Mids’ offense shows some rust, but has its moments
Notes from the first 45 minutes of Navy’s first football scrimmage of the spring, on Saturday –
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In general, the defense appeared ahead of the offense, which was plagued by sloppy ball-handling on snaps and in the backfield, and several turnovers. The offense produced some good gains, but few of the sustained marches that the Mids triple-option offense has become known for.
Quarterbacks —
Junior QB Trey Miller started quickly, taking a left-side keeper and rolling 70 yards for a touchdown. On the next play, Miller floated a sideline pass for WR Brandon Turner. The 6-4, 225-pound senior went high to make a tough catch on a 32-yard gain. Miller was on target with most of his passes, but suffered a few drops and one interception. He also got loose on a 20-yard run that he might have turned into another touchdown if the play wasn’t whistled dead. His ball-handling was sloppy however.
Sophomore QB Cody West had his moments, sprinting 30 yards on an option keeper. On a pass play, under a heavy rush, West showed presence and quickness as he bought time, before fumbling at the end of the play. West failed to produce any long passing gains, but threw well in limited opportunities. He is No. 2 on the depth chart and looks like a potential contributor.
Sophomore QB John Hendrick got plenty of work, but struggled both in the running and passing game. Most of his passes were off-target. He showed good feet on a couple of runs. He is clearly No. 3 in the pecking order.
Running backs –
Sophomore FB Noah Copeland took a screen pass 30 yards, fighting hard for extra yardage, then followed up with a hard-charging 10-yard gain. On the next series, he took a pitchout 12 yards.
The most success Navy sustained on the ground came when sophomore FB Quinton Singleton had a pair of 11-yard runs on the same series, followed by a 21-yard burst by junior FB Rob Lombardo. Solid blocking was turned in on the series by right-side offensive linemen Joe Ryan and Colin Watkins, and center Dale Howard. Senior FB Prentice Christian did some solid work as well.
OLB Josh Tate was a defensive standout, tipping a pitchout, scooping it up and taking it for a touchdown. The 5-11, 203-pound sophomore also had a sack and was disruptive much of his time on the field. Another sophomore OLB Chris Johnson had two TFLs.
Senior ILB Brye French appeared comfortable at his new position after shifting from the outside. He picked off a pass and nearly took it the distance. He also had a sack. Another ILB, Shawn Reed had two TFLs.
Junior CB Jonathan Wev had an interception and a tackle for a loss.
Sophomore Colin Amerau and junior Stephen Piccini booted field goals from 42 yards out.
