Sept. 24, 2006
Box Score
UNION, N.J. - Junior running back Richard Engel (Medford, N.J.) ran for 134 yards and two touchdowns and was named the game's Most Valuable Player to lead the Navy sprint football team to a 31-21 victory over Army in front of 5,381 fans at Pride Bowl XXVIII on Sunday afternoon.
The Midshipmen, winners in 15-consecutive games since the start of the 2004 season, improved to 2-0 on the year. The Black Knights dropped to 1-1 with the loss.
"I am so proud of the men on both teams today," stated Navy head coach Maj. Joseph R. Clearfield, USMC. "It was a 60-minute battle and both teams brought it on every play. This is how the game is meant to be played. I feel real good the future of our armed forces with people like these on the field today."
Engel scored Navy's first touchdown of the game on a four-yard run to put the Midshipmen ahead, 7-6, in the first quarter. The junior also posted a 32-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter to push Navy ahead, 31-21.
"Richard ran real hard all game," Clearfield said. "He had a great week in practice and had it carry over into today's game. I'm happy he was named the MVP, but he will be the first to tell you that it was the men up front that did the work to allow him to earn MVP honors."
Army won the toss and drove 81 yards on 15 plays, using up eight minutes, to take a 6-0 lead on a two-yard Robert Miner run. However, Sam Herbert's extra-point attempt sailed wide left to keep the deficit at six points.
Following a Navy punt on its opening possession, the Black Knights drove the ball down the Midshipmen 39-yard line, where sophomore Galen Landis (Hershey, Pa.) forced a fumble which senior Cory Baxter (North Kingstown, R.I.) recovered at the Navy 39-yard line.
The Midshipmen responded with 17-unaswered points to establish a 17-6 lead midway through the third quarter. Engel and sophomore Enrique Harris (Crawfordville, Fla.) each ran for touchdowns during the second quarter and freshman David Reifenberg (Ft. Wayne, Ind.) booted a 33-yard field goal with 7:39 remaining in the third quarter.
However, Army would not go quietly, as the Black Knights traveled 75 yards in eight plays, capped by a Nate Navarro 18-yard touchdown run to make the score 17-13.
The Midshipmen bounced back with an 11-play, 70-yard drive that resulted in a 25-yard touchdown pass from senior Chris Marsh (New Alexandria, Pa.) to sophomore Tommy Tellson (Bedford, Texas) that pushed Navy's lead back to 11 at 24-13 with 11:45 remaining in the game.
Only 15 seconds later, Army countered with an 82-yard kickoff return for a touchdown from Wesley Pritchett and a successful two-point conversion to pull within three at 24-21.
Once again, the Mids had an answer, as Engel bolted up the right sideline 32 yards for what proved to be the final score of the afternoon with 5:12 showing on the game clock.
In addition to Engel's 134 yards, Harris rushed for 50 yards on eight carries and Marsh gained 33 yards on 12 rushing attempts as the Midshipmen churned out 239 yards on the ground.
Marsh connected on 12-of-18 pass attempts for 145 yards and a touchdown. Tellson accounted for 77 yards with five receptions, while senior Mitchell Dow (Yorktown, Va.) hauled in three passes for 20 yards and sophomore Nash Bagby (Waco, Texas) made a pair of receptions for 21 yards.
Sophomore Brian Smith (Gainesville, Fla.) made a career-best 11 tackles, two of which resulted in a loss, to lead a Navy defense that held Army to 236 yards of total offense, including only 43 yards rushing in the second half. Senior captain Ryan Engle (Reed City, Mich.) recorded eight stops, while senior Dorian Smith (Alexandria, Va.) posted seven tackles and an interception and senior Danny Davis (Phoenix, Ariz.) made seven tackles with a sack.
Navarro led Army in rushing with 56 yards on nine carries and a touchdown as the Black Knights ground game tallied 162 yards. Robert Miner completed 5-of-12 passes for 74 yards with an interception.
Navy next opens CSFL play on Friday, Oct. 6, with a road contest against Cornell. Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m.
