“The first game as the man, the go-to guy, it’s just real nice as an athlete to get that monkey off your back,” said Proctor, who helped Navy stay perfect in its last five openers at home. “I did that today, and it really felt good.”
Navy amassed 437 total yards, including 391 rushing, and did not commit any penalties.
Proctor’s career-long touchdown run came less than three minutes into the game on third and five. Initially breaking free around the left side, Proctor tightroped down the sideline before slowing around the 20-yard line; it allowed slotback Bo Snelson to swoop in for a block on Delaware safety Tim Breaker that opened the field.
The run underscored Navy’s commitment to having its quarterback become even more the centerpiece of the rushing attack this season in the wake of Dobbs’s departure. The record-setting quarterback departed Navy as one of the most decorated players and passers in school history; his passing skills gave the triple option a wrinkle to which the program isn’t accustomed.
“Kriss is a great leader, and Ricky’s gone now,” fullback and co-captain Alexander Teich said. “This is Kriss Proctor and this new bunch of seniors here. Kind of gets old talking about the past right now. We know tradition never graduates, but this is a new team. There’s a lot of guys on here we should be talking about now.”
Proctor certainly was heavily in the conversation given his performance, but a defense with seven players making their first career starts also deserved plenty of acclaim. Navy forced two turnovers against one of last season’s most potent offenses in the Football Championship Subdivision, knocked starting quarterback Trevor Sasek from the game in the second half and limited standout running back Andrew Pierce (121 yards on 20 carries) when it mattered most.
In the first quarter, the Midshipmen collected their first turnover after linebacker Matt Brewer stripped wide receiver Mark Schenauer of the ball and linebacker Mason Graham recovered at the Navy 39. Schenauer caught the pass on an inside pattern and appeared on his way to a first down on third and five, but Brewer stretched to jar the ball loose and into the hands of his teammate.
Four minutes later, slotback Aaron Santiago collected a pitch around the left side and scored from 13 yards for a 13-0 buffer (Jon Teague’s extra point was blocked). Proctor had a 15-yard run during the drive, breaking two tackles in the backfield before being tackled at the Delaware 20-yard line.
The Midshipmen then used more than eight minutes to make it 16-0 on Teague’s 36-yard field goal with 6 minutes 43 seconds left until halftime, but Delaware answered with Sasek’s 13-yard touchdown scramble 2:08 before the break, capping a drive that began at the Blue Hens 20 and included a 20-yard completion to wide receiver Rob Jones on third and 15.
With just 2:02 to play in the half and the ball at its 35, Navy picked up 30 yards in a hurry thanks to Proctor’s six-yard run and Santiago’s 24-yard run on a pitch right to the Delaware 41. The Midshipmen picked up four yards after that, and Coach Ken Niumatalolo elected to send out Teague, whose 54-yard kick was the longest in school history and made it 19-7.
Navy piled on some more courtesy of Proctor’s 27-yard touchdown run early in the second half, and although Delaware got a 25-yard field goal from Sean Baner on its ensuing possession, it could have been more had cornerback David Wright not saved a touchdown with a dandy open-field tackle on misdirection pass to Sasek, who hurt his knee going to the turf and lasted just one more play before giving way to Tim Donnelly.
Following Proctor’s one-yard touchdown run with 13:08 left in the game and senior safety Kwesi Mitchell’s interception, Proctor’s scoring pass, the first of his career, to Santiago in the back of the end zone finished off Navy’s first season-opening win in three years.
“The great thing about Kriss, and he’ll be the first one to tell you, is he can get better,” Niumatalolo said. “That’s the scary thing about him. . . . If he has that mind-set and just continues to work hard, this kid is going to be special.”
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