9/26/2004 - Football
Navy-Air Force Game Notes

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Navy-Air Force Game Notes

Game Data
Navy (4-0) travels to Colorado Springs, Colo. Thursday to take on the Air Force Falcons (2-2). Kickoff is 7:45 p.m. (EST), 5:45 p.m. in Colorado Springs.
Navy is off to a 4-0 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).
Thursday's game is being televised nationally by ESPN with Chris Fowler, Lee Corso and Kirk Herbstreit calling the action. Jill Arrington will serve as the sideline reporter.
Thursday's game will be broadcast nationally on the radio via CBS Sports/Westwood One with Joel Meyers and Tom Pagna 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 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 (6:45 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 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 is in his eighth season on the Navy Radio Network, provides a weekly pregame segment with Socci and will join Socci and Nelson in the booth for the Duke, Notre Dame and Army games.
Pete Medhurst and Joe Miller will kick things off with the Navy Tailgate show on 1430 WNAV and www.wnav.com live from O'Brien's Oyster Bar & Grill at 5:45 p.m. EST.

Injury Report
Wide receiver Amir Jenkins (Sr./Temple Hills, Md.) is questionable with a right knee injury.

Series History
Air Force leads the overall series, 25-11, and holds a 14-3 advantage in games played at Colorado Springs. The Falcons have won the last three games played at Air Force by a combined score of 124-27 (41-9). Navy's last win in Colorado Springs was in 1996 by a score on 20-17. That game was tied 17-17 with 2:11 to play when fullback Omar Nelson, who is now the color commentator on the Navy Radio Network, ripped off a 51-yard run down to the Air Force 14-yard line. Three plays later, Tom Vanderhorst, who is currently the military liasion on the football staff, nailed a 25-yard field goal with 12 seconds to play to give Navy the victory.
In last year's contest, Kyle Eckel (Sr./Havertown, Pa.) bulled his way to a career-high 176 yards and one touchdown as Navy stunned 25th-ranked Air Force, 28-25. It was Navy's first victory over a ranked opponent since beating Virginia, 17-13, in 1985.

Coming Home
Safety Jason Robinson, who hails from Denver, is the only Navy player from Colorado.

Scouting Air Force
The Falcons are 2-2 having lost to No. 13 California, 56-14, and No. 14 Utah, 49-35. Air Force owns victories over Eastern Washington (42-20) and UNLV (27-10).
Freshman quarterback Shaun Carney has been impressive for the Falcons. He has rushed for 296 and four touchdowns and completed 40 of his 57 pass attempts (70.1 percent) for 525 yards and six touchdowns to six different receivers.
Carney's favorite targets are J.P. Waller, Alec Messerall and Justin Handley with seven catches each. Fullback Dan Shaffer has rushed for 279 yards and two scores for Air Force.
The Air Force defense is led by linebacker John Rudzinski with 29 tackles.

The Commander-In-Chief's Trophy
Thursday's game marks the first leg of 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. Air Force has won the trophy 16 times, while Navy and Army have won the trophy six times apiece. Navy won the trophy in 1973, 1975, 1978, 1979, 1981 and in 2003.
When there is no clear-cut winner (the three teams split), the Trophy remains with the winner of the previous year's competition. This happened in 1974, 1976, 1980 and 1993.
For a complete history of the CIC Troph,y turn to pages 8-9 in the Navy Football Media Guide.

