10/5/2004 - Football
Navy-ND Release

Game Data
Navy (5-0) will play host to Notre Dame (3-2) Saturday, Oct. 16 at Giants Stadium (71,000) in East Rutherford, N.J. Kickoff is set for 12 noon.
Navy is off to a 5-0 start for the first time since 1979 (that team started 6-0 and finished 7-4) and for just the third time in 40 years (the 1978 team started 7-0 and finished 9-3. Navy's first loss in 1978 was to Notre Dame, 27-7.).
A win by Navy would break Notre Dame's 40-game winning streak over the Midshipmen (an NCAA record for consecutive wins over one opponent), would clinch a winning season, marking the first time that Navy has had a winning season in back-to-back years since 1996 and 1997 and would make Navy bowl eligible. Navy, Houston Bowl participants a year ago, has gone to bowls in back-to-back seasons just once in school history (1980 Garden State Bowl and 1981 Liberty Bowl).
Saturday's game will be televised nationally to 100 percent of the country by CBS with Craig Bolerjack and former Oklahoma great Spencer Tillman calling the action. Dwayne Ballen will serve as the sideline reporter.
Saturday's game will also be broadcast nationally on the radio via CBS Sports/Westwood One with broadcasting legend Tony Roberts, former Notre Dame great Allan Pinkett and Larry Michael calling the action.
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), and ESPN Radio in Cambridge, Md. (1240 AM), ESPN Radio in Norfolk, Va. (1310 AM) and WFWR (91.5 FM) in Attica, Ind., will be on hand at Giants Stadium to call the action. The game can also be heard world wide via the internet at www.navysports.com, www.wnav.com or www.sportstalk980.com. The Navy Football Pregame show will air an hour before kickoff (11 a.m.) on those same networks.
Future broadcasting legend 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, who provides a weekly pregame segment, will join Socci and Nelson in the booth.
Pete Medhurst and Joe Miller will kick things off with the Navy Tailgate Show on 1430 WNAV and www.wnav.com live from Giants Stadium at 10 a.m.

Injury Report
The Mids are expected to be healthy entering the Notre Dame game.

Series History
Notre Dame leads the series, 67-9-1 and has won an NCAA record 40-straight games against the Midshipmen. The Irish are 42-6-1 in neutral site games against Navy and have posted a 5-0 record in games played at Giants Stadium. Navy last beat Notre Dame in 1963, 35-14.
Last year, D.J. Fitzpatrick nailed a 40-yard field goal as time expired to give Notre Dame a 27-24 victory in South Bend. The lead changed hands in the game six times and there were two ties as neither team led by more than seven points. Fullback Kyle Eckel (Sr./Haverford, Pa.) rushed for 53 yards and two scores to lead the Mids.
Last year's game was a microcosm of Navy's recent frustrations against the Irish as the Mids have had chances to win six of the last nine games played between the two schools.
In 2002, a Navy team that was 1-7 nearly pulled off one of the biggest upsets in college football history as the Mids led Notre Dame (8-1), 23-15, with five minutes left. The Irish, however, would rally for 15 points over the final five minutes to pull out the 30-23 victory at Ravens Stadium in Baltimore.
In 2001, a Navy team that would end the season winless trailed Notre Dame 17-13 at the half and 24-16 early in the fourth quarter before falling, 34-16 at Notre Dame Stadium.
No loss to Notre Dame hurts as much as the 1999 game when the Mids were robbed by an unbelievable spot by the head linesman in South Bend. With the Mids up 24-21 and Notre Dame facing a fourth-and-10 from the Navy 37 with 1:30 remaining and no timeouts left, Notre Dame quarterback Jarious Jackson hit Bobby Brown with a nine-yard pass along the right sideline. Navy linebacker Ryan Hamilton immediately made the tackle and it was clear to the Navy players and coaches that Notre Dame was well short of the first down and the steak was over. But while Navy was celebrating, the head linesman was putting the ball down more than a yard in front of where he was tackled. As the chains stretched, Notre Dame miracously had a first down by less than an inch and the drive was still alive. Six plays later, Jackson hit Jay Johnson with a 16-yard touchdown pass to give Notre Dame the 28-24 win.
In 1997, Navy dominated the Irish in every facet of the game, but still fell short, 21-17. Autry Denson scored with 5:48 remaining to give the Irish the lead. Navy nearly pulled off a miracle on the last play of the game when Chris McCoy threw a hail mary pass from his own 29 yard line that was caught by Patrick McGrew at the Notre Dame 35 yard line. McGrew made it all the way to the Notre Dame two yard line before being knocked out of bounds by Notre Dame's Allen Rossum.
In 1995, Navy led Notre Dame, 17-14, at the half but the Mids were killed by five turnovers and two penalties that called back touchdowns as Navy fell in South Bend, 35-17.

