9/13/2004 - Football
Navy-Tulsa Game Notes

Files associated with this release:
Navy-Tulsa Release

Game Data
Navy (2-0) and Tulsa (0-2), the two most improved football teams in the country in 2003, will square off Saturday evening at Skelly Stadium (40,385) in the home opener for the Golden Hurricane. Kickoff is set for 6 p.m. local time (7 p.m. EST).

Navy is off to a 2-0 start for the first time since 1996 (finished 9-3 and won the Aloha Bowl) and for just the third time in 23 years (the 1988 team started 2-0 and finished 3-8). Navy has not started 3-0 since 1979 when the Mids won six straight to start the year before losing four of their final five to finish 7-4. The Mids have started 3-0 just twice in the last 40 years (the 1978 team started 7-0).

Saturday's game will 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), 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 or at www.wnav.com. The Navy Football Pregame show will air an hour before kickoff (6 p.m. EST) on those same networks.

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. Noted sports author John Feinstein, who enters his eighth season on the Navy Radio Network, 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.

Veteran announcers Pete Medhurst and Joe Miller will kick things off with the Navy Tailgate show on 1430 WNAV and www.wnav.com two hours before kickoff (5 p.m. EST).

Injury Report
The Mids are expected to be at full stength for the first time this year.

Series History
Saturday's game will be the first meeting between Navy and Tulsa.

From The OK State
Hailing from Edmond, sophomore second-team outside linebacker Tyler Tidwell is the only Navy player from the state of Oklahoma.

Knows Navy
Tulsa tight ends coach and recruiting coordinator Matt Wells was an assistant at Navy from 1997-2001.

Scouting Tulsa
The Hurricane are off to an 0-2 start, but have lost to good teams on the road in 2003 bowl participants Kansas (21-3) and Oklahoma State (38-21).

Quarterback James Kilian has completed 26 of his 52 pass attempts for 259 yards and two touchdowns. He has thrown two interceptions.

Tailback Uril Parrish has rushed for 126 yards on 28 carries, while tight end Garrett Mills is the leading receiver with nine catches for 42 yards and one touchdown.

Michael LeDet leads the defense with 17 tackles and three tackles for a loss.

Navy Hangs On To Beat Tough Northeastern Squad
Senior quarterback Aaron Polanco (Wimberley, Texas) rushed for a career-high 143 yards and a career-high tying three touchdowns as Navy hung on for a 28-24 victory over Northeastern in front of 25,115 fans at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium.

The Navy defense came up big with four turnovers, including three in the second half, as the Mids held the Huskies to just seven points in the second half.

Reggie Sealey (Sr./Upper Marlboro, Md.), Vaughn Kelley (Sr./Coconut Creek, Fla.) and Hunter Reddick (So./San Diegoe, Calif.) all came up with their first-career interceptions, while Josh Smith (Sr./Attica, Ind.) recovered a fumble as the defense helped set up Navy's second touchdown in the second half and thwarted several Northeastern scoring opportunities.

Navy fell behind right out of the gate when Polanco's pass was intercepted by Northeastern's Richard Orah on the first play of the game and returned to the one-yard line. Two plays later, quarterback Shawn Brady scored from the one to make it 7-0 Northeastern.

Navy came right back and sliced through the Northeastern defense like a knife through hot butter, marching 61 yards on four plays to tie the score at seven. All four plays were rushes by Polanco as he scored from two yards out on the final play of the drive.

The Huskies went back on top early in the second quarter, as they started their drive after a poor punt by Geoff Blumenfeld (Sr./Granite Bay, Calif.).

After starting on the Navy 31-yard line, Northeastern scored on just three plays as Anthony Riley bolted up the middle for a 24-yard touchdown run to make it 14-7 Huskies.

Again the Navy offense would answer, marching 83 yards on 16 plays as Polanco scored from two yards out to tie the game at 14.

The Mids, however, trailed at the half thanks to a fluke play when Miro Kesic's punt bounced off the head of Navy's Byron McCoy (So./Liberty, Mo.) at the Navy 44-yard line.

Northeastern converted the opportunity into points, as Kesic made a 23-yard field goal with three seconds left in the half to give the Huskies a 17-14 lead at intermission.

The Navy defense forced Northeastern to go three and out on its first possession and then the Mids took the ball and drove 59 yards on seven plays with Polanco scoring from the one to give the Mids a 21-17 lead.

Sealey picked off Brady at the Northeastern 21-yard line on the next play and the Navy offense took advantage of the break, as Frank Divis (Sr./Avon, Ohio) scored from three yards out to give Navy what looked like a comfortable 28-17 lead. It was far from comfortable.

Northeastern answered with a touchdown drive of its own, as Brady drove Northeastern right down the field and capped off the 83-yard drive with a 19-yard touchdown pass to Cory Parks to make it 28-24.

Things got real interesting when Polanco threw a pick on the next play and the Huskies got the ball back on their own 47. Reddick, however, would come up big for the Mids, picking off Brady on a first-and-10 play at the Navy 42.

The defense appeared to set Navy up for easy points early in the fourth when Smith recoverd a fumble by Northeastern's Shawnn Gyles at the Northeastern 16-yard line, but Navy was unable to get a first down and then Blumenfeld missed a chip shot field goal from 26 yards out.

The defense, however, continued to stand tall, giving up just one more first down the rest of the game and the offense was able to run out the clock to salt away the victory.

Kyle Eckel (Sr./Haverford, Pa.) added 55 yards on the ground and caught two passes for 36 yards, while Trey Hines (So./Douglasville, Ga.) rushed for a career-high 47 yards on four carries.

Polanco completed just two of his six passes for 36 yards and threw two interceptions.

