10/13/2003 - Football
Navy Football Press Notes
Game Data
Navy travels to Houston, Texas to take on the Rice Owls Saturday afternoon at Rice Stadium (70,000). Kickoff is set for 2 p.m. locally, 3 p.m. in Annapolis.
Navy is coming off a 37-27 upset of Vanderbilt, while Rice was off last week.
Saturday's game can be heard on Navy's 10-station radio network, including 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 Omar Nelson will call the action starting at 2 p.m. (Eastern) on the Navy Pregame Show.
Pete Medhurst and Joe Miller will host the Navy Tailgate Show starting at 1 p.m. on 1430 WNAV (www.wnav.com).
Mids Rally To Upset Vanderbilt, 37-27
Craig Candeto (Sr./Orange City, Fla.) ran for two touchdowns and threw for two more as Navy rallied to upset Vanderbilt, 37-27, in front of a Homecoming Day crowd of 25,417 in Nashville.
Navy jumped out to a quick 14-0 lead as the Mids scored on their first-two drives. Candeto capped off a 10-play, 80-yard drive on the first series with a two-yard touchdown run, and then Candeto hit Amir Jenkins (Jr./Temple Hills, Md.) with a 43-yard touchdown strike on Navy's next possession.
Vanderbilt, though, would come back as the Commordores scored 17-straight points to take a three-point lead into the locker room. Kwane Doster's two-yard run gave Vandy its first lead of the game with 2:16 left in the half.
After Navy tied the game on a 24-yard field goal by Eric Rolfs (Sr./Bartlesville, Okla.), Vandy took its final lead when Ertugrual Tolga hit a 21-yard field goal with 4:35 remaining in the third quarter to give Vandy a 23-20 lead. The field goal, though, was a small victory for Navy as the Commodores had the ball first-and-goal at the Navy six. The Navy defense, which it has done so often this year when teams get inside the 20, kept the Vandy offense out of the end zone.
The Mids showed their mettle by answering Vanderbilt's field goal with a time-consuming 13-play, 80-yard drive that chewed up 5:52 on the clock and was capped by Candeto's three-yard touchdown run to give the Mids the lead for good at 24-20.
After the defense forced a punt, the offense went on a 14-play, 63-yard drive that used up seven minutes of the clock. Rolfs' 36-yard field goal gave Navy a seven-point lead.
On the ensuing kickoff, Rolfs skied his kick to Vandy tight end Nick Getter who was blasted by freshman Kevin Newsome (Jacksonville, Fla.), who was making his first-career start at safety, and fumbled the ball. Shalimar Brazier (Sr./Detroit, Mich.) fell on the fumble and the Mids got the break they had been waiting for.
Four plays later, Navy had a 14-point lead as Candeto hit Jason Tomlinson (Fr./Arlington, Texas), who was running wide open down the right sideline, with a 16-yard touchdown pass.
Vandy did make things interesting by answering with a seven-play, 65-yard drive that took just 1:20 as Jay Cutler hit Erik Davis with a 10-yard touchdown strike.
Vandy's comeback hopes were dashed though when Candeto recovered the onsides kick and Rolfs hit a 33-yard field with 24 seconds left to provide the final margin.
Kyle Eckel (Jr./Havertown, Pa.) had his third-straight 100-yard rushing day as he rumbled for 115 yards. Eric Roberts (Jr./Miami, Fla.) rushed for 67 yards on seven carries.
Candeto may have had his best day as he threw but one bad pass in 15 attempts, completing nine for 160 yards. Jenkins and Roberts were Candeto's favorite targets with three receptions apiece.
Newsome led the defense with nine stops, while Lane Jackson (Jr./Miami, Fla.) added seven stops and David Mahoney (Fr./Fort Myers, Fla.) chipped in six.
Mahoney, Eddie Carthan (Sr./Donalsonville, Ga.) and Jeremy Chase (So./Norfolk, Va.) had a tackle for a loss, while Carthan and Chase combined for a sack.
Injuries
Second-team cornerback Marcus Sanders (Sr./Antioch, Calif.) is out with a left arm injury, third-team guard Brett Nungesser (So./San Marino, Calif.) is out with a left knee injury, starting center August Roitsch (Jr./Houston, Texas) is out with a left foot injury.
Series History
Rice leads the all-time series, 6-2, including a 17-10 victory last year at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium.
The Owls have won three straight over the Mids and are 4-0 all-time in games played at Rice.
