Section: NAS

Midshipmen struggle with home touch

unknown@hometownannapolis.com (Unknown) — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 00:00:00

Chris Harris was honored during a pregame ceremony for becoming the 19th player in Navy basketball history to score 1,000 career points. The senior standout then took the court and couldn't buy a basket.

Harris shot a miserable 6-for-21 from the field in last night's home opener against Buffalo. After moving into second place on the school's all-time list for 3-point field goals made in Friday's season opener, the 6-foot-2 guar...

Mids make adjustments getting home

unknown@hometownannapolis.com (Unknown) — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 00:00:00

Navy basketball head coach Billy Lange learned a lot about his team through two road games against completely divergent styles. The Midshipmen split their season-opening road trip to Virginia, losing 76-65 to Radford then winning 79-76 over Longwood.

"It was interesting because we played two very unique games. Radford was a very big team that played zone the entire game. Longwood was a smaller, quicker team that played a scrambling...

Mids ready for home after successful trip

unknown@hometownannapolis.com (Unknown) — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 00:00:00

Navy 3-0 for academy tipoff

For a Naval Academy athlete, getting off campus can be of some benefit, even if it means living out of a suitcase and playing before non-supportive crowds.

But enough was enough for the Navy women's basketball team, which will play its first home games of the season this weekend after going 3-0 on a season-opening road trip that took the Mids first to North Carolina and then to Ohio.

"I t...

Women's Basketball: Navy rallies to topple Elon, 55-51

unknown@hometownannapolis.com (Unknown) — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 00:00:00

ATHENS, Ohio - Two days after overcoming a 23-point first-half deficit to defeat Elon, the Navy women's basketball team rallied from an eight-point second-half deficit to post a 55-51 victory over Ohio last night.

The win improves Navy's record to 3-0 on the season, while Ohio fell to 0-2 on the young year. This is the first time since the 1997-98 season that the Mids have started a season with three consecutive wins. Navy opene...

Sports Comments: History within Navy's grasp

unknown@hometownannapolis.com (Unknown) — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 00:00:00

Many fans were understandably concerned about the future of the Navy football program after head coach Paul Johnson resigned to accept the same position at Georgia Tech.

Who would have thought that just two seasons into his tenure, successor Ken Niumatalolo would have Navy on the verge of its most successful season ever?

Navy has an opportunity to win 10 regular season games for only the second time in the 129-year history of the program...

Avworo, Garcia lead Mids to first win

unknown@hometownannapolis.com (Unknown) — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 00:00:00

O.J. Avworo and Romeo Garcia each scored a career-high 16 points and the Navy basketball team held off a spirited Longwood rally for a 79-76 road victory yesterday.

The win evens Navy's record to 1-1 after the Mids fell to Radford on Friday night. Navy has now won all seven games in the series against Longwood - the Mids' longest active winning streak against one opponent.

"I'm proud of our guys. I thought we gave...

Mids shape up, put away Delaware in 2nd half

unknown@hometownannapolis.com (Unknown) — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 00:00:00

That letdown head coach Ken Niumatalolo was so concerned about came to fruition. Fortunately, the Navy football team woke up and used a strong second half to ensure it did not suffer a surprising home loss on the heels of its huge upset of Notre Dame.

Quarterback Ricky Dobbs rushed for 100 yards and a career-high five touchdowns while the defense made some huge stops deep in its own territory as Navy held off Delaware, 35-18, befor...

Navy Notes

unknown@hometownannapolis.com (Unknown) — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 00:00:00

DOBBS' DAY: It's uncanny how many times this season a Navy skill position player has been tackled, tripped up or simply stumbled on approach to the end zone.

Ricky Dobbs has been the beneficiary of that bizarre trend since offensive coordinator Ivin Jasper invariably calls the quarterback's numbers whenever the Midshipmen are on the goal line.

Dobbs now owns the Navy single-season school record with 22...

Niumatalolo wary of his team losing focus against Delaware

unknown@hometownannapolis.com (Unknown) — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 00:00:00

Head coach Ken Niumatalolo is concerned about Navy suffering a letdown in the wake of its stunning upset of Notre Dame, which was ranked No. 19 at the time. Niumatalolo has spent all week warning his players to refocus their attention on Delaware, which is ranked No. 23 in the latest Football Championship Subdivision poll.

Niumatalolo said the Midshipmen need to take a business-like approach and go about their normal routine despite drawing na...

Special group gave Mids leg up

unknown@hometownannapolis.com (Unknown) — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 00:00:00

John Skaggs was an accomplished baseball player at Tate High and actually signed with Pensacola Junior College, a powerhouse program in his home state of Florida. So it was through a series of twists of fate that Skaggs wound up becoming one of the finest punters in Navy football history.

“It’s pretty surreal when you think about it,” said Skaggs, one of two punters named to the Navy-Marine Corps Memorial All-Stadium ...

Greatest coaches at Navy excelled at forming ranks

unknown@hometownannapolis.com (Unknown) — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 00:00:00

Navy's football program wasn't in very good shape when George Welsh and Paul Johnson took over as head coaches.

The Midshipmen went 12-41 while suffering five straight losing seasons prior to Welsh's arrival. Just three years into his tenure, Welsh led the 1975 squad to a 7-4 record that was highlighted by a 30-6 destruction of archrival Army.

"George came in and brought a completely different mentality, a winning attitu...

