Navy gets 5 TDs from Dobbs in win

Navy Midshipmen 2009 ... Head Coach: Ken Niumatalolo

2009 Schedule
2009 Record: 8-3

9/5 at Ohio State L 31-27
9/12 La Tech W 32-14
9/19 at Pitt L 27-14
9/26 WKU W 38-22
10/3 Air Force W 16-13 OT
10/10 at Rice W 63-14
10/17 at SMU W 38-35 OT
10/24 Wake Forest W 13-10
10/31 Temple L 27-24
11/7 at Notre Dame W 23-21
11/14 Delaware W 35-18
11/21 OPEN DATE
11/28 at Hawaii
12/5 OPEN DATE
12/12 Army (Phil.)

2008 Schedule
CFN Prediction: 7-5
2008 Record: 8-5

Aug. 30 Towson W 41-13
Sept. 5 at Ball State L 35-23
Sept. 13 at Duke L 41-31
Sept. 20 Rutgers W 23-21
Sept. 27 at W Forest W 24-17
Oct. 4 at Air Force W 33-27
Oct. 11 OPEN DATE
Oct. 18 Pitt L 42-21
Oct. 25 SMU W 34-7
Nov. 1 Temple W 33-27 OT
Nov. 8 OPEN DATE
Nov. 15 Notre Dame L 27-21
Nov. 25 at No. Illinois W 16-0
Dec. 6 Army (Phil) W 34-0
EagleBank Bowl
Dec. 20 Wake Forest L 29-19

Navy Midshipmen

Nov. 14
at Navy 35 … Delaware 18
Ricky Dobbs set the school record for rushing touchdowns scoring five times with three fourth quarter scores from three, two, and three yards out to put away a pesky Delaware. The Blue Hens did a great job of controlling the ball early, but only managed four Jon Striefsky field goals in the first three quarters before finally getting into the end zone on a one-yard Jerry Butler run. Navy’s rushing attack was held to 242 yards.
Player of the Game: Navy RB Ricky Dobbs completed 4-of-6 passes for 78 yards, and ran 26 times for 100 yards and five scores.
Delaware: Passing: Pat Devlin, 17-26, 194 yds
Rushing: David Hayes, 11-65, Receiving: Mark Duncan, 6-76
Navy: Passing: Ricky Dobbs, 4-6, 78 yds
Rushing: Ricky Dobb, 26-100, 5 TD, Receiving: Bobby Doyle, 2-34
What It All Means: It was hardly a perfect game for the Navy attack, it struggled to get the ground game going against Delaware and it didn’t control the game in the first half, but the defense forced field goals instead of touchdowns and Ricky Dobbs was amazing. Now he’s on the verge of scoring the most rushing touchdowns in a season, needing two more to break the record of 23 held by Tim Tebow and former Air Force star Chance Harridge. With two weeks off before facing Hawaii, Dobbs gets a chance to rest his knee a bit.

Oct. 7
Navy 23 … at Notre Dame 21
Navy couldn’t beat Notre Dame for over 40 years, and now it has won two of the last three in the series. The Midshipmen rumbled for 348 yards on the ground with Vince Murray running for a 25-yard touchdown in the second and Ricky Dobbs scoring from one-yard away in the first, but it was a 52-yard pass play to Greg Jones that helped them pull away. But Jimmy Clausen and the Irish kept bombing away with 452 yards through the air including a 12-yard scoring pass to Michael Floyd. A 31-yarder to Golden Tate in the final seconds came after Clausen was sacked for a safety less than a minute earlier. Notre Dame turned it over three times, including a Clausen fumble at the goal line, while Navy was nearly perfect with no giveaways.
Player of the Game: Navy RB Vince Murray ran 14 times for 158 yards and a score.
Notre Dame: Passing: Jimmy Clausen, 37-51, 452 yds, 2 TD, 1 INT
Rushing: Theo Riddick, 5-35, Receiving: Michael Floyd, 10-141, 1 TD
Navy: Passing: Ricky Dobbs, 2-3, 56 yds, 1 TD
Rushing: Vince Murray, 14-158, 1 TD, Receiving: Greg Jones, 1-52, 1 TD
What It All Means: The formula worked exactly like it was supposed to. Run the ball well, control the clock, win the turnover margin big, and take advantage of every opportunity. The Midshipman defense got gouged through the air, but Ricky Dobbs ran the option to near-perfection and Vince Murray had a whopper of a game with 158 rushing yards. The big key was the +3. Navy didn’t turn the ball over, Notre Dame did, and gave up a safety, and Navy got the huge win to make its season. Next up is Delaware. Navy can’t let down now with a ten-win season in sight. 

