16 Sep 2018 - Week 3

Navy Midshipmen 47, Kansas Jayhawks 9

Stifling Navy Defense Limits Jayhawks

For the 3rd straight week, Navy's defense was the talk of the town. This time it was Kansas on the receiving end of a hard hitting and relentless defense. Navy's defense, led by LB Ray Mitchell swarmed and harassed Jayhawk true freshman QB David Baker all day as he was sacked 7 times and threw 5 interceptions.

Using the defense as a catalyst, Navy featured a prolific passing attack as Sherwood threw the ball 60 times, finishing with 39 completions and breaking his own school record with 519 yards passing.

It's obvious the start of the 2018 season has gone well, but with conference play starting next week, Head Coach Garcia says, "It's on the next game. We take the same approach and look to bring the same intensity every game. We're going to need it next week because it's gonna be a battle."

Indeed, Army and Navy are one of the oldest and most storied rivalries in the game. Let's hope that Navy can continue the success they've seen so far this season. GO NAVY, BEAT ARMY!

Off Player of the Game: QB James Sherwood 39-60, 519 yards (school record), 4 TDs and 0 INTs AND WR Lawrence Bonner 10 rec, 215 yards, 2 TDs
Def Player of the Game: LB Ray Mitchell 9 tckls, 3 scks, 3 qb hurries, 1 pass defensed, 1 int
Navy Play of the Game: Sherwood finds Bonner late in the 1st quarter to put the Middies up 14-2 for the 1st of 2 scores on the day https://ncaa-football.myfootballnow.com/watch/405#75600

Next Week: at Army (2-1)

23 Sep 2018 - Week 4

Army Black Knights 38, Navy Midshipmen 26

Black Knights Foil Midshipmen Attempt to Start 4-0

Navy came into the game riding the high of a 3-game win-streak, which saw the Middies outscore their opponents by an average of more than 40 points a game. After the first quarter of play, it looked as though they would continue their dominance as they jumped out to an early 16 point lead. Costly turnovers and penalties swung the tide of the game, however and a tough and determined Army team capitalized on their way to a 38-26 victory in Michie Stadium.

Led by back-up QB Chris Carter, Army produced play after play against a defense that looked dominate over the first three weeks of the season. "Obviously you have to give a lot of credit to Army and their coaching staff for putting together a great game plan," said HC David Garcia. "We weren't able to put enough pressure on Carter and he was so accurate today that our guys just couldn't keep up."

"Their speed on the outside is elite, but we're going to face plenty of teams with elite athletes so we've got to keep pace," added DC Daniel Allen.

Despite another record breaking passing performance from James Sherwood (593 yards), costly interceptions (along with a fumble from TE Marcus Briggs) broke up drives which looked like they would've resulted in points and handed the momentum to the Black Knights. Sherwood was indeed a one-man show as leading rusher William Sciortino was held to a measly 37 yards on 15 carries.

"Their defensive front did a great job forcing James to move around in the pocket and taking away running lanes for Will," said Garcia. "It's still no excuse for the turnovers and penalties, however... We essentially shot ourselves in the foot numerous times tonight and that can't happen against a team like Army."

Navy will look to get back on track at home next week against a strong Michigan team who appear to be playing up to the preseason hype from a year ago.

Off Player of the Game: QB James Sherwood 30-52, 593 yards, 3 TDs, 2 INTs
Def Player of the Game: DE Samuel Hawkins 4 tckls, 2 scks, 5 QB pressures
Navy Play of the Game: Sherwood finds TE Marcus Briggs breaking away from coverage for a 57 yard TD pass to give the Middies a 10-0 lead in the 1st https://ncaa-football.myfootballnow.com/watch/423#78980

Next Week: vs. Michigan Wolverines (3-1)

30 Sep 2018 - Week 5

Michigan Wolverines 34, Navy Midshipmen 26

4th Quarter Fatigue Spells Doom for Midshipmen

For the 2nd straight week, the Midshipmen fell short in their battle against a top 10 foe. In a back and forth battle for most of the game, the Middies lost steam in the 4th quarter and eventually lost to the Wolverines 34-26.

After watching an offense put up 26 points in 3 quarters of play, and holding on to a slim 2 point lead going in to the 4th, the Wolverines put the clamp down on the Midshipmen offense. Out of their 4 drives in the 4th quarter, the Midshipmen turned the ball over twice and punted the other two times before time finally ran out dropping the Middies to 4-2 on the season.

"Again, great job by the opposing team... Michigan is going to be in the conversation for bowl season this year. They're a great team with some good talent," said Coach Garcia. "We need to be stronger finishing the game and cut down on the things that repeatedly make us beat ourselves."

