Oct. 18, 2006
Navy at Princeton Game Notes
Navy: Roster | Schedule | Stats
Game Information
Navy Midshipmen (2-1, 0-1 CSFL) at Princeton Tigers (0-4, 0-2 CSFL)
Date: Friday, Oct. 20, 2006
Time: 7 p.m.
Site: Princeton, N.J.
Stadium: Princeton Stadium (27,800)
Surface: Natural Grass
All-Time Series: Navy leads, 60-9-4
Winning Streak: Navy, 8
Last Meeting: Navy 98, Princeton 0 (Oct. 21, 2005; Annapolis, Md.)
Navy Travels to Princeton for Final Road Game of 2006 on Friday
The Navy sprint football team (2-1, 0-1 CSFL) will play its final road game of the season when it travels to Princeton (0-4, 0-2 CSFL) on Friday night at Princeton Stadium. The Midshipmen are looking to rebound after their 16-10, overtime loss at Cornell during their league-opener two weeks ago, while the Tigers are still in search of their first victory in 2006.
Navy Drops CSFL Opener at Cornell, 16-10, in Overtime
The Navy sprint football team dropped its CSFL opener with a 16-10 setback in overtime at Cornell two weeks ago at Schoellkopf Field. 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.
Navy rallied from a 3-0 halftime deficit to take a 10-3 lead after three quarters of play. The Midshipmen took a 7-3 lead less than five minutes into the second half on sophomore D.J. Green's (Indianapolis, Ind.) one-yard quarterback sneak into the endzone. Navy had a short field to navigate on that drive, only 34 yards on six plays, due to senior Danny Davis' (Phoenix, Ariz.) third-career interception and the first of 2006.
The Mids extended the lead to 10-3 on freshman David Reifenberg's (Ft. Wayne, Ind.) 22-yard field goal with 1:49 remaining in the third quarter. Navy had an opportunity to extend its lead to two scores halfway through the fourth quarter, but Reifenberg's 28-yard field goal attempt was blocked by John Samuel.
The Midshipmen held the ball for 14 more minutes than Cornell (37:00-23:00) and ran 77 offensive plays compared to Cornell's 56 plays. However, the Big Red held a slight advantage in total yardage, 298-280. Navy was also flagged for 11 penalties, resulting in a loss of 104 yards.
Junior running back Richard Engel (Medford, N.J.) churned out 86 yards on 25 carries to lead Navy's rushing attack. Freshman Nate Stewart (Fitzgerald, Ga.) contributed 34 yards on seven rushing attempts, while sophomore Enrique Harris (Crawfordville, Fla.) chipped in with five rushes for 33 yards.
Green came off the bench to complete nine of his 18 pass attempts for 94 yards with an interception. Senior Chris Marsh (New Alexandria, Pa.) connected on four of his 11 attempts for 39 yards with two interceptions before leaving the game in the second quarter.
Senior A.J. Storrs (Cincinnati, Ohio) and sophomore Tommy Tellson (Bedford, Texas) each caught four passes, while seniors Ryan Kelly (Annapolis, Md.) and Travis Chambers (Houston, Texas) each made a pair of receptions.
Making his first career start, freshman Tyler Hawkins (Canyon Country, Calif.) led the team with 14 tackles, two of which were for a loss, one sack and forced a fumble. Senior Marcus Walters (Richardson, Texas) made seven stops and swatted away two passes in the loss.
Scouting Princeton
- The Tigers come into Friday's contest with a 0-4 record, 0-2 in CSFL play. Their offense ranks last in the league with 181 yards per game, while their defense has allowed a league-high 332 yards per game.
- Under the guidance of first-year coach Thomas Cocuzza, Princeton has opened up its offense with four- and five-wide receiver sets. As a result, the Tigers are averaging more than 50 pass attempts per game this season.
