Oct. 31, 2005
Game Data... The Navy Midshipmen (4-3), coming off a tough 31-21 loss at Rutgers, play host to Tulane (2-5) Saturday at 1:30 p.m. The game is designated as Navy's Homecoming game.
Saturday's game is being televised live by CSTV and HDNet. Tom McCarthy, Scott Zolack and Sheehan Stanwick will call the action for CSTV, while Pete Medhurst, Astor Heaven and Kandace Krueger will handle the call for HDNet.
The game can also be heard on the Navy Radio Network, which includes WBAL in Baltimore (1090 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 nationally on Sirius Radio (Channel 126) or around the world at www.navysports.com, www.wbal.com, www.sportstalk980.com and www.wnav.com. Armed Forces Radio will carry the game live to our troops stationed around the world.
Bob Socci, Omar Nelson and John Feinstein will call all the action from their perch in the Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium press box. The Navy Football Pregame Show will air an hour before kickoff (12:30 p.m.) on those same networks.
Pete Medhurst and Joe Miller will get things started with the Navy Tailgate Show on 1430 WNAV and www.wnav.com at 11:30 a.m.
Three Turnovers, Two Questionable Replay Calls Cost Mids... Navy turned the ball over three times and had two questionable replay calls go against it as the Mids fell at Rutgers, 31-21, in front of a sellout crowd of 41,716 at Rutgers Stadium.
The Mids fell behind 14-0 in the first half thanks to an interception by Lamar Owens (Sr./Savannah, Ga.), the fifth he has thrown this year on Navy's opening drive, and a 32-yard punt by Eric Shuey (Sr./Hacienda Heights, Calif.) that set up two short Scarlet Knight scoring drives.
The Mids cut the lead to 14-7 on a spectacular 60-yard touchdown run by Reggie Campbell (So./Sanford, Fla.) down the left sideline that was helped by great downfield blocking by wide receiver O.J. Washington (So./Tacoma, Wash.).
Navy got the ball back after Jeremy Ito missed a 32-yard field goal on Rutgers' next possession, but Trey Hines (Jr./Douglasville, Ga.) fumbled the ball back to the Scarlet Knights on the first play from scrimmage. Seven plays later, Ray Rice scored from three yards out to put Rutgers back up by 14.
The Mids mounted their most impressive drive of the game to start the second half, rumbling 74 yards on 15 plays. Freshman sensation Karlos Whittaker (North Chicago, Ill.) scored from nine yards out to make the score 21-14.
On Rutgers' next possession, the game could have turned in Navy's favor had the replay official not overturned a fumble that was recovered by Navy (the officials on the field called it a fumble). On third-and-two from the Navy 34, Rutgers quarterback Ryan Hart completed a pass to Brian Leonard. Navy outside linebacker David Mahoney (Jr./Fort Myers, Fla.) came from behind Leonard and knocked the ball out of his hands just as Leonard's knee hit the ground. The replays showed the ball came out simultaneously with Leonard's knee hitting the ground. Without irrefutable evidence to the contrary, Navy should have been able to keep the ball, but the replay official ruled that Leonard was down and gave the ball back to Rutgers. Seven plays later, Ito kicked an 18-yard field goal, after the Navy defense held the Scarlet Knights on three plays from inside the two-yard line, to put Rutgers back up by 10 points.
Navy pulled to within three points with 8:24 remaining in the game when Owens capped a 10-play, 65-yard drive with an eight-yard touchdown pass to Marco Nelson (Sr./Scottsdale, Ariz.) on third-and-goal from the seven.
On Rutgers' next possession, the Navy defense let the Scarlet Knights move easily back down the field. On second-and-nine from the Navy 16, Hart's pass was intercepted in the end zone by Jake Biles (Sr./Lorena, Ariz.). The ACC officiating crew ruled an incomplete pass on the play, but the Navy defense and coaching staff were sure that would be overruled by the Big East replay official. Though on the replay the ball was clearly intercepted, it was ruled incomplete. Two plays later, Rutgers scored on a two-yard touchdown run by Rice to put the game away.