Navy will look to get back in the win column next week against another top tier team in Oklahoma St.

Off Player of the Game: TE Marcus Briggs 5 rec, 90 yards 2 TDs
Def Player of the Game: S Peter Fitch 7 tckls, 1 catch allowed on 5 attempts against
Navy Play of the Game: Sherwood finds Bright in the end zone to put the Middies up 26-24 in the 3rd https://ncaa-football.myfootballnow.com/watch/441#82413

Next Week: at Oklahoma St. Cowboys (5-1)

7 Oct 2018 - Week 6

Oklahoma St. Cowboys 45, Navy Midshipmen 24

Cowboys Outclass Midshipmen

After jumping out to an early 17-7 lead, the Midshipmen fell apart quickly as they saw their defense give up big play after big play. Led by QB Randy Williams, the Cowboys scored 31 unanswered points in the 3rd and 4th quarter.

Head Coach John Garcia was visibly frustrated by his team's lack of coverage and tackling, and was tight lipped during his post-game conference. "We didn't play well, end of story."

The Middies have no time to rest as they next travel to West Virginia for their 2nd of 4 straight road game against in-division rival Marshall for the first time this year.

Off Player of the Game: QB James Sherwood 26-38, 328 yards, 3 TDs, 1 INT
Def Player of the Game: LB Ray Mitchell 9 tackles, 1 sack, 1 qb hurry
Navy Play of the Game: WR Tommy Rodgers practices the art of the tip drill on a 42 yard TD reception in the 1st quarter https://ncaa-football.myfootballnow.com/watch/456#85147

Next Week: at Marshall Thundering Herd (2-4)

14 Oct 2018 - Week 7

Marshall Thundering Herd 24, Navy Midshipmen 21

Navy Tailspin Continues, Drop Game to Marshall

In a reversal of the past few losses, the game against Marshall saw the Middies put themselves in a 21 point hole in the 1st half only to fight back and tie the game. The result, however, was the same as the Midshipmen dropped their 4th straight game 24-21 to rival Marshall.

Turnovers, untimely penalties and even some questionable play calling were again at the heart of another loss that has Head Coach John Garcia at a loss for words. "I'm proud that our guys fought back today, but we continue to beat ourselves. A penalty on the 1st drive takes 3 points off the board, 2 drives in the 4th quarter end in turnovers. I don't know what the answer is, but we'll continue to figure it out..."

After starting the season as the talk of the NCAA community, the Midshipmen must find that magic again before their season is another one to forget.

"No one likes to lose," said QB James Sherwood whose 2 4th quarter interceptions stalled both potential scoring drives. "It's on me to make sure this offense runs smooth, and when I don't play well I let my team down."

One can hope the magic can return to the Middies against Stanford next week.

Off Player of the Game: WR Tommy Rodgers 5 rec, 82 yards, 1 TD
Def Player of the Game: CB Charlie Andre 4 tackles, 2 INT
Navy Play of the Game: After failing to convert on a short 4th down, CB Charlie Andre helps breathe some life into a dormant Navy offense with his 1st of 2 picks on the day https://ncaa-football.myfootballnow.com/watch/467#87330

Next Week: at Stanford Cardinal (1-6)

Buck up, I see big things for Navy on the horizon. :)

I gotta beat this team this week... They're in a slide. Heh.

GL Middies!

21 Oct 2018 - Week 8

Navy 52 at Stanford 35

Sherwood, Hoffman Propel Navy to Victory

It took 4 games for Tennessee transfer Albert Hoffman to make an impact, but he was on full display for the Midshipmen against PAC-12 foe Stanford. Hoffman accounted for 315 total yards of offense and 5 TDs in Navy's 52-35 victory over the Cardinal. Despite the 775 yards of total offense by Navy, Stanford still was able to pull within 3 early in the 4th quarter on QB William O'Conner's 5th TD pass on the day. Navy was able to immediately answer on the next drive as Sherwood found Hoffman for the 3rd time and the Midshipmen defense answered finally slowing down the Cardinal offense to secure the victory.

"I'm glad to see Albert finally get into our offensive gameplan," said Head Coach David Garcia. "We were surprised when Tennessee allowed him to transfer and were happy to see him come here, but it took us a while to figure out how to use him... Hopefully this is a sign of things to come for him and us."

Defensively it was another shaky performance for the Midshipmen who bottled up star RB Ivan Thibodaux (who finished with 50 yards on 17 carries), but allowed QB William O'Conner to pass for 375 yards on just 15 completions to go along with the 5 TD passes.

"We've got to get better with our pass rush and with our coverage," replied Defensive Coordinator Daniel Allen when asked about his unit's production. "We seem to make any QB look like an All-American, which can't continue to happen if we want to be successful down the stretch."

