ANNAPOLIS, Md. – The Navy sprint football team (2-0) returns to action with its home opener on Friday, Oct. 10, as the Midshipmen welcome Mansfield (2-0) to Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium. Kickoff is slated for 6:00 p.m.
For fans unable to attend, the game will be live streamed on
Navy Athletics YouTube and
live stats will be available.
All-Time Series
Navy leads the all-time series between the two teams, 14-0. The Midshipmen are 7-0 against the Mountaineers at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium. Last season, Navy posted a 31-26 victory over Mansfield on the road. The last time the two teams met in Annapolis, the Mids bested the Mountaineers, 45-0, in the 2023 home opener.
Scouting the Midshipmen
Navy enters the weekend 2-0 on the season. The Mids cruised to a 40-7 victory over Cornell in the season opener before taking down St. Thomas Aquinas, 28-7. The Midshipmen have outscored their opponents 68-14 with seven rushing touchdowns and a pair of passing TDs.
The offense has accounted for 658 yards of total offense with 366 yards on the ground and 292 through the air. The Mids are averaging 329.0 yards per game and 6.6 yards per play.
Hunter Gennicks leads the rushing attack with 279 yards through two games with four touchdowns. The junior is averaging 139.5 yards per game and 8.7 yards per carry. Starting quarterback
Luke O'Connell is 15-for-24 for 2700 and two touchdowns, while rushing the ball five times for 55 yards and a TD.
Grant Sterchi made the most of his first collegiate game, hauling a pair of passes for 145 total yards and a pair of touchdowns. He added a pair of receptions for 18 yards in his second game to lead the team with four receptions and 163 yards through two games.
Jake Berger adds three receptions for 65 yards. Gennicks added 16 yards on three grabs.
Defensively, the Mids have held its opponents to just 190.0 yards per game and 14 total points. Navy has recorded 20 tackles for loss with three sacks, while picking off five passes, breaking up 10 passes, and adding four fumble recoveries.
Jake Wolinski,
Connor Miltenberger, and
Sam Stotler lead the team with 13 tackles apiece with
Tucker Opdahl and
Seamas Carrasco following with 12 stops each to round out the top five. Wolinski leads the team with 3.5 TFLs and a sack, while Stoller and Carrasco have three tackles for loss apiece. Wolinski and Carrasco both have two interceptions, while
Mick Tabor has a fumble recovery of 45 yards that set up a Navy touchdown.
Scouting the Opponent
Mansfield enters the weekend 2-0 with wins against Penn (W, 15-9) and Caldwell (W, 31-0). The game in Annapolis will be the first road contest of the season for the Mountaineers.
Offensively, Marcus Quaker leads the rushing attack with 160 yards on the ground and four touchdowns, while Weston Bellows follows with 94 rushing yards. Quaker is 12-for-27 for 130 yards and a touchdown and two interceptions through the air. Quaker's primary targets are Eli Swan and Ajani Gibson who have three receptions apiece. Swan leads the team with 49 yards with Gibson adding 30. Caleb Smith has one reception for 36 yards and the Mountaineers' lone TD through the air.
Defensively, Jackson Taylor leads the team with 18 total tackles, while Noah Bennett adds 10 stops. Jack Burbage and Ian Mapp are one back with nine tackles apiece with Justice Chimics rounding out Mansfield's top five with seven stops. Taylor and Burbage have a team-high 3.5 tackles for loss with Burbage leading the squad with two sacks. Antonio Green and Matt Machmer have two interceptions apiece to account for the Mountaineers' four takeaways.
Last Time vs. Mansfield (Sept. 21, 2024)
Navy began play in the 2024 season with a 31-26 win on the road over Mansfield at Karl Van Norman Stadium in Mansfield, Pa. The Mids trailed 19-17 at halftime, but outscored the Mountaineers 14-7 in the second half to secure the first win of the year.
Navy finished the game with 436 yards of total offense, tallying 311 yards rushing with 125 yards through the air.
Hunter Gennicks led the Midshipmen with 224 total yards rushing and a team-high three touchdowns. Quarterback
Luke Wagner added 62 yards on the ground with a rushing TD. Wagner finished 9-for-18 passing for 125 yards and an interception.
Biamungu Nkere led the team with four receptions for a team-high 46 yards, while
Jackson Suddath and
Chris Stumpf added 33 and 32 yards receiving, respectively.
Defensively, the Midshipmen had five players finish with five or more tackles.
Jake Wolinski led the team with eight stops, including 1.5 tackles for loss.
Major Kent,
David Niski, and
Tucker Opdahl added six tackles apiece, while
Jonathan Swift recorded five tackles. Opdahl led the team with 2.0 tackles for loss with Niski and Swift adding a TFL apiece.
Seamas Carrasco picked off a Mansfield pass, while Niski forced a fumble.
Jacori Sutton finished the game with a 29-yard field goal and a pair of extra points.
Up Next
Following the game with Mansfield, Navy remains at home to take on Chestnut Hill on Friday, Oct. 10 at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium. The game will be live streamed on the Navy Athletics YouTube Channel and live stats will be available.
