Views from the Press Box

Commander-in-Chief – President George Bush attended the 109th Army Navy game. Navy is 7-1 in the Army-Navy game while President Bush has been in office. Their only loss came in his first year, 2001. President George W. Bush made an appearance prior to the game that awards a trophy in his name as the head of the nation’s armed forces. The Commander-in-Chief’s trophy is awarded to the winner of the round robin competition involving Army, Navy, and Air Force. President Bush circled the field prior to the game and greeted the Cadets and Mids. He was also was present for the opening coin toss. The President sat on the Army side of the field for the first half and moved to sit with the Midshipmen during the second frame.


Nice change in a great tradition – Army and Navy both sported new uniforms for this game. Nike showed off their new “Enforcer” uniforms for each team.

Building off the strong and unique look that the U.S. Military Academy has traditionally displayed, Army’s football team wore a helmet and pant with a digital print camouflage pattern. The pant featured the name “West Point” along the right side. “Boots on the Ground,” Army’s slogan, ran along the left side of the pant.

In place of the name plate, “Duty, Honor, Country” was displayed on the back of each player’s jersey.

Navy football players wore their traditional helmet. Their jerseys had the United States Marines “globe and anchor” logo, which calls out the connection between the Marine Corps and the Navy. Also, included in the jersey are the shoulder boards, Navy with Gold trim, which depicts the wings of the Blue Angel plane.

Navy wore a replica of the Marine Corps Elegant Dress Pants with the fold and red officer blood stripe running down each pant leg.

I wonder – I wonder if the Mids like playing on a neutral field where they don’t have to do pushups after every Navy score.

Welcome Back – Kaipo-Noa Kaheaku-Enhada played and started in his first game since the Temple game on November 1. He has been battling a hamstring injury since the preseason.

Coach Green’s D – The Navy defense earned their second straight shutout. The last time Navy had two consecutive shutouts was 1978. That was also the last time that either team was shut out in the Army Navy game. Navy won that year 28-0.

Heavy hearts – It was announced prior to the game that
senior cornerback Rashawn King would not be playing in the game due to the sudden death of his father, Drexel, who suffered a heart attack Thursday night. The team wore a sticker on the back of their helmets with the initials DK inside of a black crown.

Navy Claims Sixth Consecutive Commander in Chief's Trophy

Philadelphia, PA – The 109th installment of the Army Navy game was played in front of a capacity crowd of over 69,000 at Lincoln Financial Field Saturday. Navy, behind an explosive running game and a swarming defense shut out the Black Knights 34-0.

This was the first shutout in an Army Navy game since Navy beat Army 28-0 in 1978.
President George W. Bush made an appearance prior to the game that awards a trophy in his name as the head of the nation’s armed forces.

Shun White got Navy on the board first and set the tone for the rest of the game. Army received the opening kickoff and couldn’t gain a first down. Navy worked to establish their running game early. Eric Kettani and Kaipo-Noa Kaheaku-Enhada each carried on the first drive and Navy faced a 3rd and 2 from their own 35. On the next play, White took a pitch from Kaheaku-Enhada and raced down the sideline for 65 yards and the game’s first score.

"It settled us down. At the start of the game both sides are really tight," noted head coach Ken Niumatalolo. "There is so much that goes into this game. When you come as a Plebe, the first thing you learn is Go Navy, Beat Army. So you are so tight at the start of the game. That play let us settle down."

Two series later, the Midshipmen got on the board again, this time off the foot of kicker Matt Harmon. Navy started the drive on their own 15 yard line following an Army punt. Kaheaku-Enhada hit Tyree Barnes with a 34 yard pass and Kettani carried five times for 35 yards to put the Mids on the Army six yard line. Harmon split the uprights from 23 yards out to give Navy the 10-0 lead.

White capped off a 13 play, 80 yard drive midway through the second quarter with his second TD of the game. After running the ball 10 of their previous 11 plays, Kaheaku-Enhada hooked up with White for an 18 yard TD giving the Mids a 17-0 lead going into the half.

White, who finished the game with 168 total yards including 148 on the ground, ended the regular season with 1,021 yards. He was the first Midshipman to rush for over 1,000 yards in a season since Kyle Eckel in 2004.

White was pleased with the offense's execution. "That's a big thing that coach talks about in practice. If everyone executes their assignments, our offense cannot be stopped. Today was a good showing."

On their first drive of the second half, the Navy running machine came out hot. Five different ball carriers helped move the ball inside the Army 10 yard line. On the fourteenth play of the drive, Kettani pounded the ball in from the five yard line.

Kettani finished the game with 125 yards on 24 carries. It was the first time this season that Navy had two ball carriers with over 100 yards.

