Navy Falls to Hawai’i in Season Opener, 59-41

by Chloe Stowe · September 2, 2018

Navy Midshipmen

The Navy Midshipmen lost their first season opener since 2014 on Saturday night at Hawai’i, 59-41. Here’s a look at some of the most telling numbers from the game.

Total Yards: NAVY: 411… Hawai’i: 522
Passing Yards: NAVY: 85… Hawai’i: 436
Rushing Yards: NAVY: 325… Hawai’i: 86
Penalty Yards: NAVY: 2 for 18 yards… Hawai’i: 1 for 5 yards
1st Downs: NAVY: 19… Hawai’i: 25
3rd Downs: NAVY: 5 of 12… Hawai’i: 7 of 12
4th Downs: NAVY: 2 of 3… Hawai’i: 3 of 3
Time of Possession: NAVY: 29:23… Hawai’i: 30:37

The Good Navy Numbers:

Zach Abey, WR/QB
– Scored 4 TD’s (2 TD runs in a span of 85 seconds)
– Scored on runs of 3, 1, 7 and 2 yards
– Rushed five time for 17 yards
Malcolm Perry, QB
– Ran for a 75-yard TD
– Rushed for 108 yards on 17 carries
Garret Lewis, QB
– Completed five passess for 66 yards

The Better Hawai’i Numbers:

Cole McDonald, QB
– Threw for 428 yards, 6 TDS (in just his second career start)
– Completed 30 of 41 pass attempts
– The fist UH quarterback to throw for 400 yards in back-to-back games since Bryant Moniz
– For the season has 9 TDs, 0 interceptions in 78 pass attempts for 846 yards
John Ursua, WR
– Caught ten passes for 167 yards
– Had his seventh game with at least 100 receiving yards
Cedric Byrd, WR
– Made 11 catches for 90 yards
– Caught 2 TD passes from McDonald
JoJo Ward, WR
– Made 6 catches for 161 yards
– Caught 2 TD passes from McDonald
Freddy Holly III, RB
– Ran for a 1-yard TD, the first of his career
Team
– Scored on their first six possessions, racking up 522 total yards
– 3-1 all-time against Navy

The Bottom Line:

The Rainbow Warriors’ run-n-shoot offense simply shined, with Cole McDonald throwing ridiculous numbers in only his second career start. Hawai’i jumped on every opportunity to score and never stopped pushing.

The Navy Midshipmen got off to a slow start, finding themselves in a deep hole early. While the Mids continued to fight back, coming within 10 points at times, their defense just didn’t have an answer for McDonald.

Navy, however, juggled their unconventional quarterback situation with skill. As planned, Malcolm Perry took the bulk of the snaps, putting up impressive rushing numbers. Garret Lewis came in late and passed well. Zach Abey proved to be the star of the QB show, making the most of his red zone appearances to power in 4 touchdowns.