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Midshipmen Beat Their Rivals for Seventh Straight Time: Navy 34, Army 0
As he enters the field for the coin toss before the 109th Army-Navy game, President Bush gets a laugh as he prepares to kick a football. (By Jonathan Newton -- The Washington Post)
Buy Photo
By Camille Powell
Washington Post Staff Writer
Sunday, December 7, 2008; Page D01
PHILADELPHIA, Dec. 6 -- The 109th edition of the Army-Navy game ended in much the same way the previous six had: with the Midshipmen joyously running across the field to celebrate a dominating victory over their rival. On this Saturday afternoon, senior Eric Kettani led the charge, sprinting toward the section of Lincoln Financial Field that housed the Brigade of Midshipmen, and then the fullback climbed into the stands to celebrate his team's 34-0 victory.
The Midshipmen (8-4) had many reasons to be happy, aside from posting their first shutout of Army (3-9) since 1978. They won the Commander-in-Chief's Trophy for the sixth straight year, tying the record for consecutive trophies won. They won their 13th consecutive game against a service academy, which established a new record. Navy's seniors will finish their careers having never lost to Army or Air Force.
"To play your rivals, and to be able to shut them out and have a convincing win like that in the most important game of the season is definitely a great win, and a tribute to our seniors," said Ken Niumatalolo, who spent 10 years as an assistant at Navy before becoming the head coach last December. "For four years, five years, these kids gave everything they could for the program. It's coming to an end for them, and you couldn't be more happy for them."
The game, as it always does, had a festive feel to it. President Bush greeted players and cheerleaders from both teams during warmups. Both teams wore new uniforms: Navy's blue pants were a replica of the Marine Corps Elegant Dress Pants, while Army sported camouflage pants and helmets. (When asked about the uniforms, Kettani deadpanned: "I couldn't see them really. They were camouflage. One guy cut me, and I was like, 'What's going on?' It freaked me out.")
But the afternoon was also tinged with sadness for the Midshipmen. One of their seniors, cornerback Rashawn King, was at home in Raleigh, N.C., following the death of his father. Navy's players wore decals on the backs of their helmets with the initials "DK" inside of a black crown in honor of Drexel King, who suffered a heart attack Thursday.
Rashawn King is not only a leader on the football team -- his three interceptions are tied for the team lead -- but he is also one in the academy at large. During the second semester, he will serve as the Chief of Staff for the Brigade, a position that reports to the Brigade Commander and that will make him the third highest-ranking Midshipman in the chain-of-command. His father attended nearly all of his games, and hosted a tailgate for Rashawn's teammates after home contests.
"Drexel was close to a lot of guys in our program," Navy defensive coordinator Buddy Green said. "The family was all-in, totally Navy football. We miss him. A lot."
So Navy's defense wanted to put forth an exceptional effort to pay tribute
to King's family. And the Midshipmen did just that, in posting their second consecutive shutout of the season: They held Army to just 154 yards of total offense and only seven first downs. Nose tackle Nate Frazier (seven tackles) and linebacker Ross Pospisil (12 tackles) were dominant, and helped Navy bottle up fullback Collin Mooney (17 carries, 54 yards) and quarterback Chip Bowden (14 carries, six yards), the top two threats in Army's option offense.
"It really started up front," Navy safety Jeff Deliz said. "There were a couple of times that I was coming downhill for a pitch, and nothing could get started because our D-line did such a good job."
Linebacker Ram Vela capped off the day by intercepting a pass on fourth down and returning it 68 yards for a touchdown in the final minute. About the only thing that Navy's defense didn't do was prevent Mooney from setting Army's season rushing record; his one-yard run on the game's last play gave him the 54 yards he needed to surpass Mike Mayweather's record of 1,338 yards.
Two Navy backs reached milestones of their own: Senior Shun White became the first slotback in program history to gain 1,000 yards in a season, and Kettani passed the 2,000-yard mark for his career (an achievement that White reached earlier this season). Both players gained more than 100 yards against Army.
White broke open the game on Navy's third play from scrimmage, taking a pitch from quarterback Kaipo-Noa Kaheaku-Enhada and darting 65 yards down the left sideline for a touchdown. Barely four minutes into the game, the Midshipmen had the only points they needed.
"Coming into the game, Coach wanted me to bust a long run," White said. "I told him that if he gave me a chance with the ball, I could probably take one to the house. I think it was a very important play, because it got the offense going like a steamroller."
Navy's offense, particularly its running game, operated smoothly under Kaheaku-Enhada, who was making his first start since Nov. 1. Kaheaku-Enhada, who has been slowed throughout the season by an injured hamstring, also threw an 18-yard touchdown pass to White.
"I wanted to get back and actually contribute to the team effort, and I haven't done anything all year long," Kaheaku-Enhada said. "I felt bad for the guys, because I haven't really been there. I wanted to get out there today and try to help them out a little bit. Try to get us in good situations, and for the most part, I think we did that."
