E-mail
Print
A service academy football team faces certain challenges whenever it lines up against a team from a major league like the Atlantic Coast Conference. But when Navy hosted Wake Forest on a rainy and windy Saturday afternoon, there was more to deal with. The Midshipmen's top two offensive playmakers - including their quarterback, who was leading the country in touchdowns - were out with injuries, and their back-up quarterback was making his first start, having appeared in 44 fewer games and throwing 1,163 fewer passes than his Demon Deacons counterpart.
But Navy still found a way to persevere, thanks to a stalwart defense, a hard-running fullback and a poised special teams unit. The Midshipmen beat Wake Forest, 13-10, in front of a drenched Homecoming crowd that was announced as 31,907 but dwindled to hundreds by game's end.
"I'm speechless with our kids," said coach Ken Niumatalolo, whose team needs only one more win to secure its spot in the Texas Bowl. "That was a good football team that we played. Obviously the elements weren't the greatest. ... But our kids went out there and battled and battled."
The Midshipmen (6-2) didn't have junior quarterback Ricky Dobbs (cracked kneecap) and sophomore slotback Marcus Curry (pulled quadriceps), two players who, coming into the game, had accounted for nearly 50 percent of Navy's rushing yards (972 of 1,953) and 73 percent of its touchdowns (22 of 30).
Navy got a big performance from junior fullback Vince Murray, who ran for a career-high 175 yards and sealed the victory with a 42-yard gain as the Midshipmen were trying to run out the clock. The offense - which was also missing starting wide receiver Mike Schupp (illness) - amassed 338 yards, all of it on the ground. It was the second time in two seasons that the Midshipmen won a game without attempting a pass; last year, they ran the ball 77 times in a 34-7 win over Southern Methodist that was played in a similar downpour.
"Conditions like this, I told the [slotbacks], be aware of crazy pitches because it was a little slippery. It might be a little radical," said sophomore quarterback Kriss Proctor, who rushed for 89 yards.
Navy held a 6-3 lead at halftime on the strength of two field goals from junior Joe Buckley, the first from 50 yards and the second from 41. The Midshipmen extended their advantage to 13-3 on the first possession of the second half, when Proctor, who was making his second career appearance, broke loose for a 40-yard touchdown run.
The Mids' next possession, however, ended with Proctor fumbling just shy of the end zone; Wake Forest's Dominique Midgett recovered the ball on his own 3-yard line.
"I didn't swear at [Proctor], but I probably said some things I shouldn't have said," Niumatalolo said. "I got after him pretty good. He's got to take care of the ball. [In] Kriss' [defense] too, we missed our block, the fullback missed the block, so that was the linebacker coming in and hitting Kriss. That was unfortunate."
The Demon Deacons (4-4) got back into the game behind their four-year starter at quarterback, redshirt senior Riley Skinner (13 of 25, 173 yards). He drove his team 76 yards in 2:08 and found sophomore wide receiver Devon Brown in the right corner of the end zone for a 15-yard touchdown with 7:21 remaining in the game.
But as it did throughout the game, Navy's defense and special teams stepped up. The Midshipmen had to punt with about four minutes left in the game, and junior Kyle Delahooke boomed a 68-yard punt into the end zone. The defense then forced Wake Forest to punt.
First quarterNavy-FG Buckley 50, 2:52. Second quarterWake-FG Newman 40, 13:45. Navy-FG Buckley 41, 7:26. Third quarterNavy-Proctor 40 run (Buckley kick), 11:23. Fourth quarterWake-Brown 15 pass from Skinner (Newman kick), 7:41. A-31,907.
Rushing-Wake Forest, Adams 18-89, Pendergrass 5-27, Skinner 8-17, Rinfrette 3-2, Ma.Williams 1-0. Navy, Murray 27-175, Proctor 23-89, Teich 2-35, Greene 4-20, Doyle 3-12, Finnerty 1-9, Byrd 1-2, Team 3-(minus 4). Passing-Wake Forest, Skinner 13-25-0-173. Navy. Receiving-Wake Forest, Brown 3-47, Ford 2-29, Ma.Williams 2-29, J.Williams 2-23, Adams 2-17, Bohanon 1-19, Pendergrass 1-9. Navy.
