Annapolis, Md. – On a rainy day ready-made for sailors – and ducks, for that matter – a dogged bunch of Navy football players made it their day.
It was the Midshipmen’s day, thanks to Joey Bullen’s 46-yard field goal with 1 second left in the game Saturday in Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium, and the 27-24 victory was more than enough to pile a world of hurt on the hapless Air Force Falcons.
Bullen’s kick right down the middle gave Navy its only lead of the game and left Air Force coach Fisher DeBerry and his team (2-4) in shock with their fourth straight loss, a third straight loss to Navy (2-2). The No. 1 goal in the Falcons’ program, the Commander-in-Chief’s Trophy, is now just a memory.
The loss continues the Falcons’ freefall over the past three seasons. Air Force is 14-15 since the start of the 2003 season. The victory put the Midshipmen, who play Army on Dec. 3, in control of the trophy.
With rain falling before and during the game, the Midshipmen rededicated their stadium in grand fashion. The game was listed as a sellout at 35,211, but some ticket-holders didn’t brave the conditions.
“I don’t know anything else to say,” said DeBerry, whose team held a 24-14 lead late in the third quarter. “I’ve coached for 40 years and I don’t know anything else to say. Navy made the plays necessary to win. I’m disappointed with everything.
“You can’t focus on the offense, you can’t focus on the defense, you can’t focus on the kicking game; it was all three. We had control of the game and we let it slip away. I’m not going to look for excuses. I’m going to be a man and look you in the eye.”
Navy fullback Matt Hall, who rushed for 65 yards to lead Navy’s ground game, had the answers.
“We battled all game,” Hall said. “They had our backs against the wall. We just kept fighting. It says a lot for our team. We never doubted we could come back to win.”
But while Hall was the workhorse, halfback Reggie Campbell, who didn’t have a yard through three quarters, was the spark. He finished with 46 yards, but 40 came on an option left, which produced the chance to tie the score at 24 with 2:22 left in the game.
Bullen had to line up for his game-winning kick with the clock running and Navy out of timeouts. By then, there were few doubting he would complete the Navy comeback.
“I tried to focus as much as I could,” Bullen said. “Having to rush onto the field might have helped. I didn’t have too much time to think about things.”
The drive for the winning field goal was set up by Air Force punter Donny Heaton’s 9-yard punt, which gave the Midshipmen the ball at the Falcons’ 35.
“That was a big, big win for us,” Navy coach Paul Johnson said. “I’m happy for our players, who have worked so hard.”
Trailing 17-7 at halftime, Navy scored on four of seven second-half possessions. Senior quarterback Lamar Owens got better as the game went on; he finished 8-of-12 passing with a touchdown. Receiver Jason Tomlinson had four catches for 114 yards and a touchdown.
Air Force’s Shaun Carney countered with 6-of-9 passing for 111 yards and two touchdowns with 71 yards rushing, but it was far from enough.
“We had three opportunities right there at the end of the game and didn’t do anything with them,” DeBerry said.
While the defense played well at times, the Falcons’ offense wasn’t consistent. Carney was hot and cold. He threw an interception in the end zone late in the second quarter as the Falcons were driving with a 10-0 lead, and the Midshipmen fed off the mistake, immediately driving 80 yards in 16 plays for their first touchdown.
“It was a poorly thrown ball,” DeBerry said. “I think it gave them some life.”
Air Force sidelines
NOT GOOD ENOUGH
Falcons’ offense loses steam
After the Falcons’ defense held Navy to 122 yards on five possessions in the first half, the offense didn’t carry its share of the load, keeping the defense on the field and managing only one first down in the fourth quarter.
KEY PLAY
There was no way Navy was going to be denied after Reggie Campbell’s 40-yard run with 2:22 left in the fourth quarter put the Midshipmen in position to tie the score at 24.
TURNING POINT
Air Force’s luck changed for the worse late in the second quarter when quarterback Shaun Carney threw an interception in the end zone, with the Falcons in control with a 10-0 lead.
KEY STATISTIC
92 – Yards of total offense managed by the Falcons for seven points in the second half, while Navy racked up 266 yards and scored 20 points.
Irv Moss can be reached at 303-820-1296 or imoss@denverpost.com.