8/26/2002 - Football
Navy Football Notes
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Game Data
Navy kicks off the Paul Johnson Era and the 2002 football season Saturday at 8 p.m. (EST) against the SMU Mustangs at Gerald J. Ford Stadium (32,000) in Dallas, Texas. There will be a special pregame coin toss featuring Navy alum Roger Staubach and SMU alum Don Meredith. Both went on to Hall of Fame careers in the NFL as quarterback of the Dallas Cowboys.
Navy comes into the game trying to end a 10-game losing streak. The Mids' last win came in the season finale of the 2000 season, a 30-28 victory over Army. Overall, the Mids have lost 20 of the last 21 games.
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 and 1300 WJFK in Baltimore) and worldwide on the internet at www.navysports.com(.) Bob Socci and Ron Wolf will call the action, starting at 7:30 p.m. with the Navy Pregame Show.
Pete Medhurst and Joe Miller will host the Navy Tailgate Show, starting at 6:30 p.m., on 1430 WNAV (www.wnav.com).
Injuries
Safeties Paul Clarkson (Jr./Oconomowoc, Wis.) and Scooter Ross (So./Neptune Beach, Fla.) are out for the year with knee injuries. Clarkson tore the ACL and MCL in his left knee and Ross tore the ACL and MCL in his right knee in the preseason.
Team captain and slot back Donnie Fricks (Sr./Houston, Texas) is out with a fractured left clavicle. Sophomore linebacker Reggie Sealey (Upper Marlboro, Md.) is out with an injured left shoulder.
Season Openers
Navy has lost five-straight season openers and has been outscored in those five games 179-91. The last time Navy won its season opener was in 1996 when then offensive coordinator Paul Johnson help direct the Mids to a 10-6 triumph over Rutgers.
Ironically, Navy opened the 1995 season, which was Johnson's first year at Navy as the offensive coordinator, at SMU and the Mids rolled over the Mustangs, 33-2, at the Cotton Bowl. Chris McCoy set an NCAA record in that game for rushing yardage by a player in his first game, rumbling for a school-record 273 yards and one touchdown.
Navy is 3-9 in season openers since 1990. In addition to winning in 1995 and 1996, the Mids beat Richmond in 1990. 28-17.
Paul Johnson won all five of his season openers as the head coach at Georgia Southern.
Series History
SMU leads the all-time series, 7-4, though the Mids have won three of the last four meetings.
The two teams last met in 1998 when SMU came away with a 24-11 win in Annapolis. Navy's last win over the Mustangs came in 1997, a 46-16 win at the Cotton Bowl.
Navy-SMU
1930 SMU 7-20 Baltimore, Md.
1931 SMU 6-13 Annapolis, Md.
1959 SMU 7-20 Dallas, Texas
1960 Navy 26-7 Norfolk, Va.
1963 SMU 28-32 Dallas, Texas
1966 SMU 3-21 Dallas, Texas
1993 SMU 13-42 Annapolis, Md.
1995 Navy 33-2 Dallas, Texas
1996 Navy 19-17 Annapolis, Md.
1997 Navy 46-16 Dallas, Texas
1998 SMU 11-24 Annapolis, Md.
Scouting SMU
The Mustangs return 38 letterwinners and 16 starters to a team that went 4-7 last year, with three of those losses coming by 10 points or less.
Saturday's game will mark the debut of SMU head coach Phil Bennett, who was named head coach on Dec. 5, 2001, replacing Mike Cavan. Bennett comes to Dallas from Kansas State where he was nationally renowned for the defenses he put on the field while serving as defensive coordinator for the Wildcats from 1999-2001. Last year, Kansas State ranked third in the country in total defense, allowing just 262.4 yards per game.
Offensively, look for Bennett to go to the ground game early and often thanks to a trio of talented tailbacks in ShanDerrick Charles, Keylon Kincade and Kris Briggs. Charles broke Craig James' SMU freshman rushing record with 860 yards and seven touchdowns on 134 carries last year. He led the WAC and was ranked fifth nationally, averaging 6.4 yards per carry. Backing up Charles will beKincade and Briggs. Kincade ran for 431 yards on 93 carries, including a 169 yard performance against Tulsa when Charles was out with an injury.
With eight starters and 18 of its top 22 back from the WAC's No. 1-ranked defense, SMU should again be stout on that side of the ball. Leading the way will be senior linebacker Vic Viloria, a Butkus Award candidate, and junior cornerback Jonas Rutledge. Both players were First-Team All-WAC selections a year ago.