But Navy still found a way to persevere, thanks to a stalwart defense, a hard-running fullback and a poised special teams unit. The Midshipmen beat Wake Forest, 13-10, in front of a drenched Homecoming crowd that was announced as 31,907 but dwindled to hundreds by game's end.
"I'm speechless with our kids," said coach Ken Niumatalolo, whose team needs only one more win to secure its spot in the Texas Bowl. "That was a good football team that we played. Obviously the elements weren't the greatest. ... But our kids went out there and battled and battled."
The Midshipmen (6-2) didn't have junior quarterback Ricky Dobbs (cracked kneecap) and sophomore slotback Marcus Curry (pulled quadriceps), two players who, coming into the game, had accounted for nearly 50 percent of Navy's rushing yards (972 of 1,953) and 73 percent of its touchdowns (22 of 30).
Navy got a big performance from junior fullback Vince Murray, who ran for a career-high 175 yards and sealed the victory with a 42-yard gain as the Midshipmen were trying to run out the clock. The offense - which was also missing starting wide receiver Mike Schupp (illness) - amassed 338 yards, all of it on the ground. It was the second time in two seasons that the Midshipmen won a game without attempting a pass; last year, they ran the ball 77 times in a 34-7 win over Southern Methodist that was played in a similar downpour.
"Conditions like this, I told the [slotbacks], be aware of crazy pitches because it was a little slippery. It might be a little radical," said sophomore quarterback Kriss Proctor, who rushed for 89 yards.
Navy held a 6-3 lead at halftime on the strength of two field goals from junior Joe Buckley, the first from 50 yards and the second from 41. The Midshipmen extended their advantage to 13-3 on the first possession of the second half, when Proctor, who was making his second career appearance, broke loose for a 40-yard touchdown run.
The Mids' next possession, however, ended with Proctor fumbling just shy of the end zone; Wake Forest's Dominique Midgett recovered the ball on his own 3-yard line.
"I didn't swear at [Proctor], but I probably said some things I shouldn't have said," Niumatalolo said. "I got after him pretty good. He's got to take care of the ball. [In] Kriss' [defense] too, we missed our block, the fullback missed the block, so that was the linebacker coming in and hitting Kriss. That was unfortunate."
The Demon Deacons (4-4) got back into the game behind their four-year starter at quarterback, redshirt senior Riley Skinner (13 of 25, 173 yards). He drove his team 76 yards in 2:08 and found sophomore wide receiver Devon Brown in the right corner of the end zone for a 15-yard touchdown with 7:21 remaining in the game.
But as it did throughout the game, Navy's defense and special teams stepped up. The Midshipmen had to punt with about four minutes left in the game, and junior Kyle Delahooke boomed a 68-yard punt into the end zone. The defense then forced Wake Forest to punt.
| Wake Forest 0 3 0 7-10 |
| Navy 3 3 7 0-13 |
| Wake | Navy | |
| First downs | 18 | 16 |
| Rushes-Yards | 35-135 | 64-338 |
| Passing | 173 | 0 |
| Cmp.-Att.-Int. | 13-25-0 | 0-0-0 |
| Return Yards | 13 | 13 |
| Punts-Avg. | 6-33.8 | 4-48.5 |
| Fumbles-Lost | 1-0 | 1-1 |
| Penalties-Yds. | 7-57 | 4-39 |
| Time of poss. | 25:59 | 34:01 |
Digg
Twitter
Facebook
StumbleUpon
Yeah - Quarterback Ricky Dobbs leads the nation in touchdowns. Is he a Heisman candidate? of course not - jhe's not from a "big name" school. Apparently national records don't mean squat to the people on the Heisman committee - only the school you come from.
MikeCalo (10/27/2009, 10:08 AM )