Tag: Navy Football

2020 Air Force Non-Conference Preview: The Army Black Knights

Will They Play? The Falcons looking for 38th Win vs. Army Contact/Follow @Sean or @MWCWire Lets Get to Know Army Record vs. Air Force: 16 wins- 37 losses- 1 tie Head Coach: Jeff Monken Conference: Independent Offensive Philosophy: Triple Option …

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Will They Play?

The Falcons looking for 38th Win vs. Army

Contact/Follow @Sean or @MWCWire

Lets Get to Know Army

Record vs. Air Force: 16 wins- 37 losses- 1 tie

Head Coach: Jeff Monken

Conference: Independent

Offensive Philosophy: Triple Option

Defensive Philosophy: 3-4

Mascot: Army Mules

Location: West Point, NY

2019 Record: 5-8

A Little History

Since its inception in 1972, Air Force has won the Commander-In-Chief’s Trophy 20 times. Compare that to their rivals from West Point, who have only possessed the sacred hardware eight times, and its easy to bury the lead.

Even though the Falcons have dominated the battle for the CIC Trophy over its history, Army has laid claim to the hardware two of the last three years, with Navy earning it last season. So Air Force could be experiencing separation anxiety from the ultimate spoils of Military Football competition.

The Black Knights earned wins against the Falcons along their conquest to the CIC Trophy in 2017 and 2018. Last season, Air Force narrowly escaped with a victory in Colorado Springs. What type of ballistics will 2020 have in the chamber?

The Hypothetical Game

First things first; the Mountain West Conference has already pulled the plug on the fall football season. However, there is a Dumb and Dumber like hope “so your sayin’ there’s a chance” that Air Force will be able to play Army and Navy, keeping the battle for the Commander-In-Chief’s Trophy alive.

As is the case for nearly every school clinging to hope of playing a game this fall, nothing is guaranteed. This preview is hinged completely on the hopes of an exemption for the Air Force Academy to squeeze these two games in, despite the Conference closing up shop for the fall.

The Army Offense

When it came to putting up points, the Army offense was in the bottom half of the nation which consists of 130 teams. As a team that wants to control the clock and limit possessions, points scored can be a bit of a deceptive statistic for the Military Academies, which run the triple option offense.

At just over 28 points per game, the offense was serviceable, but surely looking to improve. For perspective, compare that to the 32 points per game in 2018, and that delta of five points would have made the difference in three of their losses last season, and any potential for bowl eligibility.

To their credit, Army still featured the third ranked rushing offense, averaging just under 300 yards per game on the ground. This was accomplished after replacing all but one starter on the offensive line, and their leading rusher from the year prior. The Cadets from West Point also took a page from the Air Force playbook, and had to start three different quarterbacks throughout the year. That in itself is usually not a recipe for success.

One of the positive things to come from last years struggles was valuable game experience at quarterback. Jabari Laws and Christian Anderson both got spot starts in 2019 for the oft injured Kelvin Hopkins Jr. Both Laws and Anderson amassed 400 yards and four touchdowns on the ground. Where Laws separates himself is in the passing game. Even though Army rarely throws the ball, Jabari Laws completed 80% of his passes, averaging 15.6 yards per attempt. In case you’re wondering, the one-time MW Wire Player of the Year candidate, Donald Hammond III averaged 11.9 per attempt.

The Falcons would be wise to learn from last year, Jabari Laws is a threat with his arm and his legs. In his start against Air Force, Laws played very well finishing with over 200 yards passing and a passer rating of 275. The key  will be if he can remain healthy.

Also returning for 2020 are Sandon McCoy and his 500+ yards and 10 touchdowns, do-it-all back Artice Hobbs IV and leading pass catcher Camden Harrison. Whether its Laws or Anderson who take over the reigns of the Army offense, there will be some experienced parts around them.

The Army Defense and Special Teams

The Army defense featured some very good players in 2019. This was reflected in their 30th rank in total defense, and surrendering 23 points per game was good enough for 41st in the nation. All very respectable marks.

Air Force won’t have to reckon with inside linebacker Cole Christiansen for the first time in four years, which is an absolute relief. Also gone are stalwarts Ron Stoddard from the interior of the defensive line and Elijah Riley and Jaylon McClinton from the secondary. All key pieces to the Army defensive corp.

Even with all that talent departing, the Black Knights are still bringing back a couple studs, particularly in their front seven. Kwabena Bonsu and Edriece Patterson will be back to disrupt the line of scrimmage. And keeping with what seems like a decade long run of talented linebackers, Arik Smith will be an anchor.

On special teams, Army should be pretty comfortable returning their primary kick and punt returners in Artice Hobbs IV and Akyah Miranda. The punting game particularly shined as Zach Harding averaged 48 yards per punt as a sophomore. Kicking duties should be with Cole Talley who was very reliable on extra points as a freshman in 2019, but was just 1 for 3 on field goal attempts.

