Bowling Green, Ky. - Navy rushed for 410 yards on 57 carries, and had a pair of 100-yard rushers as the Midshipmen spoiled the home opener for the Western Kentucky University football team with a 40-14 victory Saturday evening at Houchens Industries-L.T. Smith Stadium.
"We knew going in we couldn't get behind. When Navy gets up by two or three touchdowns they can be really tough to beat," said Hilltopper head coach Willie Taggart. "They beat us physically on both sides of the ball. We didn't play assignment football like we need to, and you can't afford not to do that against a football team like Navy."
The Midshipmen - who entered 2011 on a streak of eight consecutive bowl berths - have finished in the top six of the Football Bowl Subdivision in rushing nine straight years. Navy finished the game with 510 yards of total offense.
As a heavy downpour of rain hit the WKU campus right at kickoff, it was the Midshipmen offense that took advantage of the wet conditions early in the game. On the fourth play of the contest, John Howell got loose for a 50-yard touchdown run, but the extra point try was no good as Navy took an early 6-0 lead.
A team known for its ability to run the ball, Navy went to the air for its next two scores. On the final play of the first quarter, Kriss Proctor connected with Matt Aiken on a 44-yard scoring pass to extend the lead to 13-0. On the next drive, Proctor capped off a five-play, 78-yard drive when he hooked up with Brandon Turner on a 27-yard touchdown pass, stretching the advantage to 20-0 with 11:17 remaining before halftime.
The Hilltopper offense was finally able to get in the flow the next time on the field as Kawaun Jakes connected with Jack Doyle on a key third-down reception to move into Midshipmen territory. From there, Bobby Rainey took over as he rushed for 55 yards on three carries, culminating with a 13-yard touchdown run to cut the WKU deficit to 20-7 with 7:13 remaining in the second quarter. During that drive, Rainey also became the sixth Hilltopper in history to eclipse 3,000 career rushing yards.
The Midshipmen responded quickly, however, needing just five plays to go 60 yards and get a four-yard touchdown run by Aaron Santiago to move back in front 27-7. Antonio Andrews set up the Toppers deep in Navy territory after a 75-yard kickoff return set up WKU at the 12-yard line. However, they were unable to convert, turning the ball over on downs and the deficit remained at 20 point at intermission.
A pair of early turnovers in the third quarter by the Hilltoppers stalled a comeback attempt, and Howell again broke free for a big run, scoring on a 57-yard rush with 9:10 to go in the third quarter to stretch the Navy lead to 33-7.
Redshirt freshman quarterback Brandon Doughty made his first career appearance for the Hilltoppers in the third quarter, and was able to lead his offense on a 12-play, 86-yards scoring drive. Doughty completed five of nine passes on the drive for 70 yards, including a 13-yard strike to Joel German on fourth down to keep the drive alive. Another 21-yard completion to German pushed the Hilltoppers down to the one, and Rainey finished the drive with a scoring run to make it a 33-14 score with 4:41 remaining in the third.
Doughty would finish the game 12-of-21 passing for 102 yards, but had an interception returned 49 yards for a touchdown by Tra'ves Bush with 9:51 remaining in the contest.
The Hilltoppers were able to put up 277 yards of offense themselves, with Rainey leading the rushing attack with 131 yards on 21 carries. It was also his eighth career two-touchdown game. Rainey also eclipsed 100 yards rushing for the seventh straight game - one game shy of tying the WKU school record.
Defensively, three Hilltoppers finished with double-digit tackles as Ben Duvall and Xavius Boyd each recorded career-high stops with 14 and 10, respectively. Andrew Jackson also finished with ten tackles. It was the first time WKU has seen three players make double digit stops in a game since Oct. 17, 2009 against Louisiana-Lafayette.
For Navy, Howell finished with 113 yards rushing and a pair of touchdowns, while Alex Teich ran for 102 yards on 15 carries. Proctor completed three of seven passes for 100 yards and a pair of scores.
WKU will return home next Saturday, hosting Indiana State at 6 p.m. (CDT). That game will be available for viewing live on ESPN3.
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