SportsDirect Inc. staff
Oct 11, 2014
Navy 51, Virginia Military Institute 14: Noah Copeland rushed for 107 yards and scored two touchdowns as the host Midshipmen snapped a three-game losing streak.
Tago Smith, making his second career start in place of injured Keenan Reynolds, threw for a touchdown and ran for another as Navy (3-4) won its first home game. Chris Swain added 58 yards on 11 carries while Quinton Singleton and Geoffrey Whiteside ran for first-half scores as the Midshipmen piled up 350 yards on the ground.
Damian Jones recovered a fumble in the end zone for VMI (1-6), which dropped its fourth in a row and fell to 0-10 all-time against Navy. Al Cobb threw for 202 yards with a touchdown and an interception for the FCS school.
Copeland ripped off a 64-yard TD run on Navy's first possession and Whiteside scored from 4 yards out in the final seconds of the opening quarter for a 14-0 lead. The Keydets cut the deficit in half when Joe Nelson jarred the ball loose from Smith and Jones pounced on the loose ball, but an errant snap over the punter's head gave the Midshipmen a safety to ignite a 23-point scoring spree.
Singleton capped a 58-yard drive with a 14-yard TD run with 3:01 to play before Parrish Gaines picked off Cobb and returned it 39 yards for a score to make it 30-7 with 2:05 left in the half. After Navy forced a three-and-out, Smith needed only two plays to cover 50 yards, connecting with Copeland to extend the lead to 30 points at the break.