All of the bounces went Navy?s way Saturday. Even as Navy?s offense sputtered, its defense and special teams came through with a number of key plays as the Midshipmen won for a school-record sixth straight times against the Black Knights of Army, 38-3, in front of 71,610 fans at M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore.
Navy slotback Reggie Campbell had a 98-yard kickoff return for a touchdown, the defense recovered two fumbles and kicker Joey Bullen connected on a career-long 51-yard field goal as the Midshipmen (8-4) defeated the Black Knights (3-9) for a series record sixth straight time. Navy now leads the all-time series 52-49-7. The Midshipmen have also won the Commander-in-Chief?s Trophy ? the round-robin competition between Navy, Army and Air Force ? for a fifth straight year.
“I?m really proud of our football team,” Navy coach Paul Johnson said. “Today they?ve accomplished something that?s never been done in the history of the Army-Navy series to win six games in a row. I thought we played hard, played our best game of the season defensively without question and on special teams as well. We got some break early and took advantage of them and put the game out of reach in the second half.
“To win eight games the way the season has gone and have the chance to win nine games, you have to give them a lot of credit.”
Navy slot back Zerbin Singleton gave the Midshipmen all of the offense they would need when he scored on a 38-yard touchdown run with 46 seconds left in the first quarter to give Navy a 7-0 lead. The senior aerospace engineering major ? who finished with 55 yards on eight carries ? now has eight touchdowns in his last four games after having just two in his first 33 contests.
Army bounced back in the second quarter after Owen Tolson connected on a 28-yard field goal, which made the score 7-3 with 7:45 left in the first half. However on the ensuing kickoff, Campbell came up with a 98-yard return for a touchdown; his second of the season. Prior to those runs, Navy had gone 117 games without a kickoff return for a score.
Navy?s defense then came through on Army?s next play from scrimmage as defensive end Michael Walsh forced a fumble of Black Knight running back Wesley McMahand, which Navy linebacker Irv Spencer recovered at the Army 6. Three plays later, Navy extended its lead to 21-3 on a 1-yard run by slotback Shun White with 5:49 left in the second quarter.
Bullen?s field goal came right before halftime when Campbell had a 46-yard punt return to the Army 34 with one second left in the quarter. Campbell finished with 226 yards of total offense, including a 12-yard touchdown run with 10:18 left in the game. Navy backup quarterback Jarod Bryant completed the Midshipmen?s scoring with a 1-yard run with 7:50 remaining.
“Any time you make a special teams play in a game, it?s a momentum changer,” Campbell said. “Unless they returned that next kickoff, I?d say it definitely was a momentum change.”
However, the biggest story of the day for Navy was its defense, which allowed the fewest points it has all season and the second fewest under Johnson when it shut out Tulsa in 2004.
Walsh led Navy with eight tackles, while linebacker Ross Pospisil had seven tackles and Spencer had five tackles and two pass break-ups, including one in the end zone in the first quarter. Navy entered the game allowing 39.6 points a game.
“There?s a lot of guys that are stepping in, buying into the system and doing what they have to do to win,” Spencer said. ?I?m just happy to be a part of it.”
For Army, running back tony Dace finished with a game-high 109 yards rushing on 28 carries, while quarterback Carson Williams completed 12-of-21 passes for 117 yards. Defensively, safety Jordan Murray led the Black Knights with a game-high 16 tackles.
“Navy out-played us and out-hustled us,” Army coach Stan Brock said. “They came away with plays and we didn?t make plays. I?m disappointed for the seniors and the Corps of Cadets that we didn?t give them an opportunity to beat Navy. That is my job and that is what our goal is.”
