10/25/2004 - Football
Navy-Delaware Game Notes

Files associated with this release:
Navy-Delaware Game Notes

Game Data
Navy (6-1) will play host to Delaware (6-1), which is ranked No. 3 in the nation in I-AA, on Homecoming Saturday at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium (34,000). Kickoff is set for 1:35 p.m and the game is sold out.

Navy is off to its best start since 1979 when the Mids started 6-0 before losing four-straight games and finished 7-4. A win on Saturday would move Navy to 7-1 for the first time since 1978 when the Mids started 7-1 and finished 9-3, which included a victory over BYU in the Holiday Bowl.

Delaware, the defending I-AA National Champion, enters Saturday's contest having won six straight after dropping its opener.

Saturday's game is being televised regionally by CN8, the Comcast Channel, with Bill Zimpfer calling the play-by-play and Bill Osborn handling the color commentary. Greg Murphy will serve as the sideline reporter.

Based in Philadelphia, CN8 reaches more than four million homes from
Maryland to Maine.

Saturday's game can be heard on the Navy Radio Network, which includes ESPN Radio in Baltimore (1300 AM), Sportstalk 980 in Washington, D.C. (980 AM), WNAV in Annapolis (1430 AM), ESPN Radio in Cambridge, Md. (1240 AM), ESPN Radio in Norfolk, Va. (1310 AM)and WFWR (91.5 FM) in Attica, Ind.

The game can also be heard world wide via the internet at www.navysports.com, www.wnav.com or www.sportstalk980.com or on Sirius satellite radio. The Navy Football Pregame show will air an hour before kickoff (12:30 p.m.) on those same networks.

Bob Socci is in his eighth season on the Navy football broadcasts and is in his seventh year as the full-time play-by-play announcer. Socci is joined by former Navy fullback Omar Nelson ('97), who is in his third year as a member of the Navy Radio Network and his second as the full-time color analyst. Noted sports author John Feinstein provides a weekly pregame segment.

Pete Medhurst and Joe Miller will kick things off with the Navy Tailgate Show on 1430 WNAV and www.wnav.com live from Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium at 11:30 a.m.

Not So Happy Homecomings
Navy has been awful on Homecoming, losing five-straight contests. The Mids have not won a Homecoming game since 1998 when Navy had to rally from 14 down in the fourth quarter to beat Colgate, 42-35. Since then, Navy has lost to Akron (35-29, blew a 29-0 lead), Rutgers (28-21), Rice (21-13), Duke (43-17) and Delaware (21-17). Navy is 35-19 all-time in Homecoming games.

Close Calls
Navy is 4-0 this year in games decided by four points or less. Before this year, Navy had lost nine of its last-10 contests decided by four points or less dating back to the 1998 Rutgers game which Navy lost, 36-33. Navy's only "close" win in that span was a 31-28 upset at West Virginia in 1999.

In The Polls
A week after not receiving any votes in either poll for the first time in a month, the Navy football team is back receiving votes in both the Associated Press and USA Today/Coaches Poll.

Navy received votes in the coaches poll for the fourth time in the last five weeks, earning five voting points (1 point for 25th, 2 for 24th, etc). The five points ties for the 38th most in the country.

Navy received votes in the Associated Press poll for the third time in the last four weeks, as Navy accumulated three voting points, the 34th most in the country.
Navy has not been ranked since Oct. 22, 1979, when the 6-0 Midshipmen rose as high as 17th in the polls.

Mids Sixth In ESPN.Com Mid-Major Rankings
Navy was ranked sixth, and expected to move up to fifth after Memphis was shellacked by Cincinnati last weekend, in the ESPN.Com Mid-Major poll.

ESPN.COM Mid-Major Poll (as of 10/22)
1. Utah 7-0
2. Louisville 5-1
3. Boise State 7-0
4. Toledo 5-2
5. Memphis 5-2
6. Navy 6-1

TV Darlings
This week's game against Delaware will be Navy's seventh television appearance of the season, which is tied for the second most in the country. Nine schools will have been on television eight times after this weekend: Boston College, BYU, Florida State, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Oklahoma, Penn State, UCLA and USC.
Schools with seven appearances after this weekend's tilts include: Navy, Arizona State, Boise State, Clemson, Georgia, Michigan State and Purdue.

