9/29/2003 - Football
Navy-Air Force Press Notes

Game Data

Navy (2-2) starts its bid to win the Commander-In-Chief's Trophy for the first time since 1981 when the Mids take on 25th-ranked Air Force (5-0) Saturday at FedExField in Landover, Md. (86,484). Kickoff is set for 1:30 p.m. The game is a matchup of the top-two rushing teams in the country, as Navy comes in averaging 311.75 yards per contest and Air Force is averaging 309.20 yards per game.

Navy is coming off a 48-27 loss at Rutgers, while Air Force is coming off a 24-10 win at BYU, the Falcons' first win in Provo since 1982.

Saturday's game is being televised by CN8 and HDNet. CN8, which is based out of Phildelphia, can be seen in six million homes from Maryland to Maine.

Joe Beninati, the TV voice of the Washington Capitals, and former Boston College and New York Giant defensive back Mike Mayock will call all the action for CN8. Greg Murphy will serve as the sideline reporter.

HDNet can be seen on DIRECTV (Channel 79) or the Dish Network. You must have a High Definition TV and receiver to get the game. Many sports bars also show HDNet games. For a complete listing, go to: http://hd.net/sportsbars.html(.)

Pete Medhurst and former Green Bay Packer General Manager and future Hall of Famer Ron Wolf will call all the action for HDNet.

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, Omar Nelson and John Feinstein will call the action starting at 12:30 p.m. (Eastern) on the Navy Pregame Show.

Pete Medhurst and Joe Miller will host the Navy Tailgate Show starting at 11:30 a.m. on 1430 WNAV (www.wnav.com).

Mids Self Destruct In 48-27 Loss At Rutgers

Unavble to score in the red zone, poor special teams play and the defense's inability to stop the run or the pass spelled defeat, as Navy fell at Rutgers, 48-27, in front of 32,382 at Rutgers Stadium.

Navy jumped out to a 7-0 lead on its first offensive play when senior wide receiver Andy Michalowicz (Pasadena, Md.) hit Eric Robers (Jr./Miami, Fla.) with a 55-yard touchdown pass.

After the Navy defense held Rutgers to three plays and out for the second-straight series, the offense took the ball over at its own 46, primed to go up 14-0, but the drive was short circuited before it got started with a chop block call on first down.

The Scarlet Knights took the ensuing possession and marched 80 yards in 15 plays to tie the game, the drive capped off on a halfback pass from Clarence Pittman to Chris Looms on a second-and-goal play from the Navy 15.

That drive was a harbinger of things to come as Rutgers would score touchdowns on four-of-six possessions. The only two times the Navy defense stopped Rutgers was when the Scarlet Knights fumbled the ball at the Navy one-yard line and on an interception by Josh Smith (Jr./Attica, Ind.), who promptly fumbled the ball right back to Rutgers on his return.

The most frustrating part of the game for the Mids was at the end of the second quarter and the beginning of the third. With Navy down 21-14 with 5:01 left in the half, the Mids drove down to the two-yard line, but on first-and-goal left guard Dennis Ray Phillips (Jr./Katy, Texas) was whistled for a false start, Craig Candeto (Sr./Orange City, Fla.) rushed for two yards, Kyle Eckel (Jr./Haveford, Pa.) was stopped for no gain and Candeto's pass to Tony Lane (Sr./Wrens, Ga.) was incomplete. Geoff Blumenfeld (Jr./Granite Bay, Calif.) then kicked his 22-yard field goal attempt low and it was blocked by Brian Bender.

The Mids then took the second-half kickoff and marched 74 yards on nine players before the drive stalled at the Rutgers six-yard line. This time Blumenfeld's kick was blocked by Jarvis Johson and returned 88 yards for a touchdown by Brandon Haw.

To Navy's credit, the Mids did not hang their heads and for a third-straight time marched down the field, this time scoring when Eckel bulled his way in from the one.

All told, in three drives at the end of the second quarter and at the beginning of the third, the Mids ran 34 plays, gained 216 yards and scored seven points, while Rutgers ran one play, for minus two yards (when running out the clock at the end of the second quarter) and scored seven points.