- Accounting for nearly all of Princeton's passing game is Alex Kandabarow, who has thrown the ball over 50 times in three of its four games. Kandabarow has connected on 67 of his 208 pass attempts (32.2 completion percentage) for a league-best 732 yards with two touchdowns and 12 interceptions.
- Lon Johnson has proved to be Kandabarow's favorite target on the year, leading the CSFL with 25 receptions and 363 yards. Johnson has hauled in both of Princeton's passing touchdowns on the year.
- While Princeton leads the league in passing yards, its rushing game ranks last with -22 yards on 49 attempts this year. Michael Schoder leads the squad with 28 carries for 80 yards (2.9 ypc) on the campaign.
- Defensively, Zach McKinney leads the CSFL with 41 tackles on the year, while Jeff Pinner ranks second with his 28 stops.
- Princeton has not won a CSFL game since defeating the Midshipmen in overtime, 21-20, on Oct. 30, 1998, in Princeton.
Series History
Navy owns a 60-9-4 advantage over Princeton in the all-time series. The Midshipmen have won eight-straight over the Tigers since the 1998 season. Last season, Navy smashed program records with 580 rushing yards, 704 total yards and 14 touchdowns with a 98-0 win over Princeton in Annapolis. The Midshipmen jumped out to a 49-0 lead in the opening quarter and carried a 70-0 lead into halftime. Navy's defense held the Tigers to 40 yards of total offense for the game, yielding only one yard passing on 5-of-29 attempts. The Midshipmen have scored over 60 points in each of the last-four meetings and have won by an average of 46.6 points over the last-eight contests.
Tough to Double Up
Navy has not lost consecutive games since the end of the 1999 season, when the Midshipmen dropped back-to-back contests at Penn and Army. Since then, Navy has won six-straight games following a loss. Prior to their loss at Cornell two weeks ago, the Midshipmen have posted 17-game and 15-game winning streaks after a setback.
Navy Following a Loss
Date Loss Date Next Game
11/22/99 at Army; L, 38-15 9/24/00 at Frostburg State; W, 24-20
9/27/00 vs. Army; L, 21-7 10/13/00 at Cornell; W, 28-12
10/20/00 vs. Penn; L, 28-27 (OT) 10/27/00 at Princeton; W, 19-0
11/10/00 vs. Army; L, 31-24 9/23/01 vs. Delaware Valley; W, 38-0
10/6/01 vs. Army; L, 24-7 10/14/01 vs. Cornell; W, 42-10
11/7/03 at Army; L, 30-25 9/24/04 vs. Princeton; W, 77-16
10/6/06 at Cornell; L, 16-10 (OT) 10/20/06 at Princeton; 7 p.m.
CSFL Championship Implications
Despite falling to Cornell in its CSFL opener two weeks ago in Ithaca, Navy still maintains an opportunity to claim its league-record 32nd CSFL Championship this season. However, the Midshipmen will not have the opportunity to win the championship outright, as either or both Cornell or Army will finish with at least a 3-1 record and the league title is shared among schools with the same record, regardless of head-to-head competition.
Navy can claim a share of the CSFL Championship if it wins its final-three games (at Princeton, vs. Penn, vs. Army) and Cornell loses at least one of its two final games (vs. Penn, at Army).
Engel Leads CSFL in Rushing
Despite having played in one less game than most of his counterparts, Navy junior running back Richard Engel (Medford, N.J.) leads the CSFL in rushing yards this season. Engel has gained 290 yards on 51 carries (5.7 ypc) with three touchdowns. If the junior were to lead the league in rushing at the end of the year, he would become the first Navy rusher since Brian Voss in 1994 to win the CSFL rushing title.
