Oct. 24, 2008

Box Score

ANNAPOLIS, Md. - Navy sprint football defensive end Justin Nabozna (Sr./New Fairfield, Conn.) led a stellar defensive effort with 10 tackles and two sacks to help the Midshipmen to a CSFL title-clinching 26-7 victory over Penn at Jack Stephens Field at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium on Friday evening.

The Midshipmen improved to 6-0 overall and 3-0 in league play to earn at least a share of their 33rd CSFL Championship in program history, a league record. Navy has won 15-straight contests, dating back to the 2006 campaign.

The Quakers dropped their second-straight game to fall to 4-2 on the year and 1-2 in league action.

"It's great to claim at least a share of the league title with the win tonight," stated Navy head coach Maj. Jake Jenkins, USMC. "It's good to be on the victorious side of an emotional, hard-fought game."

Four of Nabozna's stops on Friday night came in the backfield, resulting in a loss of 12 yards. For his career, the Navy senior has made 31.5 tackles for a loss, just four shy of tying the school record held by Dane Brown (2001-04).

"Justin was in the backfield the whole night," said Jenkins. "He contained Penn's most dynamic player, which was the absolute key to our success."

With the efforts of Nabozna, Navy's defense limited Penn to 70 yards of total offense in the second half and 208 yards for the entire contest. The Quakers were held to 18 rushing yards on 38 carries, with the CSFL's leading rusher, Mike Bagnoli rushing for just 24 yards on 14 attempts. The Midshipmen also posted six sacks as a whole on Friday night.

This season, Navy's rush defense has allowed a mere 80 yards rushing on 174 carries (0.5 ypc), an average of 13.3 yards per outing.

Linebackers Tyler Hawkins (Jr./Canyon Country, Calif.) and Brian Smith (Sr./Gainesville, Fla.) each produced seven tackles, while defensive lineman K.C. Middleton (Jr./Jacksonville, Fla.) made three tackles for a loss and defensive lineman Jonathan Peterson (Fr./Chesapeake, Va.) delivered two sacks in the fourth quarter.

"The defense really picked us up tonight," stated Jenkins. "They came up with several big plays in big moments to allow us to get back on track."

With 1:16 remaining in the first half and the score tied at zero, defensive back Jarred Tate (Jr./Las Vegas, Nev.) picked off a Michael D'Angelo pass and returned it 63 yards for a touchdown to put the Mids ahead, 6-0.

"For Jarred to get his first-career interception in that spot was a big moment for us," said Jenkins.

However, Penn was able to take the lead with the last play of the first half, as D'Angelo found Michael Stack for a 44-yard touchdown pass with a successful point-after attempt to make the score 7-6.

The Midshipmen stepped up on defense and special teams in the decisive third quarter to re-take the lead for good. On Penn's first possession of the second half, Emery Persinger (So./Cheswick, Pa.) blocked Raiam Santos' punt and Tom Hayes (Jr./Ballston Lake, N.Y.) fell on the ball at Penn's nine-yardline. Three plays later, quarterback D.J. Green (Sr./Indianapolis, Ind.) sneaked in from one yard out to give the Mids a 12-7 advantage.

Navy's special teams pinned Penn back to its own nine-yardline and forced a three-and-out before Jordan Foley (Fr./Butler, Pa.) returned the Santos punt 30 yards back to the Penn eight. Foley would be rewarded for his efforts on the second play of the drive, as he found pay dirt from four yards out to make the score 19-7.

The Midshipmen kept the pressure on during the next drive, as they forced another three-and-out and Foley's 15-yard return allowed the Mids to start on Penn's 40-yardline. Running back Enrique Harris (Sr./Crawfordville, Fla.) accounted for 29 yards on the drive before fellow running back Stephen Benson (Jr./Ellenwood, Ga.) scored the final touchdown of the game on an 11-yard run.

"Field position was certainly key for us in the third quarter," stated Jenkins. "The defense and special teams really did their jobs and the offense was able to capitalize on their efforts."

Benson ran the ball 16 times for 76 yards with a score, while Harris recorded 52 rushing yards on 11 carries. The Midshipmen chalked up 136 rushing yards in the game.

Green completed 8-of-18 passes for 112 yards. He connected with wide receiver Tommy Tellson (Sr./Bedford, Texas) three times for 75 yards.

Foley, the reigning CSFL Special Teams Player of the Week, returned five punts for 58 yards against the Quakers. Last week against Princeton, the Navy freshman set a school record with 140 punt return yards.

The Midshipmen will have the chance to claim its 26th-outright CSFL title next Friday, Oct. 31, when they take on Army (2-4, 1-2 CSFL) in the Star Game on Rip Miller Field in Annapolis. Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. and admission is free. Navy has defeated its service academy rival a series-record nine-straight times, including its 14-7 victory over the Black Knights in West Point on Sept. 28.

The Black Knights will make the trip to Navy after a tough 12-10 setback to Cornell (4-2, 3-1 CSFL) at Michie Stadium earlier this afternoon.

"The momentum we have is great to have going into our final game against Army," said Jenkins. "It's certainly no problem getting these guys up for that game. We certainly expect it to be as hard fought as tonight."