Navy's last win over Rice was in 1994 when Navy upset the Owls, 29-17 in Annapolis
Rice held Navy to 205 yards of total offense last year, the second- lowest total a Paul Johnson team has produced in his two years at Navy (The Mids were held to 82 yards against Connecticut).
Scouting Rice
The Owls are 1-4 and are coming off a 28-24 victory over San Jose State on Oct. 4. Rice has the advantage of two weeks to prepare for the Midshipmen, as it was off last weekend.
The Rice offense is led by quarterback Greg Henderson who has a team-high 386 yards rushing and five touchdowns. He has completed 29 of his 62 passes for 357 yards with two touchdowns and six interceptions.
Henderson's favorite target is Marcus Battle, who has 13 catches for 249 yards and a touchdown.
Linebacker Jeff Vanover leads the Rice defense with 44 tackles. Defensive end John Spytak has six tackles for a loss and three sacks.
Rice is averaging 240 yards per game on the ground, sixth best in the country.
Punter Jared Scruggs is averaging 44.96 yards per punt, 10th best in the country.
Great Start
Navy is off to its best start since 1996 when the Mids started 5-1 en route to a 9-3 record and a victory over California (42-38) in the Aloha Bowl.
The 4-2 start is tied for the second-best start in the last 23 years (the 1980 team started 4-2 en route to an 8-4 season and a berth in the Garden State Bowl) and is tied for the fourth-best start in the last 40 years.
Navy's four wins are more than the Mids won the previous three years combined (3-30).
Navy's win over Air Force was the Mids' first since 1996 and puts Navy in line to win the Commander-In-Chief's Trophy for the first time since 1981.
The Mids' victory over Vanderbilt marked their first win versus a BCS team since the Mids upset West Virginia, 31-28, on Oct. 2, 1999.
Navy's win over Vanderbilt was also the first time the Mids have defeated a team from the current SEC since Nov. 17, 1984, when Navy upset South Carolina, 38-21 (South Carolina was not in the SEC at the time). If you take out the South Carolina win, it was the first victory over an SEC opponent since 1966 when Navy defeated Vanderbilt.
Since Roger Staubach won the Heisman Trophy in 1963 (40 years ago), Navy has had eight winning seasons (1967, 1975, 1978, 1979, 1980, 1981, 1982, 1996, 1997) and in the last 20 years, Navy has had two winning seasons (1996 and 1997).
Comeback Win
Navy, which trailed Vanderbilt 17-14 at the half before going on to win 37-27, recorded its first victory after trailing at halftime since 1998 when Navy came back from a 14-10 halftime deficit to upset Boston College in Chestnut Hill, 32-31.
500 yards
Navy's 502 yards of total offense against Vanderbilt are the second most this season (the Mids had 598 yards against VMI) and the 32nd most in school history.
Heads I Win, Tails You Lose
Captains Craig Candeto (Sr./Orange City, Fla.) and Eddie Carthan (Sr./Donalsonville, Ga.) are 6-0 on coin tosses this year. Navy took the ball the first two times it won the toss and have deferred to the second half the last four times.
Navy-Vandy Notes
*Freshman Jason Tomlinson's (Arlington, Texas) 27-yard punt return was a career-long.
*Senior Tony Lane's (Wrens, Ga.) 38-yard run tied his career-long run.
*Junior wide receiver Amir Jenkins' (Temple Hills, Md.) 43-yard touchdown reception was his first-career touchdown catch and it marked the first touchdown catch by a wide receiver since Nov. 23, 2002. It was also the longest touchdown pass of the year by senior quarterback Craig Candeto (Orange City, Fla.).
*Jenkins' 66 yards receiving was a career high.
*Navy's two first-quarter touchdowns marked the first time Navy had scored two touchdowns in the first quarter since Oct. 26, 2002, when Navy scored twice against Tulane.
*Junior Frank Divis (Avon, Ohio) recorded a career-long 13-yard run.
*The three field goals by senior Eric Rolfs (Bartlesville, Okla.) marked the first time in his career that he has made more than one field goal in a game.
*Junior fullback Michael Brimage (Birmingham, Ala.) recorded a season-high 41 yards rushing
*Freshman safety Kevin Newsome (Jacksonville, Fla.) recorded a career-high eight tackles and forced a fumble while making his first-career start.
