ANNAPOLIS, Md. —  T.J. Hanzsche (Fr./Berwyn, Pa.), Sam Jones (Jr./Annapolis, Md.) and Gabe Voumard (So./Cape May, N.J.) pitched in hat tricks for the Mids, while long pole Pat Kiernan (Jr./Ridgewood, N.J.) posted a career-high seven caused turnovers and picked up seven ground balls to lead the Navy men’s lacrosse team to a 12-11 victory over Patriot League foe Lafayette Saturday afternoon at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium.   The Midshipmen are now 54-5 when scoring 10 or more goals since the start of the 2004 season, including 8-0 over the last two seasons.

The win snapped a three-game skid by the Mids that featured a pair of one-goal losses to Fairfield and Georgetown.  Meanwhile it also extended Navy’s home-game winning streak to four in a row dating back to last year’s regular-season finale against Johns Hopkins.

The game featured multiple runs by both teams as the see-saw affair was highlighted by six ties.

“We tried to get away from them several times, but just couldn’t shake them,” said second-year Navy head coach Rick Sowell.  “Jim Rogalski is doing a heck of a job with his team.  Their attack is tough, but we felt confident we could match up well.”

The Mids opened the game scoring back-to-back goals just 37 seconds apart, including the game’s first goal at 12:40 by Hanzsche.  The rookie attackman received his first collegiate starting nod and became the 16th different Navy player to score a goal this season.

“We weren’t looking for T.J. to be the answer, but we were hoping he’d be part of the solution for us.  He played calm and within himself and definitely took advantage of the opportunities he was presented with.  I think he’s a dynamic player.”

Lafayette evened the score by the end of the quarter with sophomore attackman Brian Bock scoring the first of his game-high four goals and rookie attackman Kevin Wanke punching in his first of four goals with an extra-man strike.

Navy and Lafayette exchanged goals in the second quarter, however a turnover on a failed clear attempt by Sonny Round was converted into the go-ahead goal by the Mids when short stick defensive middie Cade Norris (Sr./Honeoye Falls, N.Y.) found Jones to give the Mids a 4-3 halftime advantage.

Navy took a two-goal lead when Voumard found a seam on the left wing just 1:13 into the second half.

Lafayette responded with three straight goals over a one-minute, 14-second span to take its first lead in the game at 6-5 with 10:51 to go in the third quarter.  Bock scored the first two goals, including a near point blank shot after a turnover by Navy defenseman Nik Mullen (Jr./Wading River, N.Y.) in front of the Navy goal, while Bock provided the assist on the third goal in the run.

The Mids stunted the Leopards’ run at 8:52 when attackman Tucker Hull (Jr./Charlotte, N.C.) came around the left side of the goal and Jones found him to knot the game at 6-6.

Lafayette came right back two minutes later with rookie middie Brendan Dunlap scoring from 15 yards out on a 5-on-3 advantage and giving Lafayette the lead once again.

Navy, though, would score the final two goals of the third quarter, both by Hanzsche, to regain the lead by quarter’s end.  The second of Hanzsche’s goals was scored off a heads-up play by midfielder Jay Mann (Sr./Cockeysville, Md.).  After an offside call against Lafayette with four seconds remaining in the period, Navy took advantage of the quick whistle and Mann found Hanzsche just outside of the crease for a buzzer beater.

While Bock’s extra-man goal at 13:16 in the fourth quarter once again tied the game (8-8), Navy went on to score four of the next five goals to take a lead it would not relinquish.

The Midshipmen held a comfortable 12-9 lead with 2:18 remaining, but a disciplined Lafayette team scored twice in the final 17 seconds which included its fourth extra-man goal of the game against the nation’s top-ranked man-down squad.  The Mids came into the contest having given up just two goals in 24 extra-man opportunities, but surrendered the four goals on Lafayette’s six attempts.

Hanzsche, Jones and Voumard paced Navy with each scoring three goals and adding an assist, while Hull is now just one point shy of the 100-point list after posting a pair of goals in Saturday’s win.  Midfielder Bryce Dabbs (Sr./Damascus, Md.) also scored a goal and dealt out an assist.

Kiernan played a nearly flawless game as he caused seven of Lafayette’s 17 turnovers, while contributing a team-high tying seven ground balls.  Close defenseman Austin Miller (Sr./North Bethesda, Md.) also picked up seven ground balls in a solid defensive effort by the Mids.  Senior keeper Nolan Hickey (Garden City, N.Y.) finished the game with 13 saves, including nine in the opening half.

Navy just edged Lafayette in the faceoff battle, taking wins on 14 of the 26 draws.  Rookie Sean Reilly (Doylestown, Pa.) won 11 of the 21 for the Mids, while pole Pat Menezes (Fr./Wading River, N.Y.) was 2 for 3 in his first appearance at the “x” and Evan McGoogan (Sr./Cranberry Township, Pa.) was 1-for-2.

Lafayette was anchored by its starting attack which accounted for eight of the 11 goals, including four each by Bock and Wanke.

The Midshipmen return to action on Tuesday when they play host to Towson at 7:00 pm at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium.

Game Preview
• After playing three straight games on the road, the Navy men’s lacrosse team returns home to face Patriot League foe Lafayette on Saturday … the 15th edition of the Navy-Lafayette series is set for a 12:00 pm faceoff at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium.
• The Mids are coming off a puzzling 11-2 loss that saw Bucknell hold Navy scoreless for 51 minutes.  The Midshipmen built a 2-1 advantage with 6:08 remaining in the opening quarter, but were blanked for the remainder of the game as the Bison scored 10 consecutive goals to deal the Mids their third straight loss.
• Lafayette has lost two in a row, dropping an 8-5 decision to Marist last Saturday and a mid-week contest to Delaware, 11-9.  The Leopards were tied up with the Blue Hens, 7-7, going into the final quarter, but Delaware scored four straight goals and held Lafayette scoreless for over 10 minutes.
• A radio broadcast of Saturday’s contest will be carried by WNAV 1430 AM/99.9 FM with Pete Medhurst and Joe Miller handling the call … coverage begins with the Navy lacrosse pregame show at 11:45 am … the game will also be streamed online via Navy All-Access (subscription) with live stats available at NavySports.com.

A Win over Lafayette would …
• snap the Mids’ three-game skid.
• give Navy a 14-1 series advantage over Lafayette and stretch the Mids’ winning streak to four in a row against the Leopards.
• improve the Mids’ record to 9-0 against Lafayette in games played in Annapolis.
• give Navy’s Rick Sowell a 5-1 record all-time against Lafayette, including a 2-0 mark while at Navy.
• give Rick Sowell a 95-90 career record and a 9-9 mark at Navy.
• push Navy’s all-time record to 759-317-14.

