Malcolm Perry shatters all kinds of records leading Navy to first win vs. Army since 2015

Quarterback Malcolm Perry and fullback Jamale Carothers’ dominance on Saturday for the Navy Midshipmen snaps the losing streak vs. the Army Black Knights.

Malcolm Perry didn’t need to attempt a pass to have a record-breaking day for Navy.

Streaks have been commonplace in one of college football’s oldest and most important rivalries. Saturday afternoon at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia was the stage for this year’s edition of Army-Navy. The Army Black Knights had a three-game winning streak on the line, but the Navy quarterback had other ideas in mind.

Perry, along with fullback Jamale Carothers, played the best game of their college careers in this rivalry game on Saturday. The Black Knights defense could not contain the elusive Perry running the triple-option attack for the Midshipmen. He had 28 carries for 304 yards and two touchdowns, including a 55-yard touchdown run. No one in the history of the Army-Navy game has run for more yards than Perry’s 304.

Perry’s performance caps a legendary career that puts him alongside former fifth-place Heisman finisher, Keenan Reynolds who is widely regarded as the best player in program history since the glory days.

This was a record-setting day and campaign for Perry, who broke all of these Navy records that are listed by the SEC Network’s Cole Cubelic. By going over 300 yards on the afternoon, this was the second-most rushing yards in a single game by a Midshipmen player in school history. The record is held by running back/wide receiver Shun White who had 348 back in 2008 vs. the Towson Tigers.

Because President Donald Trump signed a bill that will allow athletes at service academies to pursue their careers in professional sports, as opposed to typically having to serve their military obligations after graduation, some folks are starting to look at Perry as a serious NFL prospect. No, he’s not playing quarterback, but could help an NFL team with his speed and elusiveness as a slot receiver.

As for Carothers, he did a little bit of everything for the Midshipmen. He had 22 carries for 75 yards and a touchdown and a five-yard touchdown run. He also had a rare touchdown reception in this game, as he caught a one-yard pass from wide receiver Chance Warren to completely catch the Army defense off-guard.

So with this 31-7 victory over Army, Navy takes a 61-52-7 lead in this all-time rivalry series. But more importantly, what this game did was restore order in this rivalry and should make for a very interesting and competitive game next year.

Before Army started a three-game winning streak over Navy in 2006, the Midshipmen had won 14 straight over the Black Knights. Navy was ranked No. 23 in the country at the time of this game and should have won this game as decidedly as they did. This was Navy’s 10th win of the season, while Army falls to a lackluster 5-8 on the year.

Navy has been the better run football program of the two service academies for the 21st century. The Midshipmen have had a ton of success under head coach Ken Niumatalolo for the last decade and with Paul Johnson before that. However, Jeff Monken’s insertion into this rivalry in 2014 has certainly complicated things for Navy. Monken is 3-3 against Navy in his six years at West Point.

As always, this game has a certain throwback feel to it. If you love the forward pass, then this game is not for you. But if you love pageantry, tradition and everybody giving their absolute all in a massive rivalry game, then this game never disappoints.

To see Navy get another back in the win column ahead of their Liberty Bowl matchup with the Kansas State Wildcats is great news for the Midshipmen. As for the seniors on that roster, this was a game that just meant a little more to them on Saturday afternoon in Philadelphia. You can’t go 0-for in your college career in this rivalry. Thanks to Perry and Carothers, that didn’t happen.

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