Apparently there is little stopping Malcolm Perry, no matter where Navy stations him.

You could ask Southern Methodist, which expected to see him at slotback but ended up getting run over for an American Athletic Conference record 282 yards and four touchdowns when Perry suddenly showed up at quarterback late last season

Then, there is poor Fordham, for whose game Perry didn’t even suit up. But that didn’t stop head coach Ken Niumatalolo from summoning him from the stands to play quarterback when injuries hit.

“He (Perry) is a different kind of a guy, something we haven’t seen a lot of in this offense,” Navy offensive coordinator Ivin Jasper said. “He can make a lot of plays with his feet. He’s so fast he can put a lot of pressure on a defense and break long runs.”

Saturday it is the University of Hawaii’s task to put the brakes on him and Navy’s triple option offense in the home opener at Aloha Stadium.

At least the Rainbow Warriors know where to find him now that the Midshipmen have settled on Perry as their starting quarterback after moving him around for two seasons.

Last season he ran for 1,182 yards and scored 11 touchdowns dividing his time as a starter between tailback (nine games) and quarterback (three games). His average of 8.6 yards per carry is a Navy record. His 92-yard run against SMU and a 91-yard bolt against Air Force are two of the top three runs in academy history.

He is one of two players in Football Bowl Subdivision history to have rushed for 100 yards in a game as a quarterback and running back (Denard Robinson of Michigan is the other).

It is Niumatalolo’s belief, like that of his offensive mentor, Paul Johnson, that you over-recruit high school quarterbacks for the triple option offense. Those who can crack the lineup stay at quarterback. Those who don’t often end up as slotbacks, running backs or defensive backs.

Perry was recruited out of Clarksville, Tenn., as a quarterback where his style and even uniform number, 19, reminded coaches of Keenan Reynolds, an NCAA record holder for rushing touchdowns and seventh-round draft pick of the Baltimore Ravens.

The similarities were not a coincidence. In high school Perry took note of Reynolds when doing film study for a game against Reynolds’ alma mater. Until then Perry said he had planned to join the Army, but after polishing his skills caught the eye of Jasper and Navy.

The 5-foot, 9-inch, 185-pound Perry earned a place in the mix at quarterback when he arrived in Annapolis. At one point, due to an illness, he fell to fourth on the depth chart at the position for the season opener as a freshman.

But when injuries felled the starter, Tago Smith, in the first half against Fordham and another player was suspended, coaches sent a team manager up into the stands at Navy-Marine Stadium to fetch Perry and have him change from his military uniform to his football one.

“I was extremely surprised. I was enjoying the tailgates before the game and then I was up in the seats relaxing, eating Twizzlers, when one of the managers came up to get me,” Perry recalled.”I had no idea I would be playing at all. It wasn’t even in the conversation (earlier in the week). The next thing I know, I’m dressed and on the field and got to play.”

Last year, as a sophomore, Perry was a slotback until Navy’s offense bogged down and bowl hopes began to diminish.

Then coaches came looking for a spark against SMU and, like Perry on one of his breakaway runs, haven’t looked back.