Scouting the Leopards
• First-year head coach Jim Rogalski has led Lafayette to a 2-4 record this season with the Leopards actually posting a better record on the road (2-1) as opposed to playing at home (0-3).
• After opening the season with an 11-10 overtime victory against Georgetown, the Leopards have dropped four of their last five games including each of their last two.
• Lafayette was tripped up at home last Saturday by Marist and dropped an 11-9 decision to Delaware on Tuesday after the Blue Hens outscored the Leopards 4-2 in the final quarter.
• Six of the Leopards’ 10 starters return including junior goalkeeper Jake Hyatt who has started all 5 games between the pipes this season where he owns a 9.98 goals-against average and a 58.0 save percentage.  He is averaging 13.8 saves per game which is ranked ninth nationally, while the team as a whole is ranked 10th.
• Additionally, Lafayette’s top two scorers return in sophomore attackman Brian Bock, who led the way a year ago with 30 points on 15 goals and 15 assists, and fellow second-year attackman Cory Scheuerle, who posted 16 points on 14 goals and 2 assists.  Bock recorded 7 goals and 8 assists this spring, while Scheuerle has scored 3 goals.
• After seeing action in 8 of the 13 games a year ago and earning 4 starts, attackman Sonny Round is off to a fantastic start to his sophomore campaign.  He is Lafayette’s leading scorer with 15 goals and 5 assists.  Meanwhile, rookie Kevin Wanke has been solid for the Leopards with 7 goals and 4 assists.
• Senior Greg Rau won 47.7 percent (51-107) of his faceoffs a year ago and is winning at about the same clip this season.  He has won 41 of his 82 draws.
• Senior defenseman Geoff Stears owns a team-high 10 takeaways and is third on the team with 13 ground balls.
• Lafayette has had more extra-man opportunities than any other team in the country with 35.  On Tuesday, Delaware was flagged eight times with the Leopards scoring on three of their eight opportunities.  On the year, Lafayette is 13-for-35 (37.1) on extra-man.

Navy vs. Lafayette – The Series
• Saturday’s contest marks the 15th meeting between the two programs, and the 11th since the Midshipmen joined the Patriot League in 2004.  Navy leads the series, 13-1.
• The two teams first met in 1926 with Navy earning a 23-0 win … Navy and Lafayette battled one another three times between 1929-31 … the 1931 contest was the last time the two programs had met before the Mids joined the Patriot League.
• The Mids won 10 straight against the Leopards before dropping the program’s only loss to Lafayette on March 12, 2010 in Easton.
• Navy has scored double digits in 11 of the 14 games, while the Mids have held Lafayette to single digits 13 times.
• In the 14-game history, the Mids have outscored the Leopards, 180-64 … since joining the league in ‘04, Navy has outscored Lafayette, 116-63.

Meet the Mids
• Navy will hold its annual “Meet the Mids” event following its game against Lafayette on Saturday at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium.
• Members of the Navy men’s lacrosse team will be available for autographs on the Blue Concourse, with the first 300 kids in line for the postgame autograph session receiving a Navy lacrosse “Meet the Mids” t-shirt, compliments of Annapolis area Papa John’s and Chick-fil-A.
• Navy’s 2013 lacrosse poster and an autograph card will be available, while prizes will also be handed out.
• For more information on the event or to purchase tickets, call 1-800-US4-NAVY or visit NavySports.com(.)

National Leader Board
• According to the latest national statistics released on Monday by the NCAA, the Mids are ranked among the top 20 in four categories including No. 1 in a pair.
• The Mids jumped from No. 4 to No. 1 in caused turnovers this week, averaging 11.8 per contest.  Senior close defenseman Austin Miller, meanwhile, is eighth nationally causing 2.4 turnovers per game while junior long pole Pat Kiernan is 12th, averaging 2.0 per contest.
• Navy is also ranked No. 1 in man-down defense, surrendering just two goals on 24 attempts (91.7).  The Mids have not given up an extra-man goal in their last three games.
• Navy is eighth in ground balls (35.6) which is a huge improvement over 2012.  The Mids were ranked 43rd in ground balls per game, averaging 27.67.
• The Mids are also ranked among the top 20 in saves per game, averaging 13.2.
• Navy dropped out of the top 20 following the Bucknell loss in scoring margin (10th to 26th), scoring defense (13th to 21st), scoring offense (17th to 33rd) and points per game (20th to 35th).

Home Field Advantage
• 2013 marks the 52nd season Navy has played at least one game at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium.
• Navy owns a 43-19 record (69.4) in games played at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium since the start of the 2004 campaign, outscoring its foes, 674-454.
• Since playing its entire home schedule at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium beginning in 2004, Navy has lost back-to-back games at home just 5 times … in 2006, the Mids lost to Georgetown, 9-5, and then suffered a 9-8 setback against Johns Hopkins … in 2008, Navy again lost regular-season decisions to the Hoyas and Blue Jays before the Mids’ season concluded with a 10-4 loss to Hopkins in the quarterfinals of the NCAA Tournament … Navy lost back-to-back home games in 2010 to Loyola, 8-7 OT, and North Carolina, 11-4 … in 2011, Navy dropped a one-goal decision to Colgate, a 10-4 contest to No. 7 Maryland and a 14-9 decision to Army … last season, the Mids dropped a one-goal heart breaker to fourth-ranked North Carolina and followed up with a 14-9 loss to Bucknell in the league opener.
• In its 106-year history, Navy has lost 3 straight home games just 5 times …
1980    #1 Virginia, #2 Johns Hopkins, #9 N. Carolina
1985    Washington College, N. Carolina, Army
2003    #13 Rutgers, Air Force, #4 Georgetown,
#4 Maryland
2008    #4 Georgetown, #7 Johns Hopkins,
#4 Johns Hopkins
2011    Colgate, #7 Maryland, #17 Army
… and four-straight home games just once
2003    #13 Rutgers, Air Force, #4 Georgetown,
#4 Maryland
• The 2003 campaign marks the only season in which Navy has lost 4 straight home games at the stadium.
• Having played at least a game a year at the stadium for 42 consecutive years, Navy stepped away in 2003, allowing for state-of-the-art renovations to take place, including the Field Turf surface and two video boards … Navy has played all of its home games at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium since the beginning of the 2004 campaign.
• Navy had won 20 consecutive home games against Patriot League foes before dropping a 10-9 decision to Colgate in 2009.
• Opponents have scored double digits against the Mids just 14 times in games played on their home field over the last 10 seasons … Navy has held 21 of its 63 opponents to five or fewer goals since 2004 in games played at home (includes 2010 game vs. VMI played at Rip Miller Field).

ANNAPOLIS, Md. —  Junior long pole Pat Kiernan (Ridgewood, N.J.) and senior goalkeeper Nolan Hickey (Garden City, N.Y.) anchored a stout defensive effort that surrendered just three goals in the first three quarters of play, as Navy scored an 11-7 victory over Detroit Friday evening at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium.  It’s the first time Navy has gotten off to a 2-0 start since 2009 when the Mids beat VMI (13-5) and Ohio State (8-6).

“We had a big defensive effort tonight and Nolan made some big saves for us,” said second-year Navy head coach Rick Sowell.  “I felt like our defense could match up pretty well against their attack and we did a nice job of containing them.”

Detroit took a 1-0 lead seven minutes into the game when senior defenseman Jamie Hebden intercepted a Sam Jones (Annapolis, Md.) pass and ran the length of the field before finding junior attackman Shayne Adams for the first of his game-high four goals.

Navy finally tied it up just before the quarter break when Jones picked off Detroit goalkeeper Chris Kelly right in front of Detroit’s goal and Kelly then grabbed hold of Navy junior attackman Tucker Hull (Charlotte, N.C.).  The official whistled Kelly for the hold and Jones quickly took the ball and fed Hull on the crease with 1:20 to go in the quarter.

The Mids scored the first two goals of the second quarter, including a beauty by sophomore midfielder Gabe Voumard(Cape May, N.J.), who fired off a shot running left to right from 12 yards out to give the Mids a 3-1 advantage.

Detroit cut the lead to one, 3-2, when redshirt freshman Damien Hicks won the faceoff following Voumard’s goal and took it straight to the goal.

Navy, however, put together a run scoring three goals in two minutes and 27 seconds, including a perfectly-executed play with junior attackman Austin Heneveld (East Hampton, N.Y.) playing behind the goal and finding Hull who cut up the middle and was left untouched.  The run was capped by junior Sean Price’s (Millersville, Md.) second goal of the year, giving the Mids a 6-2 lead at intermission.