Oct. 31
Temple 27 … at Navy 24
Temple became bowl eligible for the first time since 1990 as Bernard Pierce ran for 267 yards with scores from 68 and 41 yards out, and James Nixon returns a kickoff 100 yards for a score. Navy got two short scoring runs in the second half from Vince Murray and Kriss Proctor to go up 24-17, but Temple scored the final ten points for the win. Temple outgained Navy 311 yards to 254.
Player of the Game: Temple RB Bernard Pierce ran 29 times for 267 yards and two touchdowns
Navy: Passing: Kriss Proctor, 2-4, 27 yds, 1 INT
Rushing: Vince Murray, 33-115, 1 TD, Receiving: Mario Washington, 1-31
Temple: Passing: Vaughn Charlton, 5-17, 37 yds, 2 INT
Rushing: Bernard Pierce, 29-267, 2 TD, Receiving: Michael Campbell, 2-24 
What It All Means: Navy wasn’t nearly as sharp as it usually is with the ground game. Give Temple a lot of credit for that, but the Midshipmen struggled to keep the chains moving getting stopped on too many short running plays. The defense had one of its roughest outings of the year being unable to stop RB Bernard Pierce, but no one has had much success with him lately. Now comes the big prize: Notre Dame. The Midshipmen will have to be far tighter and far less mistake-prone to have a shot.

Oct. 24
at Navy 13 … Wake Forest 10
Navy ran for 338 yards and didn’t attempt a pass in the rain soaked win. Vince Murray ran for 175 yards and QB Kriss Proctor, who was in for an injured Ricky Dobbs, who has a banged up knee, ran for a 40-yard touchdown in the third quarter for a 13-3 lead. Wake Forest got on the board with a 15-yard Devon Brown touchdown catch, but couldn’t get closer as the Navy ground attack controlled the game the rest of the way.
Player of the Game: Navy FB Vince Murray ran 27 times for 175 yards.
Wake Forest: Passing: Riley Skinner, 13-25, 173 yds, 1 TD
Rushing: Josh Adams, 18-89, Receiving: Devon Brown, 3-47, 1 TD
Navy: Passing: None
Rushing: Vince Murray, 27-175, Receiving: None
What It All Means: It’s not like Navy is all about the system and not the players, but the rest of the offense picked up the slack without QB Ricky Dobbs, who’s out with a knee injury. Kriss Proctor isn’t anywhere near the same sort of a playmaker, and the coaching staff wasn’t going to let him even attempt a pass, but the running game worked up the middle, with Vince Murray controlling the offense all game long. Beating a BCS team like Wake Forest is always a plus, and now a bowl game is secured after a five-game winning streak with Temple up next. It’s all gravy from here on. 

Oct. 17
Navy 38 … at SMU 35 OT
SMU’s Matt Szymanski missed a 43-yard field goal and Navy’s Joe Buckley hit a 24-yarder to give the Midshipmen the win. Navy’s offense sputtered early on, and SMU took advantage with Sterling Moore recovering a fumble for a score and Zach Line ran for two short touchdowns. Navy’s attack got going in the second half with Ricky Dobbs and Vince Murray each running for two scores, but the Mustangs tied it in the final minutes with a ten-yard Aldrick Robinson catch to force overtime.
Player of the Game: Navy RB Vince Murray ran 25 times for 141 yards and two touchdowns
SMU: Passing: Bo Levi Mitchell, 19-41, 200 yds, 2 TD
Rushing: Shawnbrey McNeal, 15-131, Receiving: Emmanuel Sanders, 6-53
Navy: Passing: Ricky Dobbs, 4-9, 68 yds
Rushing: Vince Murray, 25-141, 2 TD, Receiving: Greg Jones, 1-39
What It All Means: The defensive front might not be generating any pressure, and there aren’t enough plays in the backfield, but Navy did a great job of keeping the SMU offense under wraps and the team fought its way to a tough win. That’s two times in three weeks that the Midshipmen have come up with overtime wins, and it doesn’t appear to be a fluke. Navy is finding ways to come up big when it absolutely has to, and the running game is starting to be more consistent and more effective at the right time. With Wake Forest up next, the O has to get up early and has to keep the ball as much as possible to keep QB Riley Skinner off the field.

