Navy quarterback Brian Hampton lay in pain on the field Saturday at Navy-Marine Corps Stadium ? his knee likely dislocated ? with the team?s coaching and medical staffs surrounding him.
At that moment late in the first quarter, the final result of his team?s game with No. 24 ranked Rutgers ? ultimately a 34-0 rout ? was an afterthought.
Recommended Stories
“I was on the field trying to calm him down, and all he did was keep apologizing to me,” Navy coach Paul Johnson said. “There wasn?t anything he could have done. It was just one of those things.”
A record crowd of 36,918 fans sat silently and watched as the play that injured Hampton was shown on the stadium?s two large screens.
Hampton ran a keep in the Navy triple-option offense, when he went to the ground and Rutgers defensive lineman Ramel Meekins fell on top of him.
Just before the injury, the two teams were still tied 0-0, and Navy (5-2) was holding out hope of pulling off the upset of Rutgers (6-0) and qualifying for the Meineke Car Care Bowl in Charlotte, N.C.
Teammates watched as Hampton was loaded onto a cart, some of their eyes filling with tears.
“I didn?t know what to think,” Navy backup quarterback Kaipo-Noa Kaheaku-Enhada said after the game, his voice cracking. “He?s like a brother, and you hate to see that.”
Hampton was taken off the field, and the crowd chanted his name in unison. The team?s medical staff feared a lack of blood flow when Hampton?s foot went numb in the locker room, and he was taken to nearby Anne Arundel Medical Center.
Hampton eventually returned to the stadium ? on crutches and his knee in a brace. By that point, his team was well on his to tying the worst margin of defeat in Navy homecoming history. The Midshipmen offense racked up just 161 yards on offense and 113 on the ground.
“That was a pretty solid butt-kicking ? an old-fashion butt-kicking” Johnson said
It was the first time Navy had been held scoreless since 2002.
Navy now turns its attention to highly-ranked Notre Dame Oct. 28 at M&T Bank Stadium. Johnson said he was unsure who would replace Hampton in that game.
Hampton said he had not given up on the season.
“There?s inconclusive stuff going on right now,” Hampton said. “They haven?t done all the tests. We?ll find out [early in the week].”