Mids Rally To Beat Vanderbilt
Senior quarterback Aaron Polanco (Wimberley, Texas) rushed for 84 yards and a touchdown and completed nine of his 14 pass attempts for 176 yards and a touchdown as Navy rallied to knock off Vanderbilt, 29-26, in front of 32,809 at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium.
Navy struggled early as kicker Geoff Blumenfeld (Sr./Granite Bay, Calif.) missed two field goals (47 and 49 yards) in the first quarter.
Vanderbilt took a 7-0 lead early in the second quarter as quarterback Jay Cutler capped off a 13-play, 68-yard scoring drive with an eight-yard scoring toss to Brandon Smith. The touchdown broke a six-quarter scoreless streak by the Navy defense.
The Mids battled back to take a 14-7 lead, as Polanco hit Marco Nelson (Jr./Scottsdale, Ariz.) with a 49-yard touchdown pass to tie the game at seven, and then Trey Hines (So./Douglasville, Ga.) gave Navy its first lead with a two-yard touchdown run to make it 14-7.
Vanderbilt answered with a scoring drive of its own, as Cutler scored on a quarterback sneak from one yard out on fourth down to tie the score at 14 with 19 seconds left in the first half.
Things started badly for Navy in the third as Norval McKenzie blocked Eric Shuey's (Jr./Hacienda Heights, Calif.) punt on the Mids' first possession of the third quarter. The ball rolled out of the back of the end zone, giving Vanderbilt two points and a 16-14 lead.
Patrick Johnson nailed a 44-yard field goal on Vandy's next possession after the free kick to give the Commodores a 19-14 lead.
Navy, however, showed its mettle by coming back and marching 74 yards on 10 plays to take a 22-19 lead on a five-yard touchdown run by Frank Divis (Sr./Avon, Ohio) and a two-point conversion run by Kyle Eckel (Sr./Haverford, Pa/).
Polanco was instrumental on the drive hitting Eric Roberts (Sr./Miami, Fla.) for 18 yards on third and six from the Navy 30, rushing for five yards on fourth and three from the Vandy 45 and then hitting Roberts for 34 yards on the next play to set up the score. The 34-yard reception by Roberts put him over 1,000 yards for his career in receiving and made him the first player in Navy history to top the 1,000-yard mark in both rushing and receving for a career.
Navy went up 10 early in the fourth when Polanco scored from 22 yards out on a third-and-three play to give Navy a 29-19 lead.
Vanderbilt made things interesting when Cutler hit Marlon White with a 21-yard scoring strike on fourth and 11 to narrow the score to 29-26 with 2:30 remaining.
Josh Smith (Sr./Attica, Ind.) recovered the on-side kick and Navy salted the game away by making a first down.
The Vandy defense did a solid job against the Navy rushing attack, holding the Mids to 190 yards rushing, but was hurt through the air as Polanco threw for a career-high 176 yards and one touchdown.
Roberts and Jason Tomlinson (So./Arlington, Texas) led the way with three catches apiece.
Smith led the Navy defense with 15 tackles, a fumble recovery and a sack. Bobby McClarin (Sr./Bethlehem, Pa.) chipped in with a career-high 13 tackles and a forced fumble, while Jeremy McGown (So./Houston, Texas) added a career-high 10 tackles. Jeremy Chase (Jr./Norfolk, Va.) added five tackles, two tackles for a loss and a fumble recovery.

Notes From The Vanderbilt Game
*Navy now owns a 3-2-2 series advantage over the Commodores. It was
Navy's first win over Vanderbilt at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium.

*Navy head coach Paul Johnson is now 6-2 all-time against Vanderbilt's
Bobby Johnson, including a 2-0 mark as Navy's head coach.

*Navy's 190 yards rushing was its lowest output on the ground since rushing
for 180 yards against Delaware.

*Navy's 176 yards in the air were the most for Navy this year and the most
since last year's Delaware game when the Mids threw for 212 yards.

*Navy did not turn the ball over for the first time this year and for the first
time in six games (last year's Central Michigan game).

*Josh Smith's (Sr./Attica, Ind.) fumble recovery on the first play of
the game was his second of the year and sixth of his career. Smith's sack
late in the fourth quarter was the first of his career.

*Vanderbilt's second quarter touchdown broke a six quarter scoreless
streak by the Navy defense.

*Marco Nelson's (Jr./Scottsdale, Ariz.) 45-yard touchdown catch
was the first of his career.

*Aaron Polanco's (Sr./Wimberley, Texas) 176 yards passing were a
career high, bettering his previous best of 129 yards in the season opener
against Duke.

*Senior linebacker Bobby McClarin (Bethlehem, Pa.) recorded a
career-high 13 tackles.

*Sophomore safety Jeremy McGown (Houston, Texas) had a career-
high 10 tackles.

*Junior defensive end Jeremy Chase's (Norfolk, Va.) fumble recovery
in the second quarter was the first of his career.

*Junior Eric Shuey (Hacienda Heights, Calif.) booted a career-long
punt of 48 yards with 6:36 remaining in the fourth quarter.

Undefeated
Navy is one of 10 teams in the country that has started 4-0. The others are Arizona State, USC, Auburn, Utah. West Virginia, Boise State, Virginia, Wisconsin and Minnesota.
There are a total of 23 teams overall without a blemish: 10 at 4-0, 11 at 3-0 and two at 2-0.