Oct. 10
Navy 63 … at Rice 14
Ricky Dobbs ran for four touchdowns and threw three passes in the easy Navy win. The Midshipmen jumped out to a 35-0 first half lead and coasted from there. Rice got on the board late in the first half on a 12-yard Patrick Randolph catch, but Dobbs got back on the board with a 13-yard scoring run followed up by two one-yard Kriss Proctor touchdown runs. Navy outrushed Rice 471 yards to 21.
Player of the Game: Navy QB Ricky Dobbs completed 2-of-3 passes for 66 yards, and he ran 20 times for 104 yards and four scores.
Rice: Passing: Nick Fanuzzi, 20-33, 242 yds, 2 TD, 2 INT
Rushing: Shane Turner, 4-18, Receiving: Patrick Randolph, 6-58, 2 TD
Navy: Passing: Ricky Dobbs, 2-3, 66 yds
Rushing: Ricky Dobbs, 20-104, 4 TD, Receiving: Marcus Curry, 1-51
What It All Means: 14 players got carries, Ricky Dobbs made two big throws just to keep the Rice defense honest, and the offense worked better than it had all season long. The kickoff coverage was mediocre, but that’s nitpicking. This was a great effort and a great performance to keep a nice run of wins going, but now the secondary that hasn’t been tested all that much has to gear it up for SMU. Time of possession will be vital, and Dobbs plays like he did this week, that shouldn’t be a problem.

Oct. 3
at Navy 16 … Air Force 13 OT
Navy’s Joe Buckley hit a 38-yard field goal in overtime and Air Force missed its kick as Erik Soderberg pushed a 31-yarder wide left. The Air Force offense didn’t get into the end zone getting two Soderberg field goals and a 67-yard interception return for a score from Anthony Wright. Navy scored first with a 13-yard Ricky Dobbs run in the first quarter, but didn’t get back into the end zone. Air Force outrushed the Midshipmen 183 yards to 173.
Player of the Game: Navy QB Ricky Dobbs completed 3-of-4 passes for 36 yards and an interception, and he ran 23 times for 92 yards and a score.
Air Force: Passing: Tim Jefferson, 6-14, 57 yds, 1 INT
Rushing: Savier Stephens, 17-80, Receiving: Kevn Fogler, 3-30
Navy: Passing: Ricky Dobbs, 3-4, 36 yds, 1 INT
Rushing: Ricky Dobbs, 23-92, 1 TD, Receiving: Greg Jones, 1-21 
What It All Means: How many games has Navy won when it hasn’t outgained its opponent on the ground? The running attack isn’t performing up to the normally high Midshipmen standards, averaging 230 yards per game while not being all that consistent. But the results are solid with a 3-2 record with wins over the teams Navy was supposed to beat. Now come the layups against Rice and SMU, and while they’re both on the road, this is when Ricky Dobbs and the ground game have to fatten up the stats. Navy can’t overlook anyone, and SMU has a passing game to make it interesting in two weeks, but it’s bowl time. These are the games the program has to have to make a good season a great one.

Sept. 26
at Navy 38 … Western Kentucky 22
Down 14-10 in the first half after WKU scored on a Kawaun Jakes one-yard run and a 13-yard pass to Bobby Rainey, and then the Navy ground game took over with 28 straight points with three short scores from Ricky Dobbs and a 29-yard pass to Cory Finnerty. The Hilltoppers got back on the board late on a 18-yard Jakes pass to Derruis Brooks, but three turnovers and ten penalties proved too costly to stay in the game.
Player of the Game: Navy QB Ricky Dobbs completed 4-of-5 passes for 100 yards and a touchdown, and he ran 29 times for 143 yards and four scores.
Western Kentucky: Passing: Kawaun Jakes, 22-28, 276 yds, 2 TD, 2 INT
Rushing: Bobby Rainey, 14-99, Receiving: Jack Doyle, 6-80
Navy: Passing: Ricky Dobbs, 4-5, 100 yds, 1 TD
Rushing: Ricky Dobbs, 29-143, 4 TD, Receiving: Bobby Doyle, 3-71
What It All Means: Navy did a great job of taking over the game with its running attack and it was fantastic at moving the chains converting 9-of-12 third down chances. Ricky Dobbs showed how important it is to have a passer who can take advantage of opportunities completing 4-of-5 passes for 100 yards and a score, but it was the 373 yards of rushing offense that made it an easy walk in the park. The defense has to be more aggressive and has to do more behind the line on running plays to get by Air Force next week.