Injury Report
Offensive tackle Casey Hughes (Houston, Texas) is questionable with a left ankle sprain.

Series History
The series is tied at six wins apiece with Navy holding a 5-4 advantage in games played in Annapolis.

Last year, Delaware rallied from a 14-0 first-quarter deficit to beat Navy on Homecoming, 21-17.

First State Players
Navy has three promising sophomores on its roster from Delaware: defensive end Larry and linebacker Joe Cylc from Claymont and fullback Ron Kimbrough from New Castle.

Scouting Delaware
The Blue Hens will bring to Annapolis another outstanding football team as they are off to a 6-1 start and ranked No. 3 in the nation in I-AA.

After losing to New Hampshire (which beat Rutgers), 24-21, Delaware has defeated Towson (21-17), West Chester (24-6), Massachusetts (21-7), a Maine team that beat Mississippi State (43-38), Hofstra (20-19) and a William & Mary team that nearly knocked off North Carolina (31-28).

The Delaware offense is led by quarterback Sonny Riccio, a transfer from Missouri, who has completed nearly 60 percent (133-222) of his passes for 1,397 yards and 10 touchdowns with eight interceptions.

Riccio's favorite targets are Justin Long, who has 43 catches for 557 yards and four touchdowns, and Southern Cal transfer David Boler, who has 22 catches for 354 yards and one touchdown. Tight end Justin LaForgia, a transfer from Cincinnati, has 16 catches for 89 yards and a touchdown, while wide receiver Joe Bleymaier, a transfer from Arizona State, has three touchdown receptions.

Lonnie Starks is Delaware's leading ground gainer, rushing for 385 yards on 78 carries.
Mondoe Davis leads the Blue Hen defense with 72 tackles, while Kyle Campbell has 59 stops and five tackles for a loss. Rashaard Woodard is next with 39 tackles, while Garron Bible, a transfer from Notre Dame, has 37 stops.

Navy Holds On For 14-13 Win
Aaron Polanco (Sr./Wimberley, Texas) rushed for a career-high 179 yards and tossed a touchdown pass, while the Navy defense held the No. 1-ranked rushing attack in the country to 122 yards below its average of 345.7 as Navy defeated Rice, 14-13, in front of 31,117 at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium.

Navy jumped out to a 14-0 lead after three quarters on a one-yard touchdown run by senior slot Frank Divis (Avon, Ohio) and a Corey Dryden (Sr./Longwood, Fla.) fumble recovery in the end zone after Polanco hit Eric Roberts (Sr./Miami, Fla.) with a 37-yard pass.

Rice rallied in the fourth as freshman quarterback Joel Armstrong came off the bench to lead scoring drives of 80 and 69 yards.

Navy, however, kept the lead after Rice kicker Brennan Landry missed the extra-point after Rice's last touchdown with 4:41 left.

The Navy offense was then able to take the ball and grind out three first downs to salt away the game.

Josh Smith (Sr./Attica, Ind.) led the Navy defense with 14 tackles and two tackles for a loss, while Lane Jackson (Sr./Miami, Fla.) and David Mahoney (So./Fort Myers, Fla.) had 10 tackles each.

Notes From The Rice Game
*Navy's 15 pass attempts were the most attempts this year and the most in
a game since last year's Delaware game when Navy attempted 21.

*The defense failed to come up with a turnover for the second-straight
game.

*Senior wide receiver Corey Dryden's (Longwood, Fla.) fumble
recovery in the end zone was his first-career touchdown.

*Navy has not scored in the first quarter in four-straight games.

*Junior slot back Marco Nelson (Scottsdale, Ariz.) rushed for a
career-high 23 yards on two carries.

