Sept. 10, 2007
Final Stats
FROSTBURG, Md. - Navy sprint football quarterback D.J. Green (Jr./Indianapolis, Ind.) threw for two touchdowns and ran for two more as the Midshipmen opened the 2007 season with a dominating 47-8 win at Frostburg State JV on Sunday night.
Green, who played only into the early part of the third quarter, completed 14-of-20 passes for 225 yards and also rushed for 37 yards on nine carries.
"D.J. was very solid tonight," stated Navy head coach Maj. Jake Jenkins, USMC, who earned a victory in his first game at the helm of the program. "He had a lot of poise and good command. He really displayed leadership on the field."
While the offense churned out 466 yards of total offense, Navy's defense held the Bobcats offense to just 36 yards of offense, 45 of which came on the first play of the game.
"I was really happy with the hustle our defense showed," said Jenkins. "They really went after the ball on every play.
"Our offensive line was impressive the whole game. They really pushed the line of scrimmage forward and opened up some huge holes against guys that were sometimes twice their weight."
Navy took a 6-0 lead with 10:45 remaining in the first quarter when running back Richard Engel (Sr./Medford, N.J.) took a pitch and scored from eight yards out. However, Frostburg State JV grabbed the lead late in the first quarter on a 74-yard interception return and converted on its two-point pass to take an 8-6 advantage.
However, Navy responded with touchdowns on each of its next-five possessions, four of which came in the second quarter, to establish a commanding 41-8 cushion. Green rushed for back-to-back touchdowns before Engel found the endzone from one yard out and Green delivered scoring strikes from eight and 13 yards to wide receiver Todd Barriger (Sr./Prescott, Mich.).
Navy kicker David Reifenberg (So./Ft. Wayne, Ind.) connected on field goals from 45 yards, a career long, and 36 yards in the fourth stanza to make the score 47-8.
Barriger finished the game with seven receptions for 122 yards, including a 48-yard grab in the first quarter. Wide receiver Tommy Tellson (Jr./Bedford, Texas) also hauled in three passes for 47 yards on the evening. As a whole, the passing game threw for 282 yards in the victory.
Navy finished the contest with 184 yards rushing, with running back Enrique Harris (Jr./Crawfordville, Fla.) leading the way with 66 yards on 14 carries.
In his first collegiate game, linebacker Alex Segler (Fr./Plano, Texas) led the defense with eight tackles and assisted on one for a loss. Fellow linebackers Emery Persinger (Fr./Cheswick, Pa.) and Brian Smith (Jr./Gainesville, Fla.) also chipped in with five stops apiece. Defensive lineman Galen Landis (Jr./Hershey, Pa.) posted one and a half sacks and two and a half tackles for a loss, while linebacker Chris Combellick (Jr./Carmel, Ind.) registered one and a half sacks.
Navy's defense registered 10 tackles in the backfield for a loss of 77 yards, broke up three passes, recovered a fumble and picked off a pass.
With Sunday night's victory, the Mids improved to 59-2-1 (.960) in season openers and 22-1 (.957) against non-CSFL teams.
The Midshipmen (1-0) will return to action on Saturday, Sept. 22, when they travel to Saratoga Springs, N.Y., to take on Army in the third-annual Allegiance Bowl. Kickoff is scheduled for 12 noon.
