Call me an early believer in the Wing-T offense as designed and executed by first-year Navy offensive coordinator Drew Cronic. What I saw during Saturday’s season opener gives me great hope for the future and the various possibilities this unique attack presents.
Starting quarterback Blake Horvath did a solid job of operating the Wing-T in its debut outing as Navy amassed 437 total yards in a 49-21 blowout of Bucknell. Backup Braxton Woodson took over under center early in the second half and showed a solid grasp of the schemes as the Midshipmen spread the ball around to an array of skill position players.
Second-year head coach Brian Newberry made a bold move by firing offensive coordinator Grant Chesnut after just one season and replacing him with Cronic. Chesnut was not a good fit in Annapolis for a variety of reasons, but the bottom line is that Navy ranked at the bottom of the Football Bowl Subdivision in total offense (300.3 yards, 123rd out of 130 teams) and scoring offense (17.7 points, No. 122).
I can confidently say the Midshipmen will significantly improve upon those numbers this season thanks to Cronic’s Wing-T.
I watched the Wing-T closely during spring practice and August preseason camp and was impressed by the schemes being introduced. Seeing the offense move the ball consistently and hit big plays against a solid, experienced defensive system that has been in place since 2019 was very encouraging.
However, it remained to be seen if the offensive success would carry over from practice into games and Navy’s new Wing-T passed its first test with flying colors. Granted, the competition was not comparable to what the Midshipmen will see in the American Athletic Conference, but the overall performance was impressive nonetheless.
First and foremost, the diversity of the Wing-T must be a breath of fresh air for Navy football fans that had gotten tired of a constant barrage of fullback dives and quarterback keepers in recent seasons.
Cronic’s playbook has a lot more variety. In addition to the traditional Wing-T schemes, there are triple-option elements and run-pass elements. Navy went no-huddle and operated at tempo at times on Saturday. Horvath and Woodson alternated between lining up under center or in the shotgun formation.
From the opening possession, Cronic showed he will keep defenses honest by running the ball between the tackles with power concepts. After seeing on the first series how Bucknell defended three runs up the middle, the veteran play-caller made a nice adjustment and ran a veer type of player with multiple down blockers creating a huge hole on the left side.
Fullback Daba Fofana exploded past the first and second level, then outraced several chasing defenders to the end zone for a 49-yard touchdown run.
Cronic did a nice job of incorporating pass plays in not-so-obvious situations with the quarterbacks often throwing on first or second down. However, it was notable that Navy showed it could convert in obvious passing situations with Horvath tossing a 9-yard touchdown to Eli Heidenreich on a third-and-8 situation in the red zone.
Horvath and Woodson combined to complete 10 of 19 passes for 173 yards and three touchdowns, validating Cronic’s vow to throw the ball more often.
When all was said and done, Navy displayed superb balance with 264 rushing yards and 173 passing yards. Perhaps most impressive was the fact so many different skill position players got touches.
Fofana and fellow fullbacks Alex Tecza and Shane Reynolds teamed for 24 rushing attempts. Brandon Chatman and Heidenreich spearheaded a snipe corps that ran the ball 13 times. Horvath and Woodson combined for 15 carries.
As far as the passing game, Horvath and Woodson targeted every position group — wide receivers, tight ends, fullbacks and snipes.
“You saw the balance we’re seeking offensively. We did some good things running the football and Blake did some nice things throwing the ball as well,” Newberry said. “To score 49 points and have that type of production in the first game… I’m really pleased.”
One element of this offense that I really like involves moving the quarterback out of the pocket. Cronic has several sprint-out plays that provide a run or pass option. There are some designed roll-out runs and Horvath had three double-digit gains on what is effectively a quarterback sweep.
Tight end is a staple position in the Wing-T offense and has to be an effective weapon, so it was encouraging to see sophomore Jake Norris record two catches for 25 yards.
We know from last season what a weapon Tecza can be in both the passing and running games as he accounted for 855 yards from scrimmage. Cronic has already indicated that he plans to line up Tecza all over the field and utilize his talent in a variety of ways.
It was nice to see Fofana, the senior offensive captain, lead Navy in rushing with 82 yards on eight carries. Fofana became a forgotten man last season after Tecza emerged.
Heidenreich was the focal point of the passing game in the season opener, catching four passes for 74 yards and two touchdowns. He turned a flare pass just past the line of scrimmage into a 45-yard touchdown with his speed and elusiveness, using a pair of jump steps to make defenders miss.
Junior Brandon Chatman, the other starting snipe, had 47 rushing yards on six attempts and turned a short screen pass into a 42-yard touchdown with a spectacular run after the catch.
“Eli is a guy we need to get the ball to more. We’ve got to find ways to do it. He’s a really good football player. When the ball gets into his hands good things tend to happen,” Newberry said. “I think [Chatman] is that type of player, too. Those two guys are playmakers. We need to make sure No. 22 and 24 get a lot of touches.”
What was most obvious during the season opener is that Cronic has a very good feel for play-calling and does a superb job of utilizing all the available weapons. He created this hybrid version of Wing-T offense and knows exactly what plays work against various defensive schemes. If the defensive coordinator attempts to take certain elements away, Cronic always has answers.
“What I love about Drew is that he’s an excellent play-caller. He sees things very well and knows how to adjust. He’s got a system in which one thing compliments another. I was really pleased with how he managed the game and called it,” Newberry said.
Most exciting for Navy fans is that Saturday provided just a glimpse of the “millennial” Wing-T playbook. Newberry said the coaching staff did not want to “overwhelm” the players with too many plays in Game 1, but felt the Mids displayed a “healthy menu.”
“We got the ball into the playmaker’s hands in some pretty simple ways,” Heidenreich said of Saturday’s game plan. “I can’t predict the future, but I can say we’ll be mixing it up and doing some more complex stuff moving forward.”
