ORLANDO— Navy and UCF are two programs known primarily for their offenses, but on Saturday, the defenses took over. And in the end, it was Navy that came out on top.
John Marshall set a school record with four sacks as the Midshipmen (4-7, 4-4 AAC) upset #17/20 UCF (8-3, 5-2) 17-14 at FBC Mortgage Stadium in Orlando. Marshall's ten tackles also led the team, while Colin Ramos had eight tackles and a fumble recovery that led to the winning field goal. Daba Fofana paced the offense with 114 rushing yards, while Isaiah Bowser ran for 64 yards for UCF.
"I'm just so happy and proud of our football players. Just their resolve" said Navy head coach Ken Niumatalolo.
After a difficult second half where neither team could move the ball effectively, UCF took possession in the fourth quarter with 8:51 remaining. They drove to the Navy 43, but Mikey Keene's pass to Kobe Hudson on third down and four fell incomplete. With 5:55 left to play, head coach Gus Malzahn elected to go for it on fourth down. Keene attempted a slant to Javon Baker, but Mbiti Williams jumped the route and knocked the ball away.
"Congratulations to Mbiti," Niumatalolo said. "I didn't realize he did. I wasn't looking. I was praying. So I had no idea what happened."
It would be the last time UCF would touch the ball. Navy ran the remaining 5:54 off the clock over the next 11 plays, including a fourth down conversion.
"We knew we had to burn the clock," said Niumatalolo. "Our goal was to try to have the ball for 40 minutes coming into the game. But we had to convert on those at the end. X [Arline] did a really good job of bleeding the clock. Vince [Terrell] was smart, staying in bounds. But it all started because we got stops on defense."
It was a performance for the ages for the Navy defense, holding one of the most prolific offenses in football to 14 points and 314 yards. UCF opened the second half with a touchdown drive after Keene stepped in at quarterback for John Rhys Plumlee, who started the game. The Knights went 75 yards on only five plays, with Keene going 3-3 passing, including a 45-yard pass to Ryan O'Keefe and a 28-yard touchdown pass to Javon Baker. The Knights ran the Philly Special on the two-point conversion and made it, tying the game at 14.
Malzahn's squad could muster only 85 yards for the rest of the game. Marshall's strip-sack and Ramos' fumble recovery ended the Knights' next possession, leading to Bijan Nichols' 45-yard field goal that proved to be the game-winner. Pressure from Marshall led to an incompletion, and another sack on UCF's next two drives before Williams' play on fourth down put a cap on the defense's effort.
Navy opened the game by driving 75 yards in 11 plays, ending with a quarterback sneak by Arline on fourth and goal. Fofana's 46-yard rumble up the left side put the Mids on the UCF six-yard line, and the Mids scored the first opening-drive touchdown of the season.
Navy had won the pregame coin toss, but while Niumatalolo usually elects to defer, he chose to take the ball to open the game, and it paid off.
"A lot of stuff I do is by gut feeling," said Niumatalolo. "Our defense is our strength, but the last couple of games, they gave up some big plays early on. So, you know what, put on the offense, let them go score, put them [UCF] behind the eight ball. We got that lead, then our defense played lights-out after that."
On the ensuing drive, UCF advanced to their 35-yard line but elected to punt on fourth and one. Navy picked up a first down on their second possession, but they couldn't recover from a false start penalty on the next play. On third and 10, Jayden Umbarger came open over the middle, but Arline's pass was batted away by Davonte Brown. UCF took over on their 41 after the punt and drove 55 yards, ending with a 21-yard field goal by Colton Boomer. The Knights converted a fourth and one from the seven-yard line, but Navy's defense stood firm and forced the kick.
After Arline was sacked on second down, the Mids went three and out on their first possession of the second quarter. UCF again had good field position after the punt, starting the drive at their 45. On first down, Plumlee completed a play-action pass to Javon Baker, who was open on the left sideline. Navy's defense once again tightened up in the red zone, with Plumlee's rollout pass on third and six dropped by RJ Harvey. Boomer's second field goal made the score 7-6.
Navy went back to the fullback on their next possession, and it paid off with a 13-play, 84-yard drive that ate 6:47 off the clock. Fofana sparked the drive with an off-tackle run that looked stopped before he broke free and cut across the field for 20 yards. Later in the drive, Anton Hall ran over the left side on a fullback trap play for 16 yards. From the UCF eight-yard line, Vincent Terrell II took a jet sweep over the left side and followed a punishing block from Ahmad Bradley into the end zone. Navy extended their lead to 14-6 with 1:33 remaining in the half. UCF moved the ball to midfield on the next series, but Mbiti Williams intercepted Plumlee's Hail Mary attempt to end the threat and send Navy into the locker room with the lead.
The win was an emotional one for Niumatalolo, who credited the resilience and toughness of his players after the game.
"Tuesday, it was freezing in Maryland, raining, blistering weather, and our guys came and worked. I was like, man, look at these kids. They just keep working. I was prayerful and hopeful that they would have something positive. I'm just so proud. What a great team effort."
