Navy Defeats Air Force, 16-13, in Overtime

The first pressure-filled kick that Navy junior Joe Buckley attempted this week actually came on Wednesday night, a full three days before the Midshipmen hosted rival Air Force. He needed to make a 42-yard field goal at the end of practice to win back the kicking job he lost a week earlier and earn the right to even take the field on Saturday.

Buckley made that kick, showing a glimpse of the steely nerves that would serve him so well against the Falcons. In front of a capacity crowd of 37,820 at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium, Buckley made three field goals, including one from 38 yards in overtime to give Navy a 16-13 win.

His Air Force counterpart, sophomore Erik Soderberg, missed a 31-yard field goal attempt that brought the first overtime game between two service academy teams to an end and set off a giddy celebration for Buckley and the Midshipmen.

"Obviously, I'm on cloud nine right now," Buckley said. "It's a dream come true."

Buckley's field goals -- coupled with a gritty defensive performance -- helped Navy (3-2) extend its winning streak over service academy teams to 14 games, including seven straight against Air Force (3-2). The victory also gives the Midshipmen a leg up in their quest to win the Commander-in-Chief's Trophy for an unprecedented seventh straight year; the winner of this game has gone on to claim the trophy in 18 of the past 20 seasons.

"We knew this was going to be a fight," junior quarterback Ricky Dobbs said. "It was either go big or go home. I think we took advantage of the opportunity."

This rivalry has been marked by hard-fought games recently -- Navy's average margin of victory in the previous six games was 5.5 points -- and Saturday's was no exception. For the third straight year, Air Force outgained the Midshipmen on offense; the Falcons had 240 yards and 14 first downs to Navy's season-low 209 and 10.

The Midshipmen struggled to move the ball throughout the game. Their opening possession was the only one that ended inside of Air Force's 20-yard line, and that drive began on the Falcons 35. Dobbs converted on fourth and one with a tough five-yard run up the middle, and then three plays later, he ran 13 yards for a touchdown and a 7-0 lead.

That was Navy's longest rush of the game. Dobbs and fullbacks Alexander Teich and Vince Murray combined for 52 of the Midshipmen's 56 carries for the game, and they averaged just 3.4 yards per attempt. Dobbs completed 3 of 4 passes for 36 yards and threw an interception that was returned 67 yards for a touchdown by sophomore cornerback Anthony Wright Jr. Dobbs also fumbled while trying to fight for extra yardage in the fourth quarter.

"It was definitely tough. We knew it was going to be a battle, especially up front," Dobbs said. "I thank God for the defense and Joe Buck over there. Tonight I think we did what great teams do. When one phase of the team is lacking, they pick it up in the other. Special teams and the defense carried us when the offense was struggling today."

Navy's defense came up with an interception (by safety Emmett Merchant) and a fumble recovery (by linebacker Ross Pospisil), held the nation's top rushing team to 183 yards on the ground and kept the Falcons out of the end zone. Air Force started one drive in the third quarter on Navy's 37-yard line, but the Midshipmen, led by defensive end Jabaree Tuani, forced the Falcons to settle for a field goal.

Air Force trailed, 13-10, heading into the final 3 minutes 32 seconds of regulation. On that last drive, safety Wyatt Middleton broke up a pass and nose guard Jordan Stephens deflected a pass. Middleton appeared to seal the victory for Navy by picking off a pass, but linebacker Tony Haberer was called for roughing the passer and the interception was wiped out.

"In a game like that, that's like calling charging with two seconds left in basketball. You got to let them play," Navy Coach Ken Niumatalolo said. "I thought the timing of it was horrible."

But it set up a thrilling end to the game. Four plays later, Soderberg's wobbly kick from 39 yards tied the score at 13 as time expired. It was his 12th field goal of the season.

Kickers have played a pivotal role in this rivalry: Navy won in 2004 and 2005 on last-second field goals, and last year Matt Harmon tied a school record with four field goals in a 33-27 win. But Buckley, based on his uneven performance during the first month of the season, seemed to be an unlikely candidate to continue that tradition. He won the kicking job in preseason, then lost it after missing kicks from 32 and 34 yards.

"That just talks about this team," Pospisil said. "It doesn't matter where it's coming from; each and every guy is doing their part. What an amazing guy. Ice-cold veins. [Buckley's] got cold water running through there."

As stressful as the seemingly never-ending competition with sophomore Jon Teague was, in the end, Buckley said it made him a better kicker. He made a 47-yard field goal just before halftime to give Navy a 10-7 lead, and then converted one from 37 yards early in the fourth quarter to put the Midshipmen up, 13-10.

"What more can I say about Joe Buckley?" Niumatalolo said. "Fortunately we had that kickoff last week. Those kick-offs are over. He will be our field goal and PAT guy for the rest of the season."