Roberts led the Mids with a career-high 125 yards rushing and one touchdown on nine carries, while Eckel rushed for 104 yards and a touchdown on 18 carries. Candeto was held to 64 yards on his 18 carries.

Roberts was also Navy's leading receiver with two catches for 70 yards and a touchdown. Candeto was just two-of-eight passing for 47 yards.

The defense reverted back to last year with the secondary getting the bulk of the tackles, specifically safeties Smith and Eli Sanders (Sr./Hartsville, Tenn.) who combined for 34 tackles. Smith had 18, while Sanders recorded a career-high 16.

Injuries

Cornerback Hunter Reddick (Fr./San Diego, Calif.) is out with an injured right forearm, cornerback Marcus Sanders (Sr./Antioch, Calif.) is out with a left arm injury, guard Brett Nungesser (So./San Marino, Calif.) is out with a left knee injury, outside linebacker Reggie Sealey (Jr./Upper Marlboro, Md.) is out with a right leg injury.

Series History

Air Force leads the series, 25-10, and has won six straight, including both games played at FedExField.

Last year, the Mids played one of their two worst games (Connecticut being the other) and were routed by Air Force, 48-7, in Colorado Springs.

Navy last beat Air Force in 1996, 20-17, and last beat Air Force at home in 1993, 28-24.

Scouting Air Force

The Falcons enter Saturday's game ranked 25th in the country thanks to their 5-0 start, including impressive road wins at Northwestern (22-21) and BYU (24-10).

Air Force is led by quarterback Chance Harridge who has rushed for 292 yards and three touchdowns on 58 carries. Darnell Stephens has rushed for 289 yards on 54 carries, while Anthony Butler has 268 yards on 43 carries.

Harridge has completed 36 of his 64 pass attempts for 435 yards with five touchdowns and two interceptions. Harridge's favorite target is J.J. Waller, who has 10 catches for 166 yards and three touchdowns.

Defensively, Marchello Graddy leads the way with a team-high 45 tackles, five tackles for a loss and 2.5 sacks. Trevor Hightower has 36 tackles and 4.5 tackles for a loss.

The Commander-In-Chief's Trophy

The Commander-In-Chief's Trophy is presented annually to the winner of the football competition among the three major service academies - Army, Navy and Air Force-and is named in honor of the President of the United States.

Air Force has won the trophy 16 times, while Army has won it six times and Navy five times.

The Midshipmen were winners in 1973, 1975, 1978, 1979 and 1981. Air Force won it in 1982, 1983, 1985, 1987, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1994, 1995, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000 and 2001. Army's wins came in 1972 (the initial year), 1977, 1984, 1986, 1988 and 1996.

Navy Leads The In The Country In Rushing Offense

Thanks to a 373-yard rushing performance against Rutgers, Navy is now the nation's leading rushing team in the country averaging 311.75 yards per contest. Last year, the Mids finished third in the country with an average of 270.8 rushing yards per contest.

NCAA Leaders In Rushing Yards Per Game

1. Navy 311.75

2. Air Force 309.20

3. Minnesota 284.20

4. Syracuse 267.00

5. Nebraska 254.75

6. Arkansas 247.75

7. Virginia Tech 243.25

8. Rice 225.75

9. Wisconsin 220.20

10. Kansas State 218.80

Mids 10th In The Country In Turnover Margin

Navy fell from first to 10th in the country in turnover margin thanks to turning it over three times and coming up with just two against Rutgers. The Mids are still +1.50 turnovers per game which is a huge improvement over last year when the Mids finished 105th in the country in turnover margin at -1.2 per game.

NCAA Leaders In Turnover Margin

1. Washington State +2.80

2. Nebraska +2.00

2. UNLV +2.00

2. Texas +2.00

5. Toledo +1.80

6. West Virginia +1.75

7. Kent State +1.60

7. Michigan State +1.60

7. Wake Forest +1.60

10. Purdue +1.50

10. USC +1.50

10. Navy +1.50

10. Utah +1.50

Dynamic Duo

Eric Roberts (Jr./Miami, Fla.) and Kyle Eckel (Jr./Haverford, Pa.) became the first Navy duo to rush for 100 yards each since Nov. 20, 1999, when Brian Madden (29-150) and Raheem Lambert (18-120) went over the century mark against Hawai'i. Roberts had nine carries for 125 yards, while Eckel carried the ball 18 times for 104 yards.

