ANNAPOLIS, Md. -- Nelson Smith ran for 96 yards with three touchdowns, Diego Fagot had nine tackles and Navy dominated Holy Cross 45-7 in the regular-season opener Saturday.
After passing for just 12 yards through much of the first half, Malcolm Perryfound Mychal Cooper for a 44-yard gain in the final minute. Two plays later Perry scored from the 1, boosting the lead to 24-7 and the Midshipmen were never threatened the rest of the way.
Perry was 6 of 9 for 103 yards and a 162.8 quarterback rating.
Despite some added focus on throwing the ball, Navy still builds its offense around the triple-option and amassed 428 yards on the ground against the Crusaders.