Oct. 5, 2007
Navy Pride Bowl Media Notes
Navy Midshipmen (2-0, 0-0) vs. Cornell Big Red (2-0, 0-0)
Date: Sunday, Oct. 7, 2007
Kickoff: 2:00 p.m.
Stadium: Kean Alumni Stadium
Surface: FieldTurf
City: Union, N.J.
All-Time Series: Navy leads, 47-13-2
Streak: Cornell, 1
Last Meeting: Cornell 16, Navy 10 - OT (Oct. 6, 2006; Ithaca, N.Y.)
CSFL's Two Unbeatens Square Off in Pride Bowl XXIX on Sunday
The Navy sprint football team (2-0, 0-0 CSFL) will make the trek to the annual Pride Bowl for the seventh-consecutive year on Sunday, this time taking on Cornell (2-0, 0-0 CSFL) in a 2 p.m. kickoff. The Midshipmen sport a perfect 6-0 record in the Pride Bowl, with each of the last-five triumphs coming against Army. Navy's first win in the Pride Bowl came at the hands of Cornell, a 42-10 decision during the 2001 campaign. The Midshipmen own an impressive 47-13-2 advantage in the all-time series over the Big Red, despite a 16-10 overtime setback last season as Cornell went on to win the CSFL Championship.
Navy Enters CSFL Play With 2-0 Mark After 30-17 Win Over Army
Navy sprint football running back Enrique Harris (Jr./Crawfordville, Fla.) ran for 160 yards on 24 carries with a touchdown to earn game MVP honors as the Midshipmen defeated Army, 30-17, in front of 4,000 fans at the Allegiance Bowl at Saratoga Springs High School Field on Saturday afternoon.
With the win, Navy improved to 2-0 on the year and upped its winning streak to seven-consecutive games over the Black Knights. Army recorded its first loss of the year to fall to 1-1 on the young season.
"After going down 14 points in the first quarter, we outscored Army, 30-3, for the remainder of the game," stated Navy head coach Maj. Jake Jenkins, USMC. "It was truly impressive on both fronts - being able to shut down their offense and put 30 points on the board."
Army took a 14-0 lead in the opening-15 minutes of the contest before Navy's defense forced turnovers on three-consecutive possessions to grab its first lead of the game, 17-14. After the Black Knights traveled 78 yards on 15 plays to knot the game at 17 to close out the first half, the Midshipmen defense limited their archrival to 74 yards of total offense for the remainder of the contest.
Following a scoreless third quarter, Navy pulled away with a steady dose of its rushing attack. Harris broke the 17-17 tie with a 47-yard touchdown scamper 17 seconds into the fourth quarter. Reifenberg tacked on a pair of field goals, 32 and 27 yards, in the final stanza to close out the scoring on the day.
Navy's defense took advantage of six Army turnovers, four interceptions and two fumble recoveries, in scoring 23 of its 30 points on the afternoon. The Midshipmen also tallied six tackles for a loss of 19 yards and deflected away six passes in the win. Feipel led the defensive backfield with two pickoffs, the first two of his career, for 21 return yards. Linebacker Brian Smith (Jr./Gainesville, Fla.) paced the team with 10 tackles, while fellow linebacker Tyler Hawkins (So./Canyon Country, Calif.) chipped in with nine stops. Linebacker Chris Combellick (Jr./Carmel, Ind.) also intercepted a pass and delivered six tackles in the win.
The Midshipmen held a 38:31-21:29 advantage in time of possession and out-gained Army, 417-332, with 313 of those yards coming on the ground. In addition to Harris's 160 yards, Richard Engel (Sr./Medford, N.J.) produced 90 yards on 21 carries and Nate Stewart (So./Fitzgerald, Ga.) chimed in with 41 yards on seven rushing attempts.
In his first-career start, Jon DeWitt (Jr./Mendham, N.J.) produced a touchdown on the ground and through the air. The Navy signal-caller rushed for 18 yards and completed 6-of-22 passes for 104 yards. DeWitt founded wide receiver Tommy Tellson (Jr./Bedford, Texas) two times for 44 yards, including a 34-yard connection midway through the fourth quarter.
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Last Meeting ... Cornell 16, Navy 10 (OT)
The Navy sprint football team dropped its CSFL opener with a 16-10 setback in overtime at Cornell on Oct. 6, 2006, at Schoellkopf Field. The Big Red improved to 3-0, 1-0 in the league, while the Midshipmen dropped to 2-1 on the year, 0-1 in league play.
Cornell snapped Navy's 15-game winning streak entering the night, dating back to the start of the 2004 season. Navy's last loss came at Army on Nov. 7, 2003, in a 30-25 decision.
With Navy leading 10-3 with 3:32 remaining in regulation, Cornell marched 80 yards in 11 plays, capped by a Michael Fullowan two-yard touchdown run, to tie the game and force overtime with 56 seconds showing on the clock. The Big Red kept its chances alive with a 33-yard pass from Zak Dentes to Jason Remillard on a 4th-and-13 with less than two minutes to go on Navy's 42-yardline.
