Navy has yet to name a starting quarterback for Friday’s game at Central Michigan. Here, freshman signal-caller Keenan Reynolds runs for a fourth-quarter touchdown against Air Force. (Associated Press photo by David Zalubowski)
Seven rapid-fire links for a Wednesday morning, starting with the lifeblood of any sports discussion:
1. QB controversy: Navy freshman quarterback Keenan Reynolds subbed for an injured Trey Miller on Saturday, tying the game with a fourth-quarter touchdown run (see picture) and winning it with … well, with a well-executed fumble into the end zone in overtime (big assist to Jake Zuzek). His play drew comparisons to Ricky Dobbs; this Baltimore Sun piece outlines Dobbs’ start as a super-sub and the decision Navy coach Ken Niumatalolo has to make before Friday’s game at Central Michigan — is Miller healthy enough to return, and even so, should Navy go with the young, hot hand?
2. Awards, Part I: Army’s set at quarterback — senior Trent Steelman earned offensive player of the week honors among Football Bowl Subdivision independents with his three-touchdown, 141-yard rushing performance in Saturday’s win over Boston College. He’s also up for the Manning Award, given each week to the nation’s top quarterback. Fans can vote on that one via Facebook here.
3. Speaking of Facebook: Throw us a “like” or a “share” or something.
4. Awards, Part II: Navy senior linebacker Matt Warrick and freshman kicker Nick Sloan rounded out the independent awards, taking the top defender and top special-teamer honors, respectively. Warrick racked up 11 tackles and Sloan went 2-for-2 on field goals and on extra points in Navy’s 28-21 win over Air Force.
5. Project Runway: Speaking of Air Force, the folks at Uni Watch, your source for uniform news, weighed in on the Falcons’ stealth-inspired gear that debuted during Saturday’s game. Hit the site (and scroll down a bit) to read the full review, but here’s a hint: The second sentence starts with, “As ugly as they were …”
6. Project Midway: A great piece by Donna Ditota at Syracuse.com on the measures taken by Syracuse and San Diego State to save the “Battle on the Midway” men’s college basketball game still set for Nov. 9 aboard the decommissioned aircraft carrier in San Diego. Despite the promoter’s problems and the cancellation of surrounding events, the game is on.
7. Big East expansion theory of the day: Scott D. Pierce, a columnist at The Salt Lake Tribune, walks readers through the basics on the Big East television contract and how it fits into the ever-shifting sports-on-TV landscape. Could it result in BYU joining the Big East? Would that end Air Force and Army speculation? Tune in to (channel pending TV deal) to find out.
