Aug. 2, 2010
• Navy Football Preseason Notes
Setting the Stage for 2010
• With 14 starters and 35 letterwinners returning off a team that won a seventh-straight Commander-In-Chief's Trophy and made a seventh-straight appearance in a bowl game, third-year Navy head coach Ken Niumatalolo is excited about the prospects for 2010.
• Navy returns five of its top six rushers - senior quarterback Ricky Dobbs, senior fullback Vince Murray, junior fullback Alexander Teich, sophomore slot back Gee Gee Greene and junior quarterback Kriss Proctor, as well as two of its top five receivers - senior wide receiver Greg Jones and senior wide receiver Mike Schupp.
• Dobbs returns after rushing for 27 touchdowns in 2009, an NCAA record for a quarterback.
• Additionally, Dobbs became just the third quarterback (Chris McCoy in 1997 and Craig Candeto in 2003) in school history to rush (1,203 yards) and throw (1,031 yards) for over 1,000 yards in a season. No Navy player has accomplished this feat twice in his career.
• Last fall Murray and Teich combined to rush for 1,347 yards and six touchdowns on 252 carries (5.3 yds/carry).
• The Mids will try and regain their title as the top rushing team in the country after finishing fourth (280.5 yds/gm) last year. Navy had won the rushing title an NCAA-record four-consecutive years (2005-08).
• On the defensive end of the field, five of the Mids' top 10 tacklers are back - senior linebacker Tyer Simmons, senior safety Wyatt Middleton, senior safety Emmett Merchant, junior defensive end Jabaree Tuani and senior corner Kevin Edwards.
• The defense enters the 2010 season having not given up a touchdown to Service Academy rivals Air Force and Army in 12 quarters (plus one overtime period). The Mids have not given up a touchdown to Army in 12 quarters.
• Navy will be vying for an eighth-straight Commander-In-Chief's Trophy and an eighth-straight bowl game. If the Mids win at least six games, they will play in the Poinsettia Bowl.
More on Navy's 2010 Schedule
• Five games at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium and three neutral site games played at NFL venues highlight Navy's 2010 schedule.
• The Mids will face four teams that played in a bowl in 2009, three bowl champions and two conference champions. Air Force won the Armed Forces Bowl, SMU won the Hawai'i Bowl, Central Michigan won the Mid-American Conference as well as the GMAC Bowl, while East Carolina was crowned the Conference USA champion and played in the AutoZone Liberty Bowl.
• CBS College Sports will televise all five games played in Annapolis, while the Notre Dame and Army games will be televised by CBS. ESPN will televise the Mids' 2010 season opener against Maryland.
Navy Finishes 2009 Just Outside of Top 25
• The Navy football team (10-4) finished the 2009 campaign ranked 26th in the USA Today / Coaches Poll and 28th in the Associated Press Poll.
• The Mids were one of just 21 teams that concluded the year with 10 or more wins.
• According to the USA Today / Coaches Poll, Navy entered the bowl season ranked 39th with just one voting point. Thanks to a 35-13 thrashing of Missouri, the Mids picked up a remarkable 88 points to finish just three points out of the top 25 behind Oklahoma State (9-4). A pair of 2009 Navy opponents, Ohio State (5th) and Pitt (15th), finished the year in the top 25, while 2010 opponent Central Michigan finished 24th. Additionally, Air Force finished 39th with seven points and SMU was 43rd with one point.
• Navy did not receive any votes in the Associated Press Poll upon entering bowl play, but picked up 85 voting points to finish 28th, just six points behind No. 25 West Virginia (9-4). Ohio State finished fifth, Pitt was 15th and Central Michigan was 23rd in the final AP Poll. Air Force finished with just three voting points to finish 38th.
• Thirty-one of the 59 Associated Press voters put Navy in their top 25. The highest ranking Navy received was No. 19 from Doug Doughty of the Roanoke Times, while Brett McMurphy from AOL Fanhouse and Mike DiRocco from the Florida Times-Union ranked Navy 20th. Army beat writer Sal Interdonato of the Middletown Times-Herald Record voted Navy 21st, Ohio State beat writer Doug Lesmerises from the Columbus Dispatch voted Navy 23rd, Notre Dame beat writer Pete DiPrimio of the Fort Wayne News-Sentinel voted Navy 24th and Air Force beat writer Jake Schaller of the Colorado Springs Gazette voted Navy 25th.
