8/30/2004 - Football
Navy Football Release

Files associated with this release:
Navy-Duke Game Notes

Game Data
Navy and Duke square off in the season opener for both squads Saturday, Sept. 4 at Jack Stephens Field at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium (34,000). Kickoff is set for 6 p.m. The game is designated as Anne Arundel County Day as Anne Arundel County residents can purchase tickets for $15 each in advance by calling (410) 293-8711 or by stopping by the Navy Ticket Office in Ricketts Hall (Monday-Friday, 9 a.m.-4:30 p.m.). Tickets and single-game parking passes can be purchased at the Naval Academy Ticket Office in Ricketts Hall, by calling 1-800-US4-NAVY or by logging on to the web at www.navysports.com.
The game will be televised nationally by HDNet with Pete Medhurst calling the play-by-play and former Navy wide receiver Astor Heaven (?97) handling the color commentary. Danyelle Sargent will serve as the sideline reporter.
HDNet (www.hd.net), the leading all-high-definition network, is available on Adelphia, Charter, Insight, Mediacom and Time Warner cable outlets as well as DIRECTV and DISH Network. A high-definition television set and receiver is required to view HDNet. Viewers should contact their cable and satellite service provider for more information. HDNet programming is also available at participating restaurants and bars and other public viewing locations throughout the United States. For locations showing HDTV, go to: www.hd.net/sportsbars.html.
The game will also be broadcast 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) and ESPN Radio in Cambridge, Md. (1240 AM). The game can also be heard world wide via the internet at www.navysports.com or at www.wnav.com.
Bob Socci returns for his eighth season on the Navy football broadcasts and is in his seventh year as the full-time, play-by-play announcer. Socci will be joined by Omar Nelson (?97), who enters his third year as a member of the Navy Radio Network and his second as the full-time color analyst, and noted sports author and Duke graduate John Feinstein, who enters his eighth season on the Navy Radio Network. Feinstein will do a weekly pregame segment with Socci and will join Socci and Nelson in the booth for the Duke, Notre Dame and Army games.

Injury Report
Starting wide receiver Amir Jenkins (Temple Hills, Md.) is out with a right knee injury. Second team linebacker T.J. Costello (Olmsted Township, Ohio) is out with a right ankle injury. Starting offensive tackle Casey Hughes (Houston, Texas) is questionable with a left ankle injury.

Season Openers
Navy is 2-0 in season openers under Johnson, beating SMU in 2002 (38-7) and VMI in 2003 (37-10). Before Johnson came to Navy, the Mids had dropped the previous five season openers. In fact, since 1991, Navy is 4-0 with Johnson on the sidelines for a season opener (2-0 as an assistant and 2-0 as a head coach) and 0-9 when he isn't on the sidelines.
Johnson is 6-1 all-time in season openers (2-0 at Navy and 4-1 at Georgia Southern) as a head coach and has won those games by an average score of 43-14. Johnson's only loss in an opener as a head coach was a 29-7 defeat at Georgia in 2000 when he was the head coach at Georgia Southern.

Navy vs. The ACC
The Mids have been clobbered by the ACC in recent years, losing the last nine games by an average margin of 27 points (44-17). During the nine-game losing streak against the ACC, Navy has given up 40 or more points in six of those contests including a 70-point outing by Georgia Tech and a 65- point outburst by N.C. State. Navy has also lost to Duke twice during that span, dropping a 43-17 decision in 2002 and losing to the Blue Devils in Durham in 1997, 26-17.
Navy last beat an ACC opponent in 1996 when Paul Johnson was the Mids' offensive coordinator as Navy went into Atlanta and stunned Georgia Tech, 36-26. The Mids also beat Wake Forest (47-18) and Duke (64-27) that year.

Time On His Hands
Paul Johnson has posted a 6-3 record 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 (0-8 in one week preparation games), defeating SMU and Army and losing to Northwestern and Army. Last year, Navy was 4-1 in games in which they had more than one week to prepare (4-4 in one week preparation games) defeating VMI, Eastern Michigan, Central Michigan and Army and losing to Texas Tech in the Houston Bowl.

