Even before the clock ran out on the American Athletic Conference Championship Game, Navy fans were thinking about Army. The Mids have endured multiple injuries over the course of the season, but Will Worth and Toneo Gulley getting hurt on the same play might be the worst of them all. The offense losing its senior leadership on the eve of its most important game had both emotional and practical effects.

The most obvious impact in terms of the latter was sophomore Zach Abey’s promotion to starting quarterback. The situation evoked memories of Trey Miller, who didn’t exactly get the chance to ease into the role; his first three starts came against Notre Dame (twice) and Penn State. Abey faced a similar challenge, trying to lead a comeback in the program’s first-ever conference championship game, then becoming the only quarterback in program history to make his first career start against Army. For a Navy quarterback, there can be no greater spotlight.

It’s quite a transition to go from being a backup to being the man in the arena, and managing that transition was a considerable task for the Navy coaching staff. With that in mind, it was interesting when rumors started circulating before the game that the Mids were planning on incorporating more plays out of the shotgun. Was this going to be the plan against Army all along, or was this being done to help slow the game down for a sophomore making his first start?