12/6/2004 - Football
Emerald Bowl Release

Files associated with this release:
Emerald Bowl Notes

Game Data
Navy (9-2), winners of nine games in the regular season for the first time since 1963, and New Mexico (7-4) will play for the first time on the gridiron in the third-annual Emerald Bowl Thursday, Dec. 30, at SBC Park (37,000) in San Francisco. Kickoff is set for 1:30 p.m. PST (4:30 p.m. in Annapolis) with the game nationally televised by ESPN2.

The Emerald Bowl 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), FOX Sports Radio in Norfolk, Va. (1050 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 (for channel number go to www.sirius.com).

The Navy Football Pregame show will air an hour before kickoff (3:30 p.m. EST) 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 at 2:30 p.m.

Mids Looking To Tie School Record For Wins
A win by Navy over New Mexico in the Emerald Bowl would give the Midshipmen 10 wins for just the second time in school history and for the first time in 99 years.

The 1905 Navy squad, coached by Paul Dashiell, posted a 10-1-1 record with victories over North Carolina (38-0), Maryland (17-0), Penn State (11-5), Virginia (22-0) and Virginia Tech (12-6). Swarthmore handed the Mids their only defeat, 6-5, while Navy tied Army, 6-6.

Navy On Historic Run
Navy's 17 wins over the last two years (8-5 in 2003, 9-2 in 2004) is the most wins at Navy over a two-year span since 1907-08 when the Mids won a school-record 18 games over a two-year stretch (9-2-1 in 1907 and 9-2-1 in 1908). The Mids also won 18 games over two years in 1905-06 and 1906-07.

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

Injury Report
The Mids are expected to be healthy for the Emerald Bowl. Senior wide receiver Amir Jenkins (Temple Hills, Md.) missed the Army-Navy game with a knee injury but is expected to return for the bowl game.

Fallen Brothers
The Navy football family has lost three members and had a fourth injured over the past three 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.

Second Lt. J.P. Blecksmith, USMC ('03), was killed Nov. 11 (Veterans Day), during a military action in Falluja, Iraq. Blecksmith, who played quarterback and wide receiver, was a four-year member of the footbal team and earned a letter as a senior.

First Lt. Scott Swantner, USMC ('01), who played with Winchester on Navy's offensive line, was wounded in Iraq on Oct. 6, when a grenade exploded during a house-to-house search. Swanter, who played tackle, was a four-year member of the football team and a two-year starter.

Paul Johnson National Coach-Of-The-Year Candidate
*Navy is 9-2 which equals the most wins in the regular season since 1963. Navy has won nine or more regular-season games just eight times in school history and just three times in the last 67 years. The Mids also won nine regular-season games in 1960 (9-2), 1926 (9-0-1), 1908 (9-2-1), 1907 (9-2-1) and 1905 (10-1-1). The school record for wins is 10, set in 1905.

*The Mids are going to a bowl game in back-to-back years for just the second time in school history (1980-81). Navy played in the EV1.net Houston Bowl last year and are playing in the Emerald Bowl this year.

*Navy's 17 wins over the last two years (8-5 in 2003, 8-2 in 2004) is the most wins at Navy over a two-year span since 1907 and 1908 (9-2-1 in 1907 and 9-2-1 in 1908), when Navy won a school-record 18 games. The Mids also won 18 games in 1905-06 and 1906-07.

*Navy has posted back-to-back winning seasons for the first time since 1996-97. Last year, the Mids were 8-5. This year marks just the fourth winning season for Navy in the last 20 years and the 10th in the last 40 years.

*Navy has won eight-straight home games and is 10-1 at home over the last two years after losing 14 straight from 2001-03.

*Over the last 20 years, Navy is 45-131 (.256) without Paul Johnson on the sidelines calling the plays and 33-26 (.559) with three bowl appearances in the five-plus years he's been on the sidelines (two years as a coordinator and three years as a head coach).

*Navy is 17-7 (.708) over the last two years.

*Johnson took over a program that was 1-20 the previous two years, the worst two-year stretch in school history.

Mids Accept Invitation To Emerald Bowl
Naval Academy Director of Athletics Chet Gladchuk announced Nov. 22 that the Naval Academy had accepted an invitation to play in the Emerald Bowl.

