11/22/2003 - Football
Navy 63, Central Mich 34

Annapolis, MD (Sports Network) - Craig Candeto rushed for three touchdowns and threw a fourth to lead the Navy Midshipmen to a 63-34 rout of the Central Michigan Chippewas in a non-conference tilt from Marine Corps Memorial Stadium. Candeto racked up 150 rushing yards on 13 carries and needed just two pass attempts and completions to amass 105 yards through the air. Kyle Eckel added 167 yards and two touchdowns on 13 carries, while Eric Roberts tallied 93 rushing yards, 105 receiving yards and two scores on just six total touches. Navy (7-4), which already led the nation in rushing with 302.4 ypg coming into the contest, rolled up 530 rushing yards in its first-ever meeting with Central Michigan. The Chippewas (3-9) were led by Derrick Vickers, who finished 20-of-28 passing for 233 yards with three touchdowns and one interception. Jerry Seymour bolstered the ground game with 154 yards on 33 carries, but it wasn't enough to keep the Chippewas from ending their season with three straight losses and no road wins. Central Michigan jumped out to a 7-0 lead early in the first quarter on a nine-yard touchdown pass from Vickers to Steve Messam, but Navy responded with four unanswered touchdowns before the quarter ended. Roberts scored on a 45- yard run, then carried an 86-yard pass from Candeto to paydirt for a 14-7 edge. Candeto added TD runs from 47 yards and one yard out to open up a 28-7 advantage at the end of the frame. The Midshipmen added yet another touchdown with Tony Lane's 32-yard run in the second quarter, before the Chippewas bounced back with consecutive scores. Vickers hit Justin Harper with a 22-yard TD pass and Scott Gibson returned a blocked punt 28 yards for a touchdown to cut Central Michigan's deficit to 35-21 with 1:46 left in the half. Navy managed one last touchdown before the break, however, as Eckel crossed the goal line from four yards out to extend the Midshipmen's advantage to 42-21 and demoralize the Chippewas. The scoring slowed down in the second half, as the team's traded third-quarter touchdowns on a 33-yard run by Eckel and a one-yard plunge by Central Michigan's Terrance Jackson, moving the total tally to 49-28. Candeto earned his third rushing touchdown of the game and Navy reached 56 points when the senior QB scored on an eight-yard run early in the second quarter. Vickers' tossed a 43-yard TD pass to Gibson in the quarter, but a failed two-point conversion attempt left the margin at 56-34. The Midshipmen secured their final touchdown with 4:31 left in regulation, as Bronston Carroll scampered in on a 16-yard run to complete the lopsided victory. Navy's option offense exploded for 644 total yards on the day, while Central Michigan tallied 516 yards to go with a 13:56 advantage in possession time.