Smith Among Interception Leaders

Josh Smith (Jr./Attica, Ind.) has picked off three passes over the last two games and is currently tied for eighth in the country with 11 other players in interceptions per game with an average of 0.75. Dating back to last year's Connecticut game, Smith has intercepted four passes over the last-seven games.

Slots Rushing For 100

Eric Roberts' (Jr./Miami, Fla.) 125 yards rushing marked the first time a Navy slot back has rushed for 100 yards since Oct. 2, 1999, when Dre Brittingham rushed for 124 yards on 12 carries in Navy's 31-28 upset at West Virginia.

Wide Receiver Pass

Andy Michalowicz's (Sr./Pasadena, Md.) 55-yard touchdown pass to Eric Roberts (Jr./Miami, Fla.) marked the first time a non-quarterback has thrown a touchdown pass for Navy since Oct. 27, 2001, when Chandler Sims threw a 34-yard touchdown pass at Toledo.

Last year, former quarterback-turned-wide receiver J.P. Blecksmith completed two of his three pass attempts for 88 yards.

In A Rush

Navy's 373 yards rushing against Rutgers were the most by Navy this year and the 31st most in school history. The Mids rushed for 372 yards against Eastern Michigan (32nd most in school history) and 370 yards against VMI (34th most in school history).

Blocked Field Goal For A Touchdown

Brandon Haw's 88-yard field goal return of a blocked field goal was the first blocked field goal returned for a touchdown against Navy since Dec. 2, 1972, when Scott Beatty of Army returned a blocked field goal 84 yards for a touchdown.

Defensive Letdown

The 48 points allowed to Rutgers were the most points allowed by the Navy defense since Oct. 26, 2002, when Tulane scored 51. The 249 yards rushing allowed were the most since Oct. 5, 2002, when Air Force rushed for 429 yards.

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 has now scored on two-straight carries, he had a 17-yard touchdown run in his only carry against Eastern Michigan, and is the first Navy freshman to score two touchdowns in a season since Dre Brittingham in 1999.

First-Half Shutout

The Mids shut out the opposition in the first half of their first-three games this year (VMI, TCU and Eastern Michigan). It was the first time that a Navy team had shut out the opposition in the first half in three-straight games since 1955 when Navy shut out William & Mary, South Carolina and Pittsburgh (519 games).

The streak ended at Rutgers when the Scarlet Knights put up 21 first-half points.

Candeto Fourth All-Time In Rushing TD's

Navy quarterback Craig Candeto's (Sr./Orange City, Fla.) rushing touchdown against Eastern Michigan gives him 20 for his career, the fourth most in school history. Candeto trails Joe Bellino, who won the Heisman Trophy in 1960, by just four touchdowns 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) 20

5. Cleveland Cooper (1972-74) 17

5. Brian Madden (1999, 2001) 17

5. Brian Broadwater (1998-00) 17

Interception Streak

The Navy defense has intercepted at least one pass in five-straight games dating back to last year's Army-Navy game.

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, Trey Hines, Chase Hobby, Keenan Little, David Mahoney, Kevin Newsome, Tyler Tidwell and Jason Tomlinson).

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 nine (Little, Hines, Tidwell, Newsome, Byron McCoy, DuJuan Price, Hampton, Tomlinson and Mahoney).

Against Rutgers, the Mids dressed 13 freshmen and played eight (Little, Hines, Tidwell, Newsome, Price, Hampton, Tomlinson and Mahoney).

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 467 yards on 39 carries (12.0 yards per carry) and five touchdowns (one every 7.8 carries). The slots are led on the ground by Eric Roberts (Jr./Miami, Fla.) who has rushed for 215 yards and one touchdown on 20 carries (10.8 yards per carry).

The slots have also proven dangerous through the air, catching 11 passes for 252 yards (22.9 yards per catch) and one touchdown. Roberts leads the way with seven catches for 181 yards (25.9 yards per catch) and two touchdowns.

All told, the slots have touched the ball 50 times (rushing and receiving) and have gained 719 yards (14.4 yards per touch) and scored seven 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 8.0 yards per carry in his career, rushing for 868 yards on 108 carries.