Campbell rushed for 69 yards and a touchdown on just four carries to lead the Navy ground attack. Owens completed nine of his 20 pass attempts for 124 yards with one touchdown and two interceptions. Jason Tomlinson (Jr./Arlington, Texas) led the Navy receiving corps with five catches for 61 yards.
Biles led the Navy defense with a career-high 14 tackles. Mahoney added 13 tackles and a tackle for a loss, while Rob Caldwell (Jr./St. John, Ind.) chipped in with 11 tackles and a forced fumble. Andrew Tattersall (Jr./Fern Park, Fla.), who entered the game with two sacks in his career, recorded three sacks in the first half against the Scarlet Knights.
Notes From The Rutgers Game *The 10-point loss was Navy's largest this season. The Mids lost by three points to Maryland (23-20) and Stanford (41-38).
*Senior linebacker Jake Biles (Lorena, Texas) recorded a career-high 14 tackles.
*Navy was 2 of 2 in converting fourth down opportunities to improve to 9 of 14 on the year.
*Navy's 14-point deficit(14-0 and 21-7) matched Navy's largest deficit of the season (38-24 against Stanford)
*Navy, who entered the game averaging 272.7 rushing yards per contest, was held to a season-low 207 rushing yards. Navy had a season-low 331 yards of total offense.
Scouting Tulane... It's safe to say that no team in the country has been through more than Tulane. The Green Wave evacuated from New Orleans on Sunday, August 28, the day before Hurricane Katrina came to shore. After two days of sleeping on a gymnasium floor at Jackson State University in Jackson, Miss. (including the last 30 hours without electricity), the team moved on to Dallas at a Double Tree Hotel. On Sept. 12, the Wave made the move to their "home" for the semester: Louisiana Tech University in Ruston, La. All told, over a 16-day span, the team traveled to four cities in 22 hours and covered 856 miles. By the time the season concludes, the Green Wave will have played 11 games in 11 different stadiums, as they have had to play "home" games in a different stadium each week.
Quarterback Lester Ricard leads the Green Wave offense, completing 147 of 279 pass attempts for 1,666 yards with 14 touchdowns and eight interceptions. Ricards's favorite targets are Preston Brown (33 catches for 474 yards and five touchdowns) and Bubba Terranova (30 catches for 466 yards and four touchdowns). The defense is led by sensational linebacker Anthony Cannon, who has recorded 80 tackles, seven tackles for a loss and has broken up five passes.
Series History... Tulane has dominated the all-time series with the Mids, leading 11-6-1. Last year, the Green Wave embarrassed the Midshipmen, 42-10, in the Superdome as quarterback Lester Ricard completed 18-of-19 pass attempts for 323 yards and four touchdowns. Navy has had little to no luck in stopping the Green Wave offense, as Tulane has averaged 40 points per game over the last five meetings (Tulane has won four of the last five games against Navy). Navy does lead the all-time series in games played in Annapolis, 5-2, including a 35-17 victory in 2003.
Lending A Helping Hand... The United States Naval Academy and the Naval Academy Athletic Association are reaching out to help the Tulane athletic department. Naval Academy Superintendent Admiral Rodney Rempt, USN, and Director of Athletics Chet Gladchuk have raised the game guarantee to Tulane by 50 thousand dollars, have arranged for free bus transportation during its stay and will provide gift bags for the entire travel party. The Wyndham Hotel in Baltimore is providing complimentary rooms for the entire travel party. Tulane students will also be provided with a free game ticket by presenting a valid Tulane student ID at the ticket window located in the North end zone at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium.
Thomas F. Bates Press Box... The press box at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium will be dedicated in the name of Thomas F. Bates in a private ceremony Saturday morning at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium. Bates, a long-time administrator at the Naval Academy, died of cancer on May 21, 2002, at the age of 64.
Bates was at the Naval Academy from 1973-02 and spent 23 of those years as the Sports Information Director.
Vigilant in promoting all of Navy's varsity sports, his career was highlighted by the promotion of David Robinson to National Player-of-the-Year honors in 1987 and the promotion of Napoleon McCallum as a Heisman Trophy candidate in 1984 and 1985.
Bates was the SID for three bowl teams at Navy-the 1978 Holiday Bowl, the 1980 Garden State Bowl and the 1981 Liberty Bowl-and he publicized four Navy basketball teams (1985, '86, '87 and '94) that went on to the NCAA Basketball Tournament, including the 1986 team that reached the Elite Eight.
As the Naval Academy Athletic Association's Director of Compliance, Bates developed a daily e-mail tip of NCAA rules, which has been utilized by several other colleges and universities. He was instrumental in guiding the Academy through the NCAA's re-certification process and received high marks from the peer review team.
Bates worked with three athletic directors (Bo Coppedge, Jack Lengyel and Chet Gladchuk), six football coaches (George Welsh, Gary Tranquill, Elliot Uzelac, George Chaump, Charlie Weatherbie and Paul Johnson) and five different basketball coaches (Dave Smalley, Bob Hamilton, Paul Evans, Pete Herrmann and Don DeVoe).
A native of Meadville, Pa., Bates was a 1960 graduate of Notre Dame where he earned his bachelor's degree in business administration.
Homecoming Navy is 36-19 all-time on Homecoming, including a 34-20 victory over Delaware last year. Before last year's win over the Blue Hens, the Mids had dropped five-consecutive Homecoming games. This year marks the first time that Tulane has been Navy's Homecoming opponent.
Tale Of Two Halves The Navy offense has been dreadful on the first drive of the game and sensational on the first drive of the second half. In seven games this year, the Mids have scored one touchdown and thrown five interceptions on the first drive of the game (five of Owens' eight interceptions have come on the first drive). Navy has scored on the first drive of the second half five times (three touchdowns and two field goals) in seven games, including four-consecutive games (three touchdowns and one field goal).
Close Calls The Mids are getting used to tight games as eight of the last 19 games have been decided by four points or less with the Mids winning six of those contests (.750). Navy is 2-2 this year in games decided by four points or less.
The Red Zone Navy has scored 24 of the 29 times (83%) it has gotten inside the red zone, including 18 touchdowns (62%). The opponents have scored on 23 of their 29 opportunities in the red zone (79%) with 17 going for touchdowns (59%).
Navy Fourth In The Country In Rushing Offense Navy enters the Tulane game fourth in the country in rushing offense, averaging 263.29 yards per game. The Mids have never finished lower than third in the country in rushing during Paul Johnson's tenure at the Academy. Last year, the Mids finished third in the nation in rushing offense, averaging 289.50 yards per contest, while in 2003 the Mids led the nation in rushing, averaging a school-record 323.2 yards per game. In 2002, Johnson's first year at Navy, the Mids finished third in the nation in rushing, averaging 270.8 yards per contest.
Caldwell 11th In The Nation In Tackles Per Game; 10th In The Nation In Forced Fumbles Junior linebacker Rob Caldwell (St. John, Ind.) is 11th in the nation in tackles per game, averaging 12.4 per contest. Caldwell, who entered the season with 15-career tackles, has recorded 87 tackles this season and is on pace for 137 tackles on the year. He has been in double figures in six of seven games this season.
If Caldwell finishes the season as the team's leading tackler, it will mark the fourth-consecutive year and sixth time in the last 14 years that a player from the great state of Indiana has led Navy in tackles. Safety Josh Smith (Attica, Ind.) led Navy in tackles in each of the last three years, and Javier Zuluaga (Indianapolis, Ind.) led Navy in tackles in 1992 and 1993.
Caldwell would also be the first linebacker to lead Navy in tackles since Clint Bruce in 1995 and 1996.
Caldwell's 21 tackles against Air Force are the third most in the country this year and the most by a Navy player since Smith had 21 against Connecticut in 2002.
Caldwell is also ranked 10th in the nation in forced fumbles, averaging 0.43 forced fumbles per contest.
Mahoney And Tidwell Spell Double Trouble Junior outside linebackers David Mahoney (Fort Myers, Fla.) and Tyler Tidwell (Edmond, Okla.) are tied for eighth in the country in tackles for a loss, as they are both averaging 1.75 per contest.
Mahoney, who entered the season with 14.5 tackles for a loss for his career and recorded a career-high 12 last year, already has recorded 12 tackles for a loss of 54 yards ithis year to give him 26.5 for his career.
