Navy sent a strong message on the opening possession Saturday night against visiting Temple that triple-option football was back in Annapolis.

Starting quarterback Dalen Morris returned to the lineup, the fullback dive reemerged as a major weapon and the Navy offense looked far better than it has so far this season.

The Midshipmen set the tone with a typically punishing and time-consuming 17-play touchdown drive to start the game and the return of the program’s patented triple-option rushing attack sparked a much-needed bounce-back 31-29 victory.

Fullback Nelson Smith rushed for 120 yards and two touchdowns, while the depleted defense came up with a huge defensive stop at the end. The Brigade of Midshipmen provided a big lift by bringing some atmosphere to Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium and the football team rebounded from an embarrassing 40-7 loss to service academy rival Air Force.

Offensive coordinator Ivin Jasper said the Mids needed to get the fullback going and that’s exactly what happened. Jamale Carothers contributed 53 yards and a touchdown as the offensive line finally controlled the line of scrimmage and drove the defense back.

Morris, who missed the Air Force game due to a lifelong medical condition, did a fine job of directing the triple-option — making good reads and distributing the ball properly. Most of the time, Morris only needed to hand off to the fullbacks, who powered between the tackles for consistent yardage.

Sophomore inside linebacker Terrell Adams broke up a two-point conversion pass attempt that would have tied the game and likely forced overtime with 1:02 remaining. Adams was making his first career start because both Diego Fagot and Tama Tuitele sat out with injuries.

They were among four starting defenders that missed the game for Navy, which evened its record at 2-2 with both wins coming against American Athletic Conference competition. It was the 100th career victory for Navy coach Ken Niumatalolo, in his 13th season at the helm.

Temple quarterback Anthony Russo was accurate throughout in completing 21 of 30 passes for 206 yards and a touchdown in the team’s season opener.

Tailback Re’mahn Davis rushed for 97 yards and a touchdown for the Owls, who amassed 407 yards against the depleted Navy defense. The Midshipmen amassed 301 total yards with 253 of that on the ground.

Navy could not have diagrammed a better opening drive, marching 75 yards on 17 runs and taking almost 10 minutes off the clock. It was textbook triple-option offense with Morris making all the right reads and distributing the ball well.

The Midshipmen established the fullback dive from the outset and that opened things up for the slotback pitch. Navy converted on third down three times during the drive with Acie gaining 14 yards to set up first-and-goal from the 7-yard line.

Facing fourth-and-goal from the 1, Smith got the call and powered into the end zone to give Navy a 7-0 lead with 5:22 remaining in the first period.

It appeared Temple would answer with a touchdown of its own, but the revamped Navy defense stiffened in the red zone. Russo overthrew receivers in the end zone on consecutive plays and the Owls settled for a 25-yard field goal by Will Mobley.

Fells returned the ensuing kickoff 34 yards to give Navy great opening field position for its second possession. It was the longest kickoff return since 2017 and set-up the Mids just shy of midfield.

A face mask penalty against Temple was followed by a well-scripted screen pass to slotback C.J. Williams, whose 36-yard gain set up first-and-goal from the 7. Fellow slotback Chance Warren wound up scoring the touchdown, taking a pitch and scooting in from 2 yards out to make it 14-3.

It did not take long for Temple to respond with Russo directing a 78-yard touchdown drive. There were two big plays off the bat with Russo completing an 18-yard pass to wide receiver Branden Mack and Davis following with a 13-yard run. A personal foul penalty against the Mids tacked on 15 more yards and put the Owls deep into enemy territory.

Russo dove over the goal line on third-and-goal from the 2.

Navy’s final drive of the first half was important since Temple got the ball to start the second half.

After calling a timeout, Niumatalolo elected to go for it on fourth-and-6 from the Temple 45 and the play call was outstanding — an outside screen pass to wide receiver Mychal Cooper, who rambled for 12 yards and the first down. Two plays later, the fullback trap sprung Smith for a 27-yard touchdown trot as he raced untouched into the end zone to give Navy a 21-10 advantage.

Russo drove the Owls to the 16-yard line of the home team before tossing an interception that closed out the first half. Marshall stepped into the passing lane for his first career pick to end the scoring threat.

Safety Kevin Brennan, who had to sit out the first half after being disqualified for targeting against Air Force, returned to the lineup in the second and provided a lift. Navy’s defense came up with its first stop of the game on the opening possession and Temple was forced to punt for the first time.

That gave Navy an opportunity to gain some separation, but the offense went three-and-out and had to punt the ball right back. Temple’s second possession produced a touchdown with Davis the workhorse, rushing for 43 yards on eight carries. Russo tossed a 7-yard touchdown to Branden Mack, who was wide-open in the end zone, and the Owls were within 21-17.

Navy needed to answer and did so in resounding fashion — mounting a 9-play, 75-yard touchdown drive to restore the lead to 11 points. Smith and Carothers did all the damage on the fullback dive or trap with the former breaking loose for a 22-yard scoring scamper.

It was almost an exact replica of Smith’s first touchdown run as he burst through a huge hole up the middle with no defender coming close.

Unfortunately for the Midshipmen, the defense just could not shut the door. Backup tailback Tayvon Ruley used a nice cutback to break a 31-yard run and a face mask penalty tacked on an additional 15 yards. Russo completed a 12-yard pass to tight end David Martin-Robinson to set up first-and-goal at the 9 then did the rest himself, scoring off a designed keeper. The two-point conversion that would’ve brought the Owls within a field goal failed, leaving the score 28-23 in favor of Navy.

Once again, the Navy offense answered — this time a 15-play march that chewed up more than nine minutes. The Mids converted twice on fourth down during the drive, which reached the 19-yard line of the visitors before stalling.

Morris got thrown for a 5-yard loss off an option keeper then got sacked for a 9-yard loss, forcing the Midshipmen to attempt a long field goal. Sophomore Bijan Nichols, who kicked the game-winner against Tulane earlier this season, came through in the clutch again, booming a career-long 50-yarder to give Navy a 31-23 lead with 4:56 remaining.

That put the game on the shoulders of the defense, which promptly allowed a 22-yard catch-and-run by wide receiver Randle Jones. Facing fourth-and-3 from the Navy 42-yard line, Russo connected with Jones on a slant pattern for a 5-yard gain to move the chains.