Navy, North Texas run up the score in record fashion
DENTON, Texas -- Navy is no stranger to high-scoring games. The Midshipmen have an NCAA record, and a bowl berth-clinching victory, to show for their latest one.
The Midshipmen and North Texas scored a major-college record 136 points in Navy's 74-62 victory Saturday.
"There wasn't a whole lot of defense being played on either side. Look at them, they scored 62 and they lost," Navy coach Paul Johnson said. "If we don't score every time we get the ball, we're in a deep hole."
Navy, the nation's best rushing offense, set a school record by running for 572 yards with 8 rushing TDs a week after snapping a 43-year losing streak to Notre Dame.
Zerbin Singleton ran for 3 TDs, with a 3-yard run just before halftime and a 65-yarder midway through the third quarter that pushed Navy ahead 58-49. The long run was the fourth straight touchdown for the Midshipmen (6-4), a stretch that put them ahead for the first time.
"In a shootout, we feel comfortable," fullback Adam Campbell said. "I have a saying, 'When the leaves turn colors, watch out, because that's when our offense really starts getting rolling.' "
The Midshipmen tied a school record by scoring at least 30 points for the eighth straight game. That stretch included previous victories of 46-43, 48-45 and 46-44, with a 59-52 loss. They scored their most points in a game since beating Colby 121-0 in 1919.
Still, this wasn't even the highest-scoring game of the season. Weber State and Portland State racked up 141 for the all-division record two weeks ago. Weber State won 73-68 in a Football Championship Subdivision (formerly I-AA) game.
The previous record for college football's top tier of competition was 133 points in San Jose State's 70-63 victory over Rice on Oct. 2, 2004. Boise State beat Nevada 69-67 earlier this year, totaling 136 points, but that Oct. 14 game went to four overtimes. The teams were tied at 44-44 after regulation.
Rice also had the highest score by a losing team in that game, a distinction the Mean Green (1-8) missed out on by a single point.
"I have never been a part of a game quite like this," said coach Todd Dodge, who went 79-1 with four Texas Class 5A state high school championships and plenty of high-scoring games at Southlake Carroll the past five seasons before taking the UNT job.
"I knew that we would have to score on nearly every possession and maybe steal a possession or two with turnovers."
Singleton's 65-yard score was set up after Ram Vela intercepted a pass by Giovanni Vizza, who was 40 of 50 for 478 yards and an NCAA freshman-record 8 touchdown passes. Both of Vizza's interceptions came in the second half.
Navy's sixth victory guaranteed it a spot in the Poinsettia Bowl in San Diego on Dec. 20. It will be the Midshipmen's fifth straight bowl game, and they will play a Mountain West Conference team in their third bowl game in San Diego.