Smooth Sailing! Navy plucks QB from seats, helps top Fordham

ANNAPOLIS, Md. – Malcolm Perry marched into the stadium wearing his Navy dress whites. Plucked from the stands at halftime, he wound up in a much different uniform.

From question mark to quarterback, Perry quickly became the buzz of college football.

Navy found an unlikely replacement after starter Tago Smith was injured Saturday, with Perry running seven times for 30 yards in a 52-16 win over Fordham.

"It wasn't planned for me to even dress today," Perry said. "I came here with the rest of the brigade. I was just watching the game and Tago went down."

"The coaches got me out of the stands and got me dressed. It felt good," he said.

Listed down on the depth chart, Perry had been sick most of the week. The freshman was OK to play in the junior varsity game Friday.

But with Smith and backup Will Worth all set, Perry was held out. That let him enter the stadium with the traditional "Brigade of the Midshipmen."

Perry was sitting with his classmates when Smith went down with a knee injury in the second quarter.

Perry made his debut with 38 seconds left in the third quarter. He later put together a 90-yard drive in the fourth quarter that led to a field goal. He didn't throw a pass.

"I thought he did really well for a guy that wasn't supposed to suit up," coach Ken Niumatalolo said. "He was in the brigade, so went and got him."