PHILADELPHIA, PA - Navy safety Wyatt Middleton got his revenge. "You guys know those spirit spots? I know Army did a little Shake Weight spirit spot, and they kind of (mockingly) put me in there. So that was just a little fun thing for them right there."
Middleton exacted his revenge Saturday in the 111th Army-Navy game, returning a fumble 98 yards for a touchdown just before halftime to stake Navy to a 24-7 lead. The play earned Middleton Philadelphia Sportswriters Player of the Game honors and helped the Midshipmen beat rival Army 31-17.
His playmaking wasn't totally unexpected. "Before the game, I told (assistant) coach (Buddy) Green I'd score a touchdown" admitted Middleton afterward.
"That play was a huge turning point in the game," said Navy coach Ken Niumatalolo. "They had us reeling a little bit."
Said senior offensive tackle Jeff Battipaglia, "that was probably the biggest (turnover) I've seen in my life."
Fumbles -- and turnovers -- were a central theme to this year's matchup. The schools combined for six turnovers thanks to five fumbles lost -- six overall -- and an interception.
It was an unexpected ball-security fiasco for two schools that came into the game among the nation's top 16 in turnover margin. Several entries in releases distributed to media before the game stressed the schools' strength at avoiding turnovers.
"Army has made one of its goals for the 2010 season to be the No. 1 ranked team in the nation in turnover margin," read one such passage.
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