11/22/2001 - Football
Army-Navy Game Notes
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Philadelphia To Host 102nd Playing Of The Army-Navy Game
The Navy Midshipmen and Army Black Knights will square off Dec. 1 at Philadelphia's Veterans Stadium in the 102nd edition of the Army-Navy game. Festivities get underway at 9 a.m. when the Brigade of Midshipmen march-on to the Veterans Stadium turf. The Corps of Cadets march-on at 9:36 a.m. Kickoff is 11:45 a.m.
The Mids are coming off a valiant effort in South Bend where they battled the Irish tooth and nail until late in the fourth quarter when Notre Dame pulled away for a 34-16 win. Navy has not won a game since Dec. 2 of last year, 30-28, over Army in Baltimore.
Army is coming off a 42-10 loss at Memphis. The Black Knights are trying to break a two-game losing streak to Navy. The Mids have won three of the last four contests.
The game will be broadcast by CBS to a national television audience. CBS will air a 45-minute pregame show starting at 11 a.m. Hall of Fame broadcaster Dick Enberg will call his first-ever Army-Navy game, while Dan Dierdorf will provide the color commentary. Bonnie Bernstein (Army) and 1989 Heisman Trophy winner Andre Ware (Navy) will be the sideline reporters.
The game will also be broadcast worldwide on the radio via CBS/Westwood One and Armed Forces Radio and Television. Larry Michael will call the play-by-play and Doc Walker will handle the color commentary.
The Army-Navy game will be broadcast live on the 10-station Navy Radio Network, including 1300 WJFK in Baltimore, 630 WMAL in Washington and 1430 WNAV in Annapolis. You can also hear the broadcast live on the internet at events.yahoo.com/Sports_Events/College/, www.wnav.com or on www.wmal.com(.) Bob Socci will call the play-by-play, while noted author John Feinstein will handle the color commentary.
Injuries
Linebacker Jake Bowen (Sr./Asheville, N.C.) is questionable with a sprained left foot. Fullback Raheem Lambert (Sr./Riverside, Calif.) is questionable with a torn lateral meniscus in his left knee. Sophomore Ralph Henry (Baltimore, Md.) is questionable with a torn MCL in his left knee.
Linebacker Eddie Carthan (So./Donalsville, Ga.) is out for the year after having surgery on his left toe because of turf toe. Safety Eli Sanders (So./Hartsville, Tenn.) is out for the year with a concussion.
Series History
Army leads the all-time series, 48-46-7, but Navy has won two straight and three of the last four.
Last year, Navy jumped out to a 27-7 third-quarter lead and hung on to beat Army, 30-28, in front of 70,685 fans at PSINet Stadium in Baltimore. Army's last victory over Navy was a 30-28 win in 1999.
A victory by Navy would mark the first time the Mids have beaten the Cadets three-straight times since 1978, '79 and '80 when Navy pounded the Cadets by scores of 28-0, 31-7 and 33-6, respectively.
This will also mark the 17th and final time the Army-Navy game will be played at Veterans Stadium. Navy will not be sad to see the stadium turned to rubble, as the Mids are just 5-10-1 against the Black Knights in games played at the Vet and have lost five of the last six games played in the City of Brotherly Love.
This will be the fourth time in history Navy has entered the Army game without a win.
In 1948, an 0-8 Navy team shocked 8-0 Army with a 21-21 tie. The 1948 team is the only team in school history to play more than one game in a season and not win a game, but the upset tie of the Black Knights salvaged the season.
In 1991, Navy entered the Vet with an 0-10 record, while Army was 5-5, but the Mids blew out the Cadets, 24-3.
Last year in Baltimore, Navy entered the game 0-10, while Army was 1-9. The Mids jumped out to a 27-7 lead and hung on for a 30-28 victory.
Scouting Army
The Black Knights enter the annual clash with Navy having lost three-straight games. Army's last win was at home against Tulane, 42-35.
Offensively, Army is averaging 159 yards per game on the ground (53rd in the country), 209.9 yards per game through the air (67th) and 368.9 yards of total offense (66th). The Black Knights are averaging 20.3 points per game (97th).
Sophomore running back C.J. Young is Army's leading ground gainer, rushing for 531 yards and nine touchdowns.