Navy Receives Votes In Both Polls
The Navy football team, off to a 5-0 start for the first time since 1979, received votes in the Associated Press Top 25 poll for the second week in a row and also received votes in the USA Today/Coaches Poll for the first time.
Navy received 15 voting points in the Associated Press poll, which ties the Mids with Stanford for 31st. Navy received two points in the USA Today/Coaches poll, which ties the Mids for 39th place with Northern Illinois and Central Michigan.
Navy has not been ranked since Oct. 22, 1979, when the 6-0
Midshipmen rose as high as 17th in the polls.

Playing Against The Home State
Navy has two players on the varsity roster from Indiana. Starting safety Josh Smith hails from Attica and attended Attica High School, while second-team linebacker Rob Caldwell is from St. John and went to Gary Andrean.

Scouting Notre Dame
The Irish are off to a 3-2 start with an upset win over No. 8 Michigan (28-20) and wins over Michigan State (31-24) and Washington (38-3). Notre Dame has lost to BYU (20-17) and to No. 15 Purdue (41-16). The Irish play host to Stanford this weekend.
The Notre Dame offense is led by quarterback Brady Quinn, who has passed for 1,356 yards and nine touchdowns. He has thrown five interceptions. Freshman tailback Darius Walker has been impressive, rushing for 354 yards and three touchdowns in four games. Quinn's favorite target is Rhema McKnight, who leads ND with 21 catches for 315 yards and two touchdowns. Matt Shelton has 11 catches on the year, four of which have gone for touchdowns.
Linebacker Mike Goolsby leads the Notre Dame defense with 45 tackles, while defensive end Justin Tuck has recorded 3.5 sacks.