The Mids scored just 37 seconds into the second half when Hull punched in his third goal of the game on a shot that Kelly never saw.  With nearly no angle, Hull fired the shot from the left side, leaving Kelly stunned.

Freshman Patrick Keena (Vienna, Va.) gave Navy an 8-2 lead when he took a pass from junior middie Erik Hoffstadt(Dover, Del.) and sent his side-winder in on an extra-man play.

After being held scoreless for nearly 19 minutes, Detroit finally got on the scoreboard as Alex Maini’s cross-the-field pass was deflected by Hickey into the stick of Adams who was standing at the crease and scored his second of the evening.

The Mids scored three of the next four goals, including a man-down goal by Kiernan to give Navy 11-1 advantage with 8:16 to go in the game.  It’s the second straight game Navy has scored a man-down goal and marked the first time since 2006 that Navy has scored two man-down goals in a season.

The Titans, however, mounted a run of their own scoring three goals over the next three minutes, including back-to-back strikes by Maini and sophomore midfielder Mike Birney less than a minute apart.  The rally would fall short as neither team scored over the final 4:30.

Hull paced Navy with his 10th-career hat trick, while his three-assist effort on the night pushed his career total to 43 and now stands tied for 20th all-time on the Mids assists list.  Eight different players accounted for the remaining eight goals, including Kiernan who is the nation’s seventh-leading active scoring defenseman with 12-career points on nine goals and three assists.  It was Kiernan’s first goal of the 2013 campaign.  Additionally, Kiernan, who was named the Patriot League Defensive Player of the Week this past Monday, turned in a career-high 11 ground balls and forced two turnovers.

“Pat Kiernan is special,” added Sowell.  “He’s a tremendous defender and has a nose for the ball.  Not only can he pick up the ball, he manages to battle sometimes with three or four guys draped all over him.”

Hickey, meanwhile, made a career-high seven saves for the Midshipmen, including three doorstop saves in the second quarter.

“Nolan played unbelievable tonight,” said Kiernan.  “He was able to make some big saves and we just built off of that.”

Navy’s faceoff game continues to be sufficient as senior Evan McGoogan (Cranberry Township, Pa.) had one of his best games in a Navy uniform, winning 10 of the 15 draws he took, while rookie Sean Reilly (Doylestown, Pa.), who was 13 for 18 last weekend against VMI, won two of his five faceoffs against the Titans.

“Evan pretty much did everything from the x tonight and made it easier for the wings for sure,” said Kiernan.  “He played a great game.”

Adams led the way for Detroit with five points on four goals and one assist, while Kelly turned in 11 saves and gave up all 11 goals.

“Wins are hard to come by in this sport, so I think we are going to enjoy our second win of the season and then get back to work on Sunday.”

The Midshipmen will be back in action on Tuesday afternoon when they travel to Connecticut to battle 16th-ranked Fairfield.  Game time is set for 3:00 pm.  The game will not be available on radio, however, an audio broadcast will be carried live on Navy All-Access with Pete Medhurst and Joe Miller calling the action.

Navy Announces 2013 Football Schedule

ANNAPOLIS, Md.—The Navy football team, coming off an 8-5 campaign that saw the Mids win the Commander-In-Chief’s Trophy for the eighth time in the last 10 years and appear in a bowl game for the ninth time in the last 10 years, will face a challenging 2013 schedule that includes seven bowl teams from 2012 including a Notre Dame team that played for the BCS National Championship.

The Mids have an attractive five game home schedule in Annapolis that includes games against Service Academy rival Air Force, Pittsburgh, in its first year in the ACC, on Homecoming and Football Championship Subdivision power and local rival Delaware.  The annual Army-Navy Game Presented by USAA, which is the greatest rivalry in all of sports, will be played on Dec. 14 in Philadelphia.

“This will once again be an incredibly challenging schedule for our football team,” said Navy head football coach Ken Niumatalolo.  “With seven teams on our schedule that went to bowl games a year ago and with four teams from BCS conferences on the schedule, our young men will have to work extremely hard this offseason to accomplish all of our goals next year.  I think we have a great home schedule and I hope our fans and the Brigade will be excited about the quality games we are playing at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium, as we will need that home field advantage.”

Navy kicks off the 2013 campaign on Sept. 7 when the Mids travel to Bloomington, Ind. to take on the Indiana Hoosiers of the Big 10.  It will be the latest Navy has started a season since 1998 when the Mids opened at Wake Forest on Sept. 10. Meanwhile, it will mark Navy’s first trip to Bloomington since 1986.   Last year, Navy rallied for a thrilling 31-30 victory over Indiana in Annapolis.

The Mids return to Annapolis the following Saturday (Sept. 14) to take on Delaware in the home opener.  This will be the sixth meeting between the two squads since 2003 with Navy holding a slim 3-2 advantage over the Blue Hens.

After an off week, Navy travels to Bowling Green, Ky. to take on the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers and first-year head coach Bobby Petrino.  Western Kentucky was 7-6 last year including a loss to Central Michigan in the Little Caesars Pizza Bowl.  Western Kentucky will be the first of six-straight opponents that participated in a bowl game a year ago.

Air Force comes to Annapolis (Oct. 5) the following week as Navy will look to defend its title as the top Service Academy football team in the first game of the round-robin competition between Navy, Air Force and Army for the Commander-In-Chief’s Trophy.  Navy defeated Air Force last year, 28-21, in overtime.   The last 10 games between these two rivals have been decided by an average of 5.2 points per game with the last two games going to overtime.  Air Force finished last year 6-7 after losing to Rice, 33-14, in the Armed Forces Bowl.

The Mids will hit the road the next two weeks playing at Duke on Oct. 12 and at Toledo on Oct. 19.  Duke is coming off its most wins (six) since 1994 and played Cincinnati in the Belk Bowl, while Toledo finished 9-4 in 2012 and played in the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl where it lost to Utah State.

The Mids return home to face a Pittsburgh squad on Homecoming (Oct. 26) that is coming off a six-win season and an appearance in the BBVA Compass Bowl against Ole Miss.  Pitt will be in its first season as a member of the ACC.

The Mids travel to South Bend, Ind. the following week (Nov. 2) to take on the Notre Dame Fighting Irish.  Notre Dame is coming off a season that saw it go undefeated in the regular season and play Alabama in the BCS National Championship Game.

Navy head coach Ken Niumatalolo’s alma mater, Hawai’i, will come to town on Nov. 9 to take on the Midshipmen, while South Alabama will travel to Annapolis the following week (Nov. 16) to play Navy for the first time.

The Mids will travel to San Jose State on Nov. 23. The Spartans are coming off an 11-2 season and a victory over Bowling Green in the Military Bowl Presented by Northrop Grumman, 29-20.  San Jose State has beaten Navy in each of the last two seasons.

The Mids will cap off the 2013 season on Dec. 14 against Army at Philadelphia’s Lincoln Financial Field.  The Mids won last year’s game in thrilling fashion, rallying for a 17-13 victory.  It was Navy’s 11th-straight victory over the Black Knights, which is a series record.

CBS has the rights to all of Navy’s home football games and either CBS or CBS Sports Network will televise all five home contests. Navy’s game at Notre Dame will be televised by NBC, while CBS is home for the Army-Navy Game.  Game times and television information for the rest of the road schedule will be announced at a later date.

With six wins in 2013, the Mids will appear in the Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl in Ft. Worth, Texas.  A date has not been set for the bowl game.

2013 Navy Football Schedule

Sept. 7                        at Indiana                                    Bloomington, Ind.

Sept. 14            Delaware                                    Annapolis, Md.

Sept. 28            at Western Kentucky                        Bowling Green, Ky.

Oct. 5                        Air Force                                    Annapolis, Md.

