It?s a play that Chris Kuhar-Pitters will never forget. On second-and-10 from Notre Dame?s 29-yard line, Michael Walsh sacked quarterback Evan Sharpley, causing him to fumble. The 6-foot-2, 258-pound defensive end scooped up the loose ball and ran 16-yards for the go-ahead touchdown. The game went to overtime, where Navy stopped Notre Dame on a two-point conversion to end a 43-year losing streak to the Fighting Irish with a 46-44 win.
“It’s just unreal that I was able to get in that situation against Notre Dame,” Kuhar-Pitters said. “It’s the type of situation that every player dreams of to make big plays in big games. When you look to the things we did against Notre Dame the potential is there to make big plays. There weren’t any new players out there and we didn’t do anything magical. If we just continue to work hard in practice we’ll be able to make plays the rest of the way.”
The Midshipmen (6-4) will need to play better this afternoon at 3:30 against Northern Illinois (2-8) at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium if they are going to extend their three-game winning streak.
Navy?s offense, which will be led by backup quarterback Jarod Bryant, certainly is doing its part, as it has scored 406 points and is on pace to break the school record of 442 points, set in 1917. The Midshipmen have the ninth-ranked offense in the country, averaging 462.2 yards per game.
But for Navy to defeat North Illinois, it can?t afford to a repeat of last week?s performance, when it allowed 635 yards in a 74-62 win at North Texas. Navy has allowed 411 points this season and is 117th out of 119 Football Bowl Subdivision teams in scoring defense (41.1 ppg).
“We’ve got to play better on defense,” Johnson said. “There’s no secret there. The way we’ve been playing is unacceptable.”
Still, Kuhar-Pitters is one of 22 seniors for Navy who will be looking to go out with a win in their final home game. If the Midshipmen win their final three games, they will have 36 victories over the past four years and tie the Class of 1909 as the winningest class in school history.
“The positive thing is we may be giving up a lot of points, but we’re finding a way to win,” Spencer said. “We’re still accomplishing all our goals. We’re not happy about giving up all those points, but in the end, a win is a win.”
