11/18/2002 - Football
Navy-Wake Forest Game Notes
Game Data
Navy will look to snap its nine-game losing streak Saturday when it travels to Groves Stadium (31,500) to face Wake Forest.
Navy is coming off a 38-0 loss to Connecticut, while Wake Forest has not played since its Nov. 3 loss to Florida State, 34-21.
Saturday's game will be broadcast live on the 10-station Navy Radio Network (locally, the game can be heard on 1430 WNAV in Annapolis, 980 WTEM in Washington, D.C. and 1300 WJFK in Baltimore) and worldwide on the internet at www.navysports.com(.) Bob Socci and John Feinstein will call the action starting at 3 p.m. with the Navy Pregame Show.
Pete Medhurst and Joe Miller will host the Navy Tailgate Show starting at 2 p.m. on 1430 WNAV (www.wnav.com).
Injuries
The following players are out for Saturday's game: junior safety Paul Clarkson (knee), senior slot back Donnie Fricks (collarbone), senior defensive tackle Josh Brindel (neck), senior fullback Cee Harris (neck) and sophomore linebacker Dustin Elliott (foot).
Rebuilding The Program
Navy head coach Paul Johnson took over a program that had won just one game in the last-two years (1-20)-the worst two-year record in the 122-year history of Navy football. As Johnson says, "the program didn't get this way overnight and it's not going to change overnight."
For instance, Navy's all-time winningest coach, George Welsh, who was 55-46-1 (41-44-1 against Division I-A teams, 14-2 against I-AA opponents) from 1973-81 at Navy, took over a program that had won seven games the previous two seasons and didn't have a winning season until his third year (7-4 in 1975) and only had one winning season in his first five years (24-31 in his first five years). It wasn't until year six that Welsh got the program turned around and the Mids posted a 31-15-1 record over his final four years in Annapolis and played in three bowl games, including a win over BYU in the Holiday Bowl, over those final four years.
Since Welsh, Gary Tranquill posted a 17-26-1 (.398) record, Elliott Uzelac was 8-25 (.242), George Chaump won 14 of his 55 games (.255) and Charlie Weatherbie was 30-48 (.385).
Since Roger Staubach won the Heisman Trophy in 1963 (38 seasons), Navy has had eight winning seasons (1967, 1975, 1978, 1979, 1980, 1981, 1982, 1996, 1997) and eight seasons with two wins or less (1968, 1969, 1970, 1987, 1991, 1992, 2000, 2001). In the last 20 years, Navy has had three winning seasons (1982, 1996 and 1997) and five seasons with two wins or less (1987, 1991, 1992, 2000, 2001).
Struggling Against Winning Programs
For those fans expecting Navy head coach Paul Johnson to perform a miracle in his first year, it should be noted that since 1990, Navy has defeated just four Division IA schools that finished the season with a winning record. In 1990, Navy defeated Toledo (9-2), 14-10; in 1993 Navy defeated Bowling Green (6-3-2), 27-20; in 1996 Navy defeated Air Force (6-5), 20-17; and in 1997 Navy defeated SMU (6-5), 46-16. Navy's other 28 wins against Division IA opponents since 1990 finished with a losing record.
Mids Fall To UConn, 38-0
Dan Orlovsky completed 29-of-35 passes for 272 yards and three touchdowns, while Terry Caulley rushed for 157 yards and two touchdowns as Connecticut defeated Navy, 38-0, in front of 25,664 fans at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium.
The loss was a team effort, as the defense gave up 509 yards of total offense and the offense managed just 82 yards of total offense and three first downs.
The lone bright spot for Navy was the play of sophomore safety Josh Smith (Attica, Ind.) who had a career-high 21 tackles, a tackle for a loss, broke up a pass, recovered a fumble and intercepted a pass. Senior safety Michawn Yuvienco (Glen Burnie, Md.) added 12 tackles and Ben Mathews (Jr./Pittsburgh, Pa.) recovered a fumble for the second-straight game.