Navy looks to stay on the right side of the win-loss column in their next game as they finish off their 4 game road test against a tough USC team who lost in OT to LSU this week.

Off Player of the Game: RB/WR Albert Hoffman 3 carries, 56 yds, 1 TD, 8 rec, 259 yds, 4 TDs
Def Player of the Game: DE Sam Hawkins 5 tckls, 2 sacks, 4 QB hurries
Navy Play of the Game: Immediately after watching Stanford tie the game at 7, Sherwood finds Hoffman for the 1st of 4 TD throws to put the Middies up for good https://ncaa-football.myfootballnow.com/watch/490#91729

Next Week: at USC Trojans (3-5)

28 Oct 2018 - Week 9

Navy, 62 at USC, 14

Navy Offense Torpedoes Trojans in Win, Lose Sherwood to Injury

As the 3rd quarter came to a close, Navy was comfortably ahead 47-14 when star QB James Sherwood winced in pain after hitting his hand on a USC players helmet while trying to throw the ball away. Luckily, the injury didn't appear to be severe as he would later return to the game briefly before giving way to backups in the 4th in a 62-14 blowout win over USC in Los Angeles.

While the score was lopsided, the Trojans played a very physical game injuring multiple Midshipmen stars as DE Sam Hawkins, WR Richard Bright, LB Ray Mitchell and QB James Sherwood all went down at some point with an injury.

Despite the injuries, Navy put up a great all-around performance and looked like the team that started out the season 3-0 before dropping their next 4 games. Navy complied 754 total yards of offense and held USC's young QB Christopher Christiansen to a 44.94 QB rating and picking him off 3 times.

"I'm proud of our guys tonight," said Coach Garcia. "We played a great all-around game against a tough opponent in their house."

When asked about the availability of many of his star players for next week's in division game against Marshall Garcia played coy, "We'll have to see how everyone progresses through the week. Obviously we have a tough game coming up, but we have a tough end of season stretch too that we need our guys healthy for."

Off Player of the Game: RB Will Sciortino 16 carries, 176 yds, 3 TDs, 1 rec, 3 yds, 1 TD
Def Player of the Game: LB Brian Pierce 5 tckls, 2 sacks, 2 QB hurries, 1 INT
Navy Play of the Game: On the 2nd play of the game, Sherwood finds TE Marcus Briggs who breaks a tackle and rumbles to the end zone for a 60 yard TD https://ncaa-football.myfootballnow.com/watch/503#94084

Next Week: vs. Marshall Thundering Herd (5-4)

04 Nov 2018 - Week 10

Marshall - 30 at Navy - 35

Midshipmen Avenge Week 7 Loss, Corral Thundering Herd 35-30

Despite star QB James Sherwood spending most of the game on the sidelines due to a hand injury, the Midshipmen rocketed out of the gate going up 21-0 against in division rival Marshall. Redshirt Junior QB Francis Hernandez saw his first in season action of his career and responded by going 22-32 for 349 yards and 2 TDs.

"We're really proud of the composure and productivity Francis showed today against a really good Marshall team," said Head Coach David Garcia. "We definitely needed every single one of his plays that's for sure."

Even though the Middies jumped out early, the Thundering Herd came roaring back as they outscored the Midshipmen 30-14 after the 1st quarter behind the arm of QB Larry Ricketts. Unfortunately, Ricketts threw 2 crucial 4th quarter interceptions: one to Charlie Andre who returned it 41 yards for a pick six (that would eventually be the deciding score) and one with less than two minutes left to CB David Lucas in Navy territory that essentially sealed the Middies victory.

"It wasn't pretty, but the defense came up big when it was needed," Garcia noted. "Take away those two crucial 4th quarter interceptions and we're probably talking about a loss instead of a much needed win to keep us in bowl contention."

In addition to Hernandez's impressive performance, Tennessee transfer Albert Hoffman continues to impress for the Middies putting up almost 200 total yards of offense on 22 touches and adding a touchdown reception to his growing Annapolis resume.

Next week, the Midshipmen travel to Austin, TX to take on the Longhorns and try to keep their bowl hopes alive.

Off Player of the Game: WR/RB Albert Hoffman 9 rec, 150 yards 1 TD, 13 rushes, 61 yds
Def Player of the Game: CB Charlie Andre 6 tckls, 2 INT, 1 TD
Navy Play of the Game: With under 2 minutes to play and Marshall driving for the go ahead score, CB David Lucas intercepts Marshall QB Larry Ricketts to seal the win https://ncaa-football.myfootballnow.com/watch/512#96093

Next Week: at Texas Longhorns (6-4)