Navy Ranked 23rd By Rivals.com
• Rivals.com says, "Thanks to a manageable schedule and a lot of returning talent, Navy has a chance to win 10 games in back-to-back seasons for the first time in school history. After defeating Notre Dame twice in three seasons and routing Missouri in the Texas Bowl last season, this group is hungry for more. Navy has realistic expectations of finishing the season ranked for the first time since 2004."
Navy No. 33 In Athlon Sports' Preseason Rankings
• Athlon Sports projects Navy as the 33rd best team in the country in their preseason football rankings. The magazine predicts Navy to go 9-3 in 2010, although they only rank one team on Navy's schedule ahead of the Midshipmen.
• Notre Dame was ranked 26th in their preseason rankings, while Air Force was 52nd. Other teams on Navy's schedule include Maryland (67th), Wake Forest (68th), SMU (69th), Duke (70th), Louisiana Tech (84th), Army (85th), East Carolina (91st), Central Michigan (95th) and Arkansas State (107th). Missouri, who lost to Navy 35-13 in the Texas Bowl, was ranked 21st.
Lindy's Ranks Navy 44th In The Country
• The 2010 Lindy's College Football Preview magazine ranks Navy as the 44th best team in the country. The Mids are ranked higher than every team on its schedule.
• Notre Dame, ranked 49th, is the highest ranked Navy opponent. Air Force is ranked 60th, Wake Forest 65th, Central Michigan 69th, Duke 70th, SMU 75th, Maryland 76th, Louisiana Tech 83rd, East Carolina 90th, Army 92nd and Arkansas State 98th.
• Senior quarterback Ricky Dobbs is ranked as the 19th best quarterback in the country. Cornerback Reggie Rembert (12th) of Air Force was the only other Service Academy player to be ranked at his position. Air Force's secondary as a whole was ranked as the sixth best secondary in the country. .
Navy Ranked 48th By Phil Steele's College Football Preview
• The Navy football team was ranked 48th in Phil Steele's College Football Preview magazine. The Mids were ranked ahead of all but two opponents as Notre Dame was ranked 16th and Air Force was ranked 47th. Steele projects Navy to play BYU in the Poinsettia Bowl.
• Steele ranked three Navy players as a Top 50 player at their respective positions. Senior fullback Vince Murray was ranked as the 14th best fullback, senior strong safety Wyatt Middleton was ranked as the 40th best strong safety and senior quarterback Ricky Dobbs was ranked as the 47th best quarterback.
• Steele also ranks individual units and he ranks the Navy quarterbacks 36th best in the country.
Dobbs on O'Brien Award Watch List
• Navy senior quarterback Ricky Dobbs is one of 30 players named to the 2010 Davey O'Brien Quarterback Award (The O'Brien Award) Watch List.
• This year's list features some of the nation's top collegiate quarterbacks who were selected based on their performance during the previous year and expectations heading into the 2010 college football season. The list features 13 seniors, 13 juniors and four sophomores.
• Appearing on the Watch List is not a requirement for a player to be awarded The O'Brien. Quarterbacks from all 120 NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) schools are eligible for the award until the field is narrowed to 16 semifinalists on Oct. 25. The Foundation and the Selection Committee will announce three finalists on Nov. 22. The 2010 winner will be announced on The Home Depot ESPNU College Football Awards Show on Dec. 9.
• The 34th Annual O'Brien Awards Dinner will be held Feb. 21, 2011 at The Fort Worth Club in Fort Worth, Texas.
Middleton on Lott Trophy Watch List
• Senior safety Wyatt Middleton was one of 42 players named to the 2010 Lott Watch List.
• Named after Pro Football Hall of Fame member, Ronnie Lott, The Lott Trophy is awarded to college football's Defensive IMPACT Player of the Year.
• Founded in 2004 by The Pacific Club IMPACT Foundation, The Lott Trophy is the first and only college football award to equally recognize athletic performance and the personal character attributes of the player.
