8/28/2003 - Football
Craig Candeto Feature

Craig Candeto walked into Giants Stadium as just another ordinary player on a

bad team. Six touchdowns and a slew of records later, the 5-foot-11 quarterback

had a prominent place in Naval Academy football history.

Time will tell how Candeto is remembered as a Navy football player, but no one

can ever take away his epic performance in the 103rd Army-Navy game. The native

of Orange City, Fla., rushed for 103 yards and six touchdowns as the Midshipmen

routed the Cadets 58-12, adding his name to the list of players who are part of the

folklore spawned by the classic service academy rivalry.

Candeto's six TDS were an Army-Navy game and school record. He established

a handful of other records as a result of singlehandedly scoring 36 points in one

contest.

In many respects, Candeto's life changed that frigid day in East Rutherford, N.J.

He fell asleep around midnight after watching highlights of himself on ESPN then

woke up the next morning to find his name in the headlines of newspapers all over

the nation.

"I think it really hit me when I saw myself on SportsCenter that night. They had a

graphic comparing my day to that of (Miami running back) Willis McGahee, which

was pretty humbling because he was in the Heisman race at the time," Candeto

said.

There have been many more humbling experiences since then. Candeto returned

to the academy and was flooded with congratulatory messages from Navy fans

throughout the country.

"I got a lot of e-mails from people I didn't even know, people from my hometown

or people that were in the Navy. I got letters from people out West that took the

time to clip newspaper articles from out there and send them to me," Candeto said.

"A lot of kids sent stuff to me to autograph. It was all pretty neat and another

reminder of how big that game actually is and how many people actually watch it."

Candeto didn't come down off cloud nine the entire month of December, which

culminated with a special invitation from the VFA-83 Rampagers _ an F-18

squadron based out of Oceana Naval Air Station in Norfolk, Va.

Members of the squadron had noticed that Candeto wore their patch during the

Army-Navy game and invited him to their annual homecoming celebration around

Christmas.

Candeto toured the facility, met the pilots and presented the commanding

officer with a commemorative football. He was then stunned to learn that the

Rampagers had written "Candeto's Ride" on one of their planes.

"It was amazing. I couldn't believe they did that," Candeto said. "Hopefully, one

day I'll be flying F-18s, so that was pretty special. I had to take a lot of pictures just

so when I tell people they'll believe me."

Running wild in the Army-Navy game and walking away a winner would have

been the perfect ending to a college career, but Candeto was only a junior. So

the question begs: What can Candeto do for an encore during his final season at

Navy?

Candeto understands that some fans will want to see a repeat of the Army-Navy

performance on a weekly basis in 2003. The 5-foot-11, 197-pounder points out that

the six touchdowns were the result of Navy's triple-option offense wor

"A lot of people are giving me a lot more credit than I deserve. I had one good

game against Army, and it was all because of a great team effort," Candeto said.

"With the way everyone was blocking that day, anybody could've had a big game.

It just happened to be me."

Yet Candeto readily admits that Navy's big victory over Army could serve as a

positive springboard to this season.

"It was a good note to go out on. Winning in that fashion was exciting for

everybody and did give us some momentum going into the offseason," he said. "I

think it gave people an incentive to work harder knowing what the standard is and

that we should be able to perform like that throughout the season and not just in

one game."

The Army-Navy output helped boost Candeto to some fairly impressive numbers

for the season. He led Navy with 775 yards rushing and 16 touchdowns, latter of

which tied a single-season school record. He completed 51 of 103 passes for 843

yards and five touchdowns.

All of which means opposing defenses will be keying on Candeto this season

since he is Navy's most proven weapon.

"I realize that teams are going to know about me now. I'm not going to sneak

up on anybody," he said. "The word is out and I'm sure I'm going to be a marked

man, especially in the Army game."

Candeto says that's good because head coach Paul Johnson's patented

triple-option offense is designed to take what the defense allows. Focusing too

much on Candeto could open things up for slot backs Eric Roberts and Tony Lane

or fullbacks Kyle Eckel and Michael Brimage.