Navy At Night
The Duke game will be the first under the lights at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium since the season-opener in 2000 when Navy lost to Temple, 14-6. The Mids have lost nine of their last 11 games played at night, with the only wins coming in the season opener in 2002 when Navy won at SMU, 38-7, and in 1999 when the Mids won at Kent, 48-28.

Series History
Navy leads the all-time series against the Devils, 16-12-5, but Duke has won the last two. Navy's last win against the Blue Devils came in 1996 when the Mids routed Duke, 64-27, on Homecoming.

The Tar Heel State
Navy had nine players on its roster from North Carolina, including two starters. Senior starting offensive tackle Tyson Stahl hails from Raleigh, while starting sophomore cornerback Keenan Little is from Boiling Springs.
Other North Carolinians on the roster include: senior slot back Ryan Barry (Raleigh), freshman quarterback Troy Goss (Shelby), senior defensive end Adam Horne (Lexington), freshman slot back Jonathan Peoples (Kannapolis), freshman defensive end Lasanio Small (Greensboro), sophomore linebacker Jake Tenuta (Fayetteville) and freshman linebacker Matt Wimsatt (Raleigh).
Head coach Paul Johnson is a native of Newland and a 1979 graduate of Western Carolina, while defensive coordinator Buddy Green is a native of Stanley and is a 1976 graduate of N.C. State.

Preseason Predictions
Preseason magazines have projected varying degrees of success for the 2004 Navy football team. Below is a recap of what the magazines predict.

Magazine Rank (out of 117) Record
Athlon 60th 6-1(four toss-ups)
The Sporting News 69th 9-2
College Sports Report 81st 7-4
College Football News 85th 8-3
College Football News 67th 9-2



Notes From 2003
It was a dream season for the 2003 Midshipmen. Below is a list of some of the teams accomplishments:

? Navy posted an 8-5 record and played in the EV1.Net Houston Bowl after struggling to a 3-30 record the previous three years, the worst three-year stretch in the 122-year history of Navy football.

? It was Navy's third winning season in the last 20 years and just the ninth winning season in the last 40 years. The eight wins tied for the third-most wins in the last 40 years at the Naval Academy.

? The eight wins equaled the win total of the previous four years combined.

? Navy defeated Air Force for the first time since 1996 and won the Commander-In-Chief's Trophy for the first time since 1981.

? The Mids led the nation in rushing, averaging 323.2 yards per contest. Navy rushed for a school-record 4,202 yards, averaged a school-record 5.5 yards per attempt, a school-record 323.2 yards per game and rushed for a school-record 44 touchdowns.

? The Mids gained a school-record 5,506 yards of total offense. The previous record was 4,684 yards. Navy also averaged a school-record 423.5 yards per game of total offense and a school-record 6.0 yards per play.

? Navy's victory over then-No. 25 Air Force was the first over a ranked opponent since 1985 and broke a 35-game losing streak against ranked opponents.

? Navy won four games at home after winning just three home games the previous five years combined.

? Navy went from 2-10 to 8-5, an improvement of 5.5 games, the second-best turnaround in the country.

? Thanks to Johnson's potent triple option offense, Navy was just the second team in NCAA history to have four players on the same team produce over 1,000-career yards rushing.

? The EV1.net Houston Bowl was Navy's first bowl game since 1996 and just the school's second bowl game in 22 years.

? Navy became just the sixth team in NCAA history to go from winless to a bowl game in two years or less.

Johnson Receives Accolades
There is no disputing the fact that Navy head football coach Paul Johnson was one of the best coaches in the country in 2003. Johnson took over a program that had recorded a 1-20 mark the previous two years, the worst two-year stretch in school history, and turned it into a bowl team in just two years.
Johnson was recognized nationally for his coaching performance, as he was a finalist for the Eddie Robinson Coach of the Year award, presented by the Football Writers Association of America, and for the Paul ?Bear? Bryant Coach of the Year award, presented by the National Sportscasters and Sportswriters Association. He finished fifth in the Associated Press Coach-of- the-Year balloting.