• The Lott Trophy is given to the player who exhibits the same characteristics Lott embodied during his distinguished career: Integrity, Maturity, Performance, Academics, Community and Tenacity.
• Voters for the award include selected members of the national media, previous finalists, the Board of Directors of the Pacific Club IMPACT Foundation and the Legends Coaches which is a distinguished group of former college football head coaches.
• The seventh annual Lott Trophy dinner will be held Dec. 12 at The Pacific Club in Newport Beach, California.
Battipaglia Among Lombardi Award Watch List
• Senior offensive tackle Jeff Battipagllia has been named to the 2010 Rotary Lombardi Award Watch List. Eligibility for the award is limited to down linemen, end-to-end, either on offense or defense, who set up no farther than five yards deep from the line of scrimmage.
• Battipaglia has started 27 consecutive games for the Midshipmen dating back to the 2008 season-opener against Towson. Last year, he helped lead Navy to a 10-4 record, the Commander-In-Chief's Trophy and a victory over Missouri in the Texas Bowl.
Dobbs Nominated For The AFCA Good Works Team
• To honor the distinguished group of college football players who stand out for the positive influence they have in their communities, Allstate Insurance Company and the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) announced the 57 Football Bowl Subdivision student-athletes nominated for the Allstate AFCA Good Works Team®, which included senior quarterback Ricky Dobbs.
• In the areas of giving back and volunteerism, the Allstate AFCA Good Works Team® represents the "best of the best" among more than 50,000 student-athletes participating in the sport at all four-year institutions.
• From the nominees submitted by sports information directors on behalf of their schools, a special voting panel consisting of former Good Works Team® members and prominent college football media members is responsible for selecting two 11-player Good Works Teams® - one comprised of players from the NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision and another representing players from the NCAA Football Championship Subdivision, Divisions II, III, and the NAIA - to be announced in September. College Football Hall of Fame member and ESPN broadcaster Lou Holtz is returning for a third year to serve as spokesperson for the program and raise awareness for the stories of the nominees and team members.
Navy Among the Most Successful Teams Nationally Over The Last Seven Years
• Navy clinched its seventh-consecutive winning season last fall with a 35-18 victory over Delaware.
• The seven-straight winning seasons are the most by Navy since the Mids enjoyed 10-straight winning seasons from 1952-61.
• The Mids own a 61-29 (.678) record over the last-seven years after posting a 3-30 (.091) mark from 2000-02.
• The 61 wins are the 17th most in the country during that span.
Mids Consistently Among the Nation's Top Rushing Teams
• Over the last eight years, Navy has consistently been one of the top rushing teams in the country, never finishing lower than fourth.
• In 2002, Navy finished third in the country in rushing, averaging 270.8 yards per game.
• In 2003, Navy led the nation in rushing, averaging a then school-record 323.2 yards per game. That is the fifth best rushing average for a team over the last 10 years.
• In 2004, Navy finished third in the country in rushing, averaging 289.5 yards per game.
• In 2005, Navy led the country in rushing for the second time in three years, averaging 318.7 yards per game. The 318.7 yards per game is the seventh best rushing average by a team in the last 10 years.
• Navy finished the 2006 campaign averaging a nation's-best and then school-record 327.0 yards per game. That is the fourth-best rushing average by a team in the last 10 years.
• The Mids rushed for a school-record 348.8 yards per game in 2007, becoming the first team in NCAA history to lead the nation in rushing three-consecutive years. The 348.8 yards rushing is the second best rushing average by a team in the last 10 years. Only the 2000 Nebraska team (349.3) rushed for more over that time period.
• The 348.8 yards per game are the most yards rushing by a FBS team since Nebraska averaged 349.3 yards per game in 2000.
• In 2008, Navy led the country in rushing for an unprecedented fourth-straight year, averaging 292.4 yards per game.
• In 2009, Navy finished fourth in the nation in rushing, averaging 280.5 yards per game.
Navy Ranked 18th In Scoring Defense
• The Navy defense allowed just 19.4 points per game last fall, the 18th-best scoring average in the country.
• The Mids did not allow an offensive touchdown against their two biggest rivals - Air Force and Army.
• In fact, Army's last touchdown against the Mids was scored in the fourth quarter of the 2006 game.
