WEST POINT, N.Y. (November 2, 2015) -- A blocked extra point by Cadet Matthew Tamburri and a 4th down sack by Cadet Curtis Jerzerick sealed U.S. Military Academy at West Point's sprint football's victory over Navy 24-23 in a thriller at Shea Stadium on Halloween, Oct. 31.
With the win, the Black Knights (7-0, 7-0 CSFL) cap off their 17th perfect season and 34th Collegiate Sprint Football League (CSFL) title.
The seniors from the Class of 2016 who were honored before today's game have the best four-year record of any class in the program's 58-year history at 27-1 and won three CSFL Championships. Those Cadets are; senior kicker Warren Kay, punter Mark Dabeck, defensive linemen Jared Sturgell, Curtis Gardner and Philip Choi, wide receivers Justin Hall, Othie Freeny, Kevin O'Brien and Tucker Van Dyke, defensive backs Jack Barnett, Alfred McQuirter and Shaq Tolbert, linebacker Ryan Gallagher, and offensive linemen Gerald McDonough, Nolan Jones, Cale Brown, Darius Javan and Kenny McClain.
Sophomore running back Cadet Marqus Burrell led all rushers with 121 yards and a touchdown on 26 carries for the Black Knights while freshman quarterback Cadet Brady Miller completed 11 of 18 for 100 yards and two touchdowns. Van dyke and O'Brien led the team in receiving with Van Dyke hauling in four passes for 20 yards while O'Brien gain 45 yards receiving.
On the defensive side of the ball, Tamburri had a game-high 15 tackles and came up with the biggest stop of the season blocking Navy's (5-2, 4-2 CSFL) potential game-tying extra point with 3:29 left in the game. Fellow Sophomore Cadet Tanner Andrews recorded two interceptions, bringing his season-total to six. Sophomore Cadets Nathan Lopez and Tolbert also recorded interceptions for Army. Jerzerick's game-ending sack was the only one for the Black Knights, who came into the Star Game leading the CSFL in that category with 40 and had the league-leader in Choi who had 11.5 in the first six games.
The Black Knights utilized a short field on their second possession and marched 46 yards on six plays to get out to a 7-0 lead. Miller completed his pass to sophomore wide receiver Cadet Dexter Penick, who made a move and dove into the end zone for the score.
The Midshipmen were able to take advantage of three big plays on the day, but shot themselves in the foot on countless occasions with dropped passes. Their first play after the kickoff sailed into the end zone for a touchback would have been a 75-yard touchdown reception by Midshipman Matthew Hite if not for an illegal block at Army's 31 yard line.
Hite was the big-play threat all day for Navy catching a game-high nine passes for 241 yards and three touchdowns. His first was a 66-yard strike on 3rd down with 8:03 left in the second quarter to knot things up at seven. He would haul in a 20-yard scoring reception from Midshipman Nick Deterding with less than half a minute before the intermission.
When play resumed after the teams returned from the locker room, Army's defense stopped the reigning CSFL MVP Midshipman Eric Wellmon on three consecutive plays before the two sides traded field goals. Kay hit from 37-yards out while Cadet Brett Deters was good from 24 yards.
A three-and-out by each side where a total of three yards were gained gave the ball back to the Black Knights. Burrell, who averaged 4.7 yards per carry, broke off a season-long 50-yard run to get into a first-and-goal situation. He would later punch the ball in from the two yard line to even things up 21 seconds before the 4th quarter.
The final period of the 2015 season seemed to belong to the Black Knights. Lopez leaped into the air to snag the ball away from the Navy receiver at its apex to set up Army's game-winning drive 36 yards away from the goal line. Miller would complete a pass to sophomore wide receiver Cadet Ty Galyean who slipped through the Midshipmen secondary and dove for the pylon to take a 24-17 lead.
Interceptions by Andrews and Navy Midshipman Kendall Mackey on back-to-back plays essentially let the Midshipmen restart their drive, although they would only make it three yards into Army territory before being forced to punt. A couple of Black Knights punts from senior Cadet Mark Dabeck, who averaged nearly 40 yards per punt, sandwiched around Tolbert's interception put the ball back in Navy's possession as time was ticking away.
A 56-yard strike to Hite for his third score of the game looked as if it was going to spell overtime for the second consecutive game for Army with just 3:29 remaining, but Tamburri found a way through on the PAT and got enough of it to prevent the pig skin from going through the uprights.
Navy decided not to attempt an onside kick and booted the ball deep for a touchback. The defense came through and got the ball back for the Midshipmen with 1:51 remaining who had already used their three timeouts. Needing to go to the air, Navy targeted Hite on five of the final seven plays. Tolbert had him locked down on the final drive as he was able to break up two of those passes. A Deterding scramble for 12 yards kept the drive alive for a moment, but Jerzerick's 4th-down sack sent the Midshipmen home empty-handed.
Related Links:
Army West Point Athletics website
U.S. Army Garrison West Point website
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