Bowl Eligible
Navy is now bowl eligible after its 14-13 victory over Rice. Navy, which played in the Houston Bowl in 2003, has played in bowl games in consecutive years just once in school history, 1980-81. The 1980 team lost to Houston, 35-0, in the now defunct Garden State Bowl in the Meadowlands, while the 1981 squad lost to Ohio State, 31-28, in the Liberty Bowl in Memphis.

Winning Season
Navy has posted back-to-back winning seasons for the first time since 1996-97 when Navy went 9-3 and 7-4 in back-to-back years. It is also just the fourth winning season in 20 years for the Midshipmen and 10th in the last 40 years.

Fallen Brothers
The Navy football family has lost two members and a third injured over the past two months in the line of duty.

Lt. Cmdr. Scott Zellem, USN ('91), was killed Aug. 10 when his Navy jet crashed in the Pacific Ocean. Zellem, a linebacker, was a four-year member of the Navy football team and lettered as a senior.

First Lt. Ron Winchester, USMC ('01), was killed Sept. 3 due to enemy action in Al Anbar Province, Iraq. Winchester, who played offensive tackle, was a four-year member of the football team and a two-year starter at tackle.

First Lt. Scott Swantner, USMC ('01), who played next to Winchester on Navy's offensive line, was wounded in Iraq on Oct. 6 when a grenade exploded during a house-to-house search.

Johnson Tabs Two Members Of The Brigade To Be 12th Mid
Navy head football coach Paul Johnson announced Oct. 22 that John McLaughlin (Sr./Deer Park, N.Y.) and John Reuland (Sr./East Orleans, Mass.) have been selected out of a pool of 18 candidates to be the 12th Mid. McLaughlin, a member of the 7th company, will be the 12th Mid for the Delaware game, while Reuland, a member of the 18th company, will be the 12th Mid for the Rutgers game.

"I was very impressed with the candidates that tried out," said Johnson. "We easily could have picked any of the 18 guys, but the two we did select were just a little faster and they had pretty good size. I feel comfortable with either one of these guys running down on a kickoff."

The concept of a 12th Mid was hatched at Johnson's radio show when senior Tony DiFranco of the 2nd company posed the question to Coach Johnson. Johnson took it for immediate action and the idea will come to fruition on Oct. 30.

McLaughlin and Reuland will also have the honor of wearing No. 12, as 1963 Heisman Trophy winner Roger Staubach has given his permission for his number to be 'unretired' for those two games.

McLaughlin, who stands 6-3 and weighs 215 pounds, came to the Naval Academy to play
lacrosse and is the current co-captain of the club lacrosse team. At Deer Park High School in New York, he was a three-year letterwinner on the football team and lettered five times in lacrosse (he played on the varsity lacrosse team as an eighth grader). McLaughlin's father, Mike, is a 1981 graduate of the Naval Academy and was a three-time All-American in lacrosse (1979-81).

When Reuland, who is 6-3 and weighs 195 pounds, steps on the football field Nov. 20 against Rutgers, it will be the first time he's ever played in an organized football game. Reuland is a four-year member of the club hockey team at Navy and last year was named an Honorable Mention All-American as he scored 16 goals and handed out 18 assists. Reuland lettered twice in hockey at Phillips Exeter Academy and three times at Nauset Regional High School where he also played No. 1 singles on the tennis team for three years.

Home Sweet Home
Navy has won six-straight home games dating back to last year, the longest home winning streak since the Mids won eight in a row over three seasons (1995-97). Navy is 8-1 (.889) at home over the last two years after losing 14 straight from 2001-03.

Second Half Dominance
Navy has dominated the second half this year, outscoring the opposition,
91-63, though Navy has been outscored in the second half of the last two
games. Notre Dame outscored the Mids, 10-9, in the second half, while Rice
outscored Navy, 13-7.

Tough In The First Quarter
Dating back to the start of last season (20 games, 14-6 over that span),
Navy has outscored the opposition, 137-57, in the first quarter. The Mids
have been held scoreless in the first quarter of the last four games.