Report on Navy coach's pay off target

unknown@hometownannapolis.com (Unknown) — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 00:00:00

Contrary to a recent published report, Navy football coach Ken Niumatalolo’s salary does not rank among the bottom third of the nation’s elite football coaches. Naval Academy Athletic Director Chet Gladchuk and the coach’s agent Evan Beard both confirmed to The Capital yesterday that a newspaper report listing Niumatalolo’s income was grossly inaccurate.

On Tuesday, USA Today published the results of research into...

Men's basketball team eager for more respect

unknown@hometownannapolis.com (Unknown) — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 00:00:00

The Navy men's basketball program has increased its win total, both overall and within the Patriot League, each of the past four seasons. Sixth-year head coach Billy Lange can only hope that trend continues.

The Midshipmen made major strides the last two seasons - compiling a 16-14 record and placing second in the Patriot League with a 9-5 mark in 2007-2008 then going 19-11 and finishing third (8-6) in the conference in 2008-2009.

Co...

Emotional finish for 32 Midshipmen

unknown@hometownannapolis.com (Unknown) — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 00:00:00

Captains Osei Asante and Ross Pospisil will lead the way as members of the senior class stride onto the field carrying bouquets of flowers and flanked by their parents or other loved ones on Saturday.

It will be an emotional day for the 32 members of Navy's senior class as they play their final game at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium.

"It's going to be like an emotional rollercoaster. Obviously, there is always the...

Notre Dame assistant criticizes Mids' Niumatalolo for comments

unknown@hometownannapolis.com (Unknown) — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 00:00:00

SOUTH BEND, Ind. (AP) - Notre Dame associate head coach Corwin Brown criticized Navy coach Ken Niumatalolo for his postgame comments about the Irish defensive game plan and for the way his team uses what Brown called "malicious" illegal cut blocks.

"I thought it was very disappointing what the Navy coach said after the game," Brown said. "He didn't want something to be misconstrued, then he said it regarding...

Mids corner enemy

unknown@hometownannapolis.com (Unknown) — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 00:00:00

Red zone defense may have been the most important element of Navy's stunning 23-21 upset of 19th-ranked Notre Dame on Saturday. The Fighting Irish came away with zero points on five trips inside the visitors' 25-yard line.

Notre Dame's favorite red zone scoring play was a fade pass to the corner of the end zone intended for either Golden Tate or Michael Floyd. Time after time, quarterback Jimmy Clausen threw the ball with the expec...

Mids won't duck issue of letdown

unknown@hometownannapolis.com (Unknown) — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 00:00:00

Navy head coach Ken Niumatalolo is referring to the Oregon football team this week when urging his players to keep an even keel.

Oregon shocked the college football world by blowing out fourth-ranked USC, 47-20, on Nov. 1. The Ducks rose to seventh in the Associated Press poll and promptly got upset themselves, falling 51-42 to Stanford in a shootout on Saturday.

"I draw a parallel with Oregon. They went from the high of beat...

Midshipmen had Irish on the outs

unknown@hometownannapolis.com (Unknown) — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 00:00:00

Following Friday's walk-through at Notre Dame Stadium, head coach Ken Niumatalolo led the Navy football team toward the end zone furthest away from the tunnel.

That was the end zone Navy successfully defended against a two-point conversion attempt in 2007 when it upset Notre Dame, 46-44 in triple-overtime.

"We had our team meeting after Friday's practice at the 3-yard line where we stopped them two years ago," Ni...

Confident Mids do it again, trip Fighting Irish

unknown@hometownannapolis.com (Unknown) — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 00:00:00

SOUTH BEND, Ind. - Navy's victory celebration wasn't as emotional and raucous as the last time it beat Notre Dame here. The Midshipmen ran onto the field and exchanged hugs and handshakes pretty much the way they do after every win.

When Navy knocked off Notre Dame in 2007 it was stunning and historic. The Midshipmen snapped a monumental 43-game losing streak in the annual series, prompting the players and coaches to react with ...

Mids shock Irish again

unknown@hometownannapolis.com (Unknown) — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 00:00:00

SOUTH BEND, Ind. - Navy went 43 years without beating powerful Notre Dame in football. Now the Midshipmen have accomplished the remarkable feat twice in three years.

Fullback Vince Murray and quarterback Ricky Dobbs led an impressive offensive performance while linebacker Ram Vela and cornerback Blake Carter anchored a gutsy defensive effort as Navy upset 19th-ranked Notre Dame, 23-21, yesterday.

Navy sealed the victory by recover...

Mids adjust, but Irish don't

unknown@hometownannapolis.com (Unknown) — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 00:00:00

SOUTH BEND, IND. - Notre Dame head coach Charlie Weis bragged last week about how his defense "dominated" and "mauled" the Navy offense in last year's meeting between the schools.

Weis got his come-uppance yesterday as the Midshipmen and their dangerous triple-option offense made a proud Fighting Irish defense look silly.

Quarterback Ricky Dobbs and fullback Vince Murray led the way as Navy rolled up 348 ya...

Notre Dame QB living up to hype

unknown@hometownannapolis.com (Unknown) — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 00:00:00

Jimmy Clausen is one of the most celebrated recruits to commit to Notre Dame. For the most storied program in college football history, which annually signs a slew of Parade All-Americans, that is really saying something.

Clausen announced he was choosing Notre Dame over USC on April 22, 2006 at the College Football Hall of Fame in South Bend, Ind., arriving in a stretch Hummer limousine and stating that his goal was to win four nationa...