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NAVY FOOTBALL 2012 No. Observations from an Olde Poolie
Oct. 6, 2012 Navy 28 Air Force 21 (OT). Wow! On a wintry morning in Colorado Springs with temps around 31 degrees at kick-off, a light snow, and fog before 38,900 mostly Air Force fans, Navy's football team recovered from a bad start, did not turn the ball over, grabbed three Falcon fumbles, turned to a freshman quarterback in the fourth quarter, made key defensive stops and won a hard fought game. Give credit to a team that did not give up, kept the faith and pulled out another overtime victory over a service academy.
Air Force only needed four plays and ninety seconds to score after the opening kick-off. Navy was three and punt. It looked like it was going to be a long sad day for the Midshipmen. On their second possession the Falcons drove to the Navy 12 yard line. Their place-kicker, Herrington, then missed a 28 yard field goal. The Midshipmen, with QB Miller doing much of the carrying, moved to the AF 12 where Nick Sloan kicked a 39 yard field goal at the beginning of the second quarter. Air Force 7 Navy 3. Navy then forced a fumble and recovered at their own 38. The offensive line went to work with a 62 yard drive in 7 plays (all on the ground) and FB Copeland scored on a 5 yard run. Navy 10 Air Force 7 midway through the quarter. Navy's defense then caused two more fumbles in the quarter which they recovered. The half ended Navy 10 Air Force 7. Navy was 0 - 4 on third down tries.
After each team punted in the third quarter, Air Force put together an 82 yard drive with their half-back scampering for a 21 yard TD. Air Force 14 Navy 10. In the fourth quarter Navy had a good drive to the AF 25. QB Miller injured his ankle. Freshman Nick Sloan then kicked a 41 yard field goal, his longest. Air Force 14 Navy 13 with 9:38 remaining in the game. The Falcons drove 75 yards in 6 plays scoring on an end-around pass good for 54 yards. Air Force 21 Navy 13 with 9:03 left. Enter freshman Keenan Reynolds. Reynolds led a 75 yard drive completing 3 – 3 passes and scored on a nifty 15 yard run. The Midshipmen opted for a two point conversion and FB Copeland bulled his way over to tie the game 21 – 21 with 6:35 remaining. Navy's defense stepped up forcing Air Force to punt from midfield. Navy also punted giving Air Force the ball at midfield. They moved to Navy's 39 then with 5 seconds on the clock Herrington missed a 51 yard field goal attempt. Last year Herrington made the extra point in overtime to beat Navy.
Overtime. Navy got the ball first. Made a first down. On first down from the two Reynolds bobbled the snap. The ball squirted into the end zone where sophomore guard (318 lbs) Jake Zuzek grabbed the ball for a touchdown. Sloan's kick was good. Navy 28 Air Force 21. On third and four LB Warrick tackled the runner for a one yard loss. On fourth down DE Henderson got his hand up and blocked a pass. The Midshipmen celebrated. How sweet it is!
Three of the last four Air Force – Navy games have gone to overtime. This was an exciting hard fought game. Navy's coaches deserve much credit as do the Midshipmen who never quit. QB Reynolds had his best game. He was 3-3 passing for 19 yards and gained 110 yards on 18 carries. Copeland gained 84 hard yards on 21 carries. Reynolds, demonstrated unusual poise, gained 32 yards on 3 carries. He was also 3-3 passing for 55 yards. Air Force won the statistics with 363 yards rushing and 144 passing. Navy gained 285 on the ground and was 6 – 6 for 74 yards passing. No turnovers for Navy while they captured three fumbles from the Falcons. The offensive line played very well. The defense bent quite a bit but made plays when they had too. Freshman Nick Sloan has now made all 10 extra point attempts and is 5 out 5 in field goals. Injuries: SB John Howell is out for the year with an injured knee. Free Safety (soph) Chris. Ferguson injured his elbow. DE Sturdivant is also hurt. QB Miller "could have returned in overtime but the coaches stayed with Reynolds " Hopefully he will be ready to go next week.
Army came from behind with two minutes left to defeat Boston College at West Point 34 – 31. It ended an eight game losing streak for the Black Knights.
This will be a short week for the Midshipmen as they travel to Central Michigan for an 8:00 pm game Friday Night. ESPN2. The Chippewas are 2 – 3. They beat Iowa 32 – 31. Lost to Toledo 35 – 50 on Saturday. Will not be easy.
Navy's Schedule (2 – 3)
Sept. 1 Notre Dame 50 Navy 10
Sept. 8 At Penn State 34 Navy 7
Sept. 22 Navy 41 VMI 3
Sept. 29 San Jose State 12 Navy 0
Oct. 6 Navy 28 at Air Force 21 (OT)
Oct. 13 at Central Michigan 8 pm.
Oct. 20 Indiana (HC) 3:30 pm
Oct. 27 at East Carolina State TBA
Nov. 3 Florida Atlantic 3:30 pm
Nov. 10 at Troy (Ala) 3:30 pm
Nov. 17 Texas State 3:30 pm
Dec. 8 ARMY Philadelphia 3:00 pm
Central Michigan Schedule (2-3)
Aug. 30 Cent. Mich. 37 SE Missouri St. 26
Sept. 8 at Michigan nSt. 41 Cent. Mich. 7
Sept. 22 32 at Iowa 31
Sept. 29 at No. Illinois 55 Cent. Mich. 24
Oct. 6 at Toledo 50 Cent. Mich. 35
Oct. 12 Navy 8 pm
BEAT THOSE CHIPPEWAS
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