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Houston Bowl 2003
Texas Tech 38 Navy 14
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Neither he nor the school ever had revealed how badly Symons hurt
himself Oct. 11 while jumping to celebrate a TD pass to teammate Wes
Welker. After finishing his career by extending his single-season
passing record to 5,833 yards, he told reporters he will undergo
reconstructive surgery on his anterior cruciate ligament next Tuesday.
His gritty performance, the seventh on the bad leg, lifted Tech (8-5) to
the first back-to-back bowl victories in school history.
The game ended a remarkable turnaround season for Navy (8-5), which
won just three games over the previous three years. Quarterback Craig
Candeto, at the controls of coach Paul Johnson's top-ranked rushing
offense, ran for 90 yards and both touchdowns in his last game.
Candeto's 2-yard TD run early in the third quarter pulled Navy within
14-7 against the larger, faster and more highly recruited Red Raiders.
Navy did it all with virtually no threat of the pass as Candeto
completed just two for 33 yards. The Red Raiders' No. 1 passing offense
responded, with Symons leading them back quickly to set up a 4-yard TD
run by Taurean Henderson. Keith Toogood tacked on a 21-yard field goal
for a 24-7 lead.
Tech's 110th-ranked defense never quite stopped Navy, which rolled up
289 yards rushing, but slowed the Midshipmen enough despite a
fourth-quarter scoring plunge by Candeto. Symons poured it on at the end
with TD passes to Jarrett Hicks (video) and Mickey Peters
(video).
Tech, which beat Clemson in last year's Tangerine Bowl, improved its
postseason record to 7-19-1. Navy, invited because the Southeastern
Conference couldn't supply a team, returned to bowl play for the first
time in seven years and only the second time since 1981.
Symons ended his senior year with 52 TD passes, second only to the 54
thrown by Houston's David Klingler in 1994. His favorite target, Welker,
tied an NCAA record by catching a pass in his 41st consecutive game.
Johnson, unaware of how banged up Symons was, came away duly
impressed. "He's got a rocket for an arm. He's definitely a competitor
and a tough kid," Johnson said. "I don't have enough good things to say
about him. He did a great job."
Candeto headed into his five-year service commitment with 33 career
touchdowns rushing, pulling ahead of Navy's all-time rushing leader
Napoleon McCallum to No. 2 on the academy's TD list.
Johnson gambled early in the second quarter when Navy fell short on a
fake punt near midfield. Moments later, Symons lobbed a perfect timing
pass to Peters on the right side of the end zone for the game's first
score. Late in the quarter Navy appeared to stop Tech when Shalimar
Brazier clobbered Symons for an 18-yard loss, but he bounced back to hit
Nehemiah Glover three straight times for gains of 6, 12 and a 17-yard
score and a 14-0 lead (video). The game ended with a scare when two speeding players accidentally collided with back judge David Lambros, who was jolted backwards and bounced off the grass. He lay motionless for a few minutes but was able to get up and did not appear to be seriously hurt.
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| With Navy, it's always a patriotic affair. | Tech's Carlos Francis (82) catches a 50-yard pass. |
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| Candeto dives for yardage. | |
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Symons played in spite of injuries. |
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| A long day for Candeto and Navy. | |
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Attendance: 51,068 Third Quarter TTU- FG Toogood 21 Fourth Quarter Navy- Candeto 23-90, Eckel 14-71, Roberts 7-54, Lane 4-44, Brimage 2-13 TTU- Henderson 11-43,
Glover 1-9 Passing Navy- Candeto 2-9-33 TTU- Symons 41-53-497 Receiving Navy- Jenkins 2-33, Wesley 1-7 TTU- Glover 9-116,
Henderson 9-83, Peters 8-80, Welker 7-107, Francis 6-90, Hicks |
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HOUSTON - B.J. Symons did what he's done all year, busted knee and
all. Symons completed the most prolific passing season in Division I-A
history by throwing for 497 yards and four touchdowns to lead the Red
Raiders to a 38-14 victory over Navy in the Houston Bowl on Tuesday,
then admitted afterward he's been playing with a torn ligament in his
left knee for more than two months. 
