Duke sinks Navy

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Posted 7:39AM on Sunday, September 29, 2002

ANNAPOLIS, MARYLAND - There was no wild celebration, no Gatorade bath for the coach and no bragging afterward. It's almost as if Duke now expects to win which is precisely the case. Alex Wade ran for 123 yards and two touchdowns, and wide receiver Senterrio Landrum scored on a 69-yard run as the Blue Devils handed Navy its 12th straight home loss, 43-17 Saturday. Duke (2-3), which started the season with a 23-game losing streak, is off to its best start since 1998. But the Blue Devils aren't done yet. ``We know we have a lot more football to play and a lot to prove,'' said Adam Smith, who threw two touchdown passes. A year ago, the Blue Devils would have been happy with one victory. Now they're not even content with two. ``It feels great, but we're a little disappointed. We should have three wins now,'' said defensive end Micah Harris. Earlier this season, Duke held an eight-point lead in the third quarter against Northwestern, but lost 26-21. This time, the Blue Devils pulled away with a 21-point third quarter. ``After two years of not winning, it's hard when you get up on a team and don't finish them off,'' Smith said. ``Today, we finished them off.'' After trailing 10-3 in the second quarter, Duke used a 40-point run to surge past the turnover-plagued Midshipmen (1-3). Smith went 11-for-17 for 144 yards, and backup Chris Dapolito also threw a touchdown pass. ``It was great to see our guys regroup,'' Duke coach Carl Franks said. ``Being down early, it's a testament to the character of this team to be able to come back and put that many points on the board.'' Navy had four turnovers, including three fumbles. Quarterback Craig Candeto scored a touchdown but was pulled in the third quarter after completing only three passes and losing a fumble. ``We are not very good right now,'' Navy coach Paul Johnson said. ``I know they want to win. Do they know how? No. Our guys are trying hard, but they just can't do some things.'' The Midshipmen have committed 12 turnovers and allowed 157 points in their last three games all at home, where they're 1-17 since October 1998. ``We're not like Miami, where we can drop a ball on one play and then blow past them on the next one,'' Johnson said. Navy led 10-3 in the second quarter before Duke moved 80 yards in 12 plays, reaching the end zone on an 11-yard pass from Smith to tight end Calen Powell. But Brent Garber, who earlier made a 50-yard field goal, botched the conversion. It hardly mattered. Minutes later, Landrum put the Blue Devils ahead for good, taking an inside handoff before sprinting down the right sideline on Duke's longest play of the season. As the half wound down, a Navy punt rolled out of bounds at the Duke 1. The Midshipmen called two straight timeouts, hoping to get the ball back, but Smith instead took Duke the distance, connecting on a 45-yard touchdown pass to Khary Sharpe for a 22-10 halftime lead. ``That was one of the most meaningful passes I've ever thrown,'' Smith said. ``It gave us some excitement and took some of the wind out of their sails.'' In the third quarter, Dapolito followed a Navy fumble with an 8-yard TD pass to Reggie Love, and Lane scored on runs of 7 and 16 yards to make it 43-10.