Navy guard paves way for 367 rushing yards
As players emerged from the joyous Navy locker room after Saturday’s 35-17 win over Notre Dame, most wore T-shirts, sweatpants and satisfied smiles.
Then came junior guard John Dowd in his dress blues, a recruiting poster come to life.
Dowd had just played the game of his career, helping his mates on the interior line — junior center Brady DeMell and sophomore guard Josh Cabral — open gaping holes in the middle of the Notre Dame defensive front. Navy rushed for 367 yards, its most ever against the Irish, and fullback Alexander Teich had 210 of them, more than any Mids back ever had against the Irish.
But Dowd downplayed his role.
“We were trying to get two guys on the nose [tackle] and just have [quarterback] Ricky [Dobbs] read it,” Dowd said. “Ricky read it great today.”
Dowd had 148 other reasons to be happy. That’s how many people came to watch him play at New Meadowlands Stadium, 20 miles from his home on Staten Island, N.Y.
“That’s why I’m wearing this,” Dowd said of his dress blues.
The highlight for the Dowd clan came when John’s mother, Kathy, appeared on the stadium big screen. It was a game family and friends had anticipated for more than a year.
“Before we played Notre Dame last year, [my dad] was buying tickets,” said Dowd, who grew up going to NFL games at old Giants Stadium. His father, Tom, a retired NYPD detective, is a longtime New York Jets season-ticket holder.
At 6-foot-4, 260 pounds, Dowd is representative of the undersized, patchwork Navy line, which has come together after a rough start.
Coming into this season, the Midshipmen had to replace a pair of starting guards who graduated. Then they lost their strongest player in the weight room, junior David Hong, who decided to sit out for personal reasons. The line was depleted further when standout tackle Matt Molloy (concussion) was lost for the season. The line’s woes were apparent when Navy rushed for 109 yards, its lowest total in eight years, in a 13-7 win over FCS opponent Georgia Southern.
But Navy has recovered with a retooled cast that includes Dowd, junior tackle Ryan Basford (6-5, 270), Cabral (6-3, 270), DeMell (6-3, 295) and three-year starting tackle Jeff Battipaglia (6-4, 256).
“We feel like now we’re the Navy team we’re known for,” Battipaglia said. “We have guys that can fill spots. One guy goes down, there’s others who can play.”
