Observations from an Olde Poolie

NAVY Football No. 5. Observations from an Olde Poolie

October 3, 2009. Navy 16 Air Force 13 (ot). Navy kicked off. Air Force was three plays and punted. A good return gave Navy a first down at the AF 35. Six running plays carried Navy to the 13 then Dobbs took it over on the left side for a Touchdown. Navy 7 Air Force 0 after 6:05 of play. Both teams had trouble moving the ball. Late in the quarter Navy’s Merchant intercepted and Navy had the ball at midfield.
Second quarter. After both teams again punted. Navy started on it’s own 27. The Midshipmen moved into Air Force territory where Air picked off Dobbs pass in the right flat and returned it 67 yards for a TD to tie the game at 7 - 7.with 5:33 remaining. After the kick-off, Navy started on their 29. They used ten plays to drive to the Falcon 27 where junior Joe Buckley kicked a 47 yard field goal with eight seconds left for a Navy 10 - 7 lead.
Second half. The game seesawed with both teams punting until midway in the third quarter. Air Force started at mid field. In nine running plays they moved to Navy’s 15 and kicked a 27 yard field goal to tie the game 10 - 10 with four minutes left in the quarter. Navy returned the kick-off to the 27. Seven plays including a 21 yard pass to WR Jones got the Midshipmen to the AF 19 where Buckley kicked a 39 yard FG to give Navy a 13 - 10 lead with 11 minutes remaining. On their next possessions both teams lost fumbles. After both teams could not move the ball and punted. Air Force drove 50 yards. On fourth and ten Air Force’s pass was incomplete but a questionable "late hit" penalty against Navy with 1:12 left on the clock gave the Falcons a first down at Navy’s 29. On fourth and three The Falcons kicked a 39 yard field goal to tie the game at the buzzer: 13 - 13..
Overtime. Navy had the ball first, On fourth and six Buckley kicked his third field goal (38 yards) of the game: Navy 16 Air Force 13. Air Force’ turn. On fourth and one from the 14 the Air Force kicker was wide left and the Navy celebration began.
This was a defensive battle. Navy could not get outside and ran between the tackles. The Midshipmen held Air Force, which was leading the country in rushing with 319 yard a game, to 183 yards on the ground. Navy had 173 yards rushing. Dobbs led the way with 92 yards on 23 carries. Air Force was 6 - 14 -1 passing for 57 yards. Navy was 3 -0 4 -1 for 36 yards. Air Force’s only touchdown was scored on the interception. Navy was 3 out of 17 on third down attempts and Air Force was 3 out of 16. Buckley was 3 out of 3 in field goals including the big one in overtime. Seven straight over Air force. Navy is 4 - 6 in overtime games - winning the last four. Next Week. The Midshipmen travel to Texas for the next two games against Rice and SMU. Rice was10 - 3 last year but are 0 -5 so far this year. They have played some tough teams in Texas Tech and Oklahoma State. They will be anxious for a win. They like to pass and could give Navy problems. Navy has twenty-five players on their roster from the state of Texas. The three-deep depth chart lists 15 from Texas so they will be motivated to play well. Rice is better than it’s record. The Midshipmen will have to improve their pass defense and grind it out on offense to be successful.
Army (2 - 3) lost a heartbreaker to Tulane at West Point on a late FG by the Owls. Army missed a 37 yard FG with 11 seconds left.
Navy Record (3 - 2)
Sept. 5 @ Ohio State 31 Navy 27
Sept. 12 Navy 32 Louisiana Tech 14
Sept. 19 @ Pittsburgh 27 Navy 14
Sept. 26 Navy 38 WKU 22
Oct. 3 Navy 16 Air Force 13 (ot)
Oct. 10 at Rice 3:30 CBS CS
Oct. 17 at SMU 8 pm
Oct. 24 Wake Forest 3:30 pm(HC)
Oct. 31 Temple 3:30 pm
Nov. 7 @ Notre Dame 2:30 pm
Nov. 14 Delaware 3:30 pm
Nov. 28 @ Hawaii 11:05 am
Dec. 12 ARMY 2:30 pm

Rice Record (0 - 5)
Sept. 5 @ Un. Ala. Birm. 44 Rice 24
Sept. 12 @ Texas Tech 55 Rice 10
Sept. 19 @ Oklahoma State 41 Rice 24
Sept. 26 Vanderbilt 36 Rice 17
Oct. 3 Tulsa 27 Rice 10