Mids One Of The Nation's Most Improved Teams In 2003
The Navy football team's improvement in 2003 tied for the second-best turnaround in the country. The Mids finished the 2002 campaign with a 2-10 record and improved to 8-5 in 2003, an improvement of 5.5 games (1/2 game for each win and 1/2 game for each loss).
Tulsa, who Navy will play on Sept. 18, was the most improved team in the country, going from 1-11 to 8-5, an improvement of 6.5 games.

Most Improved Teams In 2003
School 2002 Record 2003 Record Improvement
1. Tulsa 1-11 8-5 +6.5
2. Navy 2-10 8-5 +5.5
Memphis 3-9 9-4 +5.5
4. Miami (Ohio) 7-5 13-1 +5.0
5. Utah 5-6 10-2 +4.5
LSU 8-5 13-1 +4.5

Navy Looks To Defend Rushing Crown
The Mids led the nation in rushing in 2003, averaging 323.2 yards per game. It is just the second time in school history that Navy has led the country in rushing. The only other time was in 1999 when the Mids averaged 292.2 yards per game.

NCAA Leaders In Rushing Yards Per Game
1. Navy 323.23
2. Rice 316.67
3. Minnesota 289.15
4. Air Force 280.58
5. Arkansas 241.92
6. Missouri 237.46
7. Nebraska 235.62
8. Texas 232.54
9. Kansas State 228.60
10. Louisville 228.15

Roberts Closing In On School First
Senior slot back Eric Roberts (Miami, Fla.) is closing in on the the 1,000-yard mark for career rushing and receiving yards. He has 1,061 yards rushing and 922 yards receiving.
Roberts needs just 78 yards receiving this season to become the first player in school history to gain more than 1,000-career yards rushing and receiving. Roberts will also become just the 34th player in NCAA history to accomplish this feat and just the second active player, joining Texas Tech's Taurean Henderson.
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.) made big play after big play in 2003. Roberts scored five touchdowns last year 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 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.
Roberts has six-career multi-touchdown days, including four in 2003.

Touchdown Catches In A Season
1. Ryan Read (1998) 6
Chris Weiler (1984) 6
Phil McConkey (1978) 6
Rob Taylor (1967) 6
5. Eric Roberts (2003) 5

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

Roberts Chasing Former Teammate For Career Rushing Yards Per Attempt Record
Senior slot back Eric Roberts (Miami, Fla.) is chasing former teammate Tony Lane for the school record for career yards per carry (minimum 100 attempts).
Lane averaged 8.9 yards per carry in his career, rushing for 1,288 yards on 144 carries.
Roberts enters his senior year averaging 8.6 yards per carry in his career, rushing for 1,099 yards on 127 carries.

Career Rushing Yards Per Attempt
(minimum 100 attempts)
1. Tony Lane (2001-03) 8.9
2. Eric Roberts (2002-current) 8.6
3. Bob Craig (1952-54) 5.7
4. Joe Gattuso (1952-54) 5.5
5. Ned Oldham (1955-57) 5.2

Roberts Holds Career Record For Yards Per Reception; Appears Twice On Single-Season List
Eric Roberts (Sr./Miami, Fla.) is the school record holder for yards per reception in a career and stands second and fourth in yards per reception in a season.
Roberts is averaging 24.9 yards per catch in his career, catching 37 passes for 920 yards. The previous record was 19.3 yards per reception by Jim Stewart (1960-62)
In 2003, Roberts had 20 catches for 493 yards (24.6 average), many of them spectacular, and five touchdowns. The 24.6 average is the fourth-best single-season average in school history.
In 2002, Roberts averaged 25.2 yards per catch, the second-best single-season average in school history.


