Navy 24, Rutgers 41

1234T
NAVY (1-1)7071024
RUTG (2-0)141031441

Final

7:00 PM ET, September 7, 2007
Rutgers Stadium
PISCATAWAY, NJ

Rice scores 3 TDs, sets Rutgers record as Knights defeat Navy

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Top 25 Overview
It was over when... QB Mike Teel found Kenny Britt on a 53-yard TD to put Rutgers up 34-17 with 9:05 left in the third quarter.
Gameball goes to... Ray Rice. Another noteworthy performance by a Heisman candidate. The Rutgers RB ran for 175 yards and 2 TDs.
Stat of the game... 3. The number of interceptions thrown by QB Kaipo-Noa Kaheaku-Enhada (5-12, 35 yards, TD) for passing-challenged Navy.
Team Stat Comparison
 
1st Downs2024
Total Yards289476
Passing35266
Rushing254210
Penalties5-4011-100
3rd Down Conversions8-156-10
4th Down Conversions1-11-1
Turnovers31
Possession29:0430:56
Individual Leaders
Navy Passing
 C/ATTYDSTDINT
Kaheaku-...5/123513
Rutgers Passing
 C/ATTYDSTDINT
Teel14/1926631
Navy Rushing
 CARYDSTDLG
Kettani948013
Ballard124206
Singleton536022
Rutgers Rushing
 CARYDSTDLG
Rice37175219
Young52607
Brown1909
Navy Receiving
 RECYDSTDLG
Sudderth220015
Campbell21219
White1303
Rutgers Receiving
 RECYDSTDLG
Underwood6104024
Britt399153
Rice340122
Graves112112
Scoring Summary
FIRST QUARTERNAVYRUTG
TD8:29SHAMAR GRAVES 12 YD PASS FROM MIKE TEEL (JEREMY ITO KICK)
Drive info: 3 plays, 40 yards.
07
TD4:58RAY RICE 4 YD RUN (JEREMY ITO KICK)
Drive info: 3 plays, 25 yards.
014
TD0:16REGGIE CAMPBELL 3 YD PASS FROM KAIPO-NOA KAHEAKU-ENHADA (MATTHEW HARMON KICK)
Drive info: 11 plays, 57 yards.
714
SECOND QUARTERNAVYRUTG
FG9:49JEREMY ITO 28 YD FG
Drive info: 12 plays, 51 yards.
717
TD0:34RAY RICE 22 YD PASS FROM MIKE TEEL (JEREMY ITO KICK)
Drive info: 8 plays, 80 yards.
724
THIRD QUARTERNAVYRUTG
TD12:19KAIPO-NOA KAHEAKU-ENHADA 2 YD RUN (MATTHEW HARMON KICK)
Drive info: 7 plays, 67 yards.
1424
FG2:34JEREMY ITO 20 YD FG
Drive info: 15 plays, 77 yards.
1427
FOURTH QUARTERNAVYRUTG
FG11:01MATTHEW HARMON 34 YD FG
Drive info: 16 plays, 64 yards.
1727
TD9:05KENNY BRITT 53 YD PASS FROM MIKE TEEL (JEREMY ITO KICK)
Drive info: 4 plays, 71 yards.
1734
TD2:17RAY RICE 2 YD RUN (JEREMY ITO KICK)
Drive info: 9 plays, 50 yards.
1741
TD0:52JAROD BRYANT 4 YD RUN (MATTHEW HARMON KICK)
Drive info: 4 plays, 42 yards.
2441
Associated Press

PISCATAWAY, N.J. (AP) -- Ray Rice became the career rushing leader at No. 15 Rutgers, and still had to share the spotlight with his defense.

Rice rushed for 175 yards and scored three touchdowns, and the Scarlet Knights defense intercepted three passes and made a big fourth-quarter stand to hold off stubborn Navy 41-24 on Friday night.

"It was coming sooner or later," Rutgers quarterback Mike Teel said of Rice's record. "He deserves everything he's got, including the record. He is a tremendous football player, the heart and soul of the offense, and when we needed a play, he was there to make a play. He trains for games like this."

