Nov. 4, 2016 Final Stats
ANNAPOLIS, Md. -- Behind a complete team effort the Navy sprint football team earned a gritty 10-3 victory over Army West Point in the two rival service academy's annual Star Game. After a slow start saw the Mids (6-1) fall behind 3-0 in the first quarter and get held to minus-three rushing yards in the first half, a stifling defense and hard-nosed running attack in the second half helped the hosts come from behind for a dramatic 10-3 victory over the Black Knights (5-2) before a boisterous crowd at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium on Friday night.
"That was a hard fought battle between the top two defenses in our league," remarked Navy head coach Major Jeff Polson, USMC. "Our offense was able to move the ball, however Army's defense came through with big stops and caused turnovers when they needed to. Our defense played lights out the whole game and allowed just three points and 122 total yards. They sent a message that they are a really good, strong defensive unit.
"Across the board, every part of our team performed with strong results tonight. Defense was stout throughout the game, special teams came through in critical moments, whether it was getting off a punt from our own end zone or making a key return. Our offense came out in the second half and marched the ball down 80 yards for a touchdown and then returned with a field goal on the next drive. All facets of the team came through when they needed to and I'm so proud of them for that."
Co-captain Nick Abramson (Sr., Walnut Creek, Calif.) led Navy's merciless defensive attack from his starting linebacker position with a career-high 13 tackles, which included two sacks and a third tackle for loss. Kendall Mackey (Sr., Atlanta, Ga.) backed up his fellow classmate on Senior Night with seven tackles and an interception, his sixth career caused turnover in a Star Game. Alex Oldham (Jr., Dayton, Ohio) and Bryant Schlade (Jr., Napoleon, Ohio) were also all over the field and in Army's backfield as both players had six tackles and one sack, respectively. In his first start of the year as a cornerback, Brendon Clements (Sr., Miami, Fla.) helped the Mids' effort as he played a leading role in shutting down Army's vaunted passing attack that came in averaging over 225 yards per game, second-best in the CSFL. The Black Knights finished with 87 total passing yards and 35 on the ground for an aggregate of 122 yards over their 22:47 time of possession.
Offensively, Clements showed strong in his double-duty workload as the team's leading rusher and second-leading receiver. On his 19 total touches on offense, Clements gained 91 yards rushing on 16 carries and 62 yards on three receptions. He tallied the game's lone touchdown with a one-yard score in the third quarter. Senior co-captain quarterback Nick Deterding (Lindsborg, Kan.) guided Navy's offense with 183 yards passing on 16 completions spread out over six receivers; he also rushed for 37 yards. Miles Whitlow (So., Clemens, Ala.) was Deterding's top target with six catches for 73 yards.
The game started inauspiciously for both teams as each went three-and-out with a combined one yard gained between the two squads.
On its second possession, Army West Point put together its longest and most successful drive of the game as the Black Knights drove down the field 56 yards on nine plays to Navy's 15-yard line before settling for 32-yard field goal from John Abercrombie at 8:06.
Navy looked to respond with a score of its own, but Army's defense recorded an interception in the red zone to short-circuit the Mids' 14-play, 52-yard drive. The most noteworthy piece of the interception play was the tremendous burst of speed and tenacity shown by Clements to track down Christian Hess, the Black Knight cornerback, at the end of a 78-yard return as Hess looked to pull away for a potential touchdown. Army was unable to capitalize on the lengthy interception return when its offense was stopped on a fourth-and-three from the 10-yard line.
The Mids' passing game was clicking throughout the majority of the first two quarters and had the team either challenging on the Black Knight's side of the field or within a few yards of midfield over that span. Unfortunately, a missed 37-yard field goal and an athletic interception by Army's Nathan Lopez kept the home team off the scoreboard.
Going into the halftime break down 3-0, Navy held a 77-yard advantage in total offense at 154 to 77. Both teams' rushing attacks were severely depressed with Army recording 14 yards on 17 carries and Navy going for minus-three yards on 12 attempts.
Coming out of the locker room with the first possession of the second half, Navy's fortunes on the scoreboard changed with a new plan and attitude on offense.
"At halftime, we talked about how we really have to establish the run game, showcase our aggressive downhill style of running and control the line of scrimmage," said Polson. "The team came out and responded in a big way. We pounded the ball and were able to march down the field. That's what we needed to do to change the dynamic of the game."