The Red Zone
Navy has been tough in the red zone on offense. The Mids have scored
on 18 of their 24 trips (75 percent) inside the red zone with 16 of those
scores going for touchdowns. The offense has scored on 16 of its last 19
trips (.842) in the red zone (14 TD's and two field goals).

Go For It
The Navy offense is 11 for 15 (73 percent) on fourth down conversions
this year (0-1 on special teams) though it has made just one of its last four
(25 percent). The opposition has converted just nine of its 15 attempts (60
percent) on fourth down.

Disciplined Football
Navy is fourth in the country for the least amount of penalties
per game, averaging 4.14 penalties per contest. The Mids are eighth
in fewest yards penalized per game.

Least Penalized Teams In The Country
(Penalties Per Game)
1. Illinois 3.50
2. Colorado State 3.86
3. Oklahoma State 4.00
4. Navy 4.14
5. Minnesota 4.38
6. Missouri 4.43
North Carolina 4.43
Vanderbilt 4.43
9. East Carolina 4.50
10. Michigan State 4.57

Least Penalized Teams In The Country
(Penalty Yards Per Game)
1. Illinois 29.50
2. Minnesota 30.63
3. Colorado State 30.71
4. North Carolina 34.14
5. Oklahoma State 34.57
6. Missouri 35.43
7. East Carolina 35.50
8. Navy 36.71
9. Vanderbilt 38.43
10. Michigan State 38.71

Tough Against The Pass
Navy is seventh in the nation in pass defense, giving up 151.43 yards per
contest. Last year, Navy finished 14th in the nation in pass defense, allowing
180.23 yards per game.

Top Pass Defensive Teams In The Country
1. Alabama 106.23
2. North Carolina State 121.43
3. Missouri 146.14
4. Wisconsin 147.25
5. Auburn 147.63
6. LSU 149.86
7. Navy 151.43
8. Virginia Tech 151.71
9. Georgia 155.57
10. Georgia Tech 164.00

Careful With The Throws
Navy quarterbacks have thrown just three interceptions this year, which
ranks as tied for the eighth least in the country. Texas A&M is the only team
yet to throw an interception.

Least Amount Of Interceptions Thrown
1. Texas A&M 0
2. North Texas 1
3. Bowling Green 2
Georgia 2
Virginia 2
Houston 2
Louisville 2
8. Navy 3
Ball State 3
Utah 3
Vanderbilt 3
Minnesota 3
Southern Miss 3
Army 3
Toledo 3
Oklahoma State 3

Navy Looks To Defend Rushing Crown
The Mids led the nation in rushing in 2003, averaging 323.2 yards per game. It was just the second time in school history that Navy led the country in rushing. The only other time was in 1999 when the Mids averaged 292.2 yards per game.
Navy is ranked sixth in the nation in rushing after seven games this year, averaging 259.43 yards per contest. Rice leads the country in rushing, averaging 328.14 yards per game.

Top Rushing Teams In The Country
1. Rice 328.14
2. Texas 301.71
3. Minnesota 278.38
4. Oklahoma State 269.43
5. West Virginia 263.00
6. Navy 259.43
7. Air Force 249.86
8. Virginia 249.00
9. California 245.00
10. Utah 240.14

Hitting Paydirt
Navy's 19 rushing touchdowns are the eighth most in the country. Navy has scored three rushing touchdowns in three games, four in two games and one in two games. Virginia and Louisville lead the country with 24 rushing touchdowns.

Most Rushing Touchdowns In the Country
1. Virginia 24
Louisville 24
3. Minnesota 23
4. Rice 22
Texas 22
Utah 22
7. Boise State 21
8. Oklahoma State 20
9. Navy 19
Texas A&M 19
Nevada 19

Grounded
Navy has failed to rush for 300 or more yards in four-straight games
(190 vs Vanderbilt, 216 vs Air Force, 216 vs Notre Dame and 263 against
Rice) for the first time in Paul Johnson's tenure at Navy.

The last time Navy failed to rush for 300 or more yards in four-straight
games was at the end of the 2001 season and at the start of the 2002
campaign when Navy rushed for 177 yards against Notre Dame and 97
yards against Army to close 2001 and then rushed for 293 yards against
SMU and 243 yards against N.C. State to start the 2002 season.