What To Expect

If Air Force wants to sing second again in 2020, they had better not expect to enjoy the type of fortune that befell them in 2019. The game ended the same way that it started, with a 4th down goal-line stop. Even more astonishing was how their defense held Army to zero points on 12 goal to go downs. In a game whose final score was 17- 13 in favor of the Falcons, the timely stands from the defense cannot be overstated.

Hopefully this game is played, as you will be hard pressed to find a more competitive match-up all season. This game doesn’t get the same endorsement that ‘Army-Navy’ does, but its just as bloody, and every bit the battle, regardless of what Jeff Monken may say to dig at Troy Calhoun. Consider the significance this match-up weighs on who captures the Commander-In-Chief’s, and there is no hype necessary.

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Air Force To Try To Play Army, Navy In Football, Other Sports

Air Force To Try To Play Army, Navy In Football, Other Sports There is some hope for at least Mountain West team this fall. Contact/Follow @JeremyMauss & @MWCwire Commander-in-Chief trophy might happen The Mountain West football season has …

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Air Force To Try To Play Army, Navy In Football, Other Sports

There is some hope for at least Mountain West team this fall.

Contact/Follow @JeremyMauss & @MWCwire

Commander-in-Chief trophy might happen

The Mountain West football season has officially been canceled but that does not mean that every team is not going to try to play this fall. Air Force said that it will attempt to play Army and Navy in all sports this fall.

Falcons athletic director sent out a tweet saying playing the other Armed Forces is an option they are closely looking at.

Pine’s main reasoning behind possibly playing these teams is because of the strict guidelines and testing that goes within Army, Navy, and Air Force.

“I’m pleased that Air Force will have the opportunity to continue to explore competitions against Army and Navy if conditions allow as we have similar physical missions across the service academies.”

The Commander-In-Chief trophy is a prestigious award given out to the best football team among these universities.

If these games do happen it would be a ray of sunshine in what is a dark cloud over college football.

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No Notre Dame/Navy for first time since 1926

There will be no Notre Dame/Navy game this fall for the first time in almost a century. The uniqueness of all of it will be missed in 2020.

It may be one of the most lopsided rivalries in all of sports and it may not feel like your traditional rivalry filled with dislike, disrespect and hate, but Notre Dame and Navy have played football every fall against each other since 1927.

That unfortunately won’t be the case this fall, however.

With the nationwide pandemic due to COVID-19 and the conferences of college football scurrying to put together a plan for the year, Notre Dame joined the ACC for the 2020 season.

Part of the ACC guidelines were that member schools could play just one out-of-conference game and that one game had to be played in the ACC member schools home state.

As a result, Notre Dame and Navy, which was set to be played in Annapolis, Maryland this September, is now off.

It’s the first time since 1926 that these two won’t meet on the football field.

I know the Navy game is one that Notre Dame seemingly has nothing to gain from:

  • An offense that is equal parts unique and physical that is nothing like Notre Dame plays against the entire rest of the season.
  • A national perception that a win means nothing, even if its in blowout fashion over a ranked opponent, like was the case when Notre Dame beat No. 23 Navy 52-20 in 2019.
  • Lose and jokes will be made about it literally over a decade later.

Yeah there are negatives that come with it.  It’s also tradition and something that unless you’re knocking on the door of the century mark in years, you haven’t seen before.

That’s not to say some traditions aren’t worth re-examining, see the end of the Notre Dame series with Michigan, Michigan State and Purdue in the last decade.

Notre Dame and Navy might not be the most thrilling of rivalries and it may not get your blood boiling like when USC or Michigan are in town, but it’s a tradition that has been going on seemingly forever and I’m sad to see everything from the different feel on campus that game day to the playing of the Alma maters after the game vanish for this fall.

Here’s to hoping things get back to normal  with these two in 2021.

2020 Football Preview: Air Force vs. Navy Football

Can Air Force Sink Navy? The first skirmish in the War for the Commander-In-Chief’s Trophy Contact/Follow @Sean or @MWCWire Meet the Mid’s Record vs. Air Force: 22 wins- 30 losses Head Coach: Ken Niumatalolo Conference: American Offensive …

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Can Air Force Sink Navy?

The first skirmish in the War for the Commander-In-Chief’s Trophy

Contact/Follow @Sean or @MWCWire

Meet the Mid’s

Record vs. Air Force: 22 wins- 30 losses

Head Coach: Ken Niumatalolo

Conference: American

Offensive Philosophy: Triple Option

Defensive Philosophy: 3-4

Mascot: Bill the Goat

Location: Annapolis, Maryland

2019 Record: 11-2

All Time Record: Air Force 30 Wins – Navy 22 Wins

The Air Force vs. Navy Rivalry

The (athletic) primary goal for each of the Military Academies to start every season is identical: Win the Commander-In-Cheif’s trophy. Pretty simple, right? Maybe a little more so for Air Force and Navy, as history would indicate as they have owned the hardware 36 times between the two schools.

