired and we were tired too, you put in a guy who is fresh and he can make some plays,” Johnson said. “Kaipo did nothing wrong. He moved the offense. Jarod just gave us a kick.”
Other Navy reserves who played well against Duke included Bullen, slot back Bobby Doyle and safety Ram Vela. Bullen replaced Matt Harmon and made two field goals, and Doyle threw a touchdown pass to Bryant on a halfback option with 3:49 left in the fourth quarter. Vela?a converted slot back?finished with six tackles.
Those efforts helped Navy avoid its first three-game losing streak since 2002 and gave the Midshipmen a 13-3 record in games following a loss since the start of the 2003 season. It also put Johnson in sole possession of third place on Navy?s all-time winningest coaches list at 39-27, 11 wins behind Eddie Erdelatz (1950-58) for second place. George Welsh guided the Midshipmen to a record 55-46-1 from 1973-81.
“We needed a win like this,” Bryant said. “I?d prefer the two touchdown wins, but we didn?t quit we didn?t give up and we came back and won. That will help us out down the road.”
