Poinsettia Bowl Recap: Utah Holds Off Navy

SAN DIEGO (Ticker) -- Utah did just enough to fight off a furious comeback by Navy. Utah scored 28 second-half points en route to defeating, Navy 35-32, in the third annual Pointsettia Bowl on Thursday.

San Diego native Darrell Mack rushed for a one-yard score with 1:27 remaining in the game, providing the Utes a 35-25 lead and seemingly sealing a victory. But the Midshipmen, who won the inaugural Poinsettia Bowl two years ago, got a quick 58-yard strike from Kaipo-Noa Kaheaku-Enhada to Shun White to cut the deficit to 35-32 with 0:57 left in the game. After recovering the ensuing onside kickoff, Navy marched to the Utah 49-yard line before Joe Dale picked off Kaheaku-Enhada's pass to earn Utah's eighth victory in nine games.

The Utes, who struggled offensively in the first half, erased a 10-point second-half deficit with seemingly little effort, scoring three quick touchdowns to build a 28-17 advantage with 12:47 left in the fourth quarter. Utah quarterback Brian Johnson threw for a score and rushed for another, finishing the game completing 18-of-23 passes for 217 yards and throwing one interception. Mack, who went to nearby Monte Vista high school, rushed 23 times for 78 yards and two scores.

Navy cut its deficit to 28-25 when White ran for a 10-yard score with 8:48 remaining, and held Utah out of the end zone on the ensuing drive, stuffing Mack at the 1-yard line on fourth-and-goal with 3:40 left. Utah broke a scoreless tie when Mack rushed five yards to give the Utes a 7-0 lead with 8:42 left in the second quarter. Reggie Campbell, who two years ago scored five touchdowns in Navy's victory in the inaugural Poinsettia Bowl, was held out of the end zone in this one and rushed for 59 yards on seven carries. Kaheaku-Enhada completed 6-of-11 passes for 63 yards and one touchdown.

Poinsettia Bowl Preview

Utah (8-4) vs. Navy (8-4)
6:00 pm, ESPN
December 20

SAN DIEGO (Ticker) -- Trying to avoid the distraction of a coaching change, Navy faces Utah in the Poinsettia Bowl next Thursday. The Midshipmen lost their coach on December 7, when Paul Johnson resigned to take over at Georgia Tech, where he inked a seven-year contract worth more than $11 million.

Johnson compiled a 45-29 record in six seasons at Navy, guiding the Midshipmen to bowl appearances in each of the past five years. While Johnson is gone, the Midshipmen will have familiarity with new coach Ken Niumatalolo, who was promoted the day after Johnson departed. Niumatalolo had had served as assistant head coach and offensive line coach for the past six seasons for the Midshipmen.

The 42-year-old Niumatalolo and Navy are looking for another positive experience in the Poinsettia Bowl. A natural to play in the game since San Diego features a large Navy contingent, the Midshipmen posted a wild 51-30 victory over Colorado State in the inaugural Poinsettia Bowl on December 22, 2005.

That contest featured a then-bowl record 1,183 yards. In a bowl game for a fifth straight season, Navy closed the regular season with four straight wins, averaging 48.2 points. As usual, the staple for the Midshipmen is their option-running attack that leads the nation at 351.5 yards per game. Led by quarterback Kaipo-Noa Kaheaku-Enhada (782 yards), the Midshipmen have seven players who have rushed for at least 463 yards.


But Navy's offense should receive a stern test from Utah, which allowed just 15.6 points per game. A major source of concern for the Midshipmen this season has been a young defense which allows 36.5 points and 438.2 yards per contest. Another concern for the Midshipmen should be the Utes, who are making their fifth straight bowl appearance.

The Utes also have won their last six bowl games dating to 1999, the second-longest streak in the nation to Boston College, which has won seven in a row. Utah won seven of its last eight games in the regular season to finish in a tie for third place in the Mountain West Conference. Leading the way for the Utes offensively is running back Darrell Mack, who has rushed for 1,128 yards and 10 touchdowns.

Navy Names New Head Coach

ANNAPOLIS, Maryland (Ticker) - Navy turned to one its own to replace Paul Johnson. The service academy announced Saturday that longtime assistant Ken Niumatalolo has been promoted to coach. The 42-year-old becomes the 38th coach in Navy's history. Navy said it believes the Hawaii graduate to be the first Polynesian coach in NCAA history. Niumatalolo replaces Johnson, who left to become Georgia Tech coach on Friday. "It's an honor and a privilege to be named head football coach at the Naval Academy," Niumatalolo said. "I would like to thank Adm. Fowler and (Naval Academy Director of Athletics Chet) Gladchuk for supporting me and I am excited about the future of the Navy football program. I am in the process of putting together a coaching staff that will give us a every opportunity to continue the winning tradition at the Naval Academy." Niumatalolo is an offensive specialist, who worked as offensive coordinator for Navy in 1997-98 before leaving to work at UNLV as an assistant coach . He returned to Annapolis as assistant head coach in 2002. Since that time, Navy has compiled a 43-19 record and won five straight Commander-In-Chief's Trophies. Navy (8-4) will play Utah in the Poinsettia Bowl on December 20.

Poinsettia Bowl Pits Navy Against Utah

SAN DIEGO - The third annual San Diego County Credit Union Poinsettia Bowl will feature a matchup between the Utah Utes and Navy Midshipmen on Thursday, December 20 at 6 p.m. at Qualcomm Stadium. The game kicks off the 2007-08 bowl season and will be televised nationally on ESPN.

Utah finished the regular season 8-4, 5-3 in the Mountain West Conference. The Utes have won its last six bowl games, dating back to 1999, which is the second-longest postseason win streak in the nation. San Diego County Credit Union Poinsettia Bowl marks the fifth-straight bowl appearance for the Utes.

Utah is led by junior running back Darrell Mack, who recently became the ninth Ute to rush for more than 1,000 yards in a season. He is ranked 31st in the nation in yards per game (102.5). Utah finished in the top five nationally in scoring defense this season, despite losing All-American Eric Weddle to the San Diego Chargers in the 2007 NFL draft.

Navy finished their season with an 8-4 record after its victory over Army on Saturday. The Poinsettia Bowl marks the first time in school history that Navy has gone to five straight bowl games. The Naval Academy's appearance in this year's Poinsettia Bowl will mark the third time they have played in a bowl game in San Diego. The Midshipmen defeated the BYU Cougars 24-17 in the first Holiday Bowl in 1978. They beat the Colorado State Rams 51-30 in the inaugural Poinsettia Bowl in 2005.

The 2006 San Diego County Credit Union Poinsettia Bowl featured a 37-7 TCU Horned Frogs victory over Northern Illinois Huskies. Tickets for the can be purchased by calling TicketMaster at 619-220-TIXS (8497), or by visiting www.poinsettiabowl.net.