Navy-UConn Game Notes
The victory was the first by UConn over Navy in six meetings ... the last time Navy was shut out was on Sept. 30, 2000, when TCU shut out Navy, 24-0, at Navy-Marine Corps Stadium ... Navy ran just 40 plays on Saturday, 22 less than the previous low against Rice.
Series History
Wake Forest leads the all-time series, 4-2, including a 49-26 victory at Navy in 2000. Navy's last win in the series was in 1996, a 47-18 triumph over the Demon Deacons. Navy is 1-1 against Wake Forest in games played in Winston-Salem.
Navy-Wake Forest
1929 Navy 61-0 Annapolis, Md.
1991 Wake 24-52 Annapolis, Md.
1995 Wake 7-30 Annapolis, Md.
1996 Navy 47-18 Winston-Salem, N.C.
1998 Wake 14-26 Winston-Salem, N.C.
2000 Wake 26-49 Annapolis, Md.
Scouting Wake Forest
The Deacons enter Saturday's game needing to win one of their last two to become bowl eligible. Wake has not played since Nov. 2 when it lost to Florida State, 34-21.
Offensively, Wake is led by quarterback James MacPherson, who has completed 101 of his 183 passes for 1,375 yards with five touchdowns and three interceptions. MacPherson's favorite target is Fabian Davis, who has caught 32 passes for 512 yards. Tarence Williams leads the Wake rushing attack with 598 yards and two touchdowns. Chris Barclay has 494 yards rushing and eight touchdowns.
Wake Forest is averaging 248.1 yards per game on the ground and 156.6 yards through the air.
Defensive end Calvin Pace is having a monster season with 64 tackles, 19 tackles for a loss and eight sacks to lead the Wake Forest defense. Pace has also blocked a PAT and a field goal.
Daryl Shaw, Quintin Williams and Eric King have three interceptions apiece.
Wake is giving up 135.7 yards per game on the ground and 244.9 through the air.
Turnover Troubles
Since opening the season with no turnovers in a 38-7 win at SMU, Navy has committed 31 turnovers over the last-nine games, 23 of them fumbles. Three of those turnovers (all fumbles) were returned for touchdowns (N.C. State, Air Force and Tulane). Navy's 23 lost fumbles are the most in the country (Arizona State is second with 19) and its 31 turnovers are tied for the 10th most in the nation (UTEP leads with 36).
Since forcing five turnovers in the season opener, Navy has forced just 13 turnovers in the last-nine games, though the Mids have forced six turnovers the last-two weeks (3 against Notre Dame and 3 against UConn). Navy's 18 forced turnovers ranks 89th in the country.
In A Rush
Navy is fifth in the nation in rushing, averaging 251.10 yards per game. Last year, the Mids averaged a paltry 181.8 yards per contest. Navy has led the nation in rushing just once in school history, that coming in 1999 when the Mids averaged 292.2 yards per game en route to a 5-7 record.
NCAA Leaders In Rushing Offense
1. Air Force 305.55
2. West Virginia 294.90
3. Nebraska 273.42
4. Kansas State 267.82
5. Navy 251.10
6. Colorado 250.64
7. Ohio 248.70
8. Wake Forest 248.10
9. Rice 247.73
10. Arkansas 243.80
Smith A Tackling Machine
Navy sophomore Josh Smith (Attica, Ind.) has recorded 67 tackles over the last-five games, more than any other Navy player has recorded all year. His 111 total tackles are 40 more than the next-closest teammate (Eddie Carthan with 61). The school record for tackles, which wasn't officially kept until 1970, is 169 by Andy Ponseigo in 1983. Smith has reached double figures in tackles in five of Navy's 10 games and is coming off a herculean 21-tackle performance against Connecticut where he also recovered a fumble and intercepted a pass. Smith also had double-digit tackle games against SMU (14), Air Force (10), Rice (18) and Boston College (15).
Smith's season is more impressive if you consider the fact that coming out of spring practice, he wasn't selected to appear in the Navy football media guide and barely made the invite list (105 players) to go through two-a-day practices. Thanks to an injury to last year's leading tackle, Lenter Thomas (Sr./Eagle Lake, Texas), Smith got his chance to show the coaches what he could do during two-a-day practices.