Ram Vela came up big for the Navy defense when he picked off a Chip Bowden pass late in the game and returned it 68 yards for a TD to set the final at 34-0.

Defensive coordinator Buddy Green was pleased with his defense's effort.

"I think it started up front. I thought Nate (Frazier) stepped up. It all starts up front and Nate got some movement and that gave us the chance to have a good day. A lot of guys played well"
"It's fun. It's all to these guys. I didn't play any snaps. It is a tribute to the guys who wear the uniforms. They mad plays, big plays."

Navy next faces a team from the ACC to be determined at the Eagle Bank Bowl in Washington, D.C. on December 20.

Notre Dame Outlasts Navy

Baltimore, MD – Navy (6-3) came into Saturday afternoon’s contest at M&T Stadium looking to increase their winning streak over Notre Dame (5-4) to two games. Charlie Weis was looking to get his Fighting Irish back into the national spotlight by taking over the play-calling duties.

After their opening two drives ended in turnovers while being able to move the ball nearly at will, the Notre Dame defense put the Irish on the board first. Mike Anello blocked a Kyle Delahooke punt and Toryan Smith recovered and returned the ball 14 yards for the go ahead score.

Late in the second quarter Cory Finnerty capped off a five-play 58 yard drive for the Midshipmen with a 22 yard TD run. Following an excellent block by TJ Thiel, Finnerty got to the outside and found the end zone for the first time in his career.

Notre Dame got its running attack going in the third quarter and scored on the ground on two drives. Armondo Allen scored on an 11 yard run and Robert Hughes punched one in from seven yards out. At the end of the third quarter, Notre Dame had a commanding24-7 lead.

The fourth quarter belonged to Navy as it has several times this season. After giving up a 36 yard field goal that gave the Irish a 20 point lead, Ricky Dobbs led the Mids offense to a near comeback.

The Navy defense held Notre Dame on a fourth down and took over with 2:30 remaining in the game. A Dobb’s run and pass completion to Tyree Barnes set up a Shun White 24 yard TD run.

“There wasn’t a doubt in my mind that we were going to win” reminisced Navy coach Ken Niumatalolo. “I told the guys we were going to win this game 28-27.”

On the ensuing kickoff the Irish were called for an illegal batting penalty. On Navy’s second try, Corey Johnson recovered the on-side kick at the Notre Dame 41. On the next play, Dobbs hit Barnes on a 40 yard pass play to the Notre Dame one yard line. Two plays later Dobbs punched it in over the left guard.

Notre Dame was called with a roughing the kicker on the extra point. The 15 yard penalty set up the Mids with great field position as Johnson recovered his second on-side kick of the game.

“Once we got the second one I felt in my heart we were going to win,” noted Johnson. “It was almost as if we were meant to score.”

Navy was unable to pull off the miracle win, however as the offense was unable to score on the final drive. Notre Dame held Navy on a 4-13 to seal the win 27-21.

Texas Tech Jumps Penn State in BCS Rankings

Did someone spot Joe Paterno doing the Texas Tech "Guns Up" salute during the Red Raiders' upset of Texas?

OK, it's only my imagination. But Paterno had to love seeing the Longhorns go down on Graham Harrell's 28-yard touchdown pass to Michael Crabtree with one second left. If Paterno doesn't understand how that result benefits his team, savvy Penn State fans certainly do.

Yes, Texas Tech jumped Penn State in the latest Bowl Championship Series standings. And the Red Raiders showed they're a three-dimensional team with a defense that swarmed Texas quarterback Colt McCoy and a running game that chewed the clock.

Still, for the Red Raiders to stay above Penn State, they will have to beat both Oklahoma State and Oklahoma — and then avoid an upset in the Big 12 title game. Good luck with that.

So although Penn State, at No. 3, is on the proverbial outside, the Nittany Lions can look in on two teams that few believe will run the table.

A breakdown of the BCS' Top 7:

1. Alabama (9-0)

Case for: The only undefeated team in the Southeastern Conference, a league Southerners think is stronger than the NFC East.

Case against: Best victories came over recently exposed Clemson and Georgia. Barely beat Kentucky and Ole Miss at home.

What's next: A Saturday date with No. 15 LSU in Baton Rouge. A season-ender against Auburn. And an SEC title game throwdown with, we assume, Florida.

2. Texas Tech (9-0)

Case for: An instant classic, 39-33 victory over Texas (seriously, ESPN Classic will replay it at 6 p.m. Tuesday) and the nation's No. 1 passing offense (418.4 ypg).

Case against: Has played one Top 20 opponent. Shameful non-conference slate featured two non-Division I teams.

What's next: Will host equally explosive Oklahoma State on Saturday, then visit Oklahoma after a week off. A possible Big 12 title game with Missouri or Kansas.

