Nov. 15, 2010

Setting the Stage
• In what will be the inaugural meeting between the two schools, Navy (7-3) and Arkansas State (4-6) will square off on Saturday at 3:30 pm.
• CBS College Sports will broadcast Saturday's contest with Tom McCarthy (play-by-play), Randy Cross (analyst) and Kaylee Hartung (sideline) calling the action from Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium (34,000) in Annapolis, Md.
• The Navy Football Tailgate Show on 1430 WNAV (Annapolis) will air at 1:30 pm with Joe Miller and Wylie Baker live from Annapolis and Pete Medhurst from California.
• The Navy Football Pregame Show with Bob Socci, Omar Nelson, John Feinstein and Joe Miller will get underway at 2:30 pm, followed by game action beginning at 3:30 pm on the Navy Radio Network and Sirius Satellite Radio (Ch. 152).
• Following the contest, Joe Miller and Wylie Baker will recap the day's events in a 60-minute postgame show live on 1430 WNAV and WFED 1050 AM.

Pre-Game And Halftime Festivities
• Pregame festivities will get underway at 1:15 pm with the Navy Football Team Walk. Originating at the Blue Angel in the southwest corner of the stadium, the team will make its way down the sidewalk and through NavyFest before walking up the drive to the stadium. Fans are encouraged to line up on both sides of the sidewalk to cheer for the team.
• The March-On of the Brigade of Midshipmen will take place at 3:05 pm.
• Navy's 23 seniors will be honored in a Senior Salute at 3:23 pm.
• Saturday's fly-over will feature two F/A 18's from Oceana, Va.

Saturday's Storylines
• Navy enters Saturday's game ranked fifth in the country in rushing (302.7) and eighth in turnover margin (+1.0). Linebacker Tyler Simmons is tied for 18th in the country in tackles per game (10.2), while defensive end Jabaree Tuani is tied for 18th in tackles for a loss (1.45).
• Arkansas State is ranked 22nd in the country in passing offense (272.0) and are 19th in the country in sacks (2.6). Quarterback Ryan Applin is 13th in the country in total offense per game (303.1), wide receiver Dwayne Frampton is tied for 21st in the country in receptions per game (6.2 per contest). Bryan Hall is tied for 14th in the country in sacks per game (0.85).
• Quarterback Ricky Dobbs has 45-career rushing touchdowns and is tied for eighth with Missouri's Brad Smith for most rushing touchdowns by a quarterback in NCAA history. He needs just two rushing touchdowns to set the NCAA record for most rushing touchdowns by a quarterback in back-to back years.
• The Navy offense has scored on 15 of its last 17 drives (13 touchdowns and two field goals).
• Navy has scored on its last 29 drives in the red zone, with 27 of those scores resulting in touchdowns.
• The Navy defense has forced at least one turnover in 14 of the last 16 games. Navy is 6-0 this year when winning the turnover battle.
• A win today would give Navy at least eight wins for the eighth-straight season and would give head coach Ken Niumatalolo his 26th win, the most wins in school history by a Navy coach in his first three seasons
• Navy has won seven-straight games on senior day. The Mids last lost the home finale in 2002, 38-0 to Connecticut.
• If Navy can beat Arkansas State, Army and win the bowl game the Mids will tie the school record for wins with 10 and it will mark the first time in school history that Navy has won 10 games in back-to-back seasons. The senior class would also tie the Class of 1919 for the the school record for wins with 36.

Navy's Seniors To Be Honored Pregame
• Navy will honor its 23 seniors on Saturday in what will be their final game at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium.
• The senior class has compiled a record of 33-17 (.660) with three games remaining. It has won three Commander-In-Chief's Trophies, will participate in four bowl games, won a bowl game and became just the third class in school history to beat Notre Dame three times.
• If Navy can win its final three games of the 2010 campaign, the senior class will be the first in school history to win 10 games in consecutive seasons and just the second Service Academy class to win 10 or more games in consecutive seasons (Air Force won 10 in 1997 and 12 in 1998). It would also give the seniors 36 wins, which would tie the record for most wins by a class at the Naval Academy which is held by the Class of 1919.
• The senior class is 3-0 against Army, outscoring the Black Knights, 89-6. The seniors have not allowed a touchdown to Army in their three seasons.
• Navy's senior class includes: Jeff Battipaglia, Shane Bothel, Donnie Bowers, Joe Buckley, Chase Burge, Andre Byrd, J.J. Cosh, Kyle Delahooke, Ricky Dobbs, Kevin Edwards, Trey Grissom, Jerry Hauburger, Greg Jones, Clayton Lydick, Emmett Merchant, Matt Molloy, Vince Murray, Mike Schupp, Tyler Simmons, Mike Sweeney, John Charles White, Jason Wright and Billy Yarborough.