Career Yards Per Reception
1. Eric Roberts (2002-03) 24.9
2. Jim Stewart (1960-62) 19.3
3. Matt Scornavacchi (1993-95) 19.2
4. Phil McConkey (1975-78) 19.1

Single-Season Yards Per Reception
1. Ryan Read (1998) 25.5
2. Eric Roberts (2002) 25.2
3. Phil McConkey (1978) 24.8
4. Eric Roberts (2003) 24.6
5. Pat McGrew (1997) 22.6

Eckel, Eckel, Eckel
Senior fullback Kyle Eckel's (Havertown, Pa.) hard-nosed running style has developed a cult following among the Brigade of Midshipmen. The student body chanted his name in unison every time he touched the ball in 2003, which was often and for big gains.
Eckel was named the Philadelphia Sportswriters Most Valuable Player for his 152-yard, two-touchdown performance against Army. It was his third-straight two-touchdown day and the fourth of the season.
Eckel ran over the Air Force defense for a career-high 176 yards (previous career high was 129 this year against VMI) on a career-high 33 carries (previous career high was 18) and scored one touchdown in Navy's upset of the Falcons.
His 176 yards rushing against Air Force were the most by a non-quarterback at Navy since Chuck Smith rushed for 182 yards against Dartmouth in 1986.
Eckel rushed for over 100 yards seven times in 2003 (VMI, Rutgers, Air Force, Vanderbilt, Tulane, Central Michigan and Army), tied for the fourth most in school history, after not topping the century mark in 2002.
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.

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

Eckel Rushes For 1,000 Yards
Navy fullback Kyle Eckel (Sr./Haverford, Pa.) cracked the 1,000-yard mark in 2003 when he rushed for 167 yards against Central Michigan. He became just the eighth player in school history to rush for 1,000 yards in a season and the first since Chris McCoy in 1997. He was the first non-quarterback to rush for 1,000 yards since Napoleon McCallum in 1985.

Navy Single-Season Rushing Leaders
1. Napoleon McCallum (1983) 1,587
2. Chris McCoy (1997) 1,370
3. Napoleon McCallum (1985) 1,327
4. Eddie Meyers (1981) 1,318
5. Joe Gattuso Jr. (1977) 1,292
6. Kyle Eckel (2003) 1,249
7. Chris McCoy (1996) 1,228
8. Craig Candeto (2003) 1,112
9. Cleveland Cooper (1972) 1,046
10. Eddie Meyers (1980) 957

Eckel On Career Rushing List
Fullback Kyle Eckel (Haverford, Pa.) enters his senior season with 1,759 yards career rushing, the ninth most in school history. If Eckel can duplicate his junior campaign, he could become just the third player in school history to rush for over 3,000 yards in a career. Eckel needs just 44 yards to pass Brian Madden (1999, 2001) for eighth on Navy's career list.

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. Craig Candeto (2001-03) 1,949
7. Joe Gattuso Jr. (1975-77) 1,890
8. Brian Madden (1999, 2001) 1,802
9 Kyle Eckel (2002-03) 1,759
10. Chuck Smith (1984-87) 1,744

Eckel Selected To Play In East-West Shrine Game
Senior fullback Kyle Eckel (Haverford, Pa.) has been invited to play in the prestigious East-West Shrine All-Star Game, which will take place 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 Ranked As The Second Best Fullback In The Country By The Sporting News
Senior fullback Kyle Eckel (Haverford, Pa.) was ranked as the second best fullback in the country by The Sporting News. Senior Zach Tuiasosopo of Washington was ranked first.

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 rushed for 1,449 yards on 148 carries (9.8 yards per carry) and 14 touchdowns (one every 10.6 carries) in 2003.
The slots were led on the ground by Eric Roberts (Sr./Miami, Fla), who rushed for 630 yards and five touchdowns on 69 carries (9.1 yards per carry).
The slots also proved dangerous through the air, catching 31 passes for 677 yards (21.8 yards per catch) and five touchdowns (one every 6.2 catches).
Roberts led the way with 20 catches for 493 yards (24.7 yards per catch) and five touchdowns.
All told, the slots touched the ball 179 times (rushing and receiving) and gained 2,114 yards (11.8 yards per touch) and scored 18 touchdowns in 2003.