Mids Win Thriller At Air Force
Senior kicker Geoff Blumenfeld (Granite Bay, Calif.) nailed a 30-yard field goal, his first made field goal of the year, with four seconds remaining to give Navy a thrillling 24-21 victory over Air Force in front of 44,279 fants at Falcon Stadium in Colorado Springs. The victory was the second in a row for the Mids over the Falcons.
The game was like a championship fight with the two teams slugging it out to the bitter end. Air Force jumped out to a 6-0 lead as Michael Greenaway hit field goals from 28 and 21 yards out. The second field goal was a victory for Navy, however, as Air Force had the ball first and goal from the Navy five. Jeremy Chase (Jr./Norfolk, Va.) made the big play on the drive when he stuffed Air Force quarterback Shaun Carney for a loss of two yards on third and goal from the one.
After Greenaway's second field goal, the Navy offense got untracked, marching 80 yards on 10 plays as quarterback Aaron Polanco (Sr./Wimberley, Texas) scored from 18 yards out to give Navy a 7-6 lead.
The Navy defense stepped up once again on the next series as Hunter Reddick (So./San Diego, Calif.) stepped in front of a Carney pass at the Air Force 41 yard line and returned it to the 35. Nine plays later Polanco scored from the one to make it 14-6 Navy.
The third quarter was a defensive struggle as neither team could do much offensively. Navy ran 10 plays in the third quarter and gained 15 yards, while Air Force ran 18 plays and gained 35 yards.
The offenses, however, would wake up in a big way in the fourth quarter. After the two teams exchanged two punts apiece early in the fourth quarter, Air Force took over on its own eight yard line with 9:20 remaining after a career-long 69 yard punt by Eric Shuey (Jr./Hacienda Heights, Calif.). The Falcons would quickly drive down the field and score in six plays as Carney hit J.P. Waller for 48 yards to get the ball down to the 29 yard line and then he hit Darnell Stephens with a 19-yard touchdown pass two plays later. Carney would run in the two-point conversion to tie the game at 14.
Navy would answer with a drive of its own, though momentum appeared clearly on Air Force's side after Polanco threw short to Jason Tomlinson (So./Arlington, Texas) on first down and was sacked for a nine yard loss on second down. Facing a third and 19 from its own 14 Polanco hit Marco Nelson (Jr./Scottsdale, Ariz.) with a 66-yard strike over the middle of the field to give Navy a first down at the Air Force 20. Five Kyle Eckel (Sr./Haverford, Pa.) carries later and Navy had regained the lead 21-14 as Eckel scored from three yards out on third and goal.
Air Force refused to die as they came right back down the field and scored in 1:54 as Carney capped off an eight play drive by hitting J.P. Waller with a 12-yard touchdown pass to make the score 21-21.
Navy, however, had one more answer. After an initial first down, Polanco kept the ball on a quarterback draw and scampered 32 yards up the middle to give Navy a first down on the Ar Force 29. Eckel burst up the middle for 12 more yards on the next play to move the down to the Air Force 16. Navy would run three more plays to position the ball in the middle of the field setting up Blumenfeld's game winning kick.
Eckel rushed for 97 yards and a touchdown, while Polanco had 71 yards rushing and two touchdowns. Polanco completed five of his 10 pass attempts for 105 yards and one interception. Nelson led the receiving corps with two catches for 70 yards.
Senior linebackers Lane Jackson (Miami, Fla.) and Bobby McClarin (Bethlehem, Pa.) led the defense with 12 tackles apiece, while outside linebacker Reggie Sealey (Sr./Upper Marlboro, Md.) added 11 tackles and nose guard Babatunde Akingbemi (Sr./Rialto, Calif.) contributed 10. Reddick had two interceptions.

Notes From The Air Force Game
*The win marks the first time Navy has beaten Air Force in back-to-back
years since Navy beat Air Force three-straight years in 1977, 1978 and 1979.

*It was just the fourth win for Navy in Colorado Springs in 18 tries and the
first since 1996. The Mids won on a field goal in '96 as well as Tom
Vanderhorst booted the game-winning field goal with 12 seconds remaining.
Vanderhorst is currently the military liasion with the football team.

*The Mids were held under 300 yards rushing for the second-straight game
(216 yards on 46 carries against Air Force and 190 yards on 52 carries
against Vanderbilt.).

*Eric Shuey (Jr./Hacienda Heights, Calif.) booted career-long punts
of 62 (37 seconds left in the third) and 69 yards (9:20 left in the fourth).

*Aaron Polanco's (Sr./Wimberley, Texas) 66-yard completion to
Marco Nelson (Jr./Scottsdale, Ariz.) was a career long pass for
Polanco and reception for Nelson.

*Four different defensive players recording career-highs in tackles: Reggie
Sealey (Sr./Upper Marlboro, Md.) had 11 tackles, Babatunde
Akingbemi (Sr./Rialto, Calif.) recorded 10 stops, Jeff Vanak
(Sr./Collegeville, Pa.) was in on eight tackles and Hunter Reddick
(So./San Diego, Calif.) recorded seven tackles to go along with his two
interceptions.

Undefeated
Navy is one of six teams in the country that has started 5-0. The others are Boise State, Utah, Auburn, Arizona State and Wisconsin.
There are a total of 17 teams overall without a blemish: 10 are 4-0 and one is 3-0.
Navy's five-game winning streak is tied for the ninth longest winning streak in the country.

Nation's Longest Winning Streaks
1. Boise State 16
2. Southern California 13
3. Utah 9
4. Miami (Fla.) 8
5. Auburn 7
Virginia 7
7. California 6
Arizona State 6
9. Navy 5
Georgia 5
Minnesota 5
Wisconsin 5

Fallen Brothers
The Navy football family has lost two members over the past two months in the line of duty. Lt. Cmdr. Scott Zellem ('91), USN, 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 ('01), USMC, 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.


