Annapolis, Md.—The Navy defense shut out an opponent for the third time this year, while the offense did just enough in Navy's (5-5, 4-3 in the American Athletic Conference) 10-0 win over East Carolina (2-9, 1-6) in front of 28,708 fans on Senior Day at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium.
 
The three shutouts are the most in the FBS this year and the most by a Navy team since the 1978 squad posted four.  The Mids came up with four turnovers on the day and did not allow East Carolina to go over the 100-yard mark for total offense until late in the fourth quarter.
 
The 10 total points scored in the game tied the American Athletic Conference record for lowest scoring game.
 
"I'm really proud of our team," said Navy head coach Brian Newberry.  I'm happy for our seniors. It was an important day for us.  We want to be able to celebrate those guys.  It is not their last game but possibly their last game here.  We had an emotional night last night, having those guys get up and say how important this place is to them.  It is a small class, but there are some tough dudes, guys with character, continue to fight through the years.  They left a mark on our program for sure.  They are an inspiration for me. I wish there were more days like today over the years, but I'm happy for them to get a win."
 
The Navy defense set the tone on the first possession of the game when junior corner Dashaun Peele intercepted Alex Flinn on the fifth play at the Navy 28. It was Peele's fourth interception in the last five games.
 
Navy scored the only touchdown of the game on its third drive of the game.  On first down, senior quarterback Xavier Arline ran for 39 yards and on the very next play sophomore fullback Alex Tecza scored from 19 yards out to give Navy the 7-0 lead.
 
The Mids had a couple of other opportunities to score in the first half, but Arline lost a fumble on a first down play from the ECU 46 on the first drive of the second quarter and on the next drive, Arline was sacked and lost a fumble on a second-and-three play from the ECU 37.
 
ECU only came close to scoring once in the first half, after Arline's first fumble, but after a 16-yard run by Flinn on the first play, the defense stiffened holding the Pirates to no yards on the next three plays and Alex Conrad missed a 49-yard field goal.
 
It was more of the same in the second half as the Navy defense dominated play, giving up just three first downs until ECU's final drive.
 
The Mids made it 10-0 early in the fourth quarter after sophomore corner Adam Walker II recovered a fumble by East Carolina punter Luke Larsen at the East Carolina 18. Nathan Kirkwood kicked a 27-yard field goal after the Mids went three-and-out to make the score 10-0 with 8:49 left.
 
East Carolina had three more drives to cut into the Navy lead, but never threatened as the Pirates could manage to get into Navy territory just once in the final seconds.
 
"The last two weeks have been really exceptional on the defensive side of the football," said Newberry.  "After the Temple game, those guys were a little ticked off at the way they played and we were too.  We challenged them to come back and practice with an edge.  In November the teams that want it the most are the ones who are going to win unless there is a huge talent discrepancy.  Shutouts are difficult to get.  I don't care who you play.  To have three this year, hats off to our players and coach Volker and our defensive staff."
 
The Mids rushed for 174 yards on the day, led by Tecza who had 94 yards and a touchdown on 24 carries.  Arline ran for 68 yards on 18 carries.
 
The Navy defense held the Pirates to just 34 yards on the ground on 22 carries.
 
Arline set a Navy record for completion percentage in a game, completing 10 of his 11 passes for 102 yards (90.9 percent). The previous record was 88.2 percent (15-17) by Marco Pagnanelli against Duke on Oct. 2, 1982.
 
Alex Flinn completed 24 of his 38 passes for just 155 yards and two interceptions for the Pirates.
 
Sophomore slot back Eli Heidenreich had two catches for 53 yards, while senior wide receiver Jayden Umbarger had two catches for 22 yards.
 
Chase Sowell led the Pirates with six catches for 62 yards.
 
Junior linebacker Colin Ramos led the Navy defense in tackles once again with 10 stops, including 1.5 tackles for a loss.  Junior safety Rayuan Lane II had seven tackles, while senior linebacker Will Harbour and junior defensive end Justin Reed recorded six stops each.
 
Reed, sophomore nose guard Landon Robinson and senior defensive tackle Clay Cromwell recorded sacks, while Reed and Walker had fumble recoveries and Peele and Mbiti Williams had interceptions.
 
BJ Davis led the stout ECU defense with 10 tackles and  a tackle for a loss, while Jordan Huff had nine stops.
 
"Hats off to East Carolina," said Newberry. "We knew it would be a dogfight.  That was probably the best defense we have seen all year when you take into account how athletic they are and what they do.  (They) play an aggressive style of football.  We knew it would be an arduous day and it was."
 
The five wins by Navy are the most since the 2019 team won 11.  The Mids can become bowl eligible next Saturday with an upset win over SMU (9-2, 7-0 in the American Athletic Conference). 
 
The Mustangs will also have a lot to play for next Saturday in Dallas. A win over Navy would put them in the AAC Championship game the following week against Friday's Tulane-UTSA winner.  If SMU loses, it would come down to computer rankings between SMU and the Tulane-UTSA loser. Saturday's game will kick at 12 noon (ET) and will air on ESPN2.
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