Backfield Ranked 16th Best In The Country
The Navy backfield (fullbacks and slot backs) has been ranked the 16th- best backfield in the nation by Phil Steele's College Football Preview Magazine.
The Mids' running game is led by senior fullback and All-America candidate Kyle Eckel (Haverford, Pa.), who rushed for 1,249 yards and 10 touchdowns last fall as he helped lead the Midshipmen to an 8-5 record, a berth in the Houston Bowl and victories over Air Force and Army that brought the Commander-In-Chief's Trophy back to Annapolis for the first time since 1981. Eckel enters his senior campaign as the ninth-leading rusher in school history with 1,759 yards and has a chance to become just the third player in school history, joining Napoleon McCallum and Chris McCoy, to rush for 3,000-career yards.
Eckel isn't the only All-America candidate in Navy's backfield as senior slot back Eric Roberts (Miami, Fla.) has made big plays with stunning regularity over the last two seasons. Roberts is one of the most explosive players to ever play at the Naval Academy, a statement that is backed up by the video game-like numbers he has put up over his career. Roberts enters his senior year averaging 8.6 yards per carry, the second-best average in school history, and a school-record 24.9 yards per catch. Roberts, who has had six games in which he has scored two touchdowns in a game, needs just 78 yards receiving to become the first player in school history to surpass the 1,000-yard barrier rushing and receiving.
The backfield, though, is more than just Eckel and Roberts. The Mids are stocked at fullback, a position that may be Navy's strongest, with sophomore Matt Hall (Cape Coral, Fla.) and junior Marvin Dingle (Coronado, Calif.).
Hall, considered to be the heir apparent to Eckel at fullback, may have been the most impressive player in Navy's spring drills as he showed a toughness to run inside and the speed to get away from defenders once he pops through the line. Not to be forgotten is Dingle, who may be the most physically gifted of the group.
Roberts will get help at slot back from senior Frank Divis (Avon, Ohio), sophomore Trey Hines (Douglassville, Ga.), junior Marco Nelson (Scottsdale, Ariz.), senior Ryan Barry (Raleigh, N.C.) and sophomore Byron McCoy (Liberty, Mo.).
Divis is one of the fastest players on the team, covering the 40-yard dash in 4.42 seconds, and is the best blocker among the slot backs.
After a productive freshman campaign that saw him score three touchdowns on 13 carries, Hines is expected to have a big impact in 2004. Hines has the speed and hands to challenge Roberts' career numbers before he leaves Annapolis.
Though small in stature, Nelson should not be overlooked. The 5-8, 185- pound slot had a big spring capped off by a four-catch, 102-yard performance in the spring game.
McCoy could be the sleeper of the group this year as he played junior varsity ball as a freshman, but he possesses good speed and can catch the ball out of the backfield. McCoy is a star in the classroom as well, pulling down a perfect 4.0 in his freshman year. Barry is hard-nosed player who will provide depth at slot and will be a key special teams performer.

TOP 20 BACKFIELDS IN THE COUNTRY
1. Kansas State
2. USC
3. LSU
4. Auburn
5. Texas
6. Louisville
7. NC State
8. Minnesota
9. Syracuse
10. Memphis
11. Miami (Fla.)
12. Florida State
13. Virginia
14. Tennessee
15. Wisconsin
16. Navy
17. Florida
18. South Carolina
19. Georgia
20. Maryland

Mids Tough In The Red Zone
Navy scored on 48 of its 59 trips inside the red zone (.814) last year, with 40 of those scores resulting in touchdowns (.678).
The Mids were great inside the red zone over the last eight games, scoring on 35-of-41 opportunities (.854), including 29 touchdowns (.707).
The defense gave up 37 scores in the opponents 50 trips inside its 20 (.740), with 30 of those scores being touchdowns (.600).