3. Penn State (9-0)

Case for: Undefeated with an average victory margin of 30.7 ppg. Took the billy club to Oregon State, which beat USC. Maybe a sympathy vote for Paterno, whose five undefeated teams have yielded just two national titles.

Case against: Membership in the Big Ten. Fair or not—and largely because of Ohio State's BCS title game flameouts—the conference lacks cred.

What's next: A Saturday trip to Iowa, which ranks fifth nationally in points allowed per game (11.5). A season finale against Michigan State, which likely will be 9-2 and coming off an idle week.

4. Texas (8-1)

Case for: Was one play away—how did Blake Gideon drop that interception at Texas Tech?—from being undefeated against the nation's toughest schedule.

Case against: Texas Tech loss.

What's next: Dates with three decent foes: Baylor, Kansas and Texas A & M.

5. Florida (7-1)

Case for: Throttled preseason No. 1 Georgia behind five touchdowns (three rushing, two passing) from Tim Tebow. Beat LSU by 30. Defense has allowed 10 points or fewer in six games.

Case against: Home loss to Ole Miss.

What's next: Tough road games Saturday at Vanderbilt and Nov. 29 at Florida State, plus a visit from South Carolina. A probable date with Alabama for the SEC title.

6. Oklahoma (8-1)

Case for: Eight breezy victories, thanks to the nation's No. 2 scoring offense (48.3 ppg). A Top-20 caliber schedule.

Case against: Blew a fourth-quarter lead to Texas in a 45-35 thriller.

What's next: A trip to Texas A & M, then dates with touchdown factories Texas Tech and Oklahoma State. Needs to win out to play in the Big 12 title game.

7. USC (7-1)

Case for: Six blowout victories, respect for scheduling a non-league slate of Virginia, Ohio State and Notre Dame.

Case against: A loss at Oregon State. Pac-10 has just one other ranked team, No. 21 Cal. Victories over feeble Washington and Washington State barely count.

What's next: Hosts 6-2 Cal on Saturday night. Closes against Stanford, Notre Dame and UCLA.

http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/chi-03-greenstein-bcsnov03,0,5497139.column

Midshipmen fall to Pitt 42-21

Annapolis, MD – The 23rd ranked Pitt Panthers (4-1) visited Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium Saturday afternoon looking to avenge last season’s nationally televised double-OT loss to the Midshipmen (4-2).

Pitt dominated in every aspect of the game and racked up nearly 500 yards of offense (244 rushing and 255 passing). Scott McKillop and Pitt’s defense held the vaunted Navy rushing attack to just 194 yards and 12 first downs handing the Panthers the big win 42-21. McKillop finished the game with nine tackles.

Navy coach Ken Niumatololo was not happy with his team’s performance.

“We got our butts whipped. I did a bad job of getting us ready. They (Pitt coaches) did a good job of getting their players ready. We had a week to prepare; they had a week to prepare. They played better than we did. That starts with me.”

The Panthers took the opening drive and marched methodically down the field for 70 yards with LaRod Stephens hitting pay dirt from six yards out with just five minutes off the clock.

Navy answered on their ensuing possession when Shun White took a pitch from Jarod Bryant and rushed 40 yards to the end zone.

LeSean McCoy took over on the next drive. The sophomore carried four times including a two yard TD run to give the Panthers the lead 14-7.

Bryant was sacked and fumbled on Navy’s next offensive play and Pitt recovered on the Navy 17. Three running plays later, LaRod Stephens pounded the ball in from nine yards out to give Pitt the lead, 21-7.

Early in the second quarter, Rashawn King picked off Bill Stull at the one yard line and returned the INT 91 yards. On the next play, Bryant called his own number and ran it in from eight yards to cut Pitt’s lead to 21-14.

Once again Navy was unable to stop Pitt’s offense and the Panthers were able to pound in another touchdown on the ground. McCoy carried three consecutive plays with the final one a TD from 11 yards.

The Panthers took over once again following a Navy punt. With 1:16 remaining in the half, Pitt called McCoy’s number and he didn’t disappoint. McCoy rambled 58 yards to the end zone giving the Panthers a 35-14 lead at the half. McCoy finished the game with 156 yards and three TDs.

Bill Stull hooked up with freshman split end Jonathyn Baldwin for 60 yards and the score to give Pitt a 42-14 lead with 14:01 remaining in the fourth quarter. Baldwin finished the game with three catches for 101 yards.

Navy sophomore QB Ricky Dobbs came into the game late in the fourth quarter to spark the Navy offense. Dobbs completed a pass to Mario Washington for 39 yards to the Pitt 4 yard line. On the next play Dobbs carried the ball in himself (his first collegiate touchdown) to set the final at 42-21.