Navy senior quarterback Brian Hampton doesn?t know what it feels like not to play for the service academy that owns the Commander in Chief Trophy.
But that doesn?t mean he doesn?t understand what Air Force players are thinking about as they prepare to host the Midshipmen Saturday. Hampton was a freshman with the Midshipmen three years ago when they began their current streak of capturing the CIC Trophy, given annually to the winner of the football series between Navy, Army and Air Force.
“The guys I played with got dominated over and over again against Air Force,” Hampton said. “The players [at Air Force then] had the CIC for many years, and it gave them the hunger to go out there and win it again. Today, those at Air Force know of the tradition they have had there, and I think it will makethem that much hungrier to get it back.”
Although Navy (4-1) has beaten Air Force (2-1) three years in a row, the rivalry now might be more competitive than ever. Each game the last three seasons has been decided by three points, including last year?s 27-24 thriller that Navy won on a last-second field goal.
Air Force leads the overall series, 25-13, and during many stretches has completely dominated Navy. The Falcons won 11 straight between 1982 and ?92. They followed that up a few years later by winning six straight from 1997 to ?02, capped with a 48-7 blowout the final year.
“It?s nice for it to be a rivalry,” Navy coach Paul Johnson said. “We?ve managed to become competitive again, so that?s a good thing.”
Johnson said that win over Air Force three years ago meant something to Navy?s seniors at the time because they were just hungry for a win. This year?s senior class wants to go out as the first group to go undefeated against the other service academies.
“This senior class has an opportunity, they sure do,” Johnson said. “We don?t have any players in our program that have lost to another academy. Hopefully, they get the importance of that. That?s a tremendous feat, I think.”
NAVY NOTES
» Navy has swept Air Force and Army in each of the previous three years and owns a seven-game winning streak against its fellow service academies.
» The Midshipmen won the Commander in Chief Trophy in 1973, ?75, ?78, ?79, ?81, 2003, ?04 and ?05.
» Navy is 30-12 the last four years after posting a 3-30 record the previous three seasons.