The record, though, may not be Lane's for very long as teammate Eric Roberts (Jr./Miami, Fla.) is just 22 carries away from qualifying for the record and he is averaging a whopping 8.8 yards per carry in his career (687 yards on 78 carries).

Career Rushing Yards Per Attempt

1. Tony Lane (2001-03) 7.9

2. Bob Craig (1952-54) 5.7

3. Joe Gattuso (1952-54) 5.5

4. Ned Oldham (1955-57) 5.2

Playing Against The Home State

The Mids have one player on the varsity roster from Colorado, safety Jason Robinson (So./Denver).

Four Picks

Navy's four interceptions against Eastern Michigan were the most by a Navy team since Dec. 1, 2001, when the Mids intercepted four passes against Army.

Six Turnovers

Navy's six forced turnovers against Eastern Michigan were the most forced by a Navy defense since Oct. 13, 1990 (141 games), when the Mids forced six in a 17-13 win over Akron.

Major Improvement

For the third-straight season, Navy has played a ranked opponent in the second game of the season, and for the first time the Mids had a chance to win.

In 2000, the Mids were blitzed by Georgia Tech, 70-7, while last year N.C. State hammered Navy, 65-19.

This year, the Mids led 25th-ranked TCU, 3-0, at the half before falling, 17-3.

Rushing Against The Best

Navy's 132 yards rushing against TCU came against one of the NCAA's best rush defenses. TCU led the nation in rush defense in 2002, allowing just 64.8 yards per game and allowed just 66 yards rushing to Tulane in the season opener.

Carthan A Turnover Machine

Senior linebacker Eddie Carthan (Donalsonville, Ga.) has come up with four turnovers in the first-four games of the year. Carthan intercepted a pass against VMI, picked off a pass and recovered a fumble against TCU and recovered a fumble against Eastern Michigan.

Putting A Hand Down

Yes, that was linebacker Evan Beard (So./Boardman, Ohio) at nose guard and, yes, that was outside linebacker Jeremy Chase (So./Norfolk, Va.) at defensive end.

In Navy's continued attempt to get more speed on the field, Beard is playing nose guard and Chase is playing defensive end on passing situations as Navy tried to get more pressure on the quarterback.

Beard recorded three tackles, two tackles for a loss, a sack and forced a fumble in his first-career varsity game against VMI, while Chase had five tackles, 1.5 tackles for a loss and a sack.

Beard had one tackle against TCU, while Chase recorded nine tackles and a tackle for a loss.

Against Eastern Michigan, Chase had five tackles and a sack, while Beard had two tackles and a sack.

Chase recorded eight tackles and Beard a career-high seven against Rutgers.

Chase is second on the the team lead in tackles for a loss with 3.5, while Beard is tied for third with has three tackles for a loss. Chase and Beard are tied for the team lead in sacks with two.

Skaggs Selected For East-West Shrine Game; On Ray Guy Award Watch List

Navy punter John Skaggs (Cantonment, Fla.) has been selected to play in the prestigious East-West Shrine All-Star game, to be played Saturday, Jan. 10 at Pacific Bell Park in San Francisco. Kickoff is 2 p.m. (EST) with live coverage by ESPN.

Skaggs is the 17th Navy player to be selected for the East-West game and the third in as many years. Defensive tackle Josh Brindel was picked to play in the game last year, while wide receiver Jeff Gaddy was tabbed in 2001. He is just the second kicker and first punter from Navy to be selected for any all-star game. Kicker Todd Solomon played in the Hula Bowl in 1985.

Skaggs is also one of 32 punters on the initial Ray Guy Award Watch list. The list will be narrowed to 10 semi-finalists who will be announced in early November. The three finalists will travel to Orlando, Fla., for the Home Depot College Football Awards Show on Dec. 11, with the winner being announced and presented with the award live on ESPN.

Skaggs is Navy's all-time punting leader for a single-season and a career. He broke Bill Busik's 60-year old single-season record in 2001 when he averaged 44.8 yards per punt, while his 43.1 yards per game career average is also a school record.