Army has played three quarterbacks with senior Chad Jenkins seeing the most significant amount of time. Jenkins has completed 148 of his 267 passes for 1,654 yards. He has thrown seven touchdown passes and 12 interceptions.
Jenkins' favorite target is senior tight end Clint Dodson, who has 41 catches for 447 yards and two touchdowns. Junior Aris Comeaux has 34 catches for 489 yards and five touchdowns.
Defensively, Army is giving up 175.8 yards per game on the ground (77th), 250.9 yards per game through the air (93rd) and 426.7 yards per game of total offense (91st). The opposition is averaging 34.8 points per game (100th).
Mids Hang Tough In South Bend
Navy battled Notre Dame tooth and nail deep into the fourth quarter before succumbing to the Irish, 34-16, in front of 80,795 fans at Notre Dame Stadium. It was Notre Dame's 38th-consecutive victory over Navy, an NCAA record for consecutive wins over one school.
Notre Dame looked like it would blow out the Mids early on as Nick Setta kicked a 41-yard field goal on the Irish's first possession and then Gerome Sapp picked up a Brian Madden (Sr./Lawton, Okla.) fumble and rumbled 39 yards for a ND touchdown 1:26 later to give the Irish an early 10-0 lead.
Navy, though, refused to die, as Madden drove the Mids 77 yards on three plays as he hit Gene Reese (Jr./Jacksonville, Fla.) with a 43-yard pass and then ran it in from 38 yards out to make the score 10-7.
The Mids got the ball right back as Josh Brindel (Jr./Ward, S.C.) stripped Notre Dame running back Julius Jones of the ball and Pete Beuttenmuller (Jr./Wellington, Fla.) fell on it at the Irish 16. David Hills (Sr./Latham, N.Y.) drilled a 24-yard field goal to knot the score at 10 apiece.
The Irish went up 17-10 early in the second on a four-yard touchdown run by Terrance Howard.
The Irish then got a big break as Madden fumbled on the next play and Notre Dame recovered at the Navy 33. Navy, though, put up a big defensive stand and stopped ND on downs.
The defense held again after Madden threw an interception at the Notre Dame 44-yard line. The Irish drove down to the Navy five, but on fourth down Dustin Elliott (Fr./New Castle, Pa.) and Lenter Thomas (Jr./Eagle Lake, Texas) stuffed Terrance Howard for no gain.
The Mids took over the ball at their own five with just 3:09 remaining and promply marched 90 yards on 12 plays, setting up Hills with a 22-yard field goal to make it 17-13 at the half. Reese had runs of 20 and 41 yards on back-to-back plays on the drive.
The Navy defense, which played its best game all year, stuffed Notre Dame on its first-two possessions of the second half, but the Navy offense could not take advantage, managing just one yard in its first-two series. The defense finally broke down on the third drive of the quarter when Tom Lopienski broke a tackle at the line of scrimmage on third-and-one for a 33-yard gain down to the Navy 27. Five plays later, Howard scored from eight yards out to make it 24-13.
Navy would answer on its next possession, as Madden drove the Mids down to the four-yard line, but had to settle for a third field goal by Hills when three-straight Madden runs could net just one yard.
Notre Dame put the game away three plays later when Jones broke through for a 44-yard touchdown run.
Reese, healthy for the first time all year, had one of his best days in a Navy uniform, rushing for 72 yards and catching one pass for 43 yards. Madden rushed for 70 yards and a touchdown, while completing five of his 12 passes for 105 yards. Jeff Gaddy (Sr./Charlotte, N.C.) had three catches for 41 yards.
Saturday was a coming out party for the freshman Elliott, who was making just his third-career start, as he recorded a team-high tying 13 tackles and forced a fumble. Thomas, who had several hits that had the stadium gasping, also recorded 13 stops. Special mention should also go to Brindel and Beuttenmuller, both of whom played the best games of their careers. Brindel recorded seven tackles and forced a fumble, while Beuttenmuller had four tackles and recovered a fumble.
Penalty Free
Navy went the entire game against Notre Dame without committing a penalty. It is believed to be the first time in school history that Navy has not committed at least one penalty in a game.
