Navy coasts to record sixth straight win over Army

Dec 1, 2007 - 11:02 PM BALTIMORE (Ticker) -- Reggie Campbell and Navy rolled over Army in record fashion.

Campbell scored on a kickoff return in the second quarter and rushed for a third-quarter touchdown Saturday as Navy routed Army, 38-3, in the 108th all-time meeting between the service academies.

It was the Midshipmen's sixth straight victory over the Black Knights, a record in this storied rivalry.

"They accomplished something that had never been done in the history of the Army-Navy series - for one team to win six games in a row," Navy coach Paul Johnson said. "We played the best game of the season defensively. We got some breaks early and took advantage of them and got the game out of reach."

Navy (8-4) has outscored Army (3-9) by a margin of 169 points over the winning streak, an average of over 28 points per game.

The latest blowout in this series was highlighted by the electric Campbell, who gave the Midshipmen a 14-3 lead midway through the second quarter by racing for a school-record 98-yard TD on a kickoff return.

"Any time you make a special teams play, it's a momentum change," said Campbell, who finished with 227 all-purpose yards. "A lot of guys made a couple of good blocks to free me."

Campbell's momentum-changing return came immediately after Army marched on a 10-play drive capped by Owen Tolson's 28-yard field goal.

But those were the Black Knights' only points, as Navy used its No. 1 nationally ranked running game to completely control the contest.

Zerbin Singleton, Shun White and Jarod Bryant all ran for scores for Navy, which rushed for 287 yards to improve to 52-49-7 all-time in this series.

"It means a lot," Campbell said. "The seniors from the past couple of classes laid the foundation, and we're just trying to keep it going."

"It's humbling to be out there in a game of this magnitude that means so much to everyone involved," Johnson added. "It's the biggest game of the year. You get ready for it all year. We've won them all. I can only imagine what it feels like when you don't win."

The Midshipmen also were dominant defensively, limiting the Black Knights to 217 yards of total offense. Army converted just 1-of-12 third downs.

"Navy outhustled us, Navy outplayed us," Army coach Stan Brock said. "I'm disappointed for the seniors, upperclassmen, corps of cadets. We didn't give them an opportunity to beat Navy in football, and that's my job."

Tony Dace had a strong outing for the Black Knights, rushing for 104 yards on 28 carries. Army quarterback Carson Williams completed 12-of-21 passes for 117 yards.

"I felt like we moved the ball well," Dace said. "We just didn't finish our jobs. That's kind of been there the whole season."