In Paul We Trust
Navy football has struggled over the last 20 years, compiling an overall
record of 75-156 (.325).

The Mids, however, have not struggled when Paul Johnson has been
calling the plays. Johnson has been at Navy for five of those 20 years (two
years as a coordinator and this is his third season as a head coach), and in
those five years, the Mids are 30-25 (.545) and have appeared in two bowl
games.

The Mids are 14-6 (.700) over the last two years and have won 12 of
their last 16 contests (.750).

In the 15 years that Johnson hasn't been on the sidelines over the last
two decades, Navy is 45-131(.256).

Johnson On Bobby Dodd "Watch List"
The Bobby Dodd Coach of the Year Award Foundation has released a list
of Division I-A college head football coaches that are potential recipients of
the prestigious Bobby Dodd Coach of the Year Award.

Among the NCAA Division I-A head football coaches on the
Foundation's watch list are: Paul Johnson of Navy, Pete Carroll of USC, Mark
Richt of Georgia, Joe Tiller of Purdue, Larry Coker of Miami, Dan Hawkins of
Boise State and Urban Meyer of Utah.

The Bobby Dodd Coach of the Year Award is presented annually and is
selected by a blue-ribbon panel of college football experts. The award is in
honor of Coach Robert Lee "Bobby" Dodd, one of college football's all-time
coaching greats.

This year's recipient will be announced during halftime of the Chick-Fil-A
Peach Bowl, which will be televised by ESPN on Dec. 31. Oklahoma's Bob
Stoops was the 2003 recipient of the award.

Defense Tightens Up After The First Quarter
The Navy defense has shown a penchant for tightening up as the game
goes along. Opponents are 15 for 27 (56 percent) in converting third
downs in the first quarter, nine for 29 (31 percent) in the second quarter,
eight for 21 (38 percent) in the third quarter and just nine for 26
(35 percent) in the fourth quarter.

Shutout
Navy's 29-0 rout of Tulsa was its first shutout since Oct. 15, 1994,
when the Mids shut out Lafayette, 7-0. Navy last shut out a Division IA
team on Oct. 4, 1980, when it blanked Boston College, 21-0. The last time
Navy recorded a shutout on the road was Sept. 23, 1978, at Connecticut
(30-0), and the last time Navy recorded a shutout on the road against a
Division IA opponent was Sept. 16, 1978, when it shut out Virginia, 32-0.

QBs Over 100 Yards
Aaron Polanco (Sr./Wimberley, Texas) became the 13th quarterback in Navy history to rush for 100 or more yards in a game when he gashed Duke for 130 yards and a touchdown in Navy's 27-12 victory over the Blue Devils. Polanco became the first quarterback since Brian Madden in 2001 to rush for 100 yards in back-to-back games when he rushed for 143 yards and three touchdowns against Northeastern. Chris McCoy (1995-97) holds the Navy quarterback record with 15 100-yard games.

Polanco rushed for a career-high 179 yards on a career-high 33 carries against Rice. The 179 yards rushing were the most by a Navy player since quarterback Brian Madden rushed for 201 yards against Tulane on Nov. 10, 2001. His 33 carries were the most by a Navy player since Craig Candeto carried the ball 36 times for 151 yards last year against Rice.

Polanco Takes Over NCAA Lead For Rushing Yards By A Quarterback
Aaron Polanco (Sr./Wimberley, Texas) rushed for a career-high 179 yards on a career-high 33 carries against Rice which elevated him to No. 1 in the country among rushing quarterbacks.

Rice's Greg Henderson, who entered the game averaging 93 yards per contest, was held to 37 yards on 11 carries by the Navy defense. Polanco ranks 31st among all players.
Polanco's 179 yards rushing are the most by a Navy player since Nov. 10, 2001, when Brian Madden rushed for 201 yards against Tulane.