Close Calls
Navy has been unable to win close games, losing 12 of the last 14 games decided by seven points or less. The Mids are 0-3 in nailbiters this year, losing to Air Force, 24-18, Rutgers, 23-17, and Toledo, 21-20. Navy's last win in a game decided by seven points or less was last year's Army-Navy game when the Mids won 30-28.
The Madden File
Brian Madden (Sr./Lawton, Okla.) was held to a career-low 70 yards and one touchdown on 22 carries in Navy's 34-16 loss at Notre Dame. It was just the second time in 12-career starts that Madden did not rush for 100 yards. The only other time was Oct. 13 of this year against Rice when he rushed for 94 yards on 34 carries, snapping a school-record streak of seven-consecutive 100-yard rushing days.
Earlier this year, Madden rushed for a career-high 201 yards and a career-high tying three touchdowns in Navy's 42-28 loss to Tulane (Nov. 10). It was just the 12th 200-yard rushing day in Navy history and the first since Chris McCoy rushed for 205 yards in Navy's 39-7 victory over Army in 1997. Madden and McCoy (five times) are the only quarterbacks in school history to rush for 200 or more yards in a game.
Madden's 10 100-yard rushing games are the second most in school history for a quarterback. Only Chris McCoy (1995-97) with 15 has more.
After being held out of the end zone against Rutgers, snapping a streak of eight-consecutive games with a rushing touchdown, Madden came back to score a rushing touchdown against Toledo, three against Tulane and one against Notre Dame. He has had at least one rushing touchdown in 11 of his 12-career starts.
Madden is 15th in the nation in rushing, averaging 118.6 yards per game, and is the No. 1 rusher in the nation among quarterbacks (Madden led the nation in rushing among quarterbacks in 1999, rushing for 897 yards (99.7 yards per game). Madden is also 34th in the nation in total offense (241.4).
With 1,727 career rushing yards, Madden ranks eighth on Navy's all-time rushing list. He needs just 18 yards to pass Chuck Smith for seventh place and 164 yards to pass Joe Gattuso Jr., for sixth place. Madden has accomplished this despite starting just 12 games in his career.
Madden has rushed for 830 yards on the season and needs just 69 yards to pass Cleveland Cooper for 10th on the Navy single-season rushing list. He is also within striking distance of Chuck Smith (84 more yards to move into ninth place), Eddie Meyers (128 more yards to move into eighth place) and Cleveland Cooper (217 more yards to move into seventh place).
If Madden can rush for 170 yards against the Cadets, he would become just the 24th quarterback in NCAA history to rush for 1,000 yards or more in a season. Chris McCoy accomplished that feat twice, rushing for 1,370 yards and an NCAA record for a quarterback 20 rushing touchdowns in 1997 and 1,228 yards and 16 touchdowns in 1996.
Madden has thrown for more than 100 yards in six of his seven starts this year, after not throwing for 100 yards in any of his five starts in 1999.
Gaddy Coming Up With Big Plays
Jeff Gaddy (Sr./Davidson, N.C.) had a big day against Boston College, catching two passes for 87 yards and his first-career touchdown. The touchdown catch came on Navy's first drive, a 49-yard strike from quarterback Brian Madden (Sr./Lawton, Okla.). He came back against Air Force and caught four passes for 52 yards in Navy's loss to the Falcons. Against Rutgers, Gaddy caught a 13-yard touchdown pass from Madden, against Toledo he caught three passes for 62 yards and against Notre Dame he had three catches for 41 yards.
Gaddy is Navy's leading receiver in catches (23) and yards (361).
A Dangerous Lane
Tony Lane (So./Wrens, Ga.) set a school record for kickoff return yardage against Temple, returning five kicks for 205 yards. The previous record was 170 yards on seven returns set by Michael Jefferson in 1994. Lane proved to be a threat the first time he ever touched the ball in a college game, returning Temple's second kickoff of the game 67 yards, setting up a Navy field goal. Lane's 41.0 average was also a school record. The previous record was 38.5 yards, set by Pat McGrew in 1997. Navy also set a school record for team kickoff return yardage against the Owls, returning eight kicks for 247 yards. The previous record was 198 yards on nine returns against Penn State in 1971.