Mids Hang On For 38-37 Win Over Central Michigan
• Quarterback Kriss Proctor, making just his third-career start, rushed for 201 yards and a touchdown on just 20 carries to lead Navy to a thrilling 38-37 victory over Central Michigan in front of 34,333 fans at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium.
• In a game that featured little defense, the two teams combined for 75 points and 965 yards of total offense as Navy clinced a winning season for the eighth-consecutive year.
• The Mids trailed 24-21 at the half, but outscored the Chippewas 14-0 in the pivotal third quarter.
• Proctor put the Mids up for good with a four-yard touchdown run on Navy's first drive of the third quarter (28-24).
• The Mids made it 35-24 on their next drive as John Howell scored his first career rushing TD from six yards out.
• Defensive end Billy Yarborough stopped a Central Michigan fake punt on the next series and the Mids would convert it to points when Joe Buckley made a 35-yard field goal with 7:27 left in the contest.
• Central Michigan answered Buckley's field goal with a 10-play, 72-yard drive with Zurlon Tipton scoring from the one-yard line to trim the Navy lead to 38-31 with 3:04 remaining.
• The Mids would pick up just one first down on their next possession with the Chippewas stopping Gee Gee Greene for a loss of two yards on third-and-three from the Navy 38.
• After Kyle Delahooke's 49-yard punt, Central Michigan took the ball over at its own 20 with just 1:04 left.
• After Central Michigan quarterback Ryan Radcliff threw incomplete on first down, he hit consecutive passes for 16, 24 and 25 yards to move the ball down to the Navy 15-yard line.
• After a spike and an incompletion, Radcliff hit Carl Volny for eight yards on third down and then hit Cody Wilson with a seven-yard touchdown pass on fourth-and-two to pull CMU within one point. Chippewas head coach Dan Enos elected to go for the win and Radcliff's pass in the back of the end zone was high, giving Navy a 38-37 victory.
• The Mids rushed for 437 yards with slot back Aaron Santiago supplmenting Proctor's 201 with 60 yards and a touchdown on four carries. Fullback Alexander Teich had 53 yards and two touchdowns on just 12 carries.
• The defense was led by linebacker Max Blue with 12 tackles, while fellow linebacker Tyler Simmons recorded 10 stops. Outside linebacker Aaron McCauley had nine tackles and a pass breakup, while Kevin Edwards had eight stops and two pass breakups.

Navy Qualifies For The San Diego County Credit Union Poinsettia Bowl
• Following Navy's win over East Carolina on Nov. 6, Naval Academy Director of Athletics Chet Gladchuk announced that Navy has qualified to play in the San Diego County Credit Union Poinsettia Bowl.
• The bowl game is scheduled to be played on Thursday, Dec. 23, at Qualcomm Stadium in San Diego against a projected opponent from the Mountain West Conference. The game will be televised nationally by ESPN at 5:00 pm (Pacific), 8:00 pm in Annapolis.
• Qualifying for the Poinsettia Bowl is a landmark achievement for the football program as it marks the first time in school history that Navy has gone to eight-straight bowl games.
• Tickets for the Poinsettia Bowl are on sale now at www.navysports.com. Tickets can also be purchased by calling 1-800-US4-NAVY or by visiting the Ricketts Hall Box Office. Tickets range from $45 for the field, plaza and loge level and $55 for club seats. Fans are also asked to purchase tickets to sponsor midshipmen and enlisted personnel and their families for $45.
• "We strongly encourage Navy fans to buy their bowl tickets directly from the Naval Academy Athletic Association," said Gladchuk. "Our goal is to bring a large contingent of the Brigade of Midshipmen and we expect more than 20,000 Navy fans in the stands. It is very important for this game and for future Navy bowl considerations for our fans to purchase tickets through the NAAA. If you can't make it to the game, we ask that Navy fans buy tickets for our midshipmen and enlisted personnel, which will allow us to create the usual pageantry of Navy football. San Diego is a "Navy" town and it would be great if we could send any interested enlisted personnel and their family to the game. Ticket donations through the NAAA ticket office are 100 percent tax deductible."
• Anthony Travel is the official Naval Academy Poinsettia Bowl travel agency. Travel packages include hotel accommodations at the Manchester Grand Hyatt (Navy team hotel). Visit AnthonyTravel.com and search Navy Bowl or call (800) 736-6377 to make your reservations.

