ANNAPOLIS, Md. — After one of the worst losses in school history, Navy football followed it up with the greatest comeback the program has ever seen. The Midshipmen are flying high this week after a win for the ages.
"Our kids, they’re just fighters. We got pretty resilient kids," said Head Coach Ken Niumatalolo.
The Mids scored 27 unanswered points to overcome a 24-0 halftime deficit and beat Tulane 27-24 on Saturday in New Orleans. Bijan Nichols kicked the game-winning 33-yard field goal as time expired.
"The first half it’s like, ‘Wow’. It’s deja vu of the BYU game. In the second half like, ‘Man, that’s Navy football’. That felt really good," said Niumatalolo.
The spark was quarterback Dalen Morris. The senior was benched during the season-opening 55-3 loss to BYU. He replaced freshman quarterback Xavier Arline in the first half against the Green Wave and changed the tide.
"He played with such composure that game," Niumatalolo said about Morris. "He’s making checks, running our offense smoothly. He was directing traffic out there. It was the Dalen we were expecting in the first game."
"I think I just played looser," said Morris. "[I] was out there having fun. It meant a lot, especially having the performance I had the first game."
And don’t forget about the other side of the ball.
"If the defense doesn’t play like that, we don’t win. We held them to 82 yards in the second half. They couldn’t get anything against us," said Niumatalolo. "I’m really encouraged because I feel like that second half will be a catapult for the rest of our season."
Like after the season opener the Mids are on a bye week before their next game. They are scheduled to visit Air Force on Saturday, October 3.
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