The last time Navy shut out Army, President Jimmy Carter, Anwar El Sadat and Menachem Begin had recently signed a peace treaty at the White House, Superman ruled the box office and a gallon of gas cost 63 cents.
But following a 34-0 win over the Black Knights at Lincoln Financial Field on a frigid, Saturday afternoon, the Midshipmen partied like it was 1978 in front of a crowd of 69,144 that included President George W. Bush.
“Thirty years since a shutout does not surprise me,” Navy coach Ken Niumatalolo said. “There have been so many hard fought games.”
Navy (8-4), which shut out Army (3-9) for the first time since a 28-0 victory three decades ago, hasn’t allowed an opponent to score since a 32-yard field goal by Notre Dame kicker Brandon Walker with 11:17 remaining in the fourth quarter on Nov. 15. The Midshipmen have gone 131 minutes and 17 seconds, which includes a 16-0 win over Northern Illinois on Nov. 25, without yielding a point. Navy has posted consecutive shutouts for the first time since 1986.
And Army didn’t get close to crossing the goal line.
The Black Knights gained a meager 154 yards, just seven first downs, were 3-of-13 on third-down conversions and possessed the ball for just 25:44. Navy linebacker Ram Vela’s 68-yard interception return for a touchdown with 31 seconds remaining was more points than Army has scored against the Midshipmen the past two years combined. Army hasn’t scored a touchdown against the Midshipmen since Tim Dunn’s touchdown catch with two seconds remaining in a 26-14 loss in 2006. Navy defeated Army, 38-3, last year.
The closest Army came to scoring was when Patrick Mealey returned a kickoff 63 yards to Navy’s 27-yard line just 3:06 before halftime. But the Midshipmen yielded just three yards before stuffing a fake field goal attempt well short of the first down marker.
The Black Knights crossed midfield three times and turned the ball over twice.
The Midshipmen also held Army leading rusher Collin Mooney to just 54 yards on 17 carries. Mooney entered the game with 1,285 yards and eight touchdowns on 214 carries and set the school’s single-season rushing record on the final play of the game with a 1-yard run.
“I think the unity is a big part of our success,” Navy linebacker Ross Pospisil said. “Our defensive line has been dominating and our secondary has been unreal. We are just bringing it as a team.”