Engel Game-by-Game in 2006
Opponent Date Att. Yds. TD Long Avg.
at Johns Hopkins Sept. 10 11 70 1 39 6.4
vs. Army (Pride Bowl) Sept. 24 15 134 2 32t 8.9
at Cornell Oct. 6 25 86 0 22 3.4
Season Total 3 Games 51 290 3 39 5.7
Engel Runs Wild
Junior running back Richard Engel (Medford, N.J.) posted his first-career 100-yard rushing day with his 134 yards on 15 carries with two touchdowns against Army in the Pride Bowl on Sept. 24. His 134 yards were the most by a Navy rusher since Roger Callahan gained 136 yards in a 37-0 win against Princeton on Oct. 29, 1999. Engel's rushing total was also the highest in an Army-Navy game since Matt Sobecki churned out 136 yards against the Black Knights in a 24-21, Star Game win at West Point on Nov. 7, 1997.
Taking it Back the Other Way
Sophomore James Campbell's (Kansas City, Mo.) 39-yard interception return during Navy's season-opening win at Johns Hopkins on Sept. 10 was the first of his career and the team's longest interception return since Patrick Flores' 45-yard return against Frostburg State on Sept. 29, 2002.
More Than a Week, Better be Prepared
Over its last-10 seasons, Navy has recorded a 21-2 (.913) mark in games with more than a week to prepare. The Midshipmen had won 13-straight games with more than a week to prepare prior to their 16-10, overtime loss at Cornell two weeks ago in Ithaca, N.Y.
30 a Game Leaves Opponents at Bay
The Midshipmen have come away victorious in 38-straight games in which they score over 30 points. Navy has surpassed the 30-point mark in 38 of its last 76 games.
Team Scoring Streak
Navy has put points on the scoreboard in each of its last 109 games, scoring in double figures in 98 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.
Stifling Defense
In their last 52 games, the Midshipmen defense has held the opposition to 20 or fewer points on 39 occasions, coming away victorious in 38 of those contests. Prior to its 16-10, overtime setback at Cornell two weeks ago, 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.
Game Decided by 14+ Points, Advantage Navy
Navy has won each of the last-25 games decided by 14 or more points, dating to its 42-10 victory over Cornell on Oct. 14, 2001, in the Pride Bowl only 34 games ago.
Navy Sprint Football in the Spotlight
This year's Star Game against Army on Nov. 3, in Annapolis will be televised by CSTV on a tape-delayed basis on Sunday, Nov. 5, at 9 p.m. Pete Medhurst and Scott Zolak, both who serve on the CSTV announcing crew for Navy's varsity football contests, will call the action for the game. The televised game marks the fourth-consecutive year that Navy sprint football has received national televised coverage. In 2003, the Midshipmen defeated Army, 14-0, in the Pride Bowl at Newark, N.J., on CSTV. One year later, NFL Films Presents was on hand to watch Navy hand Army a 31-15 setback at the Pride Bowl. Last season, the Mids rallied from a 16-0 halftime deficit to claim a 19-16, double-overtime victory over the Black Knights in West Point on ESPNU.
Prior/Current Enlisted Men with Navy Sprint Football
Fourteen men associated with this year's team have prior or currently enlisted with the United States Navy or United States Marine Corps. Two managers, Steven Sifuentes and Jeff Walker, received Purple Hearts for their service in the Marines in Iraq. During his second tour in Iraq, head coach Maj. Joseph R. Clearfield, USMC served with this year's sprint football officer representative, Maj. Ted Greeley, USMC.
Prior/Current Enlisted Men with Navy Sprint Football
U.S. Navy:
2nd Lt. Jonathan Chunn, USMC Offensive Coordinator
Ens. Douglas Keel, USN Defensive Line Coach
#8 Matthew Mitchelson Quarterback
#20 Enrique Harris Running Back
#50 Antwan Richardson Defensive Line
U.S. Marine Corps:
Maj. Joseph R. Clearfield, USMC Head Coach
Maj. Ted Greeley, USMC Officer Representative
#1 Eric Montgomery Wide Receiver
#21 Nate Stewart Running Back
#74 Ryan Marko Offensive Line
Dan Ford Manager
Mike Ford Manager
Steven Sifuentes Manager
Jeff Walker Manager