Navy Leads The Country In Rushing Offense
Navy increased its lead as the nation's top rushing team with a 342-yard effort against Vanderbilt. Last year, the Mids finished third in the country with an average of 270.8 rushing yards per contest. Navy has led the country in rushing just once in school history, that coming in 1999 when the Mids averaged 292.2 yards per contest.
NCAA Leaders In Rushing Yards Per Game
1. Navy 313.84
2. Minnesota 298.00
3. Air Force 297.43
4. Virginia Tech 249.33
5. Nebraska 243.00
6. Rice 240.00
7. Arkansas 232.80
8. Syracuse 229.80
9. New Mexico State 218.17
10. Texas A&M 217.33
Run To Win
Teams that are successful running the ball are usually successful on the scoreboard. The combined record of the top-10 rushing teams in the country is 39-20 (.661).
The bottom-10 rushing teams-Central Florida, Hawaii, North Carolina State, UCLA, Utah State, Southern Miss, Western Michigan, Eastern Michigan, La.-Lafayette and Army-are a combined 21-42 (.333).
In A Rush
Navy's 373 yards rushing against Rutgers are the most by Navy this year and the 31st most in school history. It also ranked as the fifth most in the NCAA this year. Navy has three of the top-seven rushing performances in the country this year.
NCAA Leaders For Yards Rushing In A Game By A Team
1. Arkansas State 437 yards vs Tennessee-Martin
2. Air Force 431 yards vs Wyoming
3. Michigan 392 yards vs Houston
4. Air Force 380 yards vs Wofford
5. Navy 373 yards vs Rutgers
6. Navy 372 yards vs Eastern Michigan
7. Navy 370 yards vs VMI
8. Bowling Green 367 yards vs Liberty
9. Cincinnati 361 yards vs East Carolina
9. West Virginia 361 yards vs East Carolina
Pounding The Ball
Navy has run the ball 65 times in a game on three different occasions which ranks as the seventh-most rushing attempts in Division I-A this year.
NCAA Leaders For Rushing Attempts In A Game By A Team
1. Air Force 75 vs Wyoming
2. Air Force 74 vs Wofford
3. Nebraska 72 vs Penn State
4. Purdue 67 vs Illinois
5. Houston 66 vs Tulane
5. Ohio 66 vs Northern Illinois
7. Navy 65 vs Eastern Michigan
7. Navy 65 vs Air Force
7. Navy 65 vs Vanderbilt
7. Kent State 65 vs Youngstown State
Candeto Closes In On Bellino
Navy quarterback Craig Candeto's (Sr./Orange City, Fla.) two rushing touchdowns against Vanderbilt gives him 23 for his career, the fourth most in school history. Candeto trails Joe Bellino, who won the Heisman Trophy in 1960, by just one touchdown for third place.
Career Rushing Touchdown Leaders In School History
1. Chris McCoy (1995-97) 43
2. Napoleon McCallum (1981-85) 31
3. Joe Bellino (1958-60) 24
4. Craig Candeto (2001-03) 23
5. Cleveland Cooper (1972-74) 17
5. Brian Madden (1999, 2001) 17
5. Brian Broadwater (1998-00) 17
Candeto Makes It Hurt
Navy quarterback Craig Candeto's (Sr./Orange City, Fla.) doesn't attempt a lot of passes, but when he does complete one, it usually is for big yardage. Candeto has completed 112 passes in his career for 1,746 yards. That averages out to 15.59 yards per completion, which ranks as the third-best average in school history.
It's interesting to note that two of the top-three quarterbacks in career average yards per completion played in Navy's triple-option offense as Chris McCoy ranks second with a career average of 16.36.
Career Average Yards Per Completion
1. Brian Broadwater (1998-2000) 16.95
2. Chris McCoy (1995-97) 16.36
3. Craig Candeto (2001-03) 15.59
4. Bob Leszczynski (1976-78) 14.56
5. Bob Zastrow (1949-51) 14.42
Eckel, Eckel, Eckel
Junior fullback Kyle Eckel's (Havertown, Pa.) hard-nosed running style has developed a cult following among the Brigade of Midshipmen, as the student body chants his name in unison every time he touches the ball, which lately has been often and for big gains.
Eckel rushed for over 100 yards for the third-consecutive game, as he pouned the Vanderbilt defense for 115 yards on 20 carries in Navy's upset win over the Commodores.
Eckel ran over the Air Force defense for a career-high 176 yards (previous career high was 129 this year against VMI) on a career-high 33 carries (previous career high was 18) and scored one touchdown in Navy's upset of Air Force.
