Navy slotback Reggie Campbell isn?t scheduled to attend flight school in Pensacola, Fla. for another few months. But in the Midshipmen?s 38-3 win over Army on Saturday at M&T Bank Stadium, most of the 71,610 fans in attendance would swear Campbell was already traveling at semisonic speed. In the second quarter, Campbell dashed into the school record books when he ran untouched during a 98-yard kickoff return, the longest by any Midshipman in the team?s 128-year history.
Behind Campbell?s standout performance, Navy (8-4) ended the regular season on a four-game winning streak, and will play Utah (8-4) on Dec. 20 at 9 p.m. in the Poinsettia Bowl in San Diego on ESPN.
“Reggie?s been a real big play guy for us in all four years he?s been here,” Navy coach Paul Johnson said. “[He?s] contributed in a lot of different ways. We like to get the ball to him as much as we can.”
The 5-foot-6, 168-pounder finished the team?s sixth straight win over Army with 227 all- purpose yards and 2 touchdowns. But one of the biggest plays he made on Saturday was at the end of the game, when he was selected to climb atop the railing in front of the Navy band and direct the school alma mater, “Blue and Gold.”
“I didn?t know what I was doing,” Campbell said with a laugh. “There was a girl in front of trying to show me, but it wasn?t working.”