Fallen Brothers
The Navy football family has lost two members over the past month 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 1995-97 when Navy won eight straight at home. Navy is 7-1 at home over the last two years after losing 14-straight from 2001-03.

Winning Streak
Navy's four-game winning streak is the longest for Navy since 1997 when the Mids closed the season with four-straight wins. Navy won eight-straight games during the 1978-79 season.

Second Half Dominance
Navy has dominated the second half this year, outscoring the opposition,
65-25. The Mids have given up just seven points in the fourth quarter all
year.

Tough In The First Quarter, Too
Dating back to the start of last season (17 games, 12-5 over that span),
Navy has outscored the opposition, 137-40, in the first quarter.

Home In Time For Dinner
Despite playing three of its first-0four games on television, Navy has played all four of its games under three hours. The longest game was a 2:59 affair against Northeastern, while the Duke game took just 2:44.

The Red Zone
Navy has been tough in the red zone on offense. The Mids have scored
on 11 of their 15 trips (73 percent) inside the red zone with all 11 scores
going for touchdowns. The offense has scored touchdowns on nine of its
last 10 trips and on the last five inside the red zone.

Go For It
Navy is nine for 11 (.819) on fourth down conversions this year,
while the opposition is just six for 11 (.545).



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 4-0
2. Fresno State 3-0
3. Boise State 4-0
4. Louisville 3-0
5. Southern Miss 2-0
6. Navy 4-0

Passing Efficiently
Navy is sixth in the nation in passing efficiency with a rating of 178.61.
The Mids have completed 25 of their 37 pass attempts (67.68 percent) for
458 yards and two touchdowns and two interceptions.

Top Passing Efficiency Teams In The Country
1. Purdue 190.95
2. Minnesota 188.51
3. California 185.62
4. Utah 179.99
6. Navy 178.61
7. Tennessee 177.90
8. Arkansas 175.40
9. Virginia 172.86
10. UAB 170.21

In Paul We Trust
Navy football has struggled over the last 20 years, compiling an overall
record of 73-155 (.320). 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 28-24 (.538) and have
appeared in two bowl games. The Mids are 12-5 (.706) over the last
two years. In the other 15 years that Johnson hasn't been on the sidelines,
Navy is 45-131(.256).

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 seventh in the nation in rushing after four games this year, averaging 280.3 yards per contest. Texas leads the country in rushing, averaging 370.3 yards per game.
The top-10 rushing teams in the country have a combined record of 31-3 (.912) in 2004

Leading Rushing Teams In The Country
1. Texas 370.33
2. Minnesota 359.33
3. California 339.00
4. Oklahoma State 333.67
5. UCLA 296.00
6. Virginia 284.00
7. Navy 280.25
8. Air Force 278.75
9. West Virginia 276.00
10. Tennessee 263.33

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 9-2 over the last two years when rushing for 300 or more yards, while the Mids are 3-3 when they are held under 300 yards.

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, 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.
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 78 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 125 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. Kyle Eckel (2002-03) 2,049
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 19-career rushing touchdowns, which is the fifth most in school history. He needs just five 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) 19

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 To Play In The Villages Gridiron Classic
Senior fullback Kyle Eckel (Haverford, Pa.) has been selected to play in 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. Eckel will join teammate Josh Smith in the game.
Eckel will be the fifth Navy player to participate in the Gridiron Classic all-star game in its six-year existence and it will mark the first time since 1999 that two Navy players have played 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 second active player and the 34th 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 1,220-career rushing yards and 1,009-career receving yards. Roberts and Texas Tech's Taurean Henderson 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

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 8.5 yards per carry in his career, rushing for 1,220 yards on 144 carries.

Career Rushing Yards Per Attempt
(minimum 100 attempts)
1. Tony Lane (2001-03) 8.9
2. Eric Roberts (2002-current) 8.5
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 24.0 yards per catch in his career, catching 42 passes for 1,009 yards. The previous record was 19.3 yards per reception by Jim Stewart (1960-62). This year, Roberts has caught five passes for 87 yards (17.4 average).
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.
Roberts is also trying to become just the second player in school history to lead the team in receiving three-consecutive years. Ron Beagle (1953-55) is the only player to accomplish that feat.

Career Yards Per Reception
1. Eric Roberts (2002-03) 24.0
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