A great week of college football kicked off yesterday with the Military Bowl in chilly Annapolis, Maryland. Here are some of the notable performances from Navy’s win over Pittsburgh:
Navy Midshipmen
— Being a WR for a triple option offense like Navy’s means run blocking, and Tyler Carmona shined in this regard for the Midshipmen (+2.8). He consistently sealed the edge on outside runs and was even effective out in space. Carmona was also productive with the opportunities he had receiving, as he caught two of his three targets for 23 yards and a touchdown.
— RB Dishan Romine only touched the ball four times, but he certainly made those carries count (+3.0 rushing). Thanks to two 30+ yard runs, he finished the day with 84 yards, 57 of them after contact. Navy fans can’t help but be encouraged by his performance, as they will be relying on his big play ability next year considering the graduation losses the Midshipmen are to experience.
— ILB Micah Thomas had a rough day in coverage (-1.6), as Pitt was able to take advantage of multiple coverage busts of his for key pass plays. He yielded receptions all four times he was targeted, giving up 25 yards after catch (36 total) and a touchdown.
Top Performers:
WR Tyler Carmona +2.8
RB Dishan Romine +2.6
RB Toneo Gulley +2.5
WR Jamir Tillman +1.8
RB DeBrandon Sanders +1.8
Pittsburgh Panthers
— Pitt has been creative all season when trying to find ways to get elite-playmaker WR Tyler Boyd the ball, and yesterday was no different. He carried the ball five times, including two reverses, two runs from the backfield and one that was intended to be a WR pass put ended up (wisely) being a scramble (+2.3). He rushed for 55 yards, 34 of them coming after contact. He did not have a strong day receiving, however, as he only caught six of 11 targets and all three of QB Nate Peterman’s interceptions were targets to Boyd, including a post route where Boyd slipped, giving the Navy defender an easy pick in the end zone.
— Navy enjoyed significant success running inside with its fullbacks, in large part due to poor play by Pitt’s DT duo of Darryl Render and Khaynin Mosley-Smith (-4.6 combined run defense). Both Panthers frequently looked confused and out of position, and were far too often caught over-pursuing to the pitchman instead of staying home for the FB or QB.
— For better or worse, MLB Matt Galambos was involved in an obscenely high number of plays, against both the run and pass. He was generally solid against the run (12 stops), but had significant struggles in coverage (-3.3). He was largely responsible for Navy QB Keenan Reynolds’ huge 47 yard trick play reception, and was also victimized on Carmona’s TD reception.
Top Performers:
WR Tyler Boyd +3.5
OLB Nicholas Grigsby +3.5
DE Ejuan Price +3.0
DT Tyrique Jarrett +2.6
OLB Bam Bradley +2.6
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