Midshipmen hold six-game unbeaten streak against Falcons
Tradition dictates that Navy’s most important game is against Army.
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But where the Commander-in-Chief’s Trophy is concerned, the key game comes two months earlier. For the last 12 years, Navy-Air Force has decided the trophy, awarded to the winner of the round robin between the three service academies.
Saturday in Annapolis, when Navy (2-2) hosts Air Force (3-1) before a sellout crowd, the teams will renew an increasingly pivotal, competitive and bitter rivalry.
From 1982-2002, Air Force dominated the series, beating Navy 19 of 21 times and claiming 17 Commander-in-Chief’s trophies. Since then, however, Navy has won six straight, including three by a field goal and two by a touchdown.
Last year, when Air Force out-gained Navy 411-244, the difference was a pair of blocked punts that gave Navy two touchdowns and a 33-27 victory.
“This is a whole new game, new team, new season,” said Navy coach Ken Niumatalolo. “It’s always a big game playing them, but even more so because this is a very, very good Air Force team.”
During its recent streak, Navy has frustrated Air Force by being the better team in the fourth quarter. In 2007, Navy stopped the Air Force twice inside the 10-yard line and outscored the Falcons 14-0 in the fourth period of a 31-20 victory. In 2005, Navy outscored Air Force 13-0 in the final 15:05 of a 27-24 win.
Navy quarterback Ricky Dobbs understands why there’s bad blood, at least on the side of the Falcons.
“The hatred against us builds up,” said the junior. “If it was any of us put in that situation, we’d definitely have hatred out for them and try to get some get back. It’s a mental edge.”
Dobbs will renew competition with Air Force quarterback Tim Jefferson, the 2008 Mountain West Conference Freshman of the Year. Dobbs and Jefferson were prep rivals in football and basketball in Atlanta, Dobbs at Douglass County High, Jefferson at Woodward Academy.
Like Dobbs, Jefferson is a strong runner and passer. Both quarterbacks play in run-first offenses, but give their respective teams an extra dimension with their ability to throw.
Jefferson (174.8 quarterback efficiency rating) leads an offense that protects the ball (two turnovers). Coach Troy Calhoun’s defense, led by linebacker Andre Morris and cornerback Anthony Wright, is adept at forcing mistakes. The Falcons’ 15-2 turnover margin is the best in the NCAA.
This will be a homecoming of sorts for Jefferson. He was born in Maryland. On his bio, listed as the person from history he’d most like to meet, is Maryland basketball coach Gary Williams. Coming out of high school, Jefferson considered Navy. But he said this week that he was more comfortable with the Air Force coaching staff.
“The kid’s talented. He can run. He can throw the ball,” said Niumatalolo. “We know a lot of their kids. They know a lot of our kids. … We tried to recruit them. They tried to recruit a lot of ours.”