Top Rushing Quarterbacks In The Country
1. Aaron Polanco (Navy) 94.57
2. Reggie McNeal (Texas A&M) 84.71
3. Greg Henderson (Rice) 83.67
4. Drew Stanton (Michigan State) 75.67
5. Vince Young (Texas) 69.86

Polanco Makes It Hurt
Aaron Polanco (Sr./Wimberley, Texas) is averaging 7.7 yards per pass attempt (1,037 yards on 134 attempts) for his career, which is tied with Chris McCoy and Roger Staubach for the third-best average yards per pass attempt in school history.

Average Yards Per Patt Attempt In A Career
1. Craig Candeto (2001-03) 7.9
2. Brian Broadwater (1998-00) 7.8
3. Aaron Polanco (2002-current) 7.7
Chris McCoy (1995-97) 7.7
Roger Staubach (1962-64) 7.7

Eckel, Eckel, Eckel
Senior 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.

Eckel, who is an All-America candidate and ranked as the best NFL fullback prospect in the country by draftboardinsider.com, rushed for 100 yards and two touchdowns on 23 carries in Navy's 27-12 victory over Duke. It was Eckel's eighth-career 100-yard rushing day (seven in 2003 and once this year) and it was the fifth time in his career he has rushed for two touchdowns in a game.

Eckel had his first-career three-touchdown day against Tulsa, as he rushed for 98 yards and three scores on 23 carries in Navy's 29-0 shutout of the Golden Hurricane.

Against Air Force Eckel rumbled for 97 yards and a touchdown in Navy's win in Colorado Springs.

Eckel became just the fourth Navy player in 29 years to rush for over 100 yards against Notre Dame when he rumbled for 102 yards on 22 carries against the Irish.

Eckel was named the Philadelphia Sportswriters Most Valuable Player in 2003 for his 152-yard, two-touchdown performance against Army.

Eckel ran over the Air Force defense for a career-high 176 yards (previous career high was 129 in 2003 against VMI) on a career-high 33 carries (previous career high was 18) and scored one touchdown in Navy's 2003 upset of the No. 25 ranked Falcons

His 176 yards rushing last year against Air Force were the most by a non-quarterback at Navy since Chuck Smith rushed for 182 yards against Dartmouth in 1986.
Last year, he became the first Navy player to rush for over 100 yards in three-straight games since Brian Madden did it in 2001, and became the first non-quarterback to rush for over 100 yards in three-straight games since current Navy radio analyst Omar Nelson did it against SMU, Boston College and Duke in 1996.

Eckel carried the ball 236 times in 2003 and lost yardage on just three of those carries, all of which were one-yard losses. He has not lost any yards in 2004 on his 121 carries.

Most 100-Yard Rushing Games In A Season
1. Napoleon McCalllum (1985) 8
Napoleon McCallum (1983) 8
Eddie Meyers (1981) 8
4. Kyle Eckel (2003) 7
Joe Gattuso Jr. (1977) 7

Most 100-Yard Rushing Games In A Career
1. Napoleon McCallum (1981-85) 19
2. Chris McCoy (1995-97) 15
3. Eddie Meyers (1978-81) 14
4. Cleveland Cooper 91972-74) 12
5. Kyle Eckel (2002-current) 10

Eckel On Career Rushing List
Senior fullback Kyle Eckel (Haverford, Pa.) moved past Alton Grizzard into fifth place on Navy's career rushing list with his 22-carry, 102-yard performance against Notre Dame. Eckel is 302 yards behind Cleveland Cooper (1972-74) for fourth place.

Navy Career Rushing Leaders
1. Napoleon McCallum (1981-85) 4,179
2. Chris McCoy (1995-97) 3,401
3. Eddie Meyers (1978-81) 2,935
4. Cleveland Cooper (1972-74) 2,582
5. Kyle Eckel (2002-03) 2,280
6. Alton Grizzard (1987-90) 2,174
7. Craig Candeto (2001-03) 1,949
8. Joe Gattuso Jr. (1975-77) 1,890
9. Brian Madden (1999, 2001) 1,802
10. Chuck Smith (1984-87) 1,744