Oct. 12                        at Duke                                    Durham, N.C.

Oct. 19                        at Toledo                                    Toledo, Ohio

Oct. 26            Pittsburgh (Homecoming)            Annapolis, Md.

Nov. 2                        at Notre Dame                        South Bend, Ind.

Nov. 9                        Hawai’i                                    Annapolis, Md.

Nov. 16            South Alabama                        Annapolis, Md.

Nov. 23            at San Jose State                        San Jose, Calif.

Dec. 14            vs. Army                                    Philadelphia, Pa.

Navy Sets Spring Practice Schedule
Navy head football coach Ken Niumatalolo announced the dates for Navy’s spring football practice today.  The Mids will practice the NCAA-mandated 15 times, which includes two scrimmages and a spring game.  Navy will begin practicing on Monday, March 18.

The team will scrimmage at the stadium on Saturday, March 30 and Saturday, April 6.  The spring game will take place on Friday, April 12 at 7:00 pm.

Navy Football Spring Practice Schedule
Monday, March 18 (shorts)
Tuesday, March 19 (shorts)
Thursday, March 21
Saturday, March 23
Monday, March 25
Wednesday, March 27
Friday, March 29 (Stadium)
Saturday, March 30 (Scrimmage at the Stadium)
Tuesday, April 2
Thursday, April 4
Saturday, April 6 (Scrimmage at the Stadium)
Tuesday, April 9
Wednesday, April 10
Thursday, April 11 (shorts)
Friday, April 12 (Blue & Gold Game at the Stadium)

ANNAPOLIS, Md. –  Four games against teams who qualified for the 2012 NCAA Championship highlight the 2013 Navy men’s lacrosse schedule released by second-year head coach Rick Sowell on Tuesday.  Additionally, Navy will play host to six home games played at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium, including its April 5 contest against NCAA finalist Maryland.

“We are excited about the challenge our 2013 schedule presents,” said Sowell, who guided the Midshipmen to a 6-6 record in his first season and featured wins over nationally-ranked Colgate and Johns Hopkins.  “Parity in Division I lacrosse is at an all-time high and we’ll need to be on top of our game each and every week.”

The Midshipmen kick off their spring season with a pair of scrimmages on the road against two of the most successful programs in recent memory.  Navy will battle Duke, a team who has played in six consecutive NCAA Tournaments and was a semifinalist a year ago, in Durham on Jan. 26.  Meanwhile, the Mids are set to take on Virginia in Charlottesville on Feb. 2 in their final preseason tune-up.  Virginia has earned the second-most NCAA Tournament invitations with 35, including dates to the Dance in each of the last eight years, and has won five National Championships.

For the sixth consecutive year, Navy will play its season opener against VMI when the two teams face off on Feb. 9 at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium.  Last year attackmen Tucker Hull (Charlotte, N.C.) and Sam Jones (Annapolis, Md.) combined for 17 points, including 11 goals, as the Mids scored a 14-7 victory over the Keydets.

The Midshipmen will play the first of two new opponents on its 2013 schedule with a Friday, Feb. 15 contest against Detroit in Annapolis.  The Titans are in their fifth year as a Div. I program, returning 35 members from a squad that posted a 6-9 record and was the No. 2 seed in the MAAC Tournament last spring.

Just four days later, Navy will make the trek to Fairfield, Conn. to battle the Stags in a midweek meeting at Lessing Field in the inaugural meeting between the two programs.  Fairfield, which was elevated to a varsity program in 1993, won a program-record 12 games in 2012 and twice reached a program-best national ranking of 13th during the year.  For the second consecutive season the Stags upset the second seed to advance to the ECAC Championship Game, where it fell to eventual National Champion Loyola.

The Fairfield contest kicks off three consecutive road games for the Midshipmen.  Following it’s Tuesday matchup against the Stags, Navy rekindles its series with Georgetown on Sunday, Feb. 24.  A scheduling glitch in moving Patriot League foe Lehigh from a week day to a weekend pushed the annual tilt between the Mids and Hoyas off last spring’s schedule.  The two will pick the series in Washington, D.C., meeting for the 23rd time overall and the 23rd time in the last 24 years.

“I’ve always enjoyed adding new teams to the schedule and the addition of teams such as up-and-coming Detroit, as well as Fairfield, who is coming off the program’s most successful season and past rival Georgetown, we will have our hands full leading up to Patriot League play.  This will be a real test and prepare us for league play, a league that by all accounts is the best it has ever been.”

The Midshipmen begin their quest for the program’s sixth Patriot League title when they travel to Lewisburg, Pa. on Saturday, March 2.  Navy will face Bucknell in their league opener for the fifth time overall and the fourth time in the last five years.  While Navy holds a 7-5 advantage, six of the 10 league matchups have been decided by one goal, including five of the last six.

Navy plays its next three games over the course of just eight days with two of the three contests played in Annapolis.  Kicking things off will be a March 9 contest at home against Lafayette, a program Navy owns a 13-1 series record against.  Three days later (March 12), the Mids will briefly step away from Patriot League action to play host toTowson.  Last year the Mids outscored the Tigers 5-1 in the third period to overcome a 2-1 halftime deficit and go on to win by a 10-6 decision.

Navy plays its final game over the eight-day span on the road, traveling to Worcester, Mass. to face Patriot League foe Holy Cross.  The Mids staged a strong second half effort on both ends of the field outscoring the Crusaders 5-1 in the second half and holding them scoreless for the final 26 minutes of the contest en route to a 13-7 win.

Like the Bucknell series, the annual Navy-Colgate matchup has turned into its own rivalry.  Though the Mids have a handle on the series with an 11-4 advantage, the last five games have proven to be nail-biters with each of the last five meetings decided by a goal.  Last year Sam Jones slipped the defense on the crease, scoring the game-winner with 3.4 seconds left and leading the Midshipmen to a 12-11 victory over 12th-ranked Colgate.  The Raiders went on to finish the season with a 14-4 record and played their way into the second round of the NCAA Tournament.

This year’s Navy-Colgate matchup is slated to be played at M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore, Md. on March 23 as part of the 2013 Konica Minolta Face-Off Classic.  The Konica Minolta Face-Off Classic will feature the Mids and Raiders in the opener at 2:00 pm, followed by Virginia vs. Johns Hopkins at 4:30 pm.

“We are thrilled to participate in the 2013 Konica Minolta Face Off Classic,” added Sowell.  “To have the opportunity to play before a national audience at such a premier venue, M&T Bank Stadium, against a strong conference opponent is what every coach asks for.  Colgate had a great season last year and returns a very good team in 2013, if not better than the quarterfinal team of 2012.  If this game is anything like last year’s, then the fans are in for a real treat.”

Navy will travel to Lehigh on March 30 in what will be the fourth game played in Bethlehem between the two programs in the last five years.  Traditionally played in the middle of the week, the two programs made the decision to move the game to a Saturday for the first time since Navy joined the league in 2004.  The Mids own a 28-3 series advantage against the Mountain Hawks who a year ago finished 14-3 and earned an NCAA Tournament berth by way of winning the Patriot League Tournament.

Fans have been treated to some great battles between Maryland and Navy over the last decade and on April 5 the rivalry will continue as the two meet at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium.  While the two programs have met 87 times, they have battled in each of the last 67 years which is the second-longest continuous series Navy has with another team (Army, 80-consecutive years).  Eight of the last 14 games between the two have been decided by one goal, while five of the last seven battles in Annapolis have been decided by two or fewer goals.

One of the sport’s longest and most cherished rivalries, the Army-Navy Star Game will be played on Saturday, April 13 at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium in Annapolis in what will be the 92nd meeting between the two service academies.  The Mids own a 57-31-3 series advantage, including wins in 14 of the last 19 games.