Youth Is Served
Of the 66 players listed on Navy's depth chart, 29 (44 percent) are freshmen or sophomores. There is an equal amount of youth on both sides of the ball as the offense has 15 freshmen and sophomores on the depth chart, while the defense has 14. Nine youngsters started last Saturday's game against Connecticut: Amir Jenkins (So./WR), Eric Roberts (So./SB), August Roitsch (So./C) and Aaron Polanco (So./QB) on offense and Pierre Moss (So./DE), Jeremy Chase (Fr./LB), Lane Jackson (So./LB), Josh Smith (So./S) and Vaughn Kelley (So./CB) on defense. There are only 20 seniors (31 percent) on the depth chart.
Chase Impressive
Freshman Jeremy Chase (Norfolk, Va.) got his first-career start at Tulane and came through with a game-high tying 10 tackles and deflected a pass. Chase followed that performance up with a seven-tackle day, including a sack, against Notre Dame and had five tackles against Connecticut.
Fourth Down Problems
Navy has had problems on fourth down this year, converting on just nine of 24 attempts (38 percent), while stopping the other team on fourth down just three times in 16 attempts (19 percent).
Touchdown Navy Quarterback
Navy quarterbacks Craig Candeto (Jr./Orange City, Fla.) and Aaron Polanco (So./Wimberley, Texas) have scored 16 of Navy's 23 rushing touchdowns. Candeto leads the team with nine touchdown rushes, while Polanco has seven in just 62 carries (1 touchdown every 8.9 carries).
Red Zone
Navy has scored on 26 of its 33 trips inside the Red Zone (.788) and has scored touchdowns on 22 of those 33 trips (.667).
The defense has given up points in 44 of the 51 times the opposition has reached the Red Zone (.863). Thirty-nine of the 51 trips have resulted in touchdowns (.765).
Long Return
Aaron Weedo's (So./Port Charlotte, Fla.) 45-yard punt return against Notre Dame was the longest punt return by a Navy player since Oct. 5, 1996, when Ross Scott took a punt back 65 yards for a touchdown in Navy's 64-21 victory over Duke.
Navy In The 2002 National Rankings
{117 Teams in Division IA}
Rushing Offense 5th (251.5)
Passing Offense 114th (97.0)
Total Offense 86th (348.1)
Scoring Offense 98th (20.5)
Rushing Defense 110th (217.4)
Pass Defense 69th (224.8)
Pass Efficiency Defense 116th (173.6)
Total Defense 105th (442.2)
Scoring Defense 111th (39.4)
Net Punting 52nd (35.0)
Punt Return 102nd (6.9)
Kickoff Return 76th (19.8)
Turnover Margin 113th (-1.3)
Rushing Craig Candeto (75th, 70.6)
Total Offense Craig Candeto (100th, 140.4)
Punting John Skaggs (40th, 41.4)
Kickoff Returns Tony Lane (41st, 23.5)
Scoring Craig Candeto (98th, 6.0)
Skaggs Is Navy's Top All-Time Punter
Navy junior John Skaggs (Cantonment, Fla.) is Navy's all-time top punter by average (43.2). Skaggs set the school record for punting average in a season last year with a 44.8 average and is averaging 39.6 yards per punt this year, which would rank as the third best average in school history.