Touchdown Navy Quarterback

Navy quarterbacks Craig Candeto (Orange City, Fla.) and Aaron Polanco (Wimberley, Texas) have scored 26 of Navy's 43 rushing touchdowns (.605) over the last-two years. Candeto led the team with 16 rushing touchdowns on 177 carries (one touchdown every 11.1 carries) last year, while Polanco has seven in just 74 carries (one touchdown every 10.6 carries) a year ago. Candeto has three touchdowns on 54 carries this year (one touchdown every 18 attempts).

Red Zone

Navy has scored on 13 of its 18 trips inside the red zone (.722) with 11 of those scores resulting in touchdowns (.611).

The Mids scored on 35 of their 44 trips inside the red zone (.795) in 2002 and scored touchdowns on 31 of those 44 trips (.705).

The defense has given up 10 scores in 15 trips inside its 20 (.667), with nine of those scores being touchdowns (.600).

Last year, the defense gave up points in 51 of the 59 times the opposition reached the red zone (.861). Forty one of the 59 trips resulted in touchdowns (.695).

Struggling Against Winning Programs

For those expecting Navy head coach Paul Johnson to perform miracles immediately, it should be noted that since 1990, Navy has defeated just four Division IA schools that finished the season with a winning record. In 1990, Navy defeated Toledo (9-2), 14-10; in 1993 Navy defeated Bowling Green (6-3-2), 27-20; in 1996 Navy defeated Air Force (6-5), 20-17; and in 1997 Navy defeated SMU (6-5), 46-16. Navy's other 29 wins against Division IA opponents since 1990 finished with a losing record.

Vanak Comes Up Big

Outside of his immediate family, not a lot of Navy football fans had heard of Jeff Vanak (Jr./Collegeville, Pa.) before the Mids opener against VMI. But Vanak may become a household name before the season is over if he continues to produce the way he did in his first-career start against the Keydets.

Vanak recorded seven tackles, had 2.5 tackles for a loss and forced a key fumble in Navy's first home victory since 1999.

Vanak came back and had a solid game against TCU, coming up with five tackles and a tackle for a loss.

He had two tackles, including a tackle for a loss, against Rutgers.

Navy In The 2003 National Rankings

{117 Teams in Division IA}

Rushing Offense 1st (311.75)

Passing Offense 110th (128.00)

Total Offense 21st (439.75)

Scoring Offense 55th (26.50)

Rushing Defense 62nd (143.25)

Pass Defense 32nd (183.00)

Pass Efficiency Defense 39th (110.28)

Total Defense 39th (326.25)

Scoring Defense 43rd (20.50)

Net Punting 31st (37.67)

Punt Return 80th (7.57)

Kickoff Return 62nd (20.54)

Turnover Margin 10th (+1.50)

Rushing Kyle Eckel (38th, 84.75); Craig Candeto (66th, 70.00)

Interceptions Josh Smith (8th, 0.75), Eddie Carthan (34, 0.50)

Punting John Skaggs (18th, 43.73)

Kickoff Returns Brian Hampton (15th, 28.20)

Field Goals Geoff Blumenfeld (72nd, 0.75)

All-Purpose Runners Kyle Eckel (84th, 106.50)

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) 43.7

4. Tom Moore (1971) 41.9

5. John Skaggs (2002) 41.2

Two Straight

Navy's 58-12 win over Army at the end of the 2002 season along with the Mids 37-10 victory over VMI marked the first time Navy has won back-to-back games since 1999 when the Mids defeated Rutgers (36-7) and Tulane (45-21).

Offensive Outburst

Navy's 598 yards of total offense (370 rushing/228 passing) against VMI ranks ninth on the Mids' all-time list and it's the most yards by Navy since last year's Northwestern contest in which Navy ran up 678 yards (378 rushing/300 passing) against the Wildcats. Five of Navy's top-nine offensive outputs in school history have come in the triple option offense with either Paul Johnson or Ken Niumatalolo calling the plays.

The 370 yards rushing against VMI was the 32nd most in school history. Twelve of Navy's top-32 all-time rushing performances have come with either Johnson or Niumatalolo calling the plays, including five of the top seven.

Big Day For Eckel

Junior fullback Kyle Eckel (Haverford, Pa.) set a career high with 129 yards rushing, had a career-long run of 42 yards and scored a career-high tying two touchdowns in Navy's 37-10 victory over VMI.