ANNAPOLIS, Md.—Sophomore linebacker Terrell Adams, making his first career start, broke up a two-point conversion attempt from Temple quarterback Anthony Russo with 1:03 left in the game to give Navy (2-2, 2-0) a 31-29 victory over Temple (0-1, 0-1) on Saturday night in front of 4,400 members of the Brigade of Midshipmen at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium. The win was Navy head coach Ken Niumatalolo's 100th of his career.
Navy won the game despite being down five starters on defense (four due to injury for the game and one in the first half because of a targeting call last weekend).
"I'm just speechless. So happy for our players to come back after a devastating loss last week," said Niumatalolo. We had our two starting inside linebackers out, our starting safeties out, but our guys battled and the defense found a way to make enough plays to win."
Senior fullback Nelson Smith rushed for a career high 120 yards and two touchdowns, while junior fullback Jamale Carothers added 53 yards and a touchdown on 15 carries as Navy grounded out 251 rushing yards while playing keep away from the Temple offense. Navy had the ball for 35:21 compared to 24:39 for Temple.
Quarterback Dalen Morris completed both of his passes for 48 yards and did a magnificent job of directing the Navy offense.
"I'm proud of Dalen. He sparked us, he played really well," said Niumatalolo. "I thought the fullbacks ran hard, the A-backs played well, we got some big plays from CJ (Williams) and Coop (Mychal Cooper), the offensive line blocked great, it was just a great team win. Bijan's kick at the end gave us the cushion we needed, I'm just proud of our team."
Navy set the tone for the game on the opening drive, moving 75 yards in 17 plays, on the ground, and taking 9:38 off the clock. The drive was capped by a one-yard touchdown run by Carothers.
After the Navy defense held Temple to a field goal on its first drive, the Mids went right back down the field to take a 14-3 lead on an eight play drive that ended with a two-yard touchdown run by Chance Warren.
Smith would give Navy a 21-10 lead with 3:46 left in the first half on a 26-yard touchdown run and then sophomore striker John Marshall would pick off Russo at the Navy 16 with 38 seconds left in the half to preserve the Mids 11-point lead. It was the first career interception for Marshall.
After both teams started the second half by trading punts, the Owls would cut the Navy lead to four at 21-17 on a seven-yard touchdown pass from Russo to Branden Mack.
The Mids, however, would answer once again going 75 yards on nine plays to go back up 28-17 as Smith ran untouched from 22 yards out to make the score 28-17.
Temple would cut the lead to 28-23 early in the fourth quarter on a nine-yard run by Russo, but Temple's two-point conversion was no good due to an illegal touching and that failed conversion would loom large.
The Mids would take its next possession and drain 9:06 off the clock, running 15 plays and picking up just 26 yards (Mids lost 14 yards on its final two plays of the drive) setting up sophomore kicker Bijan Nichols, who nailed a 50-yard field goal to give Navy a 31-23 lead.
Temple took over at the Navy 25 with 4:56 left and drove down the field, converting a fourth-and-three and then running a trick play for 35 yards down to the Navy two-yard line. Temple running back Re'Mahn Davis would score on a third and goal from the one to cut the Navy lead to two, but Adams broke up the pass on the two-point conversion to give Navy the win and Niumatalolo his 100th win.
"I've never played, I haven't done anything," said Niumatlolo. "We've had so many great players and great coaches, any time you win it's a program win. I'm proud to coach here at the Naval Academy, I love this school and I feel very blessed to be here."
