Perry finished with more yards than Army did as a team.
There is no doubt about it: Navy running back Malcom Perry played lights out against Army on Saturday. He was the star the Midshipmen needed him to be, and his multiple explosive plays carried the team.
Unfortunately for him, Navy’s defense couldn’t stop Army quarterback Ahmad Bradshaw from leading the Black Knights to the go-ahead touchdown with about five minutes left in the fourth quarter, and a series of offensive penalties on the next drive pushed Navy too far back for the game-winning field goal.
Army won, 14-13, for the second consecutive year, but Perry was still the star of the game.
He was the only player with triple-digit yards (250), accounting for 84 percent of Navy’s total and racking up more yards than Army overall (241). That was, in part, thanks to this 68-yard touchdown run in the second quarter.
TOUCHDOWN NAVY. Malcolm Perry shows off some incredible vision on the 68-yard sprint. pic.twitter.com/JV3tQYlGaI
With neither team throwing the ball — literally, the teams combined for three attempts during the blizzarding game — Perry stepped up for the Midshipmen, finishing with game-high stats all around. He carried the ball 30 times, averaging 8.3 yards per attempt and with his one touchdown.
He almost had another one in similar fashion with a 46-yard run in the third quarter, but he was tripped up and went down at Army’s 11-yard line. He couldn’t do it alone, and Navy settled for a field goal.
You give Malcolm Perry room to run, and the @NavyFB QB will make you pay. pic.twitter.com/cMItmTUamR
It even looked like Perry would save the game for Navy late in the fourth quarter. On 4th-and-3 from Army’s 37, he recovered his own dropped snap and didn’t just get the first down. He picked up 12 yards, and it looked like the Midshipmen would have plenty of time to score their winning touchdown.
4th down bobbled snap Yet Malcolm Perry SOMEHOW picks up the crucial first down for Navy. pic.twitter.com/HqOJ4BlGYB
Then came the self-inflicted penalties that sealed their fate.
Army played a fantastic game, and Bradshaw carried his team in his own way, completing his one pass for 20 yards and running for 94 yards and a touchdown on 21 tries.
But Perry was the star of the game even when his team couldn’t get it done.
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