Home Sweet Home
Navy has won five-straight home games dating back to last year, the longest home winning streak since the Mids won eight straight at home over three seasons (1995, '96, '97). Navy is 7-1 at home over the last two years after losing 14-straight from 2001-03.

Winning Streak
Navy's five-game winning streak is the longest winning streak for a Navy football team since the 1978 and '79 seasons when the Mids won eight-straight games over two years.

Second Half Dominance
Navy has dominated the second half this year, outscoring the opposition,
75-40.

Tough In The First Quarter, Too
Dating back to the start of last season (18 games, 13-5 over that span),
Navy has outscored the opposition, 137-43, in the first quarter.

The Red Zone
Navy has been tough in the red zone on offense. The Mids have scored
on 15 of their 19 trips (79 percent) inside the red zone with 14 of those
scores going for touchdowns. The offense has scored on 13 (12 TD's and a
field goal).

Go For It
Navy is an amazing 10 for 12 (83 percent) on fourth down conversions
this year and if you take away a failed fake punt the offense has converted
10 of its 11 (91 percent) fourth down conversions. The opposition has
made just seven of its 12 attempts (58 percent) on fourth down this year.

Navy Cracks The ESPN.Com
Mid-Major Rankings
Navy, off to its best start since 1979, is ranked sixth in the
ESPN.com Mid-Major rankings.

Top Six Mid-Major Teams In The Country
1. Utah 5-0
2. Fresno State 3-1
3. Boise State 5-0
4. Louisville 4-0
5. Southern Miss 3-0
6. Navy 5-0

Passing Efficiently
Navy is seventh in the nation in passing efficiency with a rating of 165.70.
The Mids have completed 30 of their 47 pass attempts (63.83 percent) for
563 yards with two touchdowns and three interceptions.

Top Passing Efficiency Teams In The Country
1. California 211.17
2. Purdue 197.04
3. Toledo 181.11
4. Oklahoma 173.64
5. Virginia 172.86
6. Minnesota 167.22
7. Navy 165.70
8. Louisville 163.41
9. Air Force 161.91
10. Utah 161.54

Discipline Football
Navy is tied for seventh in the country for the least amount of penalties
per game, averaging 4.4 penalties for contest.

Least Penalized Teams In The Country
1. Oklahoma State 3.50
2. Illinois 3.60
3. Michigan 3.80
4. Arizona 4.00
5. UCLA 4.25
Ohio State 4.25
7. Navy 4.40
Air Force 4.40
9. Toledo 4.60
10. UTEP 4.75
Virginia 4.75

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 eighth in the nation in rushing after five games this year, averaging 267.4 yards per contest. Texas leads the country in rushing, averaging 353.5 yards per game.

Top Rushing Teams In The Country
1. Texas 353.50
2. Rice 327.50
3. Minnesota 323.40
4. Oklahoma State 297.50
5. Virginia 284.00
6. California 278.00
7. UCLA 273.25
8. Navy 267.40
9. Air Force 259.40
10. West Virginia 247.60

Hitting Paydirt
Navy's 17 rushing touchdowns this year ties for the third most in the country. Navy has scored three rushing touchdowns in three games and four in two games.

Most Rushing Touchdowns In the Country
1. Virginia 19
2. Louisville 18
3. Navy 17
Minnesota 17
Utah 17
6. Boise State 16
7. Oklahoma State 15
Arkansas 15
9. Texas 14
Rice 14
TCU 14

In Paul We Trust
Navy football has struggled over the last 20 years, compiling an overall
record of 74-155 (.323). 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 29-24 (.547) and have
appeared in two bowl games. The Mids are 13-5 (.722) over the last
two years. In the 15 years that Johnson hasn't been on the sidelines,
Navy is 45-131(.256).

Defense Tightens Up As The Game
Goes On
The Navy defense has shown a penchant for tightening up as the game
goes along. Opponents are 13 for 21 (62 percent) on converting third
downs in the first quarter, eight for 23 (35 percent) in the second quarter,
six for 17 (35 percent) in the third quarter and just four for 17 (24 percent)
in the fourth quarter.

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.

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.