The changes were noticeable immediately as the team covered 81 yards on eight plays for the game's first and only touchdown. Clements and Deterding led the charge as Clements rushed three times for 27 yards and scampered another 25 yards on a short pass and long run after the catch. Besides his hookup with Clements, Deterding rushed three times for 20 yards. Clements capped off the drive with a one-yard touchdown rush at the 10:10 mark of the third quarter.
After a quick three-and-out by Army, Navy's offense was back on the field and once again dialed up a heavy dose of rushing the ball. On the ensuing seven-play drive, the Mids rushed the ball six times for 61 yards with a 30-yard gain by Clements and a 17-yard run by Deterding highlighting the possession that culminated with a 20-yard field goal by Jared Swenson (Fr., Seymour, Wis.) at 5:50.
Up 10-3, Navy continued playing its suffocating brand of defense as Army struggled to gain much if any offensive traction. The Black Knight's were only able to muster two first downs over the remaining 20:50 of play. A pair of three-and-outs and a Kendall Mackey interception allowed the visitors to possess the ball for just 8:34 as they attempted to come back over the last quarter-plus of play.
The exclamation point to Navy's victory was its final defensive stand with Army starting at the Mids' own 34-yard line. On second down after a lengthy scramble, the Black Knights' quarterback Keegan West was chased down for a 13-yard sack by Abramson. Two plays later, freshman defensive end Troy Monroe (Columbus, Ga.) came off the edge on fourth down and launched himself into West just as the quarterback was about to release the ball, severely hindering the throw that went incomplete.
For the game, Navy outgained Army, 327 to 122 with a 144 to 35 advantage in rushing and 183 to 87 mark in passing. The Mids' defense held the Black Knights to just five first downs, forced six three-and-outs and eight punts. Army went 1-for-13 on third down and 0-of-2 on fourth downs in the contest.
"The team is so excited and pumped up after a game like this," exclaimed Polson. "This is such an important game for the program and is equally as importantly for this institution. It's a huge win. This is the second Star Game win for this senior class so that balances out their career at 2-2. They be able to enjoy this for the rest of their life. And for those players that return, this is a building block that will help carry great energy and momentum throughout the offseason."
Friday night's contest marked the end of the sprint football careers of 15 Midshipmen. As a unit, the Class of 2016 won 24 games, two Star Games and one CSFL league title. Prior to the contest, Nick Abramson, Alex Blink, Brendon Clements, Alex Crans, Nick Deterding, Drew Dziwulski, Ross Gilchriest, Caleb Legis, James Lieto, Kendall Mackey, Jules Murphy, Blake Papet, Kyle Robb and Rex Willis were honored, as well as team manager and former quarterback Zack Johnson. Justin Zemser was recognized posthumously as the fallen Midshipmen would have been the 16th member of this senior class.
"You can look at the injuries and difficulties across the board that this senior class had to battle through," remarked Polson. "Nick Deterding was battling injuries all season and we had to make a decision leading into this game if the injuries were going to hinder his abilities and the best interests of the team. He's a grinder, who battled through an 11-millimeter gap in his ankle and still ran on it and made smart decisions. That's the heart of a leader. Then you have a player like Nick Abramson on the other side of the ball, who goes out on the last drive of the game and suffers a serious leg injury. What does he do? He sits up and pumps up his teammates and the crowd, all while gritting his teeth in pain. He might not have been able to finish the game, but he wanted his teammates to finish this out. That shows his heart and resilience. Those two examples just from tonight illustrate the heart and resiliency of this entire senior class. They are such a great group of hard-working, gritty kids, who lay it all out on the line. This was a great game to cap off some really great careers."
Navy closes its regular season with a 6-1 record. Penn currently sits atop the CSFL conference standings at 6-0 and plays on Saturday afternoon at Post. Pending the outcome, the Mids would either earn a share of the league title or end in sole possession of second place.
Navy will participate in a goodwill exhibition on Dec. 2 versus Heroico Colegio Militar. The Mids and their Mexican military counterparts will play at 4 p.m. at Rip Miller Field on the grounds of the United States Naval Academy.
NOTE: With Friday night's victory, Navy's athletic programs hold a 6-1 advantage over Army West Point in the 2016-17 Star Series presented by USAA. The next Star contests will be swimming and diving meets for the men and women on Dec. 3 at West Point.