Since its inception in 48 years ago, in 1972, the CIC Trophy has been awarded to either Army, Navy or Air Force 44 times (due to it being shared in four seasons due to three-way ties). While Air Force holds a majority of its time shared at 20, Navy isn’t far behind. In fact, the Falcons find themselves in rare territory watching America’s Game between Army and Navy at the end of the regular season decide the CIC victors each of the last three years.

With these two schools dominating the the shares of the CIC Trophy, as Army has only captured the flag two of the last 23 years, this game does not get the recognition it deserves. No, it doesn’t have the cachet or ring to it that ‘Army-Navy’ does, but Air Force- Navy does decide the countries top Military Academy football a vast majority of years. For perspective, Army has only factored in slightly less than 17% of the time as their share.

Either way, if Air Force wants to add to their mantle and further distance themselves from the Midshipmen, they will have to be prepared for a four quarter brawl in 2020. Otherwise, they will be in for a four year drought.

The Navy Offense

The Mid’s sported one of the countries most potent offenses in 2020, averaging 37 points per game, good enough for 12th in the nation. Last years team also featured one of the most electric players in the country, and Navy history in quarterback Malcolm Perry.

Thankfully for Air Force, Perry and his 2,000 rush yards are now in Miami after being drafted in the NFL this spring. And while his legs were highly problematic for the Falcons along with everyone else on the Navy schedule, it was his improvement passing that was a difference maker. Simply put, Perry tore the heart out of the Falcons with late game heroics, connecting on a long pass that eventually led to a Mid’s victory.

The 2020 Navy offense will not have one the most dynamic players to ever wear their Academy’s uniform under center though. At least, not yet proven. They do however transition to another Perry at quarterback most likely, in sophomore Perry Olsen. As a freshman, Olsen earned the backup role and received a lot of meaningful reps last year. So even though he’s never started a game, his experience in 2019, along with being a career triple option quarterback in high school are reasons for confidence if you hail from Annapolis.

Head coach Ken Niumatalolo eluded to Olsen being the front-runner to the starting job out of the spring, but as most coaches do, he also lauded the depth pushing for the top spot. In the mix is senior Dalen Morris who wasn’t able to stay ahead of the freshman, Olsen last season. But as an upperclassmen, Morris has gotten three invaluable years worth of practice reps running the option.

In a similar mold to the aforementioned Malcolm Perry, a wildcard in the race could be Chance Warren. While I wouldn’t expect Warren to consume the starting quarterback spot by conventional measures, he’s acquitted himself as a sort of Swiss-army-knife for Navy, playing receiver, slot-back, returning kicks and even getting under center. Sound familiar?

So much like Air Force, who recently announced that their own stand-out quarterback, Donald Hammond III is no longer a cadet in good standing and therefore not eligible to represent the team; Navy too is working to figure things out under center, with no proven commodities.

Also like their rivals in Colorado, the Mid’s have an absolutely loaded backfield. You would think that losing 2,000 yards of production from a team couldn’t possibly leave that much in the tank coming back, right? Wrong. Navy is returning six of its top seven producers on the ground, and that includes a devastating fullback duo in Jamale Carothers and Nelson Smith, who bring 1,300 yards and 21 touchdowns worth of production between them, back from last years team.

While that tandem figures to be a menace between the tackles, there are some talented players flanking them at slot-back and receiver. C.J. Williams figures to take on an even bigger role this year as an all-purpose weapon. This team returns talent, depth and production at the skill positions which should help ease in a new starting quarterback.

Their ability to try and replicate last years success will fall heavily on the line. Again like the Falcons, Navy is returning two esteemed starters from last year, both of which are on the AAC’s pre-season 2nd Team All Conference list.

The Navy Defense and Special Teams

Although a majority of the spotlight was on the Malcolm Perry and the Navy offense last year, it was really the improvement on defense that helped them improve their win total by eight in 2019. After a dreadful campaign the year prior, the Mid’s featured a very stout defense that surrendered just 22 points per game. That was an 11 point improvement year over year, vaulting the team scoring defense from outside the top 100 in the country to 35th.

Navy has 10 cadets that were recognized by Athlon Sports as Preseason All-Conference players, and six of them were on the defensive side of the ball. The Mid’s were represented at each level of the defense, which should help carry optimism over from 2019’s campaign.

Of all the talent that does come back on the defensive side of the ball, it all starts with First Team All AAC linebacker, Diego Fagot. This is a cadet who earned a starting spot as a freshman and hasn’t looked back. As a sophomore, Fagot was a disruptive force clearing 100 tackles, 12 of which were for losses to go with his 5.5 sacks, two forced fumbles and a pick-six.

Joining Fagot on Preseason All-Conference list are D-Lineman J’arius Warren and Jackson Perkins, along with Michael McMorris, Evan Fochtman and Kevin Brennan from the secondary. Somehow Jake Springer and his 16 TFL’s and eight sