2/9/2005 - Football
Navy Announces 2005 Football Schedule
ANNAPOLIS, Md.-Games against Maryland in Baltimore, Stanford and Air Force in Annapolis, Notre Dame in South Bend and Army in Philadelphia highlight the 2005 Navy football schedule released today. The schedule is subject to change for television.
"I believe our football fans will be very anxious for this fall and the opportunity to enjoy an exciting home schedule," said Naval Academy Director of Athletics Chet Gladchuk. "Making a visit to our newly renovated stadium remains a memorable experience and we plan on making the pageantry of Navy football even more entertaining. An all-time record for season ticket sales will be a very real possibility as our coaches and midshipmen take their talent and "expect to win" mindset into some fantastic matchups."
"Obviously this is a very challenging schedule," said Navy head football coach Paul Johnson. "Starting the year off against Maryland and Stanford certainly gets your attention. We are going to be a young football team so it will be interesting to see if we are up to the challenge. It's the most difficult schedule we've faced in my tenure as the head coach here."
The Mids lose 36 letterwinners and 17 starters (nine on offense and eight on defense) off last year's squad that posted a 10-2 record, the most win at Navy in 99 years, won the Commander-In-Chief's Trophy and won the Emerald Bowl.
Navy kicks off the 2005 season against Maryland at M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore on Sept. 3 at 6 p.m. It will be the first time in 40 years that the only two schools in Maryland that play Division IA football have met. Navy leads the all-time series, 15-5, including a 19-7 victory in 1965 when these two schools last met.
Stanford and new head coach Walt Harris will pay a visit to Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium the following weekend in a 6 p.m. contest. It will be just the third match-up between the two schools (Navy leads the series 1-0-1) and the first since 1965 when Navy went to Palo Alto and came away with a 7-7 tie. It will also be Navy's first contest against a Pac-10 opponent since the Mids 42-38 Aloha Bowl victory over California in 1996. It also marks the first time a Pac-10 school has played Navy in Annapolis. The Mids played host to California in 1948 and Southern Cal in 1950, but both of those games were played in Baltimore.
After an off week, Navy will face back-to-back road games at Rice on Sept. 24 and at Duke on Oct. 1. Navy played both teams during the 2004 season, beating Duke in the season opener, 27-12, and edging Rice, 14-13, thanks to a missed extra-point.
On Oct. 8, the highly anticipated return of the Navy-Air Force rivalry to Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium will take place in a 1:30 p.m. contest. It will mark the first time in eight years that the game has been played in Annapolis as the previous three Navy home games against Air Force have been played at FedExField in Landover, Md.
Kent State will visit Annapolis for the first time since 1998 when it travels to Annapolis on Oct. 15 for a 1:30 p.m. contest. Navy is 4-0 all-time against the Golden Flashes, including a 3-0 mark in games played at Navy-Marine Corps.
After another off week, Navy will travel up the road to Piscataway, N.J., to take on the Rutgers Scarlet Knights of the Big East on Oct. 29. Navy walloped Rutgers, 54-21, at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium this past season, but the Mids haven't won at Rutgers since 1999.
Payback will be on Navy's mind on Nov. 5 when Tulane visits for a 1:30 p.m. contest on Homecoming. The Green Wave administered a 42-10 whipping of Navy in the Superdome last season. Navy has won five of the last six contests against the Green Wave in Annapolis.
On Nov. 12, Navy will travel to South Bend, Ind., for its annual encounter with Notre Dame in a game that will be televised nationally by NBC at 1 p.m. The Navy-Notre Dame game is the longest continuous intersectional rivalry in the country, as the two teams have played every year since its inception in 1927. Although Notre Dame has won an NCAA-record 41 straight against the Midshipmen, the games have been close as of late. The Mids have played the Irish particularly close in South Bend losing 21-17 in 1997 when the Mids were knocked out of bounds at the one-yard line on the final play of the game, 28-24 in 1999 thanks to a questionable spot on fourth down by an official and 27-24 in 2003 when Notre Dame kicked a field goal on the final play of the game.
Temple returns to Navy's schedule as the Owls visit the Mids in the home finale on Nov. 19. It will be the sixth meeting between the two independents and its Temple's first visit to Annapolis since 2000.
After an open week, the Midshipmen will travel to Philadelphia for the annual Army-Navy clash at Lincoln Financial Field. The game will be televised live by CBS. This will be the 106th meeting between the two service academy rivals and the series is tied 49-49-7. Navy has dominated as of late, winning three-straight games by a combined score of 134-31.
Navy season ticket holders will receive their renewal application, either in the mail or via email. Fans looking to purchase new season tickets will be able to do so immediately. These tickets will be available 24 hours per day online at navysports.com. Tickets may also be purchased over the phone at 1-800-US4-NAVY during regular Navy Ticket Office hours (Monday-Friday, 9am-5pm) or at the Naval Academy Box Office in Ricketts Hall.
2005 season ticket packages include all 5 games at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium plus the Navy-Maryland game in Baltimore. Renewing customers will receive lower level tickets for the Navy-Maryland game at M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore with their Navy season ticket. Single game tickets will go on sale in the spring.
Please check the football ticket information page at navysports.com for ticket availability and procedures for the Maryland, Air Force, Notre Dame, and Army-Navy games.
2005 Navy Football Schedule (subject to change for television)
Date Opponent Time Location
Sept. 3 Maryland 6 p.m. Baltimore, Md.
Sept. 10 Stanford 6 p.m. Annapolis, Md.
Sept. 24 at Rice TBA Houston, Texas
Oct. 1 at Duke TBA Durham, N.C.
Oct. 8 Air Force 1:30 p.m. Annapolis, Md.
Oct. 15 Kent State 1:30 p.m. Annapolis, Md.
Oct. 29 at Rutgers TBA Piscataway, N.J.
Nov. 5 Tulane (Homecoming) 1:30 p.m. Annapolis, Md.
Nov. 12 at Notre Dame (NBC) 1 p.m. South Bend, Ind.
Nov. 19 Temple 1:30 p.m. Annapolis, Md.
Dec. 3 Army (CBS) TBA Philadelphia, Pa.