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 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 yearagainst 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 99 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) 9

Eckel On Career Rushing List
Senior fullback Kyle Eckel (Haverford, Pa.) moved past Craig Candeto into sixth place on Navy's career rushing list with his 23-carry, 98-yard performance against Tulsa. Eckel is just 28 yards behind Alton Grizzard (1987-90) for fifth place.
Eckel needs to average 142.3 yards per game (122 yards if Navy plays in a bowl game) over the last six games to become just the third player in school history to rush for over 3,000 yards in a career.

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. Alton Grizzard (1987-90) 2,174
6. Kyle Eckel (2002-03) 2,146
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

Eckel Fifth In School History In Rushing Touchdowns
Senior fullback Kyle Eckel (Haverford, Pa.) has 20-career rushing touchdowns, which is the fifth most in school history. He needs just four more rushing touchdown to tie 1960 Heisman Trophy winner Joe Bellino for fourth on the list.

Navy Career Rushing Touchdowns
1. Chris McCoy (1995-97) 43
2. Craig Candeto (2001-03) 33
3. Napoleon McCallum (1981-85) 31
4. Joe Bellino (1958-60) 24
5. Kyle Eckel (2002-current) 20

Eckel Selected To Play In East-West Shrine Game And The Villages Gridiron Classic
Senior fullback Kyle Eckel (Haverford, Pa.) has been invited to play in the prestigious East-West Shrine All-Star Game, which will take place Saturday, Jan. 15 at 2 p.m. (EST) at SBC Park in San Francisco. The game will be televised nationally by ESPN.
Eckel is the 18th Navy player, and the fourth in four years, to be invited to the game in the 80-year history of the event.
Eckel was also selected to play in the Villages Gridiron Classic All-Star game, which will be played Saturday, Jan. 15 at 11 a.m. (EST) in The Villages, Fla. The game will be televised nationally by ESPN2. Eckel, however, will not play in the game.
Eckel is the fifth Navy player to be selected in the Gridiron Classic all-star game in its six-year existence and it marks the first time since 1999 that two Navy players have been selected to play in the same all-star game. In 1999, Terrence Anderson and Travis Williams played in both the Blue-Gray Game and the Hula Bowl All-Star Game.

Eckel Named Top NFL Fullback Prospect And Preseason First-Team All-American By Draftboardinsiders.com
Senior fullback Kyle Eckel (Haverford, Pa.) has been named a preseason All-American and the top NFL fullback prospect by draftboardinsiders.com.

First-Team Preseason All-Americans
Offense
QB Jason White, Oklahoma Sr.
RB Darren Sproles, Kansas St. Sr.
FB Kyle Eckel, Navy Sr.
WR Crophonso Thorpe, FSU Sr.
WR Mark Clayton, Oklahoma Sr.
TE Heath Miller, UVA Sr.
OL Eric Winston, Miami Jr.
OL Alex Barron, Florida State Sr.
OL David Baas, Michigan Sr.
OL Jammal Brown, Oklahoma Sr.
C Ben Wilkerson, LSU Sr.

Defense
DE Dan Cody, Oklahoma Sr.
DE David Pollack, UGA Sr.
DT Shaun Cody, USC Sr.
DT Haloti Ngata, Oregon Soph.
LB Derrick Johnson, Texas Jr.
LB Kirk Morrison, SDSU Sr.
LB Ahmad Brooks, UVA Soph.
DB Corey Webster, LSU Sr.
DB Antrell Rolle, Miami Sr.
DB Jamaal Brimmer, UNLV Sr.
DB Donte Nicholson, Oklahoma Sr.