Career Punting Average Average
1. John Skaggs (2001-02) 43.2
2. Tray Calisch (1997-99) 40.7
3. Bill Busik (1940-41) 40.6
4. Dave Church (1965-66) 39.4
5. Brian Schrum (1992-95) 39.3
Single-Season Punting Average Average
1. John Skaggs (2001) 44.8
2. Bill Busik (1941) 43.8
3. Tom Moore (1971) 41.9
4. John Skaggs (2002) 41.4
5. Tray Calisch (1999) 40.9
Roberts On Pace To Break Single-Season Yards Per Catch Record
Navy sophomore Eric Roberts (Miami, Fla.) is on pace to break the Navy single-season record for average yards per catch. Roberts has caught 16 passes for 416 yards (26.0 yards per catch) and two touchdowns on the year
Average Yards Per Catch In A Season Average
1. Eric Roberts (2002) 26.0
2. Ryan Read (1998) 25.5
3. Phil McConkey (1978) 24.2
4. Pat McGrew (1997) 22.6
5. Jim Stewart (1961) 22.1
Long Pass Play
J.P. Blecksmith's (Sr./San Marino, Calif.) 79-yard pass completion to Eric Roberts (So./Miami, Fla.) against Northwestern was the fourth-longest pass play in school history and the longest pass play in school history that did not result in a score.
The longest pass play in school history came in 1995 when Chris McCoy hit Matt Scornavacchi with an 87-yard touchdown pass in Navy's 35-7 victory over Tulane.
Three of the five-longest pass plays in school history have come when Navy was running the current spread offense. The fifth- longest pass play in school history came in 1998 when Brian Broadwater threw a 78-yard touchdown pass to Ryan Read in Navy's 32-31 upset win at Boston College.
Player-Receiver (Opponent, Year) Yards
1. Chris McCoy-Matt Scornavacchi (Tulane, 1995) 87
2. Rob Klemick-Jim Stewart (Miami, Fla., 1961) 83
3. Brian Broadwater-Dominic Bailey (Tulane, 2000) 81
4. J.P. Blecksmith-Eric Roberts (Northwestern, 2002) 79
5. Brian Broadwater-Ryan Read (Boston College, 1998) 78
Not So Sweet Home
Navy has lost 14 straight and 19 of the last 20 at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium. The Mids last won a game at Navy-Marine Corps on Nov. 13, 1999, when the Mids knocked off Tulane, 45-21. The Mids have been outscored, 535-222 (average loss 38.2-15.9) during the 14-game home losing streak. Only five of the 14 games during have been decided by 10 points or less.
Piling Up The Yards
Navy piled up 678 yards of total offense against Northwestern, the third most in school history. The school record for total offense is 724 yards, which ironically enough also came in a loss, was when the Mids lost to Tulane, 50-38, in 2000. The second-biggest output was 680 yards against Colgate in 1998. Four of the six-best total offensive days in school history have come when either Paul Johnson or Ken Niumatalolo have called the plays.
Yds. (R /P) Opponent Date
1. 724 (362/362) Tulane 11/11/00
2. 680 (515/165) Colgate 10/17/98
3. 678 (378/300) Northwestern 9/21/02
4. 653 (358/295) Colgate 9/12/70
5. 646 (251/395) California 12/25/96
6. 635 (563/72) Kent State 11/22/97
Throwing The Ball
Craig Candeto's (Jr./Orange City, Fla.) 212 yards passing against Northwestern were the most by a Navy quarterback since Nov. 11, 2000, when Brian Broadwater threw for 302 yards and two touchdowns in Navy's 50-38 loss to Tulane.
Scoring Outburst
Navy's 40 points against Northwestern were the most points scored by a Navy team since Nov. 20, 1999, when the Mids scored 41 in a 48-41 loss to Hawai'i.
100 Yards Receiving
Eric Roberts' (So./Miami, Fla.) 136 yards receiving against Northwestern marked the first 100-yard receiving day by a Navy player since Nov. 11, 2000, when Dominic Bailey (Sr./Houston, Texas) had three catches for 119 yards and Josh Bock had nine catches for 119 yards and one touchdown in Navy's 50-38 loss at Tulane.
Smart Up Front
Senior left offensive tackle Derek Jaskowiak (Chesterfield, Mo.), who sports a 3.67 GPA in systems engineering, and senior left offensive guard Grant Moody (Eureka, Kan.), who carries a 3.93 GPA in quantitative economics, have been named to District 2 All-Academic First-Team and will have an opportunity to be named Academic All-Americans. Navy has not had a First-Team Academic All-American since linebacker Ted Dumbauld achieved that feat in 1980.