His 176 yards rushing are the most by a non-quarterback at Navy since Chuck Smith rushed for 182 yards against Dartmouth in 1986.
Eckel has now rushed for over 100 yards four times this year (VMI, Rutgers, Air Force and Vanderbilt) after not topping the century mark in 2002. He is the first Navy player to rush for over 100 yards in three-straight games since Brian Madden did it against Rutgers (24-128), Toledo (24-121) and Tulane (33-201) in 2001.
Madden is also the last Navy player to have more than three- straight 100-yard days, as he recorded five straight in 1999 against Notre Dame (34-168), Rutgers (30-167), Tulane (25-144), Hawaii (29-150) and Army (41-177).
Eckel is the first non-quarterback to rush for over 100 yards in three-straight games since current Navy radio analyst Omar Nelson who did it against SMU (16-108), Boston College (14-118) and Duke (15-118) in 1996.
The last non-quarterback to have four consecutive 100-yard days was Napoleon McCallum who had six-straight 100-yard rushing days in 1983.
Eckel has carried the ball 118 times this year and has lost yardage on just two of those carries, both of which were one-yard losses.
Go For It
Navy head coach Paul Johnson has quickly become a fan favorite with his penchant to go for it on fourth down. Navy has gone for first downs 18 times on fourth down and has converted 11 (.611). The opposition has gone for it on fourth down just eight times, converting five (.625).
Third Down Conversions
Navy has been much better at converting third downs the last two games, as the Mids have converted 19-of-32 (.594) third-down opportunities after starting the year 19-of-56 (.339).
In Navy's four wins, the Mids have converted 27-of-55 third downs (.491). The Mids were 11-of-33 (.333) on third down conversions in the two losses.
Slot Backs Make Big Plays
In the triple option, the slot backs tend to touch the ball less than the fullback and the quarterback, but when they do get their hands on it the result is usually a big play. The Navy slot backs have rushed for 629 yards on 62 carries (10.1 yards per carry) and five touchdowns (one every 12.4 carries).
The slots are led on the ground by Eric Roberts (Jr./Miami, Fla.) who has rushed for 301 yards and one touchdown on 32 carries (9.4 yards per carry).
The slots have also proven dangerous through the air, catching 17 passes for 343 yards (20.2 yards per catch) and two touchdowns. Roberts leads the way with 10 catches for 240 yards (24.0 yards per catch) and two touchdowns.
All told, the slots have touched the ball 79 times (rushing and receiving) and have gained 972 yards (12.3 yards per touch) and scored eight touchdowns.
Lane On Pace To Smash School Record For Career Rushing Yards Per Attempt
Senior slot back Tony Lane (Sr./Wrens, Ga.) is on pace to set the school record for career yards per carry (minimum 100 attempts). The current school record is 5.7 yards per carry set by Bob Craig (1952-54) who rushed for 668 yards on 118 carries. Lane is averaging 7.8 yards per carry in his career, rushing for 926 yards on 114 carries.
The record, though, may not be Lane's for very long as teammate Eric Roberts (Jr./Miami, Fla.) is just 10 carries away from qualifying for the record and he is averaging a whopping 8.6 yards per carry in his career (773 yards on 90 carries).
Career Rushing Yards Per Attempt
1. Tony Lane (2001-03) 8.1
2. Bob Craig (1952-54) 5.7
3. Joe Gattuso (1952-54) 5.5
4. Ned Oldham (1955-57) 5.2
Roberts On Pace To Smash School Record For Career Receiving Yards Per Attempt
Junior slot back Eric Roberts (Jr./Miami, Fla.) is on pace to set the school record for receiving yards per reception (minimum 25 receptions). The current school record is 19.3 yards per reception set by Jim Stewart (1960-62) who caught 47 passes for 907 yards in his career. Roberts is averaging 24.8 yards per catch in his career, catching 27 passes for 669 yards.
Career Receiving Yards Per Catch
1. Eric Roberts (2002-03) 24.8
2. Jim Stewart (1960-62) 19.3
3. Matt Scornavacchi (1993-95) 19.18
4. Phil McConkey (1975-78) 19.07
Turnover Streak
The Navy defense has created at least one turnover in 13-straight games. The last time Navy did not create a turnover was Oct. 5, 2002, when Navy lost at Air Force, 48-7.
