2007 Navy vs. North Texas football game

NCAAFootballSingleGameHeader
Name=Most points scored in a regulation major college football game
Date=November 10, 2007
Year=2007
Visitor School=United States Naval Academy
Visitor Name Short=Navy
Visitor Nickname=Midshipmen
Visitor Record=5–4
Visitor

Visitor Coaches=
Visitor BCS=
Visitor Coach=Paul Johnson
Visitor1=10
Visitor2=35
Visitor3=20
Visitor4=9
Visitor5=
Visitor6=
Visitor7=
Visitor Total=74
Home School=University of North Texas
Home Name Short=North Texas
Home Nickname=Mean Green
Home Record=1–7
Home

Home Coaches=
Home BCS=
Home Coach=Todd Dodge
Home1=21
Home2=28
Home3=7
Home4=6
Home5=
Home6=
Home7=
Home Total=62
Type=Regular season game
Stadium=Fouts Field
City=Denton, Texas

The 2007 Navy vs. North Texas football game featured the most points scored in a college football game involving D-IA/FBS opponents during the regulation four quarters of play since the NCAA began keeping records in 1937. On November 10 2007, the Navy Midshipmen defeated the North Texas Mean Green 74–62 at North Texas' home Fouts Field in Denton, Texas. With the win, Navy improved to 6–4 and became eligible for a bowl game. North Texas fell to 1–8 on the season.cite news | url=http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/recap?gameId=273140249 | title=Navy, N. Texas score most combined points in regulation FBS game | author=Associated Press | publisher="ESPN.com" | date=2007-11-10 |accessdate=2007-11-10]

Leading into the game

The 2007 Navy Midshipmen football team came into the game 5–4 on the season. In their first 8 games they achieved victories against Temple, Duke, Air Force, Pittsburgh. Losses against Rutgers, Ball State, Wake Forest, and Delaware put them 4–4 on the season. In their ninth game, they ended a 43 year losing streak to Notre Dame—the longest such streak between annual opponents in college football history. Navy won that game in triple overtime.cite news | url=http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/boxscore?gameId=273070087&confId=18| title=Navy 46, Notre Dame 44 - Play by Play | publisher="ESPN.com" | date=November 32007|accessdate=2007-11-03]

With three games remaining in the season, Navy needed to win at least one in order to be invited to a bowl game. The Poinsettia Bowl and Navy had arranged for Navy to play in that bowl if they reached six wins. [cite news | url=http://www.poinsettiabowl.net/2007/bowl-eligible-navy-to-play-in-2007-sdccu-poinsettia-bowl.html | title=Bowl Eligible Navy to Play in 2007 SDCCU Poinsettia Bowl | work=PoinsettiaBowl.net | publisher=San Diego County Credit Union | date=March 4 2007|accessdate=2007-11-04]

Both teams play NCAA Division I FBS football, which is the highest division of play. Navy competes as an independent team, unaffiliated with any conference; the Mean Green play in the Sun Belt Conference.

The loss dropped the 2007 North Texas Mean Green football team to 1–8 on the season.

Game summary

Although Navy won the game, the gave up 14 points before they took their first offensive snap. North Texas' Casey Fitzgerald caught a 9-yard touchdown pass to conclude the opening drive, then North Texas recovered an onside kick and scored again on the resulting drive. After a Navy field goal, North Texas added another TD, giving them a 21-3 lead. The first quarter ended with the Mean Green up 21-10 after Navy had scored a TD with 7 seconds remaining.cite web|url=http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/playbyplay?gameId=273140249&period=0 |title=Navy 74, N. Texas 62: Complete Play-by-Play |publisher="ESPN.com" |date=2007-11-11 |accessdate=2007-11-11]