Smith led the defense with 11 tackles, 1.5 tackles for a loss and a fumble recovery, while
David Mahoney (So./Fort Myers, Fla.) and Jeremy McGown (So./Houston, Texas) added nine tackles apiece. Babatunde Akingbemi (Sr./Rialto, Calif.) had another solid game with 2.5 tackles for a loss, a sack and a pass broken up.

No Laundry On The Field
Navy and Tulsa are two of the least penalized teams in the country after
two games. Tulsa is tied for sixth in the country, averaging just 3.5 penalties
per contest, while Navy is tied for ninth averaging four penalties per game.

Lucky To Be 2-0
Navy is one of only six teams in the country to win its first-two games
while having a negative turnover ratio. The Mids are tied for 84th in the
country in turnover margin, averaging -1.0 per game. Other 2-0 teams with
negative turnover margins include: Ohio State (-3.5), Louisiana Tech (-1.50),
Oklahoma (-0.5), West Virginia (-0.5) and Connecticut (-0.5).

In Paul We Trust
Over the last 20 years, Navy is 26-24 (.520) and appeared in two bowl
game in the four-plus years that Paul Johnson has been on Navy's sidelines
(14-9 in two years as an offensive coordinator in 1995-96, 12-15 in two-plus
seasons as a head coach) and 45-131(.256) in the 16 years he was coaching
somewhere else.

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.

300 Rushing Yards The Magic Number
Navy is 8-2 the last two years when rushing for 300 or more yards, while the Mids are 2-3 when they are under 300 yards.

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 two games, averaging 300.5 yards per contest. Texas leads the country in rushing, averaging 386 yards per game.

Notes From The Northeastern Game
*Navy has now won four-straight games at home, which is the longest
winning streak at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium since 1995-97
when Navy won 12 straight at home.

*Aaron Polanco's (Sr./Wimberley, Texas) three rushing
touchdowns are the most by a Navy player since Craig Candeto scored
three against Central Michigan in the season finale last season (Nov. 22).

*With a career-high 143 yards, Aaron Polanco (Sr./Wimberley,
Texas) is the first Navy player to produce back-to-back 100-yard rushing
games since Kyle Eckel (Sr./Haverford, Pa.) posted three-straight last
fall against Rutgers, Air Force and Vanderbilt. He is also the first quarterback
to have back-to-back 100-yard rushing games since Brian Madden went over
100 yards in three-straight contests in 2001 against Rutgers, Toledo and
Tulane.

*The Navy defense has created at least one turnover in 20 of the last 22
contests. Against the Huskies, the Mids recovered a fumble and picked off
three passes.

*The Mids were 5-15 over the last two years when turning the ball over at
least once. This year the Mids are 2-0 when turning the ball over at least
once.

*Navy was 2 for 2 on fourth down conversions against Northeastern
and are 5 for 6 on the year.

*Senior nose guard Babatunde Akingbemi (Rialto, Calif.), who
entered the season with one-career sack, recorded a sack for the second-
straight game when he sacked Northeastern's quarterback Shawn Brady
in the first quarter.

*Navy picked off three Northeastern passes marking the first time a Navy
defense has picked off three passes in a game since Sept. 20 of last year
when Navy intercepted four passes against Eastern Michigan.
*Sophomore safety Jeremy McGown (Houston, Texas) recorded a
career-high nine tackles.

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, 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 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 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.

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 41 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

Eckel On Career Rushing List
Senior fullback Kyle Eckel (Haverford, Pa.) moved past Joe Gattuso Jr. into seventh place on Navy's career rushing list with his 18-carry, 55-yard performance against Northeastern. Eckel is just 35 yards behind Craig Candeto (2001-03) for sixth place and 261 yards behind Alton Grizzard (1987-90) for fifth place.

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.

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. Kyle Eckel (2002-03) 1,914
8. Joe Gattuso Jr. (1975-77) 1,890
9. Brian Madden (1999, 2001) 1,802
10. Chuck Smith (1984-87) 1,744

Eckel Eighth In School History In Rushing Touchdowns
Senior fullback Kyle Eckel (Haverford, Pa.) has 16-career rushing touchdowns, which is the eighth most in school history. He needs just one more rushing touchdown to tie Cleveland Cooper (1972-74), Brian Madden (1999, 2001) and Brian Broadwater (1998-00) for fifth 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. Cleveland Cooper (1972-74) 17
Brian Madden (1999, 2001) 17
Brian Broadwater (1998-00) 17
8. Kyle Eckel (2002-current) 16

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.

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?.

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 1,112 yards rushing and 924 yards receiving.

Roberts needs just 76 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 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 is averaging 8.4 yards per carry in his career, rushing for 1,122 yards on 133 carries.

Career Rushing Yards Per Attempt
(minimum 100 attempts)
1. Tony Lane (2001-03) 8.9
2. Eric Roberts (2002-current) 8.4
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 24.3 yards per catch in his career, catching 38 passes for 922 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) 24.3
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

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.

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

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 in 2003, 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 is currently in firs with 19), he will become the first Navy player since Andy Ponseigo (1981-83) to lead Navy in tackles three-consecutive years.

Smith Selected For Gridiron Classic
Senior free safety Josh Smith (Attica, Ind.) has been selected for the Villages Gridiron Classic All-Star game, which will take place Saturday, Jan. 31 in The Villages, Fla. The game will be televised nationally by ESPN.

Smith, ranked as the sixth-best free safety in the country by The Sporting News, is trying to become the first Navy player since Andy Ponseigo (1981-83) to lead Navy in tackles three straight years. Smith recorded eight tackles in Navy's season opening 27-12 victory over Duke.

Smith is the fourth Navy player to participate in the Gridiron Classic all-star game in its six year existence. Center Terrence Anderson (1999), free safety Chris Lepore (2000) and punter John Skaggs (2003) have also participated.