Youngest Team In School History
The Naval Academy put its youngest team in school history on the field against VMI, as the Mids dressed 14 freshmen (or plebes) for the opener and played eight (Brian Hampton (Scott Air Force Base, Ill.), Trey Hines (Douglasville, Ga.), Chase Hobby (Clearwater, Fla.), Keenan Little (Boiling Springs, N.C.), David Mahoney (Fort Myers, Fla.), Kevin Newsome (Jacksonville, Fla.), Tyler Tidwell (Edmond, Okla.) and Jason Tomlinson(Arlington, Texas).
Against TCU the Mids dressed 12 freshmen and played six (Hampton, Little, Mahoney, Newsome, Tidwell and Tomlinson).
Against Eastern Michigan the Mids dressed 12 freshmen and played 10 (Brandon Diggs (Newport News, Va.), Little, Hines, Tidwell, Newsome, Byron McCoy (Liberty, Mo.), DuJuan Price (Austin, Texas), Hampton, Tomlinson and Mahoney).
Against Rutgers, the Mids dressed 13 freshmen and played nine (Tye Adams (Blackfoot, Idaho), Little, Hines, Tidwell, Newsome, Price, Hampton, Tomlinson and Mahoney).
In Navy's upset win over Air Force, the Mids dressed a record 15 freshmen and played eight (Little, Tidwell, Hines, Newsome, Hampton, Price, Tomlinson and Mahoney).
The Mids dressed 15 freshmen against Vanderbilt, starting two.
Youthful Mids Part II
The Mids start just nine senors and have just 12 seniors on the two-deep.
Going Home
The Mids have at least 10 players who are expected to be traveling back to their native state and interestingly enough nine of them are offensive players: quarterback Aaron Polanco (Wimberley), wide receiver Lionel Wesley (Duncanville), safety DuJuan Price (Austin), fullback Bronston Carroll (Katy), offensive tackle Zach Gallion (Rowlett), offensive tackle Casey Hughes (Houston), offensive guard Dennis Ray Phillips (Katy), offensive guard Matt McLaughlin (Houston), offensive tackle Nick Wilson (Tomball) and wide receiver Jason Tomlinson (Arlington).
Plebe Alert
Freshman Trey Hines (Douglasville, Ga.) continues to impress when he sees action, scoring on a 20-yard run against Rutgers, which included a stiff arm at the 10-yard line that jolted a Rutgers defensive back to the ground. Hines is the first Navy freshman to score two touchdowns in a season since Dre Brittingham in 1999.
Navy In The 2003 National Rankings
{117 Teams in Division IA}
Rushing Offense 1st (313.83)
Passing Offense 113th (117.33)
Total Offense 23rd (431.17)
Scoring Offense 50th (28.50)
Rushing Defense 77th (165.67)
Pass Defense 13th (174.33)
Pass Efficiency Defense 35th (111.49)
Total Defense 43rd (340.00)
Scoring Defense 51st (22.33)
Net Punting 37th (37.39)
Punt Return 84th (7.73)
Kickoff Return 95th (18.33)
Turnover Margin 14th (+1.00)
Rushing Kyle Eckel (18th, 105.00); Craig Candeto (70th, 69.00)
Interceptions Josh Smith (20th, 0.60), Eddie Carthan (67th, 0.33)
Punt Returns Jason Tomlinson (93rd, 6.86)
Field Goals Geoff Blumenfeld (89th, 0.75)
All-Purpose Runners Kyle Eckel (47th, 119.50)
Red Zone
Navy has scored on 29 of its 23 trips inside the red zone (.793), with 18 of those scores resulting in touchdowns (.621).
The defense has given up 19 scores in 24 trips inside its 20 (.792), with 15 of those scores being touchdowns (.625).
Skaggs Is Navy's Top All-Time Punter
Navy senior John Skaggs (Cantonment, Fla.) is Navy's all-time top punter by average (43.1). Skaggs set the school record for punting average in a season in 2001 with a 44.8 average.
Career Punting Average
1. John Skaggs (2001-02) 43.1
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
1. John Skaggs (2001) 44.8
2. Bill Busik (1941) 43.8
3. John Skaggs (2003) 43.3
4. Tom Moore (1971) 41.9
5. John Skaggs (2002) 41.2
Two Straight
Navy has now won two-straight games in the same season for the first time since 1999 when the Mids defeated Rutgers (36-7) and Tulane (45-21).
