ANNAPOLIS, Md. – The Navy sprint football team showcased a dominant ground game to overwhelm Cornell 41-3 on Friday afternoon at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium in Annapolis. With the victory, Navy improved to 4-1 on the season, while the Big Red fell to 2-3.
The Midshipmen dictated the game's pace by amassing 373 yards of total offense compared to Cornell's 131. Navy's offensive line paved the way for 301 total rushing yards, averaging an impressive 7.2 yards per carry.
Running back
Hunter Gennicks spearheaded the rushing attack, finishing with a game-high 120 yards and a touchdown on 13 carries.
Broderick Freeman provided a powerful complementary presence in the backfield, adding 70 yards and a third-quarter touchdown on 11 rushing attempts.
Rhett Sypult also contributed significantly to the ground game, breaking loose for 55 yards on just three carries.
Despite throwing a pair of interceptions, quarterback
Luke O'Connell facilitated early scoring by completing eight of 17 passes for 72 yards and two touchdowns. O'Connell opened the scoring in the first quarter with an 11-yard touchdown strike to
Philip Drexler. Late in the second quarter, O'Connell found receiver
Biamungu Nkere for a 10-yard touchdown, sending Navy into halftime with a commanding 20-3 lead.
Jon Malatesta served as O'Connell's top target in terms of yardage, hauling in three catches for 31 yards.
Navy's defense relentlessly pressured Cornell's offense throughout the afternoon. The Midshipmen held the Big Red to just 46 passing yards and 85 rushing yards on a stifling 2.4 yards per carry. Navy's defensive front recorded two sacks, with
Drake Murrell and
Sam Stotler each registering one. The defense also generated crucial turnovers by recovering two Cornell fumbles, scooped up by
Lex Willson and Stotler.
Navy capped off the blowout with a pair of fourth-quarter rushing touchdowns.
Wyatt Keyt punched the ball in from two yards out at the 9:00 mark, and
Freddy Melton sealed the game's scoring with another two-yard touchdown run with just over two minutes remaining.
In the first quarter, Navy opened the scoring with a quick four-play, 45-yard drive lasting 2:16, capped by an 11-yard touchdown pass from O'Connell to Drexler.
The Midshipmen added a pair of second quarter touchdowns. Capping a 10-play, 80-yard march over 4:12, Gennicks punched in a 10-yard rushing touchdown to extend Navy's lead. Navy pushed the score to 20-0 following an eight-play, 49-yard drive that ended with O'Connell finding Nkere for a 10-yard touchdown pass. Cornell got on the board just before halftime when Miles Mariani hit a 40-yard field goal, capitalizing on a short four-play, two-yard drive set up by an interception return.
In the third quarter, Navy methodically marched 71 yards down the field in 10 plays, taking 4:56 off the clock before Freeman broke loose for a 15-yard rushing touchdown.
Keyt finished off a seven-play scoring series in the fourth quarter with a two-yard touchdown run, pushing the Midshipmen's advantage to 34-3. Taking advantage of a Cornell fumble deep in their own territory, the Midshipmen sealed the 41-3 victory with a four-play, 18-yard drive ending in a two-yard touchdown rush by Melton.
Up next, the Midshipmen will travel to Mansfield, Pa. for a game against Mansfield on Friday, Oct. 30. Kickoff is slated for 7:00 p.m.