Eckel Nominated For Doak Walker Award
The SMU Athletic Forum announced recently the names of the candidates for the 2004 Doak Walker Award, presented annually to the nation's top college running back.
The field of candidates includes Navy senior Kyle Eckel (Haverford, Pa.). Other candidates include Kansas State senior Darren Sproles, who was a finalist for the 2003 Doak Walker Award and led the nation in total rushing yards (1,915) last season; Texas senior Cedric Benson, who led the nation in scoring last year with 134 points and has 3,706 career rushing yards, the most of any returning back; Syracuse senior Walter Reyes, who has gained more than 1,100 yards in each of the past two seasons; and Memphis Junior DeAngelo Williams, who led the country in all-purpose yardage and compiled 10 consecutive 100-yard rushing games in 2003.
Also on the list is future Navy opponent Brian Leonard of Rutgers (11/20).
"Each new season of college football brings fans a fresh list of new 'stars' to watch. This year will be no different. As for the running back position...well, simply put this will be one of the more talented groups we've had the pleasure of following. This year's Doak Walker watch list is impressive. This year's winner will again exemplify the characteristics of Doak Walker. A tough and talented runner for sure, but just as important as the yards gained on the field, Doak was a model citizen and leader in the classroom, too. Good luck to the candidates," said Craig James, SMU alumnus and member of the Doak Walker Award National Selection Committee.
The SMU Athletic Forum Board of Directors will select the semifinalists on November 15, and the Doak Walker Award National Selection Committee will vote on the winner in late November. The National Selection Committee consists of former NFL All-Pro and college All-America running backs, media members and selected special representatives.
The recipient of the 2004 Doak Walker Award will be announced live on ESPN along with other NCFAA member awards on The Home Depot College Football Awards on Thursday, Dec. 9. The Doak Walker Award Presentation Banquet will be held at The Fairmont Hotel in Dallas, Texas, on Wednesday, February 15, 2005.
Former Michigan running back Chris Perry, currently with the Cincinnati Bengals, won the 2003 Doak Walker Award.
The award, which is celebrating its 15th year, is named for SMU's three-time All-American running back Doak Walker. It is the only major collegiate award that requires all candidates to be in good academic standing and on schedule to graduate within one year of other students of the same classification. Sponsors of the Forum include PricewaterhouseCoopers, American Airlines, The Dallas Morning News, Guaranty Bank, JPMorgan Chase and State Farm Bank(r).

Roberts First Player In School History To Top The 1,000 Yard Mark For Rushing And Receiving
Senior slot back Eric Roberts (Miami, Fla.) became the first player in Navy history, the third active player and the 35th player in NCAA history to top the 1,000-yard mark for career rushing and receiving when he caught a 34-yard pass from Aaron Polanco (Sr./Wimberley, Texas) against Vanderbilt.
He has 1,250-career rushing yards and 1,019-career receving yards. Roberts, Texas Tech's Taurean Henderson and Virginia's Alvin Pearman are the only current active players in the club.
Other notable players to achieve 1,000-1,000 include Steve Broussard of Washington State, Quentin Griffin of Oklahoma, Dalton Hilliard of LSU, Vance Johnson of Arizona, Terry Kirby of Virginia, Eric Metcalf of Texas, Glynn Milburn of Oklahoma and Stanford, Darrin Nelson of Stanford, Errict Rhett of Florida and Hines Ward of Georgia.

Eric The Great
Slot back Eric Roberts (Miami, Fla.) has made big play after big play in his career. Roberts scored five touchdowns in 2003 of 40 yards or more, including two against Central Michigan when he recorded a 45-yard touchdown run and an 86-yard touchdown reception.
His 86-yard touchdown reception off a pass thrown by Craig Candeto was the second-longest pass play in school history and the fifth-longest play from scrimmage in school history. The longest pass play in school history was an 87-yard pass from Chris McCoy to Matt Scornavacchi in 1995 against Tulane. The longest play from scrimmage was a 93-yard run by John Sai against Duke in 1963.
Roberts' 69-yard touchdown run in the first quarter against Rice was the longest by a Navy player since Sept. 25, 1999, when Raheem Lambert had a 79-yard touchdown run against Rice.
Roberts finished 2003 with five touchdown catches on the year, the fifth most in school history. His seven-career touchdown catches are the fifth most in school history.
After not getting the ball much the first two games in 2004, Roberts had a breakout game against Tulsa, rushing for 89 yards and a touchdown on seven carries and catching one pass for 27 yards. His touchdown run was a 37-yard jaunt.
Roberts has had six-career multi-touchdown days, including four in 2003.

Touchdown Catches In A Career
1. Phil McConkey (1975-78) 13
Rob Taylor (1965-67) 13
3. Chris Weiler (1981-84) 8
Ron Beagle (1953-55) 8
5. Eric Roberts (2002-current) 7