Sept. 19
at Pitt 27 … at Navy 14
Pitt held Navy to 129 rushing yards and got a good day from Bill Stull and the passing game on the way to the good win. The Panthers held a 24-7 lead into the fourth quarter helped by touchdown runs from Ray Graham and Dion Lewis in the second quarter, and a six-yard Oderick Turner catch in the first. Navy only managed a one-yard Ricky Dobbs touchdown run before finally getting back on the board in the fourth quarter on a four-yard Marcus Curry run. Pitt put the game away with Dan Hutchins’ second field goal of the game.
Player of the Game: Pitt QB Bill Stull completed 17-of-24 passes for 245 yards and a score, and he caught a tipped pass for 23 yards.
Navy: Passing: Ricky Dobbs. 6-21, 89 yds
Rushing: Alexander Teich, 12-80, Receiving: Mike Schupp, 2-24
Pitt: Passing: Bill Stull, 17-24, 245 yds, 1 TD
Rushing: Dion Lewis, 23-79, 1 TD, Receiving: Jonathan Baldwin, 6-111
What It All Means: The offense didn’t work, but Navy was able to stay alive with a not-that-bad game from the defense. The pass defense struggled with the efficient Pitt attack, but the real problem was the inability to run effectively. Ricky Dobbs couldn’t throw to make up for the problems, Pitt was prepared for the pass, the linebackers kept the Midshipmen from doing anything outside, and the game was never in doubt after the first quarter. Things ease up now over the next month, with the one tough game at home against Air Force, so the time is now to go on a run.

Sept. 12
at Navy 32 ... Louisiana Tech 14
Louisiana Tech scored the first 14 points of the game with Daniel Porter running for a three-yard score and Phillip Livas returning a punt 85 yards for a touchdown, and then it was all Navy. The Midshipmen scored 32 unanswered points with Ricky Dobbs scoring from three and two yards out and Marcus Curry added a three-yard score. Navy ended up outgaining Tech 290 rushing yards to 11.
Player of the Game: Navy RB Marcus Curry ran 15 times for 124 yards and a score
Louisiana Tech: Passing: Ross Jenkins, 18-29, 156 yds, 1 INT
Rushing: Daniel Porter, 10-44, 1 TD, Receiving: Houston Tuminello, 4-29
Navy: Passing: Ricky Dobbs, 5-8, 103 yds
Rushing: Marcus Curry, 15-124, 1 TD, Receiving: Mario Washington 2-51
What It All Means: It took a little while, and then the Navy running game took over and dominated with nine different players getting carries and Marcus Curry running wild averaging 8.3 yards per carry. Ricky Dobbs continues to be sharp for the passing game after throwing well against Ohio State, and now defenses will have to respect the 8-to-10 passes a game. Underappreciated is the defense that did such a great job against Ohio State and then shut down the Bulldogs, allowing just 11 yards rushing while generating a nice pass rush.

Sept. 5
at Ohio State 31 ... Navy 27
Following a 24-yard touchdown run from Ricky Dobbs, Navy went for two points and the tie with 2:23 to play, but Brian Rolle picked off the attempt and took it the length of the field for a two-point Buckeye score and to seal the win. OSU appeared to have things in hand going up 20-7 into halftime helped by a 38-yard Dane Sanzenbacher touchdown catch and a two-yard Terelle Pryor scoring run, but Navy hung around with Marcus Curry taking a Dobbs pass 85 yards for a score. Navy’s ground game ran for 213 yards, but three turnovers proved costly.
Player of the Game: Ohio State LB Brian Rolle made nine tackles, a tackle for loss, and a game-saving pick for a two-point conversion.
Ohio State: Passing: Terrelle Pryor, 14-21, 174 yds, 1 TD, 1 INT
Rushing: Dan Herron, 17-72, 1 TD, Receiving: Dan Herron, 4-29
Navy: Passing: Ricky Dobbs, 9-13, 156 yds, 2 TD, 1 INT
Rushing: Ricky Dobbs, 18-83, 2 TD, Receiving: Mike Schupp, 3-23
What It All Means: Navy isn’t going to be interested in moral victories at this point, but it has to be happy with the way the offense was able to fight back to get in what looked like a blowout against Ohio State, while the defense was able to come up with just enough stops to get by. Despite the loss of star NG Nate Frazier, the run D held up extremely well and kept Terrelle Pryor bottled up … for the most part. Ricky Dobbs came up with a fantastic game and showed that he can make things happen with his arm from time to time as well as his legs. He appears to have the potential to be the most dangerous weapon Navy has had under center in several years.