PHILADELPHIA — Quarterback Brian Madden, the MVP of the 100th Army-Navy game, took a knee on the Veterans Stadium carpet to seal the Midshipmen’s victory. Defensive end Gino Marchetti dropped to his knees as well, pointing a finger heavenward.
When it was over, Navy had a 19-9 win in the centennial edition of college football’s most storied rivalry.
“I kneeled down and pointed to the sky, and said ‘thank you, God.’ I’m set for life. I’ve got bragging rights for life. [To win] senior year, it’s your dream. I’m the happiest man on earth,” said Marchetti, who gave the sellout crowd of 70,049 — the largest since the Vet was reconfigured in ’86 — a demonstration of what defense is all about.
Marchetti, who is not the son of the Baltimore Colts Hall of Famer, recovered two second-half fumbles to account for half of the four Army (3-8) turnovers.
Kicker Tim Shubzda booted an Army-Navy record-tying four field goals for the Middies (5-7). And the bullish Madden — pressed into action midway through the year when starter Brian Broadwater broke his collarbone — rushed 41 times for a career-high 177 yards.
“It’s a great rivalry. It’s been going on for 100 years. Anybody would give anything to have an opportunity to be in this game,” said Madden, a former state wrestling champ in Oklahoma. “If I have grandkids, I’ll [tell them] I played in this game.”
It was a game preceded by pomp and filled with pageantry. Heisman winners Joe Bellino, Roger Staubach, Pete Dawkins and Glenn Davis gathered at midfield for the coin flip. F-18 Hornets flew overhead. And then the real bombing began.
Navy’s defense limited an Army wishbone that had been third in the country in rushing to just 139 yards, less than half of their average. They held QB Joe Gerena, last year’s MVP, to 28 yards on a dozen carries and just 7-for-19 passing. And Navy — just 2-5 under Broadwater — have averaged 32.6 points and are 3-2 in Madden’s five starts, all 100-yard performances.
His two-yard TD with 3:26 left in the first quarter was the game’s first score, and Navy added a field goal after Marcus Jackson recovered a fumble by returnman Imani Dupree. Seven plays later Shubzda booted a 35-yard field goal for a 10-0 lead. The Cadets responded with a 14-play drive that ended in a 44-yard Matt Parker field goal with 1:10 left in the half, but 10-3 is as close as they got.
A 34-yard kickoff return by John Vereen helped Navy add another field goal with :16 left in the half. When backup QB Chad Jenkins came in for Army, Marchetti deflected his pitch and pounced on the fumble at the Army 42, setting up another field goal. RB Michael Wallace fumbled on Army’s next possession, and Marchetti dug through the pile to come up with that as well.
“I’ve always been a magnet for the ball,” Marchetti said with a shrug. Shubzda’s fourth field goal 2:37 into the fourth quarter sealed the win.
Army did score with 4:47 left, when Gerena rolled right and threw across the field to a wide-open TE Shaun Castillo; but a two-point run failed and Navy won to cut Army’s edge to 48-45-7 and earn millennium bragging rights.
“This is a tough game. It’s not going to be over tomorrow for these guys. It’ll be [there] 40 years from now; they understand that,” said Army’s Bob Sutton. “You’ve got to risk everything to get one of those precious moments you treasure the rest of your life. And when you don’t [win], it’s devastating. Winning this game is without question the greatest feeling in the world, and losing it is the exact opposite. That’s why it’s such a great game.”