Navy quarterback Malcolm Perry hands off to Nelson Smith in the first quarter of an NCAA college football game against Holy Cross, Saturday, Aug. 31, 2019, in Annapolis, Md. (Paul W. Gillespie/Capital Gazette via AP)
The Associated Press
ANNAPOLIS, Md. (AP) - Nelson Smith ran for 96 yards with three touchdowns, Diego Fagot had nine tackles and Navy dominated Holy Cross 45-7 in the regular-season opener Saturday.
After passing for just 12 yards through much of the first half, Malcolm Perry found Mychal Cooper for a 44-yard gain in the final minute. Two plays later Perry scored from the 1, boosting the lead to 24-7 and the Midshipmen were never threatened the rest of the way.
Perry was 6 of 9 for 103 yards and a 162.8 quarterback rating.
Despite some added focus on throwing the ball, Navy still builds its offense around the triple-option and amassed 428 yards on the ground against the Crusaders.
The Midshipmen plan to be more aggressive under new defensive coordinator Brian Newberry and finished with three sacks, seven tackles for a loss and a forced fumble.
Quarterback Connor Degenhardt was 16 of 29 for 167 yards for Holy Cross, a member of the Patriot League in the Football Championship Subdivision.
Running back Domenic Cozier, who led Holy Cross with 643 yards rushing and eight touchdowns last season, did not play because of an illness. Miles Alexander filled the void and had a 16-yard touchdown run that cut the margin to 17-7 late in the first quarter.
CJ Williams finished with 91 yards and a touchdown for Navy, which was forced to punt just once.
GOOD START
Bijan Nichols is the first freshman to start as the placekicker for Navy since Nick Sloan in 2012. Nichols converted a 44-yard field-goal attempt late in the first quarter that provided a 10-0 lead.
THE TAKEAWAY
Holy Cross: The Crusaders have four starters back on the defense that is expected to be among the best in their conference. This unit forced a turnover and were constantly tested by Navy's high-powered attack, which should bode well moving forward.
Navy: The Midshipmen took their first step toward bouncing back from a disappointing 2018 season when they went 3-10, losing to both Army and Air Force. It was their fewest wins since 2002. Niumatalolo hired seven new coaches to get back on track.
The Midshipmen's passing offense ranked last (130th) among FBS programs, averaging 72.8 passing yards per game in 2018. One of the goals is to more effectively attack teams through the air with elements of the run-and-shoot and Navy gained 103 yards through the air Saturday.
UP NEXT
Holy Cross: The Crusaders play the second of four straight non-conference games against visiting New Hampshire on Sept. 7.
Navy: The Midshipmen have a week off before opening conference play against visiting East Carolina on Sept. 14.
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Navy quarterback Malcolm Perry goes over the top to score in the second quarter of an NCAA college football game against Holy Cross, Saturday, Aug. 31, 2019, in Annapolis, Md. (Paul W. Gillespie/Capital Gazette via AP)
The Associated Press
Navy's Diego Fagot stops the Holy Cross quarterback Connor Degenhardt from picking up a first down in the first quarter of an NCAA college football game, Saturday, Aug. 31, 2019, in Annapolis, Md. (Paul W. Gillespie/Capital Gazette via AP)
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Navy quarterback Malcolm Perry hands off to Nelson Smith in the second quarter of an NCAA college football game against Holy Cross, Saturday, Aug. 31, 2019, in Annapolis, Md. (Paul W. Gillespie/Capital Gazette via AP)
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Navy's Cameron Kinley, left, celebrates after he sacked Holy Cross quarterback Connor Degenhardt in the first quarter of an NCAA college football game, Saturday, Aug. 31, 2019, in Annapolis, Md. (Paul W. Gillespie/Capital Gazette via AP)
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Navy quarterback Malcolm Perry takes a snap in the first quarter of an NCAA college football game against Holy Cross, Saturday, Aug. 31, 2019, in Annapolis, Md. (Paul W. Gillespie/Capital Gazette via AP)
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Navy's Cameron Kinley stops Holy Cross' Miles Alexander for a loss on a first quarter run during an NCAA college football game, Saturday, Aug. 31, 2019, in Annapolis, Md. (Paul W. Gillespie/Capital Gazette via AP)
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Navy quarterback Malcolm Perry pitches to slotback CJ Williams in the first quarter of an NCAA college football game against Holy Cross, Saturday, Aug. 31, 2019, in Annapolis, Md. (Paul W. Gillespie/Capital Gazette via AP)
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Navy slotback Tazh Maloy runs for big yards in the second quarter of an NCAA college football game against Holy Cross, Saturday, Aug. 31, 2019, in Annapolis, Md. (Paul W. Gillespie/Capital Gazette via AP)
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Navy Nelson Smith runs in the second quarter of an NCAA college football game against Holy Cross, Saturday, Aug. 31, 2019, in Annapolis, Md. (Paul W. Gillespie/Capital Gazette via AP)
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Navy's Cameron Kinley sacks Holy Cross quarterback Connor Degenhardt in the first quarter of an NCAA college football game, Saturday, Aug. 31, 2019, in Annapolis, Md. (Paul W. Gillespie/Capital Gazette via AP)
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Navy's Chance Warren stiff arms Holy Cross' Walter Reynolds in the first quarter of an NCAA college football game, Saturday, Aug. 31, 2019, in Annapolis, Md. (Paul W. Gillespie/Capital Gazette via AP)
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