Furious Wagner calls out 'cheap-shot' Navy

After a brutal 56-7 loss, sprint football coach Bill Wagner called out Navy for what he construed to be unsportsmanlike play.

"They're a good team, but I think they're a cheap-shot team, I think their cut-blocking is certainly of question and, in my opinion, a deficit to the game," Wagner said. "At times it's legal, but there are times it's not legal that they're doing it. They'll do it every play, and then maybe they'll get called three or four times a game.

Navy relies on an intimidating rushing attack that picked up 370 net yards against the Quakers. But Wagner believes that the Navy linemen employed tactics that went beyond mere aggressiveness and physicality.

"If they block us and then kick the shit out of us, fine, but don't try to hurt people, go for the knees, throw forearms, and that's what they were doing to some of the kids," he added. "I think that mentality's not good for our league and for football in general."

Nursing a 28-point lead early in the fourth quarter, Navy kept their starters in the game even though Penn had gone to its second team. Facing a fourth and one on its second possession of the final period, Navy employed a fake punt to pick up the first down.

"When you're down 28 points and you're going to try and rally against a team that kept their first team in the game until the last minutes, they don't take no prisoners," Wagner said. "They kick your butt. They don't really care, they just pound you."

Friday's game was not the first time this season that Navy has blown out its opponent. Coming into the game, Navy had scored 48.8 points per game, including an 83-0 victory over Princeton the previous week.

"It's just not good for the league to have teams roll up the score like that," Wagner said. "I don't want them to lay down."

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