Mahoney is coming off a career-high 13 tackle performance against Rutgers.
Tidwell, who entered the season with two tackles for a loss in his career, has also recorded 12 tackles for a loss of 39 yards this season. Tidwell has been playing well of late, recording six tackles for a loss over the last two games.
The school record for tackles for a loss in a season is 20, set by Eric Rutherford in 1984. The school record for tackles for a loss in a career is 44, set by Andy Person (1992-95).
Navy Tough On Punt Returners The Mids, led by their dimuntive gunners Reggie Campbell (5-6, Sanford, Fla.) and Zerbin Singleton (5-8, Decatur, Ga.), have been tough against opposing punt returners, allowing just 3.69 yards per return. The 3.69 yard average is the fifth best average in the country.
Disciplined Football Navy is back near the top in the national rankings for fewest penalties per game and fewest yards penalized per game. The Mids rank 14th in fewest penalties per game (5.14 per contest) and eighth in yards penalized per game (38.57). Last year, Navy finished second in the country for the fewest amount of penaltiesper game (4.17) per contest and fifth in fewest yards penalized per game (35.83).
Rushing The Passer The Mids are currently tied for 15th in the country in sacks per game, averaging three per contest. Navy's 21 sacks in the first seven games have already surpassed last year's total of 17 and are the most by a Navy team since 1999 when the Mids recorded 42 sacks. Junior David Mahoney (Fort Myers, Fla.) leads the Mids with six sacks, while Andrew Tattersall (Jr./Fern Park, Fla.) has recorded four sacks on the year.
Whittaker Sets Freshman Touchdown Record Freshman slot back Karlos Whittaker (North Chicago, Ill.) turned in his sixth touchdown of the season on a nine-yard run against Rutgers. Whittaker's six touchdowns this year are a school record for a freshman and are tied for the 14th most in the country by a freshman this year. He is averaging a touchdown once every 3.7 carries.
Whittaker has now scored in six-consecutive games, the longest streak by a Navy player since Brian Madden scored a touchdown in eight-consecutive games from 1999-2001 (Madden missed all of the 2000 season and the first three games of the 2001 season with a knee injury).
Whittaker became just the second freshman in school history (Alton Grizzard was the other) to rush for over 100 yards in a game when he rushed for 110 yards and a touchdown on just seven carries against Stanford. Grizzard rushed for 225 yards on 23 carries in 1987 against Penn.
Whittaker has also started to become quite a threat on kickoff returns, averaging 25.9 yards per return, which is the fourth-best mark in school history. Whittaker's 52-yard kickoff return against Rice was the longest by a Navy player since Aaron Weedo returned a kickoff 53 yards against Army in 2002.
In Paul We Trust... Navy football has struggled mightily over the last 21 years, compiling an overall record of 82-160 (.339). The Mids, however, have not struggled when Paul Johnson has been calling the plays.
Johnson has been at Navy for six of those 21 years (two years as a coordinator and four as a head coach), and in those six years, the Mids are 38-29 (.567) and have appeared in three bowl games, winning two. The Mids are 22-10 (.688) over the last three years and have won 20 of the last 28 contests (.714).
On A Roll... Navy is 22-10 over the last three years (.688) after posting a 3-30 (.091) record the previous three years. The 22 wins are tied for the 21st most in the country over the last three seasons.
The Mids are 12-2 (.857) at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium over the last three years, after losing 14 straight at home the previous three years.
Tomlinson Records Back-To-Back 100-Yard Receiving Games Junior wide receiver Jason Tomlinson (Arlington, Texas) turned in back-to-back big games for the Midshipmen, catching four passes for a then career-high 114 yards and a touchdown against Air Force and catching five passes for a career-high 115 yards against Kent State. He is the first Navy player to top 100 yards receiving in back-to-back games since Ryan Read in 1998.
His touchdown against the Falcons came on a 61-yard toss from Lamar Owens (Sr./Savannah, Ga.). It was the longest reception in Tomlinson's career and the longest play by Navy since last year's Emerald Bowl when Aaron Polanco hit Corey Dryden with a 61-yard touchdown pass against New Mexico.
