Temple University Athletics
Navy Runs Past Temple, 42-6, In Season Finale
11.18.06 | Football
Nov. 18, 2006
ANNAPOLIS, MD - Sophomore quarterback Kalpo-Noa Kaheaku-Enhada rushed for 140 yards and two touchdowns to lead Navy to a 42-6 win over Temple on Saturday afternoon in front of 33, 927 fans Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium. The win improved the Midshipmen to 8-3 on the season while the Owls ended their first season under head coach Al Golden with a 1-11 mark.
The nation's top rushing team at 324.5 yards per game, Navy had no trouble moving the ball on the ground against the young Owl defense. Kaheaku-Enhada directed a Midshipmen offense that rushed for five touchdowns and 263 first half yards in building a 35-0 halftime lead. The Navy quarterback only attempted six passes over the first 30 minutes, completing three for 35 yards.
Kaheaku-Enhada gained 116 yards in the first half and scored both of his touchdowns in the opening two quarters. Shun White carried six times for 64 yards and one score in the opening half while Trey Hines added a nine-yard TD run and senior Byron McCoy scored his first career touchdown in his final home game, a one-yard plunge to cap the scoring with 38 seconds remaining in the half.
Offensively, the Owls struggled to move the ball, making just two first downs on 83 total yards in the first half. Both first downs came in the final six minutes of the second quarter when sophomore quarterback Adam DiMichele (9-18, 74 yards) found seniors Tim Brown and Mike Holley for 14 and 17 yard first down receptions. DiMichele nearly found pay dirt on a 40-yard pass play to senior wide receiver Nick Santa Cruz on a third-down play, but the pass was broken up in the end zone. Temple turned the ball over on downs on the next play.
Brown struggled against a stingy Midshipmen defense in his final collegiate game, carrying the ball 12 times for 24 yards. He also made a team-high six catches for 63 yards. Holley had a career-high 78 receiving yards while matching his career-high with five catches in his final game at Temple.
The Owls defense cane out strong in the second half, holding Navy scoreless in the third quarter. Sophomore Georg Coleman set the tone on the Midshipmen's first possession, sacking Kaheaku-Enhada on a third-down play. Freshman Jason Harper then partially blocked Navy's punt.
Freshman quarterback Vaughn Charlton entered the game with 1:31 in the third quarter following a fumble recovery by Coleman. He proceed to complete six consecutive passes, leading the Owls on their best drive of the contest, a eight-play, 65-yarder that was capped by a 12-yard touchdown pass to Josh Bundy to make the score 35-6 with 13:39.
White (7 rushes, 114 yards) scored his second touchdown just two plays later, a 50-yard run to push the lead to 42-6.
Charlton, who had his best outing of the season, completed his first eight passes en route to a career-high 142 yards on 11-of-14 attempts. He left the game with just over seven minutes to play after taking a helmet to the ribs, but returned on the same drive, to complete two passes, the second a 19-yarder to Brown that gave Temple a first-and-goal at the one.
Navy gave no ground as first Brown and then Bundy (twice) tried to plow in for the score. Harper then tried a halfback pass that was intercepted by safety Ketric Buffin to end the threat.
Overall, Navy rushed for 420 yards on 56 carries and compiled 455 total yards. The Owls compiled 229 yards of total offense, including 216 passing yards.
Senior linebacker Walter Mebane led the defense with 10 tackles in his final game as an Owl. Freshman Brian Sanford had nine tackles, one for a loss, while Coleman added eight tackles, one for a loss, and a sack. Sanford's tackle for loss forced the first Navy punt in over nine quarters (133 minutes).
Senior Ryan Gore capped his career with an eight-tackle game while fellow senior Chris Page had an interception in his final collegiate contest.
