Mids are Cole-ossal

ANNAPOLIS — Earlier this season, Navy coach Paul Johnson was so displeased with the play of his outside gunners on punt coverage that he declared an open competition to fill the jobs. Since then, Lord Cole has changed the position from a weakness into a weapon.

Cole forced a game-changing fumble late in the first half yesterday as the Midshipmen (7-1) rolled to a 34-20 victory against Delaware (6-2) before 34,416 at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium — Navy’s seventh straight home win.

“It felt pretty good after I realized what happened,” Cole said. “I went after the guy [Sidney Haugabrook] and I whiffed, but I just got right back up, and he was still there. After the crowd was jumping I was like, ’I didn’t even make a big hit,’ but I looked behind me and everyone was on the ball.”

Delaware led 10-7 and Navy’s offense was sputtering at the time, but the fumble recovery by Mick Yokitis led to a 14-10 halftime lead for the Mids. Cole didn’t begin the season as a gunner, but since replacing Jeremy McGown, he has seven tackles on special teams.

“Cole has really been doing a real nice job for us covering punts,” Johnson said. “That was a second-effort play all the way. He missed the guy but got up and punched the ball out. It was really a big play in the game.”

After a three-and-out to start the second half, Navy’s offense drove 99 yards for a touchdown on its second possession.

The 12-play drive, highlighted by a 26-yard pass from Aaron Polanco to Amir Jenkins and a 32-yard scamper by wideout Jason Tomlinson on an end-around, seemed to suck the life out of the Blue Hens defense.

“They wore us down,” Delaware coach K.C. Keeler said. “We made adjustments at halftime, but Coach Johnson made some after that. That’s why he is such a great coach. A drive like that takes a lot out of you, not only physically but also mentally.”

Navy’s next two drives went 80 and 70 yards for touchdowns to end any doubt. Johnson unveiled a new wrinkle in his option offense during the second half, and Delaware couldn’t stop it.

Normally the play goes in the direction of the slotback in motion, but Polanco and fullback Kyle Eckel ran a misdirection option to the other side. Eckel ripped off a 44-yard run the first time the Mids showcased the play for Navy’s longest run this season.

“We put that in this week because of the way they play man-to-man,” Johnson said. “If you’re going to play man-to-man against the option, you just don’t have enough guys. You don’t have anyone to cover the pitch unless somebody gets out from inside.”

Eckel had his best day of the season with 143 yards and a touchdown on 23 carries. Polanco scored three touchdowns for the third time in his career on runs of 22, 1 and 7 yards as Navy finished with a season-high 346 rushing yards.

Notes — David Boler tied a Delaware team record and set a Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium record with 16 catches, gaining 153 yards. … John McLaughlin made his debut as the “12th Mid” covering the opening kickoff. Members of the Brigade wore white T-shirts with No.12 on them.

• East Carolina 38, Army 28: James Pinkey threw three touchdown passes to Bobby Good to help the Pirates (2-5, 2-3 C-USA) beat Army (2-5, 2-4), ending the Black Knights’ first winning streak in seven years.

• Wyoming 43, Air Force 26: Corey Bramlet passed for two touchdowns, and Ivan Harrison scored on a pair of fourth quarter 1-yard runs to lead the Cowboys (5-3, 2-2 Mountain West) to a victory over the Falcons (3-5, 2-3).