Tomlinson is averaging 17.7 yards per catch for his career, with 48 receptions for 851 yards. It's the fifth-best receiving average in school history.
Owens Putting Up Big Numbers... Senior quarterback Lamar Owens (Savannah, Ga.), who entered the season with 129-career rushing yards, rushed for 122 yards on 19 carries in his first-career start. Owens became just the 14th Navy quarterback to rush for over 100 yards in a game (54th time overall). He also joined Chris McCoy (26 carries for 273 yards on Sept. 9, 1995 at SMU) and Brian Madden (34 carries for 168 yards on Oct. 30, 1999 at Notre Dame) as the only Navy quarterbacks to rush for over 100 yards in their first-career start.
Owens rushed for 106 yards and a touchdown against Duke and 110 yards and a touchdown on 22 carries against Kent State, making him just the seventh quarterback in school history to rush for 100 yards in a game on three or more occasions.
Owens has already amassed 1,412 yards of total offense (505 rushing and 907 passing) on just 207 plays. His 6.8 yards per play would tie him with Chris McCoy (1997) for the school record for average yards per play for a season and his 6.0 average yards per play for a career (1,507 yards in 250 plays) would also be a school record.
NCAA First Senior slot back Marco Nelson (Scottsdale, Ariz.) is the first player in NCAA history to return a fumble for a touchdown, score a rushing touchdown and catch a touchdown pass in the same game as he accomplished this feat in Navy's 41-38 loss to Stanford. Nelson returned a fumbled punt 19 yards for a touchdown in the first quarter, scored on a one-yard run with 5:33 remaining in the second quarter and then caught a 54-yard touchddown pass from Lamar Owens in the fourth quarter (12:38). Nelson, who entered this season with just one-career touchdown, has four in the first two games. Nelson's fumble return for a touchdown was the first by a Navy player since Brad Wimsatt returned a fumble for a touchdown against Army on Dec. 2, 2000.
A's Make Plays Navy's slot backs, or A-Backs as they are called in the offense, have been big-play contributors in both the rushing and passing game. As a unit, the A-backs have rushed for 660 yards and 10 touchdowns on just 88 carries (7.5 yards per carry) and have caught 21 passes for 409 yards and two touchdowns (19.5 yards per reception). All told, the slot backs have gained 1069 yards and scored 12 touchdowns on 109 touches (9.8 yards per touch).
Mr. October Sophomore slot back Reggie Campbell (So,/Sanford, Fla.) has been Navy's Mr. October. Against Duke, Campbell ran the ball three times for 50 yards, including a career-long 52-yarder that set up Navy's go-ahead touchdown in the third quarter.
He had a huge game against Air Force, carrying the ball three times for 46 yards, including a game-tying 40-yard burst with just over two minutes remaining, and had three catches for 47 yards. He accounted for 69 yards on Navy's game-tying drive.
Campbell had another strong game against Kent State, running eight times for 31 yards and catching two passes for 59 yards, including a career-long 44-yard catch.
After a quiet game against Rice (20 yards rushing on four carries), Campbell came back against Rutgers and carried the ball four times for 69 yards and a touchdown. His touchdown run was a spectacular 60-yard run off an option pitch and was the longest run of his career, the longest run by a Navy player this year and the second-longest play by a Navy player this year.
Score First! Navy is 2-0 when scoring first this year and 2-3 when the opposition scores first. The Mids have won nine-consecutive games when scoring first, the last loss coming in 2003 on Homecoming to Delaware.
Biles Playing Well Senior linebacker Jake Biles (Lorena, Texas) has recorded career highs in tackles the last two games. Biles was in on a career-high tying 11 tackles in Navy's win over Rice (He also had 11 against Duke) and followed up with a career-high 14 tackles against Rutgers.
Lots Of Yards Navy amassed 532 yards of total offense against Kent State, the 23rd-most yards in school history and the most since last Nov. 20 when Navy produced 613 yards against Rutgers. Navy's 336 yards rushing against the Golden Flashes are the most since last year's Rutgers game when the Mids piled up 476 yards on the ground.