Texas Kids
The Mids have 28 players from the state of Texas on the varsity and plebe roster, more than any other state. Prominent players from the state of Texas include senior wide receiver Brandon Rampani (San Antonio), senior wide receiver Dominic Bailey (Houston), sophomore quarterback Aaron Polanco (Wimberley), junior free safety Justin Golson (Austin), sophomore wide receiver Lionel Wesley (Duncanville), sophomore defensive back Ryan McCabe (San Antonio), senior slot back Donnie Fricks (Houston), junior slot back Bronston Carroll (Katy), senior safety Lenter Thomas (Eagle Lake), junior linebacker Andy Sinitiere (Humble), senior offensive tackle Steve Mercer (Houston), senior offensive guard Travis Peace (Helotes), senior offensive guard Brett Cochrane (Houston), sophomore center August Roitsch (Houston), sophomore offensive tackle Nick Wilson (Tomball), senior long snapper Heath Sanders (Garland) and senior defensive tackle Joey Owmby (Houston).
Familiar Name
Senior offensive guard Matt Nye (Menlo Park, Calif.) should have a familiar last name to folks living in Dallas. Nye's father, Blaine, was a former great offensive lineman for the Cowboys from 1968-76 and was a two-time selection to the Pro Bowl (1974 and 1976) as an offensive guard.
Brotherly Love
The Mids have a remarkable four sets of brothers on the team. Junior linebacker Ben and freshman slot back Sam Mathews (Pittsburgh, Pa.), junior guard Nate and freshman linebacker Jeremy Chase (Norfolk, Va.), senior guard Grant and freshman guard Evan Moody (Eureka, Kan.) and sophomore quarterback Aaron and freshman wide receiver James Polanco (Wimberley, Texas). Aaron and James, who transferred to Navy from Texas Tech, are identical twins.
On The Road
Navy has lost nine-straight road games. The Mids' last win on an opponents home field was a 36-7 victory against Rutgers, Nov. 6, 1999.
Close Calls
The Mids have been unable to win the close games over the last several years, losing 12 of the last 14 games decided by seven points or less. The Mids were 0-3 in 2001, 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 the 2000 Army-Navy game when the Mids won, 30-28.
A Dangerous Lane
Tony Lane (Jr./Wrens, Ga.) set a school record for kickoff return yardage in Navy's first game of the 2001 season 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 touched the ball in a college game, returning Temple's second kickoff of the game 67 yards, setting up a Navy field goal.
Averaging 26.4 yards per kickoff return last year, Lane ranked 19th in the nation in kickoff returns. His 898 kickoff return yards was a school record for kickoff returns and total kick returns (punts and kickoffs combined).
Lane was more than a kickoff returner however, scoring a rushing touchdown against Boston College and then catching a 54-yard touchdown pass from Brian Madden 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 averaged 131.5 yards per game of all-purpose yards, which ranked 22nd in the country.
Lane finished third on the team in receptions with 12 and led the team with three touchdown catches. He also finished third on the team in rushing yards with 175.
Skaggs Breaks 60-Year Old Punting Record
Junior punter John Skaggs (Cantonment, Fla.) averaged 44.8 yards per punt last year, which was the fifth-best average in the country and set a school record for punting averaging, breaking the record of Bill Busik, who averaged 43.8 yards per punt in 1941.
Skaggs, an All-America candidate, was ranked the 10th-best punter in the nation for 2002 by The Sporting News.
Red Zone
Navy scored on .742 percent of its trips inside the 20 (23-31), with just 12 of the 31 trips (.387 percent) resulting in touchdowns in 2001.
The defense gave up points 30-of-38 times (.789 percent) when the opposition reached the end zone. Twenty four of the 38 trips resulted in touchdowns (.632 percent).
No Overtime
Since the NCAA adopted the overtime rule in 1996, Navy is one of just 12 schools who have not played an overtime game. Ironically, Navy will play three of the remaining 11 schools this year-Connecticut, Tulane and Wake Forest.
Schools That Have Never Played An Overtime Game
Connecticut
Florida State
Navy
Northern Illinois
North Texas
Ohio State
South Carolina
Temple
Tulane
Troy State
Tulsa
Wake Forest
Navy In The 2001 National Rankings
{115 Teams in Division IA}
Rushing Offense 35th (181.8)
Passing Offense 107th (137.5)
Total Offense 99th (319.3)
Scoring Offense 103rd (18.3)
Rushing Defense 112th (243.1)
Pass Defense 57th (218.1)
Pass Efficiency Defense 115th (172.7)
Total Defense 104th (461.2)
Scoring Defense 102nd (34.4)
Net Punting 24h (37.9)
Punt Return 84th (7.9)
Kickoff Return 22nd (22.8)
Turnover Margin 89th (-.60)