Creating Turnovers
The Navy defense has created at least one turnover in 19 of the last 20 games. The Mids' streak of 16-straight games causing a turnover ended last Nov. 8 at Notre Dame.

Defense Comes Ready To Play
The Navy defense gave up just three touchdowns last year in the first quarter and only once did a team score on its initial drive (Central Michigan). Navy outscored the opposition 123-30 in the first quarter last year.

Touchdown Trey
Sophomore slot back Trey Hines (Douglasville, Ga.) scored three rushing touchdowns on just 13 carries in 2003.

Turnovers Cause Losses
Over the last two years, Navy is 5-0 when it plays a game without committing a turnover and 5-15 when it turns the ball over at least once.

Leading At The Half Is Key
Navy was 7-1 in 2003 when leading at the half and 1-4 when trailing.

Quick Strike Offense
People unfamiliar with the triple option may think of it as a ground it out offense that can't score quickly. Those people would be sadly mistaken. The Mids scored 17 of their 52 (.326) touchdowns in 2003 in five plays or less.

Winning At Home. Finally!
Navy won four home games in 2003 (VMI, Eastern Michigan, Tulane and Central Michigan), one more home win than it had produced the previous FIVE years combined. The Mids won two home games in 1998, one in 1999 and none from 2000-02.
The four home wins are the most by a Navy team since 1997 when the Mids won five games at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium.

Johnson Unique
Navy head football coach Paul Johnson is one of just six Division I-A head coaches that did not play college football. The other five are David Cutcliffe (Ole Miss), Dennis Franchione (Texas A&M), Mike Leach (Texas Tech), Mark Mangino (Kansas) and Dean Pees (Kent State).

Rebuilding The Program
Navy head coach Paul Johnson took over a program that had won just one game in the previous two years (1-20), the worst two-year record in the 122-year history of Navy football. As Johnson says, ?the program didn't get this way overnight and it's not going to change overnight.?
For instance, Navy's all-time winningest coach, George Welsh, who was 55-46-1 (41-44-1 against Division I-A teams, 14-2 against I-AA opponents) from 1973-81 at Navy, took over a program that had won seven games the previous two seasons and didn't have a winning season until his third year (7-4 in 1975) and only had one winning season in his first five years (24-31 in his first five years). It wasn't until year six that Welsh got the program turned around and the Mids posted a 31-15-1 record over his final four years in Annapolis and played in three bowl games, including a win over BYU in the Holiday Bowl.
Since Welsh, Gary Tranquill posted a 17-26-1 (.398) record, Elliott Uzelac was 8-25 (.242), George Chaump won 14 of his 55 games (.255) and Charlie Weatherbie was 30-48 (.385).
Since Roger Staubach won the Heisman Trophy in 1963 (40 years ago), Navy has had nine winning seasons (1967, 1975, 1978, 1979, 1980, 1981, 1982, 1996, 1997 and 2003) and nine seasons with two wins or less (1968, 1969, 1970, 1987, 1991, 1992, 2000, 2001, 2002).
In the last 20 years, Navy has had three winning seasons (1996, 1997 and 2003) and six seasons with two wins or less (1987, 1991, 1992, 2000, 2001 and 2002).

Smith Ranked As The Sixth-Best Free Safety In The Country By The Sporting News
Senior free safety Josh Smith (Attica, Ind.) has been ranked as the sixth-best free safety in the country by The Sporting News. Junior Josh Bullocks of Nebraska was ranked first.
Despite missing three games because of injury, Smith still led the team in tackles for the second year in a row with 108 and also added a team-high tying four interceptions.
If Smith leads the team in tackles in 2004, he will become the first Navy player since Andy Ponseigo (1981-83) to lead Navy in tackles three-consecutive years.

Slots Rushing For 100
Eric Roberts' (Sr./Miami, Fla.) 125 yards rushing against Rutgers last year marked the first time a Navy slot back had 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.