Midshipmen Beat Their Rivals for Seventh Straight Time: Navy 34, Army 0
As he enters the field for the coin toss before the 109th Army-Navy game, President Bush gets a laugh as he prepares to kick a football. (By Jonathan Newton -- The Washington Post)
Buy Photo
By Camille Powell
Washington Post Staff Writer
Sunday, December 7, 2008; Page D01
PHILADELPHIA, Dec. 6 -- The 109th edition of the Army-Navy game ended in much the same way the previous six had: with the Midshipmen joyously running across the field to celebrate a dominating victory over their rival. On this Saturday afternoon, senior Eric Kettani led the charge, sprinting toward the section of Lincoln Financial Field that housed the Brigade of Midshipmen, and then the fullback climbed into the stands to celebrate his team's 34-0 victory.
The Midshipmen (8-4) had many reasons to be happy, aside from posting their first shutout of Army (3-9) since 1978. They won the Commander-in-Chief's Trophy for the sixth straight year, tying the record for consecutive trophies won. They won their 13th consecutive game against a service academy, which established a new record. Navy's seniors will finish their careers having never lost to Army or Air Force.
"To play your rivals, and to be able to shut them out and have a convincing win like that in the most important game of the season is definitely a great win, and a tribute to our seniors," said Ken Niumatalolo, who spent 10 years as an assistant at Navy before becoming the head coach last December. "For four years, five years, these kids gave everything they could for the program. It's coming to an end for them, and you couldn't be more happy for them."
The game, as it always does, had a festive feel to it. President Bush greeted players and cheerleaders from both teams during warmups. Both teams wore new uniforms: Navy's blue pants were a replica of the Marine Corps Elegant Dress Pants, while Army sported camouflage pants and helmets. (When asked about the uniforms, Kettani deadpanned: "I couldn't see them really. They were camouflage. One guy cut me, and I was like, 'What's going on?' It freaked me out.")
But the afternoon was also tinged with sadness for the Midshipmen. One of their seniors, cornerback Rashawn King, was at home in Raleigh, N.C., following the death of his father. Navy's players wore decals on the backs of their helmets with the initials "DK" inside of a black crown in honor of Drexel King, who suffered a heart attack Thursday.
Rashawn King is not only a leader on the football team -- his three interceptions are tied for the team lead -- but he is also one in the academy at large. During the second semester, he will serve as the Chief of Staff for the Brigade, a position that reports to the Brigade Commander and that will make him the third highest-ranking Midshipman in the chain-of-command. His father attended nearly all of his games, and hosted a tailgate for Rashawn's teammates after home contests.
"Drexel was close to a lot of guys in our program," Navy defensive coordinator Buddy Green said. "The family was all-in, totally Navy football. We miss him. A lot."
So Navy's defense wanted to put forth an exceptional effort to pay tribute
to King's family. And the Midshipmen did just that, in posting their second consecutive shutout of the season: They held Army to just 154 yards of total offense and only seven first downs. Nose tackle Nate Frazier (seven tackles) and linebacker Ross Pospisil (12 tackles) were dominant, and helped Navy bottle up fullback Collin Mooney (17 carries, 54 yards) and quarterback Chip Bowden (14 carries, six yards), the top two threats in Army's option offense.
"It really started up front," Navy safety Jeff Deliz said. "There were a couple of times that I was coming downhill for a pitch, and nothing could get started because our D-line did such a good job."
Linebacker Ram Vela capped off the day by intercepting a pass on fourth down and returning it 68 yards for a touchdown in the final minute. About the only thing that Navy's defense didn't do was prevent Mooney from setting Army's season rushing record; his one-yard run on the game's last play gave him the 54 yards he needed to surpass Mike Mayweather's record of 1,338 yards.
Two Navy backs reached milestones of their own: Senior Shun White became the first slotback in program history to gain 1,000 yards in a season, and Kettani passed the 2,000-yard mark for his career (an achievement that White reached earlier this season). Both players gained more than 100 yards against Army.
White broke open the game on Navy's third play from scrimmage, taking a pitch from quarterback Kaipo-Noa Kaheaku-Enhada and darting 65 yards down the left sideline for a touchdown. Barely four minutes into the game, the Midshipmen had the only points they needed.
"Coming into the game, Coach wanted me to bust a long run," White said. "I told him that if he gave me a chance with the ball, I could probably take one to the house. I think it was a very important play, because it got the offense going like a steamroller."
Navy's offense, particularly its running game, operated smoothly under Kaheaku-Enhada, who was making his first start since Nov. 1. Kaheaku-Enhada, who has been slowed throughout the season by an injured hamstring, also threw an 18-yard touchdown pass to White.
"I wanted to get back and actually contribute to the team effort, and I haven't done anything all year long," Kaheaku-Enhada said. "I felt bad for the guys, because I haven't really been there. I wanted to get out there today and try to help them out a little bit. Try to get us in good situations, and for the most part, I think we did that."
