Facing its most daunting deficit of the season, the Navy football team completed another stirring comeback to beat Southern Methodist, 28-21, on Saturday when senior fullback Alexander Teich scored from 4 yards out in the closing minutes before an announced 33,924 at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium.
The Midshipmen had gotten the ball at the Mustangs' 13 moments earlier after senior linebacker Tyler Simmons stepped in front of quarterback Kyle Padron's pass on first down. The interception came shortly after Southern Methodist tied the game at 21 with 2:51 seconds left in regulation.
Navy needed just two plays for the decisive points, which came when Teich ran untouched through a gaping hole with 1:38 to play. Mustangs coach June Jones said afterward he elected to let the Midshipmen score in order to get the ball back right away, but time ran out after Southern Methodist advanced to the Navy 41.
The Midshipmen (4-2) got their second straight dramatic win despite injuries to a slew of starters. Missing were safety Emmett Merchant, nose guard Shane Bothel, right tackle Matt Molloy and fullback Vince Murray, who left with a knee injury in the first half of Navy's 28-27 win against Wake Forest. In that game, Navy scored with 26 seconds to play.
"I'm starting to run out of adjectives for our team," coach Ken Niumatalolo said. "These guys are amazing."
Trailing Southern Methodist by 14, the Midshipmen came storming back in the second half with touchdowns on their first two possessions, then took their first lead when Teich (95 yards, 21 carries), starting in place of Murray, scored on a two-yard run with 12:52 to play. That finished a drive that began at the Southern Methodist 31 when linebacker Jerry Hauburger forced the scrambling Padron to fumble and defensive end Jabaree Tuani fell on the loose ball.
The Mustangs' ensuing drive started at their 43 in part because of a personal foul on Navy immediately after the kick return. Southern Methodist had a false start before its first snap, but undaunted, it marched 57 yards on 10 plays capped by a 10-yard touchdown pass from Padron to wide receiver Aldrick Robinson in the back of the end zone.
Navy, which last season beat the Mustangs in overtime, 38-35, after trailing 21-7, got the ball with 2:51 to play but managed just six yards before punting. After Bennie Thomas' fair catch at the 22, teammate Justin Smart was called for a personal foul for a late hit away from the ball. The penalty moved the Mustangs back to the 11, and on the first play of the series, Padron's errant throw landed in the arms of the opportunistic Simmons.
"You know at Navy it's going to be tough, and it's not always going to go your way. It's really the measure of a man how you respond to that," Simmons said when asked about the Midshipmen scoring a pair of exhilarating wins following a 14-6 loss at Air Force on Oct. 2. "We take that to heart. We take pride in that."
Navy avoided near disaster to start the second half when kick returner Marcus Thomas mishandled the kickoff but recovered it and got to the 19. Soon after, a holding call had the Midshipmen in third and 17. Navy defied the odds, though, when quarterback Ricky Dobbs completed a 51-yard pass over the middle to slotback Aaron Santiago to the 37. With runs of 10 and 12 yards, Navy had first and goal from the 10.
Then came a critical moment on fourth down from the 3. Niumatalolo went for it, and Dobbs validated the bold decision with a touchdown pass to Santiago for Navy's first points. The reception was in many ways vindication for Santiago, who dropped a pass in the end zone during the first quarter.
The Midshipmen didn't need long to tie the game at 14. After forcing a punt into the end zone, Navy went 80 yards in nine plays, with wide receiver Greg Jones's end around for 33 yards the longest gain in the series. Southern Methodist got called for a facemask at the end of Jones's run to put Navy at the 20, from where five consecutive carries left the Midshipmen with third and goal from the 1. Sophomore slotback Gee Greene did the honors, taking a pitch around the right and leaping to break the plane with 1:57 to play in the third quarter.
"This was a huge win," said Dobbs, who ran for 62 yards and passed for 84. "Guys were kind of down, but when we came out for the second half, we knew what we had to do."
Alexander Teich ran for a career-high 95 yards and two touchdowns, including the tiebreaking score with 1:38 left, and Navy rallied to beat Southern Methodist, 28-21, at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium on Saturday.
Navy (4-2) scored 21 straight points in the second half to take a 21-14 lead. After Southern Methodist tied it, Tyler Simmons intercepted a pass by Kyle Padron with 1:50 remaining to set up a 4-yard touchdown run by Teich.
Padron went 28 for 42 for 254 yards and three touchdowns for Southern Methodist (4-3), which led 14-0 early in the second quarter. The Mustangs have lost 20 consecutive nonconference road games, a streak that began after a win against Navy in 1998.
Darius Johnson had 12 catches for 104 yards for Southern Methodist, now 1-7 against Navy since 1995.
The Mustangs moved 57 yards in 10 plays to tie it at 21 with 2:51 to go. Padron kept the drive alive by completing a 14-yard pass to Johnson on a fourth-and-4, then hit Aldrick Robinson for a 10-yard score on a third-and-7.
After Southern Methodist forced Navy to punt, Padron's first pass was picked off by Simmons and returned six yards to the Southern Methodist 13.
Navy mounted its first scoring drive immediately after halftime with the aid of a seldom-used weapon: the forward pass. Facing a third-and-17 at his own 12, Ricky Dobbs completed a 51-yard pass to Aaron Santiago. Then, on fourth-and-goal from the 3, Dobbs connected with Santiago in the back of the end zone.
The Midshipmen took a more traditional approach on their next possession, moving 80 yards on nine straight runs to draw even at 14. Wide receiver Greg Jones ran 33 yards on a reverse, and Gee Gee Greene finished with a 1-yard dive.
With the momentum on its side, Navy got a big play from its defense. Pressed out of the pocket, Padron fumbled when hit by linebacker Jerry Hauburger, and defensive end Jabaree Tuani recovered the ball at the Southern Methodist 31.
That set up a 2-yard touchdown run by Teich with 12:52 left.
Padron threw for 135 yards and Southern Methodist limited the Midshipmen to 124 yards in offense in the first half.
Navy endured a futile opening drive: Soon after Santiago dropped a potential 37-yard touchdown pass in the end zone, Dobbs came up short on a fourth-and-3 run.
Southern Methodist then moved 71 yards in seven plays and took a 7-0 lead on Padron's 5-yard touchdown pass to Cole Beasley.
After a Navy punt, Padron used his arm and legs to engineer a 74-yard drive. He ran twice for 24 yards and completed four passes for 39 yards, including a 4-yard TD pass to Johnson that made it 14-0 with 10:05 left in the second quarter.