After a North Texas three-and-out to start the second quarter, and Navy fumbling on their second play from scrimmage in that quarter with the Mean Green recovering, the teams proceeded to light up the scoreboard. The next eight possessions—four from each team—ended in touchdowns; four of the drives took less than a minute to reach the end zone, and a fifth took barely over a minute. The Midshipmen were finally able to force a three-and-out in the last two minutes. After they got the ball at midfield after a punt, the pairing that was responsible for the winning points in Navy's historic win over Notre Dame struck, with Kaipo-Noa Kaheaku-Enhada connecting with Reggie Campbell on a 47-yard pass play. The Midshipmen ran for a TD on the next play. North Texas got the ball back with 7 seconds left, but chose not to go for the end zone, ending the half up 49-45.Navy got the ball to start the third quarter, and went on a drive of 9 plays, all runs, for 60 yards, ending in a TD. This gave them their first lead of the game at 51-49 (the extra point was missed). North Texas responded with a drive of their own, but then another hero of the Notre Dame win stepped up with a big play. Ram Vela, who leaped over an Irish blocker to assist in a spectacular fourth-down sack of Evan Sharpley near the end of regulation in the Notre Dame game, intercepted Giovanni Vizza at the Mean Green 20. Three plays later, Zerbin Singleton ran for 65 yards and a TD, giving the Midshipmen breathing room at 58-49. This breathing room did not last, as the Mean Green responded with a 7-play, 59-yard drive ending in another Vizza TD pass to Fitzgerald. Navy struck back on their next play from scrimmage, with Eric Kettani running for 49 yards; two more Kettani runs saw Navy in the end zone again and ahead 65-56. The quarter ended with that score and North Texas driving.

The Mean Green drive would end in another interception, this time by Matt Wimsatt. The ensuing Navy drive stalled at midfield, but they were able to down the ensuing punt at the North Texas 2-yard line. Two plays later, the Mean Green were called for holding in the end zone, giving Navy a safety. Campbell returned the ensuing free kick for a TD and a 74-56 lead. North Texas then went on a long drive ending in a Micah Mosley TD run; their two-point conversion attempt failed, leaving them down 74-62. They attempted an onside kick, but Navy recovered; one first down was enough to enable them to run out the clock for the win.

Analysis

With 136 total points, the game set the NCAA Division I FBS record for most total points scored in a regulation-length game. The previous record for college football's top division (previously called Division I-A) was 133 points during San Jose State's 70-63 win over Rice in 2004. That game also featured the highest score by a losing team.

Four other record-high games occurred during the 2007–2008 season. On October 14, Boise State beat Nevada 69-67 in four overtimes, setting a Division I FBS record for total points and equaling the all-division record. That game was tied at 44 after regulation play. Less than two weeks later on October 27, Weber State defeated Portland State 73-68 in a regulation-length Division I FCS game. The Weber State-Portland game set a record for most points scored at any level of college football since the NCAA began keeping official records in 1937. That record lasted only two weeks, as on the same day as the Navy-North Texas game, Hartwick defeated Utica 72-70 in a four-overtime Division III game. Then, in the second round of the NCAA Division II playoffs on November 24, Chadron State defeated Abilene Christian 76-73 in three overtimes after coming back from a 49-20 fourth-quarter deficit to tie the game at 56 at the end of regulation.cite news|url=http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/wire?section=ncf&id=3126146 |title=Chadron St. rallies from 29 down in 4th quarter to win in 3 OTs |author=Associated Press |publisher="ESPN.com" |date=2007-11-24 |accessdate=2007-11-28] The Weber State-Portland game still holds the record for most points scored in regulation.

In addition to the Division I FBS total points record set by Navy vs. North Texas, the 94 first-half points and the 63 combined points in the second quarter, both set college records. The previous record for points in a half was 76, set by Houston and Tulsa in 1968. The former record for total points in quarter was 61, achieved by San Jose State and Hawaii in the fourth quarter of a November 1999 game.

Navy came into the game with the best rushing offense, statistically, of any team in the nation. They set a school record by running for 572 yards with eight rushing touchdowns in the game. The Midshipmen tied another school record by scoring at least 30 points for the eighth consecutive game.

Mean Green coach Todd Dodge said, "I have never been a part of a game quite like this. I knew that we would have to score on nearly every possession and maybe steal a possession or two with turnovers."

The win guaranteed the Midshipmen a spot in the 2007 Poinsettia Bowl, which was held in San Diego, California on December 20 2007 with Navy losing to Utah 35-32.cite news|url=http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/wire?section=ncf&id=3164408 |title=Johnson, Mack lead Utah to 35-32 Poinsettia Bowl win over Navy |author=Associated Press |publisher="ESPN.com" |date=2007-12-21 |accessdate=2008-01-09] It was the fifth straight bowl game for Navy.

ee also

*College football rules
*American football strategy
*Glossary of American football
*1916 Cumberland vs. Georgia Tech football game — Georgia Tech 222, Cumberland 0 in a game played before the NCAA began keeping records, and against a team that had dropped football
*2001 GMAC Bowl — the highest-scoring bowl game in history, both at the end of regulation and the end of the game

Notes and references

External links

* [http://navysports.cstv.com/sports/m-footbl/navy-m-footbl-body.html Official Navy Football website]
* [http://www.meangreensports.com Official North Texas Mean Green website]