“Having a chance to experience the intense Army-Navy rivalry on the road last season, I could not be more excited to play this game at Navy Marine Memorial Stadium before the entire Brigade and our passionate Navy lacrosse faithful, said Sowell.”

For the 10th straight year, Navy will close out the regular season by facing Johns Hopkins on April 20.  After losing 36 consecutive games to the Blue Jays from 1975-2009, the Midshipmen have taken two of the last three from Johns Hopkins including an 8-2 route in Annapolis last spring.  Navy, though, has not been able to enjoy a win at Homewood Field since 1969 when the Mids claimed a 9-6 win in Baltimore.

Finally, the four-team Patriot League Tournament is slated to be played April 26-28 at the site of the highest seed.  Since joining the league in 2004, the Midshipmen have played host to four of the eight tournaments and have claimed the title five times.  Navy owns an 11-2 all-time record in the Patriot League Tournament.

“The Patriot League has established itself as one of the toughest conferences in Division I,” said Sowell.  “Each of our Patriot League games will be intense and hard-fought battles.  Our focus will be to take one game at a time with the goal of competing in the NCAA Tournament as Patriot League Champions.”

Navy’s television schedule was unavailable at press time and will be released at a later date.

Setting the Stage
• Navy and Texas State will meet on the gridiron for the first time when they square off on Saturday afternoon at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium on Senior Day.  Kickoff is set for 3:34 pm Eastern.
• Navy enters the weekend looking to win on Senior Day for a 10th consecutive year.  The last time Navy lost on Senior Day was on Nov. 16, 2002, when the Mids lost to Connecticut in a monsoon, 38-0.
• Saturday’s game will be televised nationally by CBS Sports Network with Grant Boone, former Oakland Raider Pro Bowl tight end Todd Christensen and Sheehan Stanwick-Burch calling the action.

Game Day Festivities
• Pregame festivities will get underway at approximately 1:00 pm with the Navy Football Team Walk.  Originating at the Blue Angel in the southwest corner of the stadium, the team will make its way down the sidewalk and through NavyFest before walking up the drive to the stadium.  Fans are encouraged to line up on both sides of the sidewalk to cheer for the team.
• The March-On of the Brigade of Midshipmen will take place at 3:04 pm.  The march-on will be broadcast live for Navy All-Access subscribers.
• A salute to Navy’s 27 seniors will take place at 3:22 pm.
• Saturday’s fly-over (3:31 pm) will be two F-18′s out of Naval Air Station Oceana, Va.
•    Between the first and second quarter, the Navy men’s and women’s tennis teams will be recognized.

Scouting Texas State
•    Texas State is 3-6 on the year and coming off a 62-55 loss to No. 20 Louisiana Tech.
• The Bobcats own victories over Houston (30-13), Stephen F. Austin (41-37) and Idaho (38-7).  They have losses against Texas Tech (58-10), Nevada (34-21), New Mexico (35-14), San Jose State (31-20) and Utah State (38-7) along with Louisiana Tech.
•    Former Navy slot back Marcus Curry leads Texas State with 513 yards rushing and nine touchdowns on 84 carries.  He also has 11 catches for 115 yards and two touchdowns.
• Quarterback Shaun Rutherford has completed 129 of his 200 passes for 1,454 Yards and 11 touchdowns with just five interceptions.  Rutherford is also Texas State’s second-leading rusher with 388 yards and four touchdowns on 119 carries.
•    Andy Erickson is Rutherford’s favorite target with 33 catches for 426 yards and three touchdowns, while Chase Harper has caught 20 passes for 249 yards and three touchdowns.
• Jason McLean leads the defense with 58 tackles and four passes broken up, while Xavier Daniels had 51 stops, four passes broken up, a fumble recovery and a forced fumble.

Navy Vs. The WAC
•    Navy is 2-2 all-time against teams that are currently in the WAC.  The Mids are 2-0 against Louisiana Tech and 0-2 against San Jose State.
•    The Mids lost to San Jose State earlier this year, 12-0.

Lonestar State    
•    Navy has 18 players on its roster from the state of Texas:  Freshman corner Quincy Adams (San Antonio), freshman outside linebacker A.K.Akpunku (Arlington), sophomore punter Pablo Beltran (Humble), freshman corner Brandon Boyd (La Marque), sophomore fullback Noah Copeland (San Antonio), freshman wide receiver Devin Crayton (Helotes), sophomore defensive end Aaron Davis (Pearland), junior nose guard Alex Doolittle (Houston), senior wide receiver Jonathan Gazaille (Grand Prairie), senior wide receiver Tyler Lynch (Irving), freshman outside linebacker Nick Martinez (Elm Mott), freshman linebacker Nick McCrory (Seadrift), freshman defensive lineman Rex Montes (Grapevine), sophomore nose guard Brice Musgrove (Dallas Hill), sophomore guard Nathaniel Otto (Houston), freshman safety Roddy Reyna (San Antonio), senor slot back Bo Snelson (Pasadena) and junior slot back Darius Staten (Carrollton).

Navy Quick Hitters
• The Midshipmen punched their ticket to the Dec. 29 Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl at AT&T Park in San Francisco with a 24-17 victory over Florida Atlantic on Nov. 3. It will be Navy’s 18th bowl appearance all-time, including its ninth in the last 10 years.
• Navy has been the dominant Service Academy over the last decade going 18-2 against Army (10-0) and Air Force (8-2), winning seven-consecutive Commander-In-Chief’s Trophies from 2003-09 and going to nine bowl games in the last 10 years.
• Navy will join the BIG EAST for football only starting in 2015.
• Ken Niumatalolo has led the Midshipmen to a 38-25 (.603) record in his fifth season as head coach.  He is tied for fourth all-time at Navy in career wins with Wayne Hardin.  Niumatalolo holds Navy coaching records for most wins in the first two (18), three (27), four (32) and five seasons (38) of a career.
• Navy’s four losses this season (Notre Dame, Penn State, San Jose State and Troy) have come at the hands of opponents that are a combined 29-11 (.725) on the year.  Notre Dame (10-0) is currently ranked third in the country and San Jose State (8-2) is receiving votes.
• Over the last eight games (6-2), Navy has outscored the opposition 132-70 in the second half.  The defense has allowed just seven touchdowns in the second half of those contests.
• The Mids turned the ball over 12 times in the first four games (nine lost fumbles and three interceptions) and went 1-3.  Over the next five games, Navy turned it over just twice and went 5-0.  Last week against Troy, Navy lost two fumbles and lost to the Trojans, 41-31.  The Mids have turned the ball over 12 times in their four losses and four times in their six wins.
•     Senior outside linebacker Keegan Wetzel scored a perfect 1600 on his SAT and is believed to be the only current FBS player in the country to accomplish such a feat.  He carries a 3.89 GPA in systems engineering and is an Academic All-America candidate.  Wetzel has also been a force on the field for the Midshipmen, recording 57 tackles (fourth most on the team), a team-high 11.5 tackles for a loss and a team-high six sacks, has forced a fubmle and recovered a fumble.  He is just two sacks from third on Navy’s single-season sack list.
• Keenan Reynolds is the first freshman to start at quarterback for Navy since Jim Kubiak started five games in 1991.  Meanwhile, he is just the third freshman in school history to start at quarterback (the other was Alton Grizzard in 1987). Reynolds is 4-1 as a starting quarterback with wins over Central Michigan, Indiana, East Carolina and Florida Atlantic and a loss to Troy.  Kubiak won just one game as a freshman starter and Grizzard won two.  Reynolds is the first Navy quarterback to win his first four starts since senior Bob Powers, who won his first six career starts in 1979.  The Mids started 6-0 that year and finished 7-4 with a victory over Army.
• Sophomore punter Pablo Beltran is averaging 45.2 yards per punt (30 punts) this season. He would stand ninth in the country in punting if he qualified (must average 3.6 punts per game) and that average would be a school record for Navy in a single season.
• Freshman Nick Sloan is one of just 13 true freshman kickers starting in the FBS this year.  He is 9-for-11 on field goals and 32-for-32 on extra-points.
• Navy was 4-0 during the month of October after going 0-5 last year in October. It is the first time Navy went undefeated in the month of October since 1996.  That team finished 9-3 and defeated California in the Aloha Bowl.
• Navy owns a 6-3 record all-time in overtime games, winning six of its last seven.
• Navy owns an 81-44 (.648) record over the last 10 years after posting a 3-30 (.091) mark from 2000-02.  The 81 wins are the 21st most in the country over the last decade.
• Navy is trying to finish No. 1 in fewest penalties and fewest penalty yards per game for the second consecutive year and for the third time in the last four seasons.  The Mids are currently tied for second in penalties (3.4) per game and third in penalty yards per game (26.6)
• Navy is 29-4 (.879) under Ken Niumatalolo when scoring first and 9-21 (.300) when the opponent scores first.
• Under Niumatalolo, the Mids are 23-3 (.885) when leading after the first quarter and 15-22 (.405) when trailing or tied after the first stanza.
•    Navy owns a 18-7 (.720) record in games played at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium under Niumatalolo and is 20-18 (.526) away from home.