"Bringing our football team to one of the best cities in the world is as good as it gets," said Gladchuk. "I am certain those affiliated with Navy who visit for this prestigious bowl game will be immeasurably impressed with what Gary Cavalli and his bowl committee have created. I expect Navy fans will turn out by the thousands to enjoy the city's enthusiastic hospitality, while cheering on one of the best football teams in school history. The Navy, Marines, our alumni and fans are preparing to "invade" San Francisco with a winning spirit and a sincere sense of appreciation for being selected."

"This is exciting news for our football program. I couldn't be happier for our players and coaching staff in getting this opportunity," said head football coach Paul Johnson. "These young men have earned this through their dedication in the weight room and on the practice field. We still have three major goals left to accomplish. Beat Army, which would give us the Commander-In-Chief's Trophy, and win a bowl game."

"We're thrilled that Navy has accepted our invitation," said Gary Cavilli, Executive Director of the Emerald Bowl. "Navy was being courted by a number of other bowl games throughout the country, and we're honored that they have decided to come to San Francisco. They bring the whole package-a quality team, a big crowd, a strong national following and the incredible pageantry of the U.S. Naval Academy. This is a real coup for the Emerald Bowl."

SBC Park, the home of the Emerald Bowl, is also the home of Barry Bonds and the San Francisco Giants.

Tickets are priced at $75 for club level seats, $50 for seats on the sidelines and $40 for seats in the upper deck. For those fans interested in purchasing tickets to donate to Midshipmen or enlisted personnel who plan to attend the game the cost of the $40 seat is $30. The Academy hopes to transport 3,000 midshipmen to San Francisco in support of the team. Supporters of the Naval Academy are asked to "buy a ticket for a Mid" through the Naval Academy Athletic Association ticket office to help address their expenses. Tickets are available at the Naval Academy Box Office in Ricketts Hall, by calling 1-800-US4-NAVY or online at www.navysports.com.

In The Polls
Navy received votes in the ESPN/USA Today Coaches poll for the 10th time in the last 11 weeks, earning 28 voting points (1 point for 25th, 2 for 24th, etc). The 28 points is tied with Purdue for the 30th most in the country.

Navy received votes in the Associated Press poll for the ninth time in the last 10 weeks, as Navy accumulated 28 voting points, which is the 29th most in the country.

Navy has not been ranked in the Top 25 since Oct. 22, 1979, when the 6-0 Midshipmen rose as high as 17th in the polls.

Series History
This will be the first-ever meeting between the Lobos and the Midshipmen.

Scouting New Mexico
New Mexico enters the Emerald Bowl with a 7-4 record. The Lobos
have been a defensive powerhouse, leading the Mountain West in scoring defense (17.3), rushing defense (93.7 YPG), total defense (316.9 YPG), sacks (42) and red-zone defense.

Junior tailback DonTrell Moore is the leader on offense, finishing second in the league in rushing with an average of 108.3 yards per game. Moore was unanimously named to the Mountain West All-Conference Team for the third straight year with five other team members earning MWC First-Team honors: Claude Terrell (OT), Ryan Cook (C), Marcus Parker (NT), Nick Speegle (LB) and Brandon Payne (CB).

New Mexico finished the season with five straight wins to claim second place in the Mountain West behind BCS-bound Utah.

The Lobos' will be making a school-record third consecutive bowl appearance (Las Vegas Bowl in 2002 and 2003).

Bowl History
This will be Navy's 11th bowl game appearance overall and the second-straight year the Mids have played in postseason play.

The Emerald Bowl appearance marks just the second time in school history that Navy has gone to back-to-back bowl games (1980 Garden State Bowl and 1981 Liberty Bowl).

Last year in the EV1.net Houston Bowl, Navy lost to Texas Tech, 38-14, as Tech quarterback B.J. Symons threw for 497 yards and four touchdowns.

Navy quarterback Craig Candeto led Navy with 90 rushing yards and two touchdowns.

Navy is 4-5-1 all-time in bowl games with the last bowl win coming in 1996, 42-38, over California in the Aloha Bowl.

The Mids also own victories over Mississippi in the 1955 Sugar Bowl (21-0), Rice in the 1958 Cotton Bowl (20-7) and BYU in the 1978 Holiday Bowl (23-16).