Rice scored on runs of 4 and 2 yards and caught his first touchdown pass on a 22-yard catch and run from Teel late in the first half.

Rice was a workhorse against Navy. He surpassed Terrell Willis' old rushing record of 3,114 with a 19-yard run on his second carry and put the game away with his short TD run on his 37th and final rush of the night.

"It really feels better when you win the game, too," said Rice, who now has 3,273 yards rushing in his career. "None of my individual stats mean that much. It's just another stat in the book. To do it here at Rutgers and have everyone supporting you is great."

Teel, who was 14-of-19 for 266 yards, also threw a 12-yard TD pass to Shamar Graves and clinched the game with a 53-yard touchdown pass to Kenny Britt with 9:05 to play.

Jeremy Ito kicked field of 28 and 20 yards as the Scarlet Knights (2-0) won their ninth straight game at home despite 11 penalties for 100 yards.

Kaipo-Noa Kaheaku-Enhada tossed a 3-yard touchdown pass to Reggie Campbell and scored on a 2-yard run, but he became the first Navy quarterback in 10 years to be intercepted three times in a game. And each pick was very costly for the Midshipmen (1-1).

"I got back threw and just made really poor decisions tonight," said Kaheaku-Enhada, who completed just five of 12 passes for 35 yards.

George Johnson got the first interception at the Navy 24 in the first quarter with Rutgers ahead 7-0. It set up Rice's first touchdown.

With Navy down 17-7 late in the first half, Kaheaku-Enhada, who had only thrown one interception in his last 56 attempts, drove the Middies to the Rutgers 4. On a second and goal, linebacker Damaso Munoz put pressure on the quarterback and he threw to ball right to safety Ron Girault in the end zone.

Rutgers went 80 yards on the ensuing possession and opened a 24-7 lead when Rice scored on the screen with 34 seconds left in the half.

Kaheaku-Enhada scored on the opening possession of the second half to cut the lead to 24-14, and cornerback Ketric Buffin intercepted Teel on the Scarlet Knights' next possession, giving Navy the ball at the Rutgers 34.

The Middies got a first down at the Rutgers 22, but Kaheaku-Enhada went play action after a time out and was intercepted in the back of the end zone by safety Courtney Greene.

"We have guys who make big plays," said Rutgers defensive tackle Eric Foster, who had 13 tackle and half of a sack. "Our safeties had two big interceptions. We have guys who make plays and that's what great defenses have."

The last time Navy was intercepted three times in a game was against Tulane in 2000. The last Navy quarterback to throw three interceptions in a game was Chris McCoy against Notre Dame on Nov. 1, 1997.

Rutgers followed the last pick with a 15-play drive that Ito capped with his 20-yarder for a 27-14 lead.

Navy had one more chance to get back in the game, moving from its own 20 to the Rutgers 18 for a first down. However, three plays netted two yards and the Middies settled for a 34-yard field goal by Matt Harmon, cutting the lead to 27-17.

Teel's long touchdown pass to Britt and Rice's late 2-yard scamper for his sixth touchdown of the season nailed down Rutgers' third straight win over Navy.

"Rice is a great running back," Navy linebacker Irv Spencer said. "Everything the papers say about him is true."

Navy backup quarterback Jarod Bryant closed out the scoring with a 2-yard run with less than a minute to play. The Midshipmen, who rushed for 361 yards in a win over Temple last week, ran for 254 against Rutgers.

"Navy is a tough, tough outfit," Rutgers coach Greg Schiano said. "I'm glad we have the victory and have this behind us."

The game drew a crowd of 43,514, the third largest in Rutgers' history and the fourth straight sellout, a school record.

College Football Scores

Other Scores:

Thursday, September 6th
Middle Tennessee 42 Final
Louisville 58
Oregon State 3 Final
Cincinnati 34
Friday, September 7th
Navy 24 Final
Rutgers 41
Saturday, September 8th
West Virginia 48 Final
Marshall 23
Grambling State 10 Final
Pittsburgh 34
Maine 0 Final
Connecticut 38
Syracuse 0 Final
Iowa 35
South Florida 26 Final
Auburn 23 OT