Navy's triple-option offense demands precision, swift judgment and no small amount of creativity from its quarterback. Ricky Dobbs became that point man full time last season, and the trust he has engendered from teammates and the coaching staff is airtight entering his senior year.

Far less certain is the condition of his supporting cast in the backfield, which in the case of the slotbacks comprises many underclassmen lacking big-game polish. Last year's leading rusher at the position, Marcus Curry, is no longer with the team after being dismissed for detrimental conduct and eventually withdrawing from the academy. That leaves the responsibility of secondary ball carrier in the hands of an untried group of undersized running backs, including five listed at 5 feet 8 or shorter. And even that diminutive measurement is somewhat generous.

The offense, however, doesn't require men of substantial girth to operate at peak efficiency. More often, shorter, shiftier players have a better tendency to thrive in a running game designed to flow away from congestion at the line of scrimmage. That means pace can be much more useful than power, with runners lower to the ground especially difficult to find and thus catch.

"We got some guys who have to pick up the slack," offensive coordinator Ivin Jasper said. "We lost a good kid last year, but at the same time we've got some good guys coming back. We've got some young kids. We've got a lot of promising-looking players, so we've just got to continue to mold them, nurture them and develop them."

At the start of Saturday's Blue & Gold scrimmage at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium, Gee Gee Greene lined up at first-team A-back, and Dobbs wasted no time delivering the ball to the 5-foot-8, 180-pound sophomore. The first play was a slip screen to Greene, who turned it into an 8-yard gain.

John Howell, another 5-8, 180-pound sophomore, was next up and got several chances with the second team. Among the slotbacks, Howell had the most productive day running the ball, finishing with 41 yards on three carries.

When Greene went back onto the field for his second series, he was on the receiving end of a 65-yard touchdown pass from Dobbs. Greene got open in the middle of the field, and Dobbs floated a pass to him in stride for the almost-uncontested score.

"Collectively as an offense, it was a good play. Anybody could have made it," said Greene, exuding the sort of humility typical of Midshipmen. "We have a lot of A-backs. There's a ton of us, like 18 of us, and everybody is pretty good. Everybody is athletic, even the freshmen coming in. We're always out there competing for that position."

Although Greene has the most carries and yards among the returning slotbacks, Navy appears perfectly comfortable rotating among its stable of runners rather than leaning on an individual. Such was the blueprint from the scrimmage, in which Andre Byrd, a 5-7, 153-pound senior, and Bo Snelson, a 5-7, 180-pound sophomore, also made bids for extensive playing time.

With the Midshipmen devoting a heavy dose of Saturday's game plan to passing, Byrd had four catches for 58 yards and Snelson added 13 yards and a touchdown on two receptions. In all, Navy threw for 321 yards and attempted 39 passes, partly to work on that infrequently used component of the offense but perhaps more as subterfuge for any Maryland scouts who might have attended the open scrimmage.

Navy begins the season Sept. 6 against the Terrapins at M&T; Bank Stadium, and there's little doubt the Midshipmen will come armed with a cadre of small but elusive runners who gladly will share carries.

"Depth helps out a lot, especially at our position," Snelson said, "because you really don't want somebody tired who's going to get the pitch and try to run the corner. We try to rotate a lot of guys and to keep them fresh. With depth like that, we can get the ball on the edge and have fresh legs and be able to take it to the house, and that's definitely what we need in the offense."