2012 Navy Report Card: Wide Receivers

GoMids.com continues its review of the 2012 8-5 Navy Midshipmen's season, position-by-position. Today we review the Mid wide receivers of 2012.

Wide Receivers: A
This season Navy completed 99 passes for a 57.6% completion percentage. It was their best performance since 2000 and the most completions in the current triple option era (2002-2012). Much of that success was due to the terrific receiving corps.

Brandon Turner opened summer camp in the coach’s doghouse after he surprisingly failed the Naval Academy’s physical readiness test. Turner did not make the trip to Ireland for the opener. He appeared in the second game before assuming his starting role the rest of the season. Turner led the Mids with 22 receptions for 321 yards (14.6 avg.) and four touchdowns. Turner caught two touchdown passes in the victory over Florida Atlantic and was on the receiving end of the 49-yard bomb that set up the game winning touchdown. Brandon will be missed as he was Navy's biggest receiver and a physical blocker.

Junior Shawn Lynch (14 rec., 281 yards, 20.1 avg., 1 TD) played well off the bench in the opener and started the rest of the year at wide receiver. Lynch started 2011 at free safety but he struggled and was witched back to wide receiver where he played at NAPS and as a plebe. Lynch showed the ability to stretch the field in the opener against Notre Dame when he had a 41-yard touchdown reception. Four of his receptions, including a 68-yard reception against Troy, were 28 yards or longer. Lynch has good hands and has demonstrated the ability to run after the catch.

Junior wide receiver Casey Bolena played in every game and started the first two games. Bolena caught 13 passes for 141 yards averaging 10.8 yards per catch and scoring one touchdown. Casey dropped a few passes and after Matt Aiken returned from his knee injury he was less involved in the passing game. Bolena, who is a hardnosed, physical blocker, failed to make a catch in any of the last four games.

Junior Matt Aiken entered summer camp as the starting wide receiver but injured his knee and missed the first four contests. He appeared in the last nine games coming off the bench. Matt made seven receptions for 61 yards and scored two touchdowns. Aiken caught the game winning touchdown against Indiana late in the fourth quarter.

Senior Jonathan Gazaille (1 rec., 4 yards) appeared in every game and started the opener. Gazaille was a big receiver who has struggled to stay healthy the last two years.