All the aforementioned players, along with the offensive linemen, have a year's

worth of experience in Johnson's unique system and Candeto feels that alone will

result in improved production.

"I think offensively, there's going to be a lot more expected of us. Last year,

maybe the excuse was that we weren't as comfortable running the offense because

it was new," he said. "A lot of things happened last year that hopefully won't happen

this year. I think the excuse of first-year coach, first-year system is not going to be

valid anymore. Guys are going to be expected to do more things and the little m

mistakes aren't going to be tolerated."

Having a second-year starter at quarterback should help Navy's offense run

more smoothly, Johnson said. No position is more important in the triple-option

since the quarterback must make split-second decisions about where to go with

the football.

"I think Craig is more comfortable in the system, he has a good understanding

of the offense," Johnson said. "He's got some awareness about when to keep, when

to pitch, when to give it to the fullback."

Candeto was named the Class 5A Player of the Year in Florida as a senior at

DeLand High, where he directed an option-style attack. Yet some questioned

whether he was the right fit for Johnson's offense, which is best suited to a QB with

the quickness to make tacklers miss and the speed to go the distance.

Not the type to brag or boast, Candeto quietly concedes that the Army-Navy

game showed he could be a successful option quarterback.

"I felt coming into college that I could run option. I had no doubt that was my

style of offense," he said. "I'm not the fastest or quickest player, I don't have the

greatest moves, but given a seam here or there I can break a long run. A lot of the

option is making decisions, if you put yourself in a good position you can find the

hole and get a big gain."

Candeto senses that Navy is ready to turn the corner offensively and knows

he plays a vital role in making that happen. Navy committed 38 fumbles in 2002

and completed just 45 percent of passes with the quarterback impacting both

statistics.

"I knew going into the offseason that there was a lot I needed to work on. I

have to improve my ball security because I was involved in too many fumbles last

year," he said. "We definitely need to have a better passing game, and a lot of that

falls on me. So I spent some of summer throwing and trying to develop my passing

ability."

Candeto has also worked on becoming more elusive, using drills developed by

quarterbacks coach Ivin Jasper to get better at making defenders miss.

"I've worked on quickening my feet and doing subtle things to throw off

tacklers," Candeto said. "Coach Jasper has a drill in which he sets up a free safety

downfield and we have to make a move to beat him. He's taught me about stuttering

my feet, moving my shoulders and hips to fake people out."

Candeto is a devout Southern Baptist who is seriously considering attending

seminary school following his five-year Navy commitment. His goals after flying

fighter jets are to become a youth pastor and possibly become a teacher like both

of his parents.

Recruited at a high level for both football and baseball, Candeto chose Navy

because it was the only Division I school that would allow him to play both sports.

Life has been difficult from a football standpoint as the highly-touted recruit spent

two seasons on the sidelines as a backup and has been apart of squads that have

compiled a combined record of 3-30.

Yet Candeto shook his head when asked if he has ever second-guessed the

decision to the Naval Academy.

"Not at all. I feel like this is where God wanted me. It's been tough at times,

but God has given me the perserverance to get through this place," Candeto said.

"Obviously, we haven't had too much success in football. At the same time, I'm

thankful that God blessed me with the talents to play at this level. It's been a great

experience to go against big-time programs such as Boston College, N.C. State

and Notre Dame."

For Candeto, 2003 is a chance to wipe away all the bad memories by leading

Navy to a winning record. A co-captain along with linebacker Eddie Carthan, he

feels a responsiblity to show others that Navy can be successful.

"I know it's tough for some guys to be optimistic with what the program has

been through, but I have always believed that we can win every game that we play.

If you don't go on the field expecting to win, you shouldn't be out there," Candeto

said. "We need to come together as a team and have everyone understand what it

truly takes to win. We still need to develop the attitude where people are willing to

give everything they have to get a win."