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Updated: Saturday, December 7, 2002 11:36 AM EST
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Army (1-10) vs. Navy (1-10)
ARMY BLACK KNIGHTS
Army Black Knights
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NAVY MIDSHIPMEN
Navy Midshipmen
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EAST RUTHERFORD, New Jersey (Ticker) -- One of the great rivalries in all of sports will be renewed Saturday at Giants Stadium when Army and Navy square off for the 103rd time.

Both teams enter the contest with 1-10 marks, and Army was the last Division I-A school to earn its first win of the season when it defeated Tulane, 14-10, on November 16. The win over the Green Wave snapped Army's 19-game road losing streak, one shy of the school record.

But even with poor records, the academies normally play an entertaining game and another sellout crowd of 77,000 is expected Saturday.

In recent years, the rivalry has been marked by close games as seven of the last 10 meetings have been decided in the last minute. Army won six of those contests by a combined 14 points.

The Black Knights won last year's clash, 26-17, one of only three Army-Navy games decided by more than four points in the last decade. The loss saddled Navy (0-10) with its first winless campaign since 1948.

The Midshipmen have continued to struggle this season under first-year coach Paul Johnson, dropping 10 in a row after opening the year with a 38-7 victory over Southern Methodist.

The Middies did come close to pulling off a monumental victory over Notre Dame, but the Fighting Irish scored a pair of touchdowns in the final five minutes to escape with a 30-23 victory on November 9.

Navy ranks fifth in the nation in rushing, averaging 257.1 yards per game, but its defense has been porous all year. The Middies allow 439.2 yards per game and have surrendered more than 40 points on six occasions. They also have committed 35 turnovers.

Junior quarterback Craig Candeto paces the Navy offense, leading the team in rushing (672 yards) and passing (756 yards).

With 77 underclassmen on its 119-player roster, Army has been plagued by injuries, turnovers and special teams problems. Both quarterbacks - Reggie Nevels and Zac Dahman - suffered injuries this year and missed time.

Army and Navy will be meeting at Giants Stadium for only the fourth time. An agreement between the city of Philadelphia and the academies to host the game expires after next year's contest, and the schools will be looking for a new long-term home for the annual contest.

Fourteen cities from the around the country, including Philadelphia, Washington and East Rutherford, New Jersey on the East Coast, submitted bids to host the game.

Last year's victory gave Army a 49-46-7 lead in the all-time series that began in 1890.


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