10/2/2003 - Sprint Football
Mids Face Army in Pride Bowl XXV
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Senior Adam Matthews leads the CSFL in receiving yardage. |
2003 Navy Sprint Football
Game #3 - Pride Bowl: Navy (2-0) vs. Army (1-0)
Oct. 5, 2 p.m., Bears & Eagles Riverfront Stadium, Newark, NJ
The Mids: The 2003 Navy sprint football team has picked up where it left off last year, winning its first two games this year heading into the 25th Annual Pride Bowl this weekend ... Navy will take on Army in Newark on Sunday, Oct. 5 in the last non-league game for the Mids this season ... Navy had a bye week after defeating Pennsylvania 10-6 on Sept. 20 at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium ... Navy comes into the game ranked second in the Collegiate Sprint Football League (CSFL) in total offense and team defense - behind Army in both categories.
Media Coverage: The 2003 Pride Bowl will be carried live on College Sports Television (CSTV) at 2 p.m. ... Jason Knapp will handle play-by-play, and Tim Pernetti will do color ... CSTV is the nation's first 24-hour college sports network and provides coverage of 1,200 universities and colleges across all the major conferences at every level of college sports ... For more information on CSTV, log on to www.cstv.com ... The game will also be carried overseas on the American Forces Network (AFN) to 178 countries and territories worldwide ... The first-ever AFN telecasts of this intense service academy football rivalry will be made available to overseas locations such as Army, Navy, Air Force and Marine bases, Navy ships at sea and United States embassies ... AFN will televise the game at various times across several days to accommodate servicemen and women in all parts of the world.? ?
Pride Bowl Info: The Pride Bowl is the chief fundraiser for Project Pride, a non-profit organization that raises money for underprivileged youth in Newark, N.J., for college scholarships and other higher educational opportunities ... In 24 years, the volunteer-based foundation has raised more than $3 million.
Army-Navy Info: The Black Knights and the Midshipmen will face each other for the first time this season in the Pride Bowl this Sunday ... Army leads the all-time series record at 27-26-1 ... The academies are tied at 4-4 for neutral site games ... The Mids won both contests last season, taking a 22-9 victory in the 2002 Pride Bowl and a 35-10 victory in the N-Star match as Navy won its second-straight CSFL Championship ... The Black Knights last win over the Mids came on Oct. 6, 2001 in the Anthracite Bowl in Pottsville, Pa. ... Army took a 24-7 win that day, but the Mids have won the three meetings since then (17-10 OT on Nov. 9, 2001; 22-9 on Oct. 6, 2002; 35-10 on Nov. 8, 2002)
Fighting Spirit: Navy head coach Maj. Jerome Rizzo, USMC is in his second year at the helm of the sprint football program, but his off-season was especially intense ... In February 2003, Maj. Rizzo volunteered to serve with the 1st Marine Division as a Forward Air Controller in support of OPERATION IRAQI FREEDOM ... He deployed to Kuwait and was attached to the 3rd Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion ... From March through May of 2003, he participated in combat operations in Iraq ... Maj. Rizzo returned to the Naval Academy in June 2003.
Chris's Corner: Senior quarterback Chris Ashinhurst, the two-time CSFL MVP, currently ranks second in the league in passing ... The Stafford, Va. native has completed 25 of his 44 passes for 361 yards and thrown for four touchdowns.
Matthews Memo: Senior wide receiver Adam Matthews leads the Mids and the CSFL in pass receptions ... Matthews has caught seven passes in two games for 146 yards and two touchdowns (an average of 20.8 yards per catch) ... In 2002, Matthews led Navy with 20 catches in seven games for a total of 335 yards and seven touchdowns.
Chappy's Chatter: Senior running back Maurice Chapman seems to be everywhere the ball is this season ... Chapman has rushed for 66 yards on eight carries and has picked up another 56 yards on four pass receptions.
Special Teams Are Special: Junior kicker/punter Matt Clark has been solid for the Mids in his first season with the team ... Clark is 3-3 on field goals and 3-4 on point-after attempts ... Clark is also averaging 35.8 yards per punt - with five going inside the 20 ... On the receiving end, senior Jamie Glines has returned eight punts for 110 yards (an average of 13.8 yards) ... Meanwhile, the Mids are averaging 18.0 yards per kick return.
Defensive Data: The Navy defense has been a force to be reckoned with ... After only two games, six different Mids have recorded more at least 12 tackles ... Captain Chris Zachary leads the way with 17 shots (including 12 unassisted tackles) ... The Mids have posted seven sacks, with three players picking up a pair ... Navy has also picked off six passes, with Zachary and Charles Lewis each recording two interceptions ... Lewis was selected as the CSFL Defensive Player of the Week after helping the Mids down Penn on Sept. 20.
Brotherly Love: Navy has two sets of brothers on the 2003 squad ... Sophomore wide receivers Kevin and Kurt Laughery are twins ... Senior John Collins and younger brother Charles (sophomore) both suit up on defense.
If Navy Wins: If the Mids take a victory over Army at the Pride Bowl, Maj. Rizzo will become the first sprint football head coach in Navy history to own a 3-0 record over Army ... Maj. Rizzo will be the third coach in school history to own at at least three wins against the Black Knights ... Navy will extend its overall win streak to 14 games - the last time Navy lost was Oct. 6, 2001 (to Army in the Anthracite Bowl).