Lane returned six kicks for 147 yards, including a long of 51 yards, against Georgia Tech and returned three kicks for 73 yards against Boston College. Against Air Force, he returned one kickoff for 25 yards and against Rice he returned two kickoffs for 47 yards. Against Rutgers, Lane returned four kickoffs for 102 yards and against Toledo, Lane returned two kickoffs for 56 yards. He returned two kickoffs for 43 yards against Tulane and had six kickoff returns for 117 yards against Notre Dame.
Averaging 26.3 yards per kickoff return, Lane is ranked 23rd in the nation in kickoff returns. He needs just six yards to set the Navy school record for kickoff return yardage and two more returns to tie for third on Navy's single-season kickoff return list.
He is also averaging 136.1 yards per game of all-purpose yards, which ranks 24th in the country.
Lane is more than a kickoff returner, scoring a rushing touchdown against Boston College and then catching a 54-yard touchdown pass from Brian Madden (Sr./Lawton, Okla.) against Air Force. Against Toledo, Lane rushed for a career-high 91 yards on 11 carries and also caught two passes for 29 yards and one touchdown. He caught a 37-yard touchdown pass from Madden against Tulane and had five carries for 28 yards against Notre Dame.
Lane is third on the team in receptions with 12 and leads the team with three touchdown catches. He is also third on the team in rushing yards with 178.
Skaggs Impressive
Sophomore punter John Skaggs (Cantonment, Fla.) averaged a career-best 49.3 yards per punt on four punts in Navy's 24-18 loss to Air Force. Impressive all year, he averaged 46 yards per punt on five attempts in his collegiate debut against Temple, 40.8 yards on six kicks against Georgia Tech, 48.8 yards per punt on four punts against Boston College, 45.5 yards on four punts against Rice, 46 yards on five punts against Rutgers, 47.7 yards (including a career-long 72 yarder) on six punts against Tulane and 45.7 yards on six punts against Notre Dame. His only bad night was a 30.5 average on two punts against Toledo.
The All-America candidate is averaging 45.2 yards per punt, which is the third-best average in the country. He is on pace to shatter the 60-year-old school record of 43.8 yards, set by Bill Busik in 1941.
Hills Nearly Perfect On Field Goals
David Hills (Sr./Latham, N.Y.) has been almost perfect on field goals this year, making 12 out of 13 attempts. He is 20th in the country in field goals made per game (1.3)
He made both of his attempts against Temple (24 and 36), Air Force (23 and 37), Rice (40 and 43) and Toledo (42 and 30) and made all three of his attempts against Notre Dame (24, 22 and 20). He made one out of two attempts against Rutgers (made from 27 and missed from 22).
Hills has made 21 of his 25-career attempts (.845). He is 0-1 from inside the 20, 8-9 from 20-29 yards out, 7-8 from 30-39 yards and 8-9 from 40-49 yards. His career long is 45 yards, which he made in last year's game at Air Force.
Hills needs just two more field goals to tie for fifth on Navy's single-season field goals list.
Terrell Stepping Up
Marlon Terrell (Sr./Dallas, Texas) is finally getting a chance to show what he can do after battling a hamstring injury the last two years.
Terrell rushed for a career-high 79 yards in his first-career start against Rutgers. He recorded career-long runs of 28 yards in the second quarter and then 43 yards in the third quarter. He also scored on a one-yard touchdown run in the third quarter, his first rushing touchdown of the season and the second of his career. Terrell followed up his performance against Rutgers with a 51-yard rushing day on nine carries against Toledo.
Against Rice, Terrell caught his first-career pass, a Navy season-long 65 yarder from Madden.
Terrell is Navy's second leading rusher with 189 yards and one touchdown.
Red Zone
Navy has scored on 72.4 percent of its trips inside the 20 (21-29), with just 11 of the 29 trips (.379 percent) resulting in touchdowns.
The defense has given up points 29-of-36 times (.806 percent) when the opposition reaches the end zone. Twenty four of the 36 trips have resulted in touchdowns (.667 percent).
Problems Out Of The Gate
Navy has been outscored, 191-72 (21.2-8.0), in the first half of games. The Mids have led just one game at the half-10-7 at Toledo. They have given up 94 points in the first quarter and 97 points in the second quarter. Navy has scored just 36 first-quarter points and 36 second-quarter points. It has regrouped and played much better in the second half, being outscored by just a 127-94 count (14.1-10.4). The Mids have outscored the opposition, 63-51, in the fourth quarter.