Spreading The Wealth
• Navy has had a remarkable 17 different players score a touchdown this year, including 14 players that have scored their first career touchdown.
• The 17 different players scoring TD’s are tied with Marshall for the second most in the country.
• Navy has had 14 different players score their first career touchdown this year, which is the most of any team in the country.

Wetzel A Star In And Out Of The Classroom
• Outside linebacker Keegan Wetzel has enjoyed a spectacular senior campaign, recording 57 tackles, 11.5 tackles for a loss, six sacks, a pass break-up, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery this season.
• He leads the Mids in sacks and tackles for a loss.
• He is just two sacks away from third place on Navy’s single-season sacks list.
• Wetzel is also a star in the classroom, carrying a 3.89 grade-point average in systems engineering (honors courses).  He is an Academic All-America candidate and has already been named all-district.
• Wetzel scored a perfect 1600 on his SAT test and is believed to be the only current FBS player that garnered a perfect score on his SAT.

Greene Having Standout Senior Campaign
• A starter in each of the last 35 games dating back to the 2010 season, senior slot back Gee Gee Greene is having his best season yet in 2012 leading the Mids in rushing (90-679, 7.5 avg, 2 TDs) and is fourth in receiving (12 catches for 242 yards, 20.2 yards per catch, 2 TDs).
• He is averaging 7.5 yards per carry this year, which is the second-best average for a single season in school history. The record is 8.3 set by Shun White in 2008.
• Greene is trying to join White as the only other slot back to lead the team in rushing.  White rushed for 1,092 yards in 2008.
• In his career, Greene has rushed for 1,925 yards on 267 carries and scored nine touchdowns, while catching 42 passes for 697 yards and seven touchdowns.  He needs 201 more yards to pass Adam Ballard for 10th on Navy’s all-time rushing list and would join White as one of only two slot backs in the Top 10.
• He has averaged 7.2 yards per carry over his career, which is the program’s fifth-best rushing average, and 16.6 yards per reception.

Starting A Freshman At QB
• Keenan Reynolds became the first freshman to start at quarterback for Navy since Jim Kubiak started five games in 1991, when he guided the Midshipmen to a 31-13 victory over Central Michigan.
• Navy finished 1-10 in 1991 (1-5 with Kubiak as the starter) with its only victory coming against a 5-5 Army team in the final game of the season, 24-3.
• Reynolds is just the third freshman in program history to start at quarterback, joining Kubiak and Alton Grizzard, who started seven games at quarterback in 1987 (Navy was 2-5 with Grizzard as the quarterback and 0-4 without him).
• In his first-career start against Central Michigan, Reynolds completed six of his 11 passes for 134 yards and three touchdowns while rushing for 59 yards in leading Navy to a 31-13 victory.  His three touchdowns passing are the most by a Navy quarterback since Chris McCoy threw three against Colgate in 1997.
• Reynolds won his second career start, rallying Navy to a 31-30 victory over Indiana.  He rushed for 66 yards and a touchdown on 17 carries and completed eight of 13 passes for 96 yards and a touchdown. His four-yard TD pass to junior Matt Aiken with 2:02 left gave Navy the win.
• Reynolds improved to 3-0 as a starter with a nearly flawless performance against East Carolina as Navy rolled over the Pirates, 56-28.  Reynolds led the Mids to touchdowns on seven of his eight drives and totaled 132 yards of total offense and five touchdowns (3 rushing, 2 passing).
• Reynolds won his fourth straight start with a 24-17 win over Florida Atlantic.  He rushed for a career-high 159 yards and one touchdown on 26 carries and completed eight of his 15 passes for a career-high 147 yards and two touchdowns.
• Reynolds suffered his first defeat as a starting quarterback in his fifth-career start against Troy.  He carried the ball 21 times for 130 yards and three touchdowns, while completing eight of his 15 pass attempts for 159 yards.
• In his first five starts, Reynolds has rushed for 495 yards and eight touchdowns on 98 carries (99.0 yds/gm, 5.1 yds/carry) and has comleted 33 of his 59 pass attempts (.559) for 589 yards (117.4 yds/gm) with eight touchdowns and just one interception.  He has had at least one rushing touchdown in four of his five starts and has thrown at least one touchdown pass in four of his five starts.
• Reynolds was the first Navy quarterback to win his first four career starts since Bob Powers, who won his first six career starts in 1979.  The Mids started 6-0 that year and finished 7-4 with a victory over Army.
• Reynolds is believed to be just the third TRUE freshman to win his first four career starts at quarterback.  Notre Dame’s Matt LoVecchio won his first seven starts as a true freshman in 2000 and USC’s Matt Barkley won his first six starts in 2009.
• Reynolds is far short of qualifying for the NCAA passing efficiency leaderboard (you must average 15 pass attempts per game), but if he did qualify his 177.49 efficiency rating would lead the country.  Oregon freshman Marcus Mariota leads the country with a 176.96 rating.

Honorable Mention: Boxing-Carl Froch vs. Yusaf Mack (Saturday 3pm from Nottingham, ENG live on Pay-Per-View); NBA: Washington Wizards @ Charlotte Bobcats (Tuesday 7pm from Charlotte live on Comcast SportsNet), Washington Wizards @ Dallas Mavericks (Wednesday 8:30pm from Dallas live on Comcast SportsNet), Utah Jazz @ Washington Wizards (Saturday 7pm from Verizon Center live on Comcast SportsNet), Indiana Pacers @ Washington Wizards (Monday 7pm from Verizon Center live on Comcast SportsNet); Gymnastics: Kellogg’s Tour of Gymnastics Champions (Thursday 7:30pm Verizon Center)