Mids Like NFL Stadiums
Navy has played very well in its last-five ventures into NFL stadiums. In 2002, the Mids nearly pulled off the upset of the century against Notre Dame before falling in the final seconds, 30-23, at Ravens Stadium in Baltimore. The Mids then pummeled Army, 58-12, in the season finale at Giants Stadium.
In 2003, the Mids beat Air Force, 28-25, for the first time since 1996 at the Washington Redskins' FedEx Field, defeated Army, 34-6, in Philadelphia's Lincoln Financial Field and lost to Texas Tech, 38-14, at Houston's Reliant Stadium in the EV1.net Houston Bowl.
This year, Navy will play Notre Dame at Giants Stadium in East Rutherford on Oct, 16 and Army at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia on Dec. 4.

No Overtime
Since the NCAA adopted the overtime rule in 1996, Navy is one of just three schools (North Texas and Tulsa are the other two) who have yet to play an overtime game.

Navy In The 2003 National Rankings
{117 Teams in Division IA}
2003 2002
Rushing Offense 1st (323.23) 3rd (270.8)
Passing Offense 116th (100.31) 115th (98.7)
Total Offense 27th (423.54) 69th (369.4)
Scoring Offense 30th (30.46) 80th (24.2)
Rushing Defense 78th (172.54) 102nd (202.5)
Pass Defense 14th (180.23) 61st (220.3)
Pass Efficiency Defense 42nd (118.04) 116th (167.4)
Total Defense 42nd (352.77) 100th (422.8)
Scoring Defense 34th (21.77) 108th (36.3)
Net Punting 74th (34.65) 45th (35.2)
Punt Return 86th (8.0) 107th (6.3)
Kickoff Return 101st (18.1) 57th (20.1)
Turnover Margin 25th (+0.54) 105th (-1.2)
Rushing Kyle Eckel (33rd, 96.1)
Craig Candeto (45th, 85.5)
Interceptions Josh Smith (36th, 0.40)
Eddie Carthan (62nd, 0.31)
Punt Returns Jason Tomlinson (81st, 7.7)
Field Goals Eric Rolfs (81st, 0.73)
All-Purpose Runners Kyle Eckel (81st, 106.5)

Smith And Polanco Named Captains
Josh Smith (Attica, Ind.) and Aaron Polanco (Wimberley, Texas) have been elected captains for the 2004 season by their teammates.
Smith, a 2004 All-America candidate, has led the Midshipmen in tackles each of the last two seasons.
In 2003, Smith recorded 108 tackles, five tackles for a loss, picked off four passes and recovered two fumbles despite missing three games due to injury as he helped lead Navy to an 8-5 season, victories over Air Force and Army to win the Commander-In-Chief's Trophy and a berth in the Houston Bowl.
Smith had one of his best games at Navy in the Houston Bowl against Texas Tech when he recorded 13 tackles and intercepted a pass. Smith also had big games last year against VMI (11 tackles, tackle for a loss and a fumble recovery), TCU (12 tackles and a pass broken up), Eastern Michigan (two interceptions), Rutgers (18 tackles and an interception), Tulane (11 tackles, tackle for a loss, forced fumble, fumble recovery), Notre Dame (12 tackles and a tackle for a loss) and Central Michigan (10 tackles, forced fumble, deflected pass).
Polanco will enter the fall as the starting quarterback after serving as the backup to Craig Candeto for the last two seasons. Last year, Polanco saw action in seven games, gaining 173 yards and one touchdown on the ground and completing eight of his 20 passes for 98 yards.
Any doubts about Polanco's abilities were quickly erased when he was a sophomore as he came off the bench against an undefeated Notre Dame squad and nearly led the Mids to the biggest upset in school history.
Polanco took over for an injured Candeto after the first series and directed the Mids to a 23-15 lead late in the fourth quarter only to see Notre Dame rally for 15 points over the final 4:28 to defeat Navy, 30-23. Polanco, playing against the nation's top defense, rushed for 39 yards and two touchdowns and threw for 40 yards.