The Mids have lost to Missouri in the 1961 Orange Bowl (21-14), Texas in the 1964 Cotton Bowl (28-6), Houston in the 1980 Garden State Bowl (35-0), Ohio State in the 1981 Liberty Bowl (31-28) and Texas Tech in the Houston Bowl last year.

Navy and Washington tied 14-14 in the 1924 Rose Bowl.

Navy is one of just 10 schools to have played in the traditional "big four" bowl games: Rose, Sugar, Cotton and Orange. The other schools are Alabama, Duke, Georgia, Georgia Tech, Miami (Fla.), Notre Dame, Ohio State, Oklahoma and Penn State.

Seniors Lead Mids To Rout Of Army For Third-Consecutive Year
Senior fullback Kyle Eckel (Haverford, Pa.) rushed for a career-high 179 yards and one touchdown, senior quarterback Aaron Polanco (Wimberley, Texas) threw for two touchdowns and rushed for another and senior safety Josh Smith (Attica, Ind.) came up with a team-high 12 tackles and intercepted a pass and returned it 67 yards for a touchdown as Navy dominated Army for the third-consecutive year, 42-13, in front of a sellout crowd of 67,882 that included President George W. Bush at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia.

The victory gave Navy the Commander-In-Chief's Trophy, which is presented annually to the winner of the football competition among the three major service academies and is named in honor of the President of the United States, for the second-consecutive year. It is just the second time in school history that Navy has won the trophy two-straight years (1978-79).

After a scoreless first quarter, Navy exploded for 28-consecutive points. Polanco got things going with a 10-yard touchdown run with 14:23 remaining in the second quarter and then Eckel, who was named the Philadelphia Sportswriters Most Valuable Player for the second-consecutive year, followed with a 23-yard romp on Navy's next possession.

Smith would put the game away on Army's next possession when he intercepted a Zac Dahman pass and returned it 67 yards for a touchdown. Mick Yokitis (Jr./Pittsburgh, Pa.) caught a 12-yard touchdown toss from Polanco with 1:15 left in the half to make it 28-0.
The Mids scored twice more in the second half on a nine-yard scoring strike from Polanco to Eric Roberts (Sr./Miami, Fla.) and on a 17-yard run by Lamar Owens (Jr./Savannah, Ga.).
The Mids outgained Army, 405-319. Navy gained 305 yards on the ground and 100 yards through the air.

Notes From The Army Game
*The all-time series is now tied, 49-49-7. This is the 12th time the series has
been tied and the first time since 1992. Army's biggest series lead has been
by eight games in 1938 and 1949. Navy's biggest series lead has been three
games in 1983 and 1985. Navy's longest winning streak in the series is five
games, done twice. Army's longest winning streak in the series is five games,
done twice.

*Navy has outscored Army by 195 points in the 105 games (1,529-1,334).
*Navy has won three-straight games over Army for the first time since 1978-80. The Mids have claimed five of the last six and six of the last eight contests.

*Navy head coach Paul Johnson is 5-1 in service academy games and has won five straight.

*Johnson is the first Navy coach since George Welsh (1973-75) and just the fourth in school history to win their first-three Army-Navy games. The other two are Eddie Erdelatz (1950-52) and Swede Larson (1939-41).

*Navy has outscored Army, 134-31, in the last three meetings.

*Navy won the Commander-In-Chief's Trophy for the second-straight season. It is only the second time in school history that Navy has won the trophy in back-to-back years.

*Navy won nine regular-season games for the first time since 1963 and for the eighth time in school history.

*The 29-point margin of victory is tied for the fourth-largest margin of victory by Navy in the 105 meetings. The 42 points are the fourth most scored by Navy against Army.

*Navy was held scoreless in the first quarter for the seventh time in 11 games.

*Navy's 28 second-quarter points are the most in a quarter this season and the most since scoring 28 in the first quarter last year against Central Michigan (11/22/03).

*Navy has outscored the opposition 119-57 in the second quarter this year.

*Navy has outscored the opposition 68-14 in the first half of the last two games, including a 47-7 margin in the second quarter.

*Dating back to the Rutgers game, Navy had eight straight scoring drives that lasted under three minutes in length.