In overtime, Navy was unable to connect on its four pass attempts and turned the ball over on downs. The Big Red immediately took advantage, as Dentes delivered a 25-yard touchdown strike to Michael Brennan to give Cornell its first victory over the Mids since 1998.
The setback also halted Navy's 38-game winning streak when holding the opposition under 20 points.
Navy Nearing 300 All-Time Wins
The Navy sprint football program enters this week's action needing only one win to record its 300th victory in program history. The 62-year old program owns an all-time mark of 299-62-9, good for an .820 winning percentage.
Pride Bowl Perfection
The Midshipmen are making their seventh appearance in the Pride Bowl, with each of their six-previous visits resulting in victories. Each of Navy's last-five wins have come against Army, while its other victory came at the expense of Cornell in 2001.
Navy's six wins in Pride Bowl play are the most among undefeated teams in Pride Bowl history and the second-highest total in the game's history (Montclair State, 7-6).
Road Warriors
The Midshipmen are scheduled to play only one game on their home field, Rip Miller Field, during the 2007 slate. The lone home contest, an Oct. 19 game against Princeton, marks the fewest home games played in a season by the Mids in the program's 62-year history.
Meanwhile, Navy will travel more than 2,300 miles on the road and spend in excess of 40 hours on a bus going to and from its five games away from Annapolis this year.
Engel Approaching Career Rushing Touchdowns Record
Navy senior running back Richard Engel (Medford, N.J.) enters this week's action fifth on the career rushing touchdowns list, only three shy of matching the record of 23 touchdowns held by Matt Sobecki between 1994-97.
In 19 career games, Engel has found the endzone on 20 occasions. The product of Medford, N.J., opened the year with a two-touchdown effort at Frostburg State JV on Sept. 9. He has scored two touchdowns in four of the last-six contests.
One year ago, Engel led the CSFL in rushing with 659 yards and nine touchdowns on 115 carries (5.7 ypc). Engel became the first Navy running back to win the rushing title since Sobecki churned out 984 yards in 1997.
The Kicks Are Up and Good!
Navy kicker David Reifenberg (So./Ft. Wayne, Ind.) connected on three of his four field goal attempts in a 30-17 win over Army in the Allegiance Bowl. The three field goals made matched the program record shared with four other performances, with the most recent coming from the right foot of Joey Bullen against Army on Nov. 5, 2004. Reifenberg has made five field goals on the year, one shy of tying Bullen (2004) and Andrew Mullen (1979) for fourth on the all-time list.
You'll Have Nothing and Like It
Navy's defense opened the 2007 campaign with a dominating performance at Frostburg State JV, posting -34 yards rushing and 36 yards of total offense. The -34 rushing yards were the fewest allowed by a Navy defense since 1996, while the 36 yards allowed on offense were tied for the second-fewest within the last-12 years. Only Navy's 28-yard allowance at Cornell on Oct. 23, 2000, topped the Midshipmen performance in their 2007 season opener.
Stifling Defense
In their last 57 games, the Midshipmen defense has held the opposition to 20 or fewer points on 44 occasions, coming away victorious in 43 of those contests. Prior to a 16-10 setback in overtime last season at Cornell, the last time Navy lost a game in which its defense yielded less than 21 points came on Oct. 23, 1998, dropping a 17-14 decision to Penn.
Domination on Both Sides of the Ball
Navy put together a complete effort over Frostburg State JV to open the season on Sept. 9, totaling 466 yards on offense while limiting the Bobcats to a meager 36 yards. The 430-yard differential in total offense ranks as the second-highest since 1996, as the Midshipmen out-gained Princeton by 664 yards (704-40) in a 98-0 drubbing on Oct. 21, 2005.
Five Years, Five Different Starting Quarterbacks
For the fifth-consecutive year, Navy has relied on a different starting quarterback. Despite the annual turnover at the position, the Midshipmen have gone 26-2 over that span, good for a .929 winning percentage. Of the previous four starting quarterbacks, three have earned all-league honors and one (Brian Nagle, 2004) was named the league MVP.
Navy Launching an Aerial Attack
The Midshipmen passing attack racked up 282 yards in their season-opening win at Frostburg State JV on Sept. 9, the most passing yards since a 361-yard performance at Penn on Oct. 28, 2005. D.J. Green (Jr./Indianapolis, Ind.) accounted for 225 of those yards, a career high, during his first-career start with a pair of touchdown strikes in just over one half of action.
Thirty a Game Leaves Opponents at Bay
The Midshipmen have come away victorious in 40-straight games in which they score over 30 points. Navy has surpassed the 30-point mark in 40 of its last-81 games.
Team Scoring Streak
Navy has put points on the scoreboard in each of its last 114 games, scoring in double figures in 103 of those contests. The Midshipmen have not been shut out in a game since dropping a 12-0 decision at Princeton on Oct. 21, 1989.
Game Decided by 14+ Points, Advantage Navy
Navy has won each of the last-28 games decided by 14 or more points, dating back to its 42-10 victory over Cornell on Oct. 14, 2001, in the Pride Bowl only 38 games ago.
