Worth directs late TD drive; Mids stay unbeaten

Green Wave loses home game against Navy for the first time since 1994

NEW ORLEANS — Quarterback Will Worth scored the go-ahead touchdown with just under three minutes remaining as Navy overcame a tough Tulane defense and its own costly mistakes to pull out a gritty 21-14 victory in front of an announced 21,503 at Yulman Stadium on Saturday night.

Worth directed a clutch 10-play, 72-yard touchdown drive late in the fourth quarter as the Midshipmen rallied from a 14-13 deficit. Worth scored the game-winner on a 1-yard run then completed a 2-point conversion pass to account for the winning margin.

“The offense had confidence we could move the ball. We just had to finish a drive,” Worth said. “It was great to see the offensive line pushing, the slotbacks and wide receivers doing their job. Everyone was giving everything they had on that last drive.”

Tulane got the ball back with enough time to mount a tying touchdown drive but failed to pick up a first down. Linebacker D.J. Palmore sacked backup quarterback Glen Cuiellette on fourth-and-11 to end the suspense.

“Great win. That’s a really good football team,” Navy coach Ken Niumatalolo said. “What we saw tonight is what we expected. Two option running teams, it was a back-alley fight. They punched us, we punched them. Fortunately, we found a way to win at the end.”

Worth finished with 111 rushing yards on 26 carries to lead Navy, which has started 3-0 TV: Radio: in consecutive seasons for the first time since 1978 and 1979. Gulley added 80 yards on just seven pitchouts for the Mids, who improved to 2-0 in the American Athletic Conference.

“We knew they were going to be a tough defense and tough to move the ball against. Toward the end of the game, our guys dug down deep and were able to make some good blocks,” Worth said.

It was a defensive slugfest, with Navy being held to 359 yards and Tulane totaling just 261. The Mids hurt themselves by losing two fumbles in the home team’s territory.

“Normally, if we have two turnovers and a missed extra point, that would spell doom,” Niumatalolo said. “Our guys found a way. The defense made some big stops when it counted. The offense came through with a huge drive at the end of the game.”

Tailback Dontrell Hilliard ran for 97 yards and a touchdown to lead Tulane (1-2, 0-1), which lost a home game against Navy for the first time since 1994.

Navy offensive coordinator Ivin Jasper went to the air in an attempt to loosen up the Tulane defense, which used a 5-3 defense with almost nine men in the box at all times. Worth threw a season-high 12 passes but completed just five for 59 yards.

The Mids did seem to wear down the Green Wave, with numerous defenders going down with cramps in the second half.

It was a real defensive struggle in the first half, with each team managing just one sustained drive. Navy amassed 139 total yards of offense while Tulane totaled 131.

Navy got on the board first, marching 94 yards on 15 plays and taking 7:17 off the clock. Worth completed a 19-yard pass to wide receiver Jamir Tillman along the right sideline to get the ball to midfield. Slotback Dishan Romine rambled 21 yards on a reverse to convert a third-and-12 situation and keep the drive alive.

Slotback Toneo Gulley gained 18 yards on a tough run, bowling over a would-be tackler en route to the Tulane 6-yard line. Fullback Chris High took it in from there, racing untouched into the end zone to make it 7-0 with 32 second elapsed in the second quarter.

Tulane responded on the ensuing possession, gouging Navy on the ground with its spread option. Backup tailback Josh Rounds gained 52 of 75 yards on the drive, which tied the score at seven with 10:22 left in the half. Brantley took a quarterback draw 26 yards while the Green Wave had four other runs of 12 yards or more on the march, which ended with Rounds plowing over from 2 yards out.

Take away the two scoring drives and the Mids were limited to a mere 45 yards while the Green Wave managed only 56. Navy’s total was reduced by losses suffered when Worth was dropped for three sacks.

Navy got the ball to start the second half and had a promising drive spoiled by a lost fumble. Sophomore slotback Tre Walker had the ball knocked out by the helmet of free safety Jarrod Franklin and defensive end Ade Aruna recovered at the Tulane 30-yard line.

A chop block penalty threatened to derail another drive into Tulane territory on Navy’s ensuing possession. However, Worth made up for the 15-yard infraction by ripping off back-to-back runs of 14 and 11 yards to pick up a critical first down at the 15-yard line.

Four plays later, backup fullback Shawn White rumbled over from 4 yards away to give Navy a 13-7 lead with 4:52 left in the third period. Bennett Moehring prevented the Mids from taking a touchdown lead by missing the extra-point try wide left.

As was the case in the first half, Tulane answered the Navy touchdown immediately — marching 76 yards to take its first lead of the game.

Navy went three-and-out on the subsequent possession, but got a lift when Erik Harris boomed a 48-yard punt. The defense then forced a quick punt and the Mids got the ball right back at their 45-yard line.

Gulley ran 23 yards on first down to get Navy to the Tulane 32-yard line. However, the Mids turned the ball over on the next play as Romine could not handle a quick pitch from Worth.

Tulane proceeded to move into Navy territory with Hilliard breaking a 20-yard run. However, the defense stiffened and DiRocco’s 45-yard field-goal attempt was wide left.

Navy took over at its 28-yard line and marched 72 yards in 10 plays while taking almost five minutes off the clock to go up 21-14 with 2:57 to go. Navy Tulane SECOND QUARTER NAV: High 6 run (Moehring kick), 14:33 TUL: Rounds 2 run (DiRocco kick), 10:27 THIRD QUARTER NAV: Sh.White 4 run (kick failed), 4:55 TUL: Hilliard 36 run (DiRocco kick), :26 FOURTH QUARTER NAV: Worth 1 run (Gulley pass from Worth), 2:59 TEAM STATS 0 0 7 7 6 7 8 0 — — 21 14 First downs 20 15 Rushes-yards 55-287 47-240 Passing 59 21 Comp-att-int 5-12-0 3-12-0 Return yards 0 58 Punts-avg. 4-36.5 5-40.2 Fumbles-lost 2-2 1-0 Penalties-yards 3-30 9-71 Time of poss 31:06 28:54 RUSHING: Navy, Worth 26-111, Gulley 7-80, High 9-51, Romine 4-43, T.Walker 2-10, Sh.White 2-6, J.Walker 1-1, Cass Jr. 1-(minus 2), (Team) 3-(minus 13)|Tulane, Hilliard 16-97, Rounds 11-75, Brantley 10-29, Encalade 2-23, L.Thompson 6-20, Cuiellette 2-(minus 4). PASSING: Navy, Worth 5-12-0-59. Tulane, Brantley 3-12-0-21. RECEIVING: Navy, Tillman 3-47, C.Scott 1-7, Sh.White 1-5. Tulane, 2-16, Breaux 1-5. MISSED FIELD GOALS: Tulane, DiRocco 45 Hilliard