Navy senior quarterback Jarod Bryant was nearly flawless in starting in place of the injured Kaio-Noa Kaheaku-Enhada in a 41-13 win over Towson on Saturday.
But his one mistake — a fumble on Towson’s goal line with a 31-13 lead late in the third quarter — prevented Navy from putting the game away.
“Jarod Bryant played phenomenal until his fumble,” Navy coach Ken Niumatalolo said. “He got a little nonchalant out there. He needs to stay focused in running the offense for us to have success.”
Niumatalolo grabbed Bryant by the jersey and paraded him around the team bench, scolding him for his fundamental mistake.
Bryant, who completed 2-of-4 passes for 44 yards with a touchdown and rushed 17 times for 75 yards with a score, and Niumatalolo know a turnover near the end zone won’t be costly against teams like Towson.
But if it happens on Friday night against Ball State, the consequences likely will be more severe. Ball State, which drilled Northeastern, 48-14, in its first game, is led by junior quarterback Nate Davis, who completed 21-of-24 passes for 290 yards with three touchdowns. The Cardinals beat Navy in Annapolis in overtime last year, 34-31.
And with no timetable set for Kaheaku-Enhada’s return — he has practiced sparingly since injuring his left hamstring in a scrimmage on Aug. 9 — the ball appears to be in Bryant’s hands.
Towson (0-1) must focus on the positives of trailing a larger, Football Bowl Subdivision school, by just 11 at the half.
The Tigers gained 360 yards of total offense and allowed just three sacks, despite a pass-heavy game plan in which senior quarterback Sean Schaefer completed 29-of-47 passes for 330 yards with two touchdowns and an interception.
But the defense is a work in progress.
Towson will find few positives in yielding 602 yards, including a school-record 558 rushing. It also will be difficult to use the game film to evaluate players because of the unique scheme designed to attack Navy’s uncommon triple-option offense.
Morgan State, however, will have little sympathy for the Tigers when they travel five miles north to Johnny Unitas Stadium on Saturday night at 6 to open their season. Towson has beaten Morgan State three straight times, including 28-21 last fall.
“The theory in football is your greatest improvements are from game one to game two,” Towson coach Gordy Combs said. “I don’t know if I am proponent of that. After 35-plus years of coaching, the bottom line is if theirs are better than better yours, it doesn’t matter.”
Navy (1-0) at Ball State (1-0)
- When: Friday, 7 p.m.
- Where: Scheumann Stadium in Muncie, Ind.
- TV/Radio: ESPN; 1090 AM