10. Rick Ross (Saturday 7:30pm 1st Mariner Arena); The Who (Tuesday 7:30pm Verizon Center); Civil Twilight (Wednesday 7pm Rams Head Live); Yellowcard (Thursday 7pm Rams Head Live), Chrisette Michele (Saturday 9pm Rams Head Live); Kreayshawn (Tuesday 7pm Recher Theatre), Rome (Wednesday 7pm Recher Theatre), Smile Empty Soul (Friday 6:30pm Recher Theatre); Joe Budden (Sunday 8pm Baltimore Soundstage); Marc Cohn (Thursday 6pm & 9pm Rams Head on Stage); Macklemore & Ryan Lewis (Tuesday 7pm 9:30 Club), Yeasayer (Wednesday & Thursday 7pm 9:30 Club), G. Love and Special Sauce (Friday 8pm 9:30 Club), Dan Deacon (Saturday 8pm 9:30 Club); Dangermuffin (Tuesday 8pm Metropolitan Kitchen & Lounge); Heart (Tuesday 7:30pm D.A.R. Constitution Hall), Ray LaMontagne (Friday 8pm D.A.R. Constitution Hall), Aretha Franklin (Saturday 7:30pm D.A.R. Constitution Hall); Chris Isaak (Tuesday 8pm Maryland Hall For The Creative Arts); Ballyhoo (Friday 8pm Looney’s College Park); Lyfe Jennings (Saturday 8pm Howard Theatre); Green Day “Dos” and Soundgarden “King Animal” available in stores/on iTunes (Tuesday)

I STILL haven’t stopped hearing from everyone who went to the last Civil Twilight show at RHL…

Macklemore & Ryan Lewis provide some real, thought-provoking hip-hop. Genuine…

Dangermuffin-good name, better band.

If I’m telling the truth, I swoon a bit every time I hear this Ray LaMontagne tune…

9. Tom Green (Thursday-Saturday Baltimore Comedy Factory); Bob Marley (Wednesday-Sunday DC Improv); Craig Ferguson (Friday 7pm & 10pm Warner Theatre); Anthony Bourdain (Saturday 8pm France-Merrick Performing Arts Center at The Hippodrome); “Lincoln” out in theaters (Friday); “Brave” available on Blu-Ray/DVD (Tuesday)

I’m not going to lie…I used to be SO in on Tom Green. For example, this was a GREAT bit…

I’d like to see Lincoln. I’d like to see THIS even more…

(Continued on Page 2…)

Setting the Stage
• Navy and Florida Atlantic will meet on the gridiron for the first time when they square off Saturday afternoon at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium.  Kickoff is set for 3:34 pm and the presenting sponsor for Saturday’s game is Navy Mutual.
• Navy enters the weekend having won four consecutive games.  The last time Navy won five in a row came in 2009 when the Mids defeated Western Kentucky, Air Force (OT), Rice, SMU (OT) and  Wake Forest.  That Navy team went on to post a 10-4 record and defeat Missouri in the Texas Bowl, 35-13.
• A win on Saturday would send Navy to the Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl in San Francisco on Dec. 29 against an opponent from the Pac-12. It would be Navy’s ninth bowl game in the last 10 seasons.
• In honor of Veterans Day on Nov. 11 (Navy is on the road next weekend), the Naval Academy and Naval Academy Athletic Association will recognize all veterans in attendance during a first quarter timeout by asking them to stand and rise to be thanked for their service.
• Saturday’s game will be televised nationally by CBS Sports Network with Grant Boone, former Oakland Raider Pro Bowl tight end Todd Christensen and Sheehan Stanwick-Burch calling the action.

Game Day Festivities
• Pregame festivities will get underway at approximately 1:00 pm with the Navy Football Team Walk.  Originating at the Blue Angel in the southwest corner of the stadium, the team will make its way down the sidewalk and through NavyFest before walking up the drive to the stadium.  Fans are encouraged to line up on both sides of the sidewalk to cheer for the team.
• The March-On of the Brigade of Midshipmen will take place at 3:09 pm.  The march-on will be broadcast live for Navy All-Access subscribers.
• Saturday’s fly-over (3:31 pm) will be two F-18′s piloted by Lt. John Pegues (`03) and Lt. Diana Beauford (`05) out of Naval Air Station Oceana, Va.
• Navy women’s lacrosse coach Cindy Timchal will be recognized in the second quarter for her induction into the National Lacrosse Hall of Fame.  Timchal recently completed her 30th season as a Division I head coach and owns a career record of 412-108 (.792). She became the first college lacrosse coach to win 400 games this past season and she is the sport’s all-time leader in wins.  In five seasons at Navy, Timchal is 76-22 (.776) and has led the Midshipmen to three straight Patriot League titles. She is Navy’s only coach in its five-year history and the program has competed in the NCAA Tournament in each of the past three years.  Timchal won eight national championships while coaching at Maryland (1991-2006), including seven in a row, and she also had a nine-year stint at Northwestern (1982-90). Timchal is the only women’s lacrosse coach to take three different programs to the NCAA Division I Tournament.
• Other recognitions taking place on Saturday include the first Naval Academy Rugby Hall of Fame class and the 2012 Patriot League Champion men’s golf team.

Scouting Florida Atlantic
• The Owls are 2-6 on the year, but are coming off a 34-27 upset win over Troy last Saturday.
• FAU also defeated Wagner, 7-3, in the opener and has lost to Middle Tennessee State (31-17), Georgia (56-20), Alabama (40-7), North Texas (20-14), Louisiana-Monroe (35-14) and South Alabama (37-34, OT).
• Florida Atlantic is ranked 96th in the country in rushing offense (124.3), 92nd in passing offense (200.9), 103rd in total offense (325.1) and 111th in scoring offense (18.4).  Defensively, the Owls are ranked 98th in rushing defense (201.1), T41st in pass defense (211.9), 74th in total defense (413.0) and 89th in scoring defense (31.1).
• Running back Jonathan Wallace leads the Owls’ rushing attack with 382 yards and two touchdowns on 96 carries. Quarterback Graham Wilbert has completed 160 of his 245 pass attempts for 1,570 yards with 12 touchdowns and three interceptions.  Wilbert’s favorite target is William Dukes, who has 34 catches for 480 yards and two touchdowns.  Nexon Dorvilus has four touchdown catches on the year.
• The defense is led by Brent Harstad, who has recorded 71 tackles, two tackles for a loss and two forced fumbles.  David Hinds has been in on 68 tackles, 5.5 tackles for a loss and two forced fumbles.

Navy Vs. The Sun Belt
• Navy is 5-0 all-time against the Sun Belt with victories over Arkansas State, North Texas, Troy and Western Kentucky (twice).
• The Mids travel to Troy next Saturday for a 3:30 pm contest.

The Sunshine State    
• Navy has 18 players from the state of Florida on its roster:  freshman defensive end Will Anthony (Jacksonville), sophomore nose guard A.J. Barnaby (Deltona), freshman guard E.K. Binns (Cape Coral), junior nose guard Travis Bridges (Hollywood), junior corner Albrey Felder (Orange Park), sophomore center Tanner Fleming (Deltona), freshman wide receiver David Frechette (Orange Park), sophomore quarterback John Hendrick (Tampa), sophomore outside linebacker Chris Johnson (Cape Coral), freshman guard Zach Laniewski (Englewood), sophomore slot back Marcus Lewis (Cape Coral), junior linebacker Vinnie Mauro (Ft. Lauderdale), sophomore defensive end Ike McElrath (Milton), freshman tackle Bradford Mills (Ft. Lauderdale), freshman quarterback Ralph Montalvo (Miami), sophomore defensive end Danny Ring (Lighthouse Point), junior guard Thomas Stone (Melbourne) and sophomore linebacker Joe Worth(Valrico).

Looking For Five-Straight Wins
• Navy enters the weekend having won four consecutive games.
• The last time Navy won five in a row was in 2009 when the Mids defeated Western Kentucky, Air Force in overtime, won at Rice, won at SMU in overtime and defeated Wake Forest.  That Navy team went on to post a 10-4 record and defeat Missouri in the Texas Bowl, 35-13.