Navy Receives Votes In The Coaches Poll
• Coming off a thrilling 38-37 victory over Central Michigan last Saturday, the Navy football team (7-3), received votes in the USA Today/Coaches Poll for the second-consecutive week.
• The Mids received six voting points in the coaches poll, which puts the Mids 35th, while Hawai'i stands 34th with 10 points.

Home Sweet Home
• Navy owns a 34-10 (.773) record at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium since 2003.
• The Mids are an even better 12-3 (.800) at home under current head coach Ken Niumatalolo.
• Senior quarterback Ricky Dobbs is 6-1 (.857) as a starter at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium.

Navy Looking For Eight Or More Wins For The Eighth-Straight Year
• Navy has won eight or more games in each of the last seven seasons, the 11th-longest streak in the country. A victory on Saturday over Arkansas State would extend the Mids' streak to eight-straight years.
• Boise State, with 11-consecutive years winning eight or more games, is the only non-BCS school that has a longer streak than Navy.

Opponent Watch
• Navy's opponents own a combined 58-64 (.475) record on the year.
• The 10 opponents Navy has played to date - Maryland (7-3), Georgia Southern (6-4), Louisiana Tech (4-6), Air Force (7-4), Wake Forest (2-8), SMU (5-5), Notre Dame (5-5), Duke (3-7), East Carolina (6-4) and Central Michigan (3-8) - are a combined 48-54 (.471).
• Navy's remaining opponents - Arkansas State (4-6) and Army (6-4) - are a combined 10-10 (.500).
• Navy's seven wins have come against Georgia Southern, Louisiana Tech, Wake Forest, SMU, Notre Dame, East Carolina and Central Michigan. Their combined record is 31-40 (.437).
• Navy's three losses have come at the hands of Maryland , Air Force and Duke. Their combined record is 17-14 (.548).
• Navy has played four teams that currently have winning records and the Mids are 2-2 in those four games. Both SMU and Notre Dame are .500.

Cardiac Mids
• Seven of Navy's 10 games this year have been decided by eight points or less, with the Mids winning four of the seven.
• Twenty of Ken Niumatalolo's 38 games (.526) as a head coach have been decided by seven points or less with the Mids posting a 12-8 record (.600) in those games.
• Eight of Navy's last 15 wins have been decided by seven points or less.

Proctor Has Big Day
• Making just his third-career start, junior quarterback Kriss Proctor rushed for 201 yards and a touchdown on 20 carries in Navy's 38-37 victory over Central Michigan.
• The 201 yards rushing are tied as the eighth most by a quarterback in school history and the most since Ricky Dobbs rushed for 224 yards against SMU in 2008.
• He is the 19th different quarterback to rush for 100 yards in school history and just the sixth different quarterback to rush for 200 yards in a game.
• Proctor and Alexander Teich, who rushed for 210 yards on 26 carries in Navy's win over Notre Dame, became the first duo in school history to rush for over 200 yards in the same season.

Niumatalolo Making History
• Navy head coach Ken Niumatalolo is just the second coach since World War II to lead Navy to a winning record in his first three years at the helm, joining Wayne Hardin (5-4-1 in 1959, 9-2 in 1960 and 7-3 in 1961) on the exclusive list.
• He joins Eddie Erdelatz and Wayne Hardin as the only coaches in school history to beat Notre Dame in back-to-back years.
• He is the only coach in school history to lead Navy to a bowl game in each of his first three seasons.
• His 25 wins are tied with Paul Dashiell (1904-06) for the most in school history in the first three years of a career.
• His 18 wins in his first two years are the most wins in school history bin his first two seasons.
• His eight wins in his first year are tied for the fourth-most in school history and the most for a Navy coach in his debut season since Tom Hamilton won eight in 1934.
• In 2009, Niumatalolo was the first coach to lead an unranked Navy squad over a ranked Notre Dame squad since 1936 (which was the first year of the polls) when Tom Hamilton led Navy to a 3-0 victory over Notre Dame.
• He is the first head coach in Service Academy history to win the Commander-In-Chief's Trophy in each of his first two years.
• Niumatalolo is the first Samoan head football coach on the collegiate level and the second Polynesian head coach in Division IA history (Larry Price, who was the head coach at Hawai'i from 1974-76 was the first).