*Aaron Polanco's (Sr./Wimberley, Texas) 12-yard touchdown pass to Mick Yokitis (Sr./Pittsburgh, Pa.) in the second quarter put Polanco over 1,000 yards passing in 2004 and it was Yokitis' first career touchdown. It was also Yokitis' first catch since the season-opener against Duke and it was Polanco's first career touchdown pass away from Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium.

*Polanco's third-quarter TD pass to Eric Roberts (Sr./Miami, Fla.) gave him his first-career two-touchdown passing day.

*Kyle Eckel (Sr./Haverford, Pa.) has been dominant in service academy games rushing for 714 yards (119 yards per game) and six touchdowns. He has punished Army for 341 yards and three touchdowns on 55 carries the last two seasons.

*With Josh Smith's (Sr./Attica, Ind.) 67-yard interception return for a touchdown against Army, the Mids have returned an interception for a touchdown in two-consecutive games. David Mahoney (So./Fort Myers, Fla.) intercepted a pass and returned it 18 yards for a touchdown against Rutgers.

*Eric Shuey's (Jr./Hacienda Heights, Calif.) 48-yard punt on Navy's first drive tied for the second-longest of his career. His long was a 69-yard boot at Air Force.

*Polanco is 11-18 pasing for 237 yards and three touchdowns with no interceptions over his last two games.

The Red Zone
The Mids have scored on 33 of their 46 trips (72 percent) inside the red
zone with 30 (65 percent) of those scores going for touchdowns.

Disciplined Football
Navy is second in the country for the least amount of penalties
per game, averaging four penalties per contest. The Mids are also second
in fewest yards penalized per game, averaging 34.27.

Least Penalized Teams In The Country
(Penalties Per Game)
1. Illinois 3.82
2. Navy 4.00
3. Missouri 4.27
Oklahoma State 4.27
5. Colorado State 4.36
6. Wisconsin 4.55
7. Michigan 4.82
Vanderbilt 4.82
9. Minnesota 4.91
10. UCLA 5.00

Least Penalized Teams In The Country
(Penalty Yards Per Game)
1. Illinois 32.82
2. Navy 34.27
3. Oklahoma State 34.55
4. Minnesota 34.82
5. Colorado State 35.00
6. Missouri 35.36
7. Wisconsin 36.18
8. Duke 38.18
9. East Carolina 39.73
9. UCLA 39.73

Careful With The Throws
Navy quarterbacks have thrown just four interceptions this year (all by
Polanco), which is tied for the sixth fewest in the country.

Least Amount Of Interceptions In The
Country
1. North Texas 2
2. Texas A&M 3
Louisville 3
Georgia 3
Bowling Green 3
6. Navy 4
Ball State 4
Oklahoma State 4
9. Miami (Fla.) 5
Virginia 5
Vanderbilt 5
Utah 5

Navy Trying 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 third in the nation in rushing after 11 games, averaging 291.4 yards per contest.

Top Rushing Teams In The Country
1. Rice 306.55
2. Texas 302.36
3. Navy 291.36
4. Air Force 277.36
5. California 260.00
6. Minnesota 255.09
7. West Virginia 254.18
8. Oklahoma State 245.00
9. Utah 244.91
10. Louisville 243.27

Time On His Hands
Paul Johnson has posted a 9-4 record (.692) as Navy's head coach when having more than one week to prepare.

In 2002, the Mids posted a 2-2 record with more than one week to prepare, defeating SMU and Army and losing to Northwestern and Notre Dame.

In 2003, Navy was 4-1 in games in which they had more than one week to prepare, defeating VMI, Eastern Michigan, Central Michigan and Army and losing to Texas Tech in the Houston Bowl.

In 2004, the Mids are 3-1 (defeating Duke, Rutgers and Army and losing to Notre Dame) when having more than one week to prepare.

In Paul We Trust
Navy football has struggled over the last 20 years, compiling an overall
record of 77-157 (.329).

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 33-26 (.559) and have appeared in three bowl
games. The Mids are 17-7 (.708) over the last two years and have won 15
of their last 20 contests (.750).

In the 15 years over that 20-year span that Johnson hasn't been on the
sidelines, 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 23 for 43 (54 percent) in converting third
downs in the first quarter, 15 for 46 (33 percent) in the second quarter,
12 for 32 (38 percent) in the third quarter and just 15 for 40 (38 percent)
in the fourth quarter.