Second Half Dominance
• Over the last six games (5-1), Navy has outscored the opposition 112-50 in the second half.
• The defense has given up just five touchdowns in the second half of the last six games.

Wetzel A Star In And Out Of The Classroom
• Outside linebacker Keegan Wetzel has enjoyed a spectacular senior campaign, recording 45 tackles, 11 tackles for a loss, six sacks, a pass break-up and a fumble recovery this season.
• He leads the Mids in sacks and tackles for a loss.
• He is just two sacks away from third place on Navy’s single-season sack list.
• Wetzel is also a star in the classroom, carrying a 3.89 grade point average in systems engineering (honors courses).  He is an Academic All-America candidate
• Wetzel scored a perfect 1600 on his SAT test and is believed to be the only current FBS player that garnered a perfect score on his SAT.

Mids Consistently Among Nation’s Top Rushing Teams
• Over the last 11 years, Navy has consistently been one of the top rushing teams in the country, never finishing lower than sixth.
• In 2002, Navy finished third in the country in rushing, averaging 270.8 yards per game.
• In 2003, Navy led the nation in rushing, averaging a then school-record 323.2 yards per game.  That is the fifth-best rushing average for a team over the last 10 years.
• In 2004, Navy finished third in the country in rushing, averaging 289.5 yards per game.
• In 2005, Navy led the country in rushing for the second time in three years, averaging 318.7 yards per game. The 318.7 yards per game is the seventh-best rushing average by a team in the last 10 years.
• Navy finished the 2006 campaign averaging a nation’s-best and then school-record 327.0 yards per game.  That is the fourth-best rushing average by a team in the last 10 years.
• The Mids rushed for a school-record 348.8 yards per game in 2007, becoming the first team in NCAA history to lead the nation in rushing three-consecutive years.   The 348.8 yards rushing is the second-best rushing average by a team in the last 10 years.  Only the 2000 Nebraska team (349.3) rushed for more over that time period.
• The 348.8 yards per game are the most yards rushing by a FBS team since Nebraska averaged 349.3 yds/gm in 2000.
• In 2008, Navy led the country in rushing for an unprecedented fourth-straight year, averaging 292.4 yds/gm.
• In 2009, Navy finished fourth in the nation in rushing, averaging 280.5 yds/gm.
• In 2010, the Mids finished sixth in the country in rushing offense, averaging 284.8 yds/gm.
• In 2011, Navy finished fourth in the country in rushing, averaging 312.3 yards per game.
• The Mids are averaging 271.1 yards per game this fall, which is the sixth-best rushing mark in the country.

Navy Offense In The Red Zone    
• Navy is 84th nationally in red zone offense, scoring on 24-of-31 chances (.770).
• Navy has scored 18 touchdowns (14 rushing, four passing), kicked six field goals, lost the ball once on downs and turned it over five times (three lost fumbles and two interceptions).

Navy Defense In The Red Zone    
• The Mids are tied for 65th in the country in red zone defense, allowing 23 scores on 28 opportunities.
• The opposition has scored 14 touchdowns (10 rushing, four passing), kicked nine field goals, missed a field goal, turned it over on downs twice, lost a fumble and threw an interception against Navy’s defense.

A’s Make Plays    
• Navy’s slot backs (or A-Backs as they are technically called) had a monster game against East Carolina rushing for 350 yards and two touchdowns on 40 carries (8.8 yards per carry).  It is the second-most yards rushing by the slots in the triple option era. In 2008 the slot backs rushed for 381 yards against Towson, thanks in large part to Shun White’s school-record 348 yards rushing.
• Over the last two games, the Navy slot backs have rushed for 514 yards and three touchdowns on 65 carries (7.9 yards per carry).

Honorable Mention: Exhibition Women’s College Basketball-Catholic @ Maryland (Tuesday 7pm Comcast Center), Goldey-Beacom @ Maryland (Monday 7pm Comcast Center); Golf: WGC HSBC Champions (Thursday & Friday 9am Saturday & Sunday 8am live on Golf Channel), Champions Tour Charles Schwab Cup Championship (Thursday-Saturday 4:30pm Sunday 3:30pm from Scottsdale, AZ live on Golf Channel); High School Football: Hereford @ Perry Hall (Friday 7pm), MIAA A Conference Quarterfinals: McDonogh @ Loyola (Saturday 2:30pm), Mount St. Joseph @ Archbishop Spalding (Saturday 6pm); Tennis: ATP BNP Paribas Masters (Tuesday-Thursday 6am Friday 9am & 2:30pm Saturday 9:30am Sunday 9am from Paris live on Tennis Channel); Mixed Martial Arts: Bellator Fighting Championships 79 (Friday 8pm from Roma, Ontario, Canada live on MTV2)

10. Justin Bieber (Monday 7pm Verizon Center); Smashing Pumpkins (Saturday 8pm Patriot Center); The XX (Tuesday 8pm Rams Head Live), Eric Hutchinson (Sunday 7:30pm Rams Head Live); The Ravyns (Saturday 8pm Recher Theatre); MxPx/Unwritten Law (Thursday 6:30pm Ottobar), Further Seems Forever feat. Chris Carrabba (Saturday 7:30pm Ottobar); Aesop Rock (Wednesday 8pm Baltimore Soundstage); Edwin McCain (Thursday 8pm Rams Head Center Stage); Grouplove (Tuesday 7pm 9:30 Club), Dr. Dog (Thursday 7pm Friday 8pm 9:30 Club), Soullive (Saturday 8pm 9:30 Club); Umphrey’s McGee (Wednesday 7:30pm Fillmore Silver Spring), Gov’t Mule (Saturday 8pm Fillmore Silver Spring); Fozzy (Thursday 6pm Empire); Melissa Etheridge (Friday 8pm Strathmore); Roger Clyne (Friday 9pm IOTA Club); Donavon Frankenreiter (Saturday 6pm U Street Music Hall); JD McPherson (Thursday 8pm State Theatre); Stephen Kellogg & The Sixers (Saturday 8:30pm Howard Theatre); Tim Reynolds & TR3 (Saturday 8:30pm The Hamilton); Chris Isaak (Sunday 8pm Warner Theater); Nas & Ms. Lauryn Hill (Sunday 8pm D.A.R. Constitution Hall); Brandi Carlile (Thursday 8pm Modell Performing Arts Center at The Lyric); Flyleaf “New Horizons” and Trans-Siberian Orchestra “Dreams of Fireflies (On A Christmas Night)” available in stores/on iTunes (Tuesday)

Go see the Ravyns because Rob Fahey is the freaking greatest.

I had no idea Unwritten Law was still a thing. I’m so freaking in.

JD McPherson has a throwback sound that pleases me greatly.

I think there’s a significant chance Lauryn Hill is crazy. I don’t care. She’s so freaking ridiculously talented. I still can’t believe what a jerk her mom was to her in Sister Act 2 though.

9. Whoopi Goldberg (Saturday 8pm Modell Performing Arts Center at The Lyric); Shaq’s All-Star Comedy Jam feat. Gary Owen (Saturday 8pm D.A.R. Constitution Hall); Tony Rock (Thursday-Sunday DC Improv); Dom Irrera (Thursday-Saturday Magooby’s Joke House); “The Campaign” available on Blu-Ray/DVD (Tuesday); “Flight“, “Wreck-It Ralph” and “The Man With The Iron Fists” out in theaters (Friday)

This isn’t the most impressive list I’ve ever seen if I’m telling you the truth.

Umm…I’m KINDA excited for Wreck-It Ralph. I’d probably go see “Flight” if someone asked nice enough.

Otherwise…here’s a guy with a horse head mask running through Hurricane Sandy on a local DC news cast…

And here’s a picture Kate Upton Tweeted recently…

Yep, we upgraded there.