Navy quarterback Ricky Dobbs may not be a backup much longer. Relieving an injured starter for the second consecutive week, the sophomore again shined as he rallied the Midshipmen to a school-record 20-point fourth-quarter comeback.
Navy stunned Temple, 33-27 in overtime in front of 34,775 fans at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium on Saturday night.
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“At first, everything inside of me wanted to give up,” Dobbs said. “But I knew I had to lay it all on the line for the seniors, and I had them in mind.”
After Temple tight end Steve Maneri dropped a sure touchdown on fourth-and-goal from the 1-yard line in overtime, Dobbs marched the Midshipmen (6-3) down the field where he ended Senior Day with a 1-yard touchdown run.
Dobbs entered the game in the third quarter in place of senior Kaipo-Noa Kaheaku-Enhada, who was making his first start in five weeks as he recovers from a partially torn left hamstring. He replaced the injured Jarod Bryant last week, and scored four rushing touchdowns in his place.
Dobbs completed 5-of-6 passes for 87 yards with a touchdown and an interception, and he ran for 47 yards with a touchdown on 13 carries on Saturday.
His 22-yard touchdown pass to receiver T.J. Thiel trimmed the lead to 27-14 with just over a minute played in the fourth quarter. The Midshipmen then narrowed the gap even more with 2:52 remaining when fullback Eric Kettani scored from a yard out on 4th-and-goal, but kicker Matt Harmon missed the ensuing extra point to leave the score at 27-20.
Navy elected to kick the ball off to Temple after Kettani’s score, and the Owls appeared poised to run out the clock after picking up a first down.
But the defense came up with its biggest play of the season to set the stage for overtime.
With Temple nursing a seven-point lead and less than 45 seconds remaining, linebacker Ross Pospisil stripped the ball from Owls running back Kee-ayre Griffin. Linebacker Clint Sovie scooped up the loose ball and dashed down the field, outracing tacklers for the 42-yard score with just 37 seconds remaining to tie the score.
“I just saw the ball, picked it up and started running,” Sovie said. “I thought I was going to get hog-tied from behind.”
The win earns Navy its sixth straight bowl berth as the Midshipmen will play in the EagleBank Bowl at RFK Stadium in Washington, D.C. on Dec. 20.
Temple (3-6) took the lead, 14-7, just six plays into the second half when quarterback Adam DiMichele found receiver Bruce Francis wide open in the end zone for a 49-yard touchdown. Navy replaced the ineffective Kaheaku-Enhada with Dobbs two series later, but the Midshipmen were forced to punt.
The Owls extended their lead with 1:07 left in the third on the ensuing possession when DiMichele faked a sneak at Navy’s 49-yard line, rolled out, and found Francis again open for an easy touchdown reception.
Following a Dobbs’ interception, Griffin scored from 16 yards out for a 27-7 lead.
“It’s a brutal game: the highs, lows, peaks and valleys,” Navy coach Ken Niumatalolo said. “Our kids continued to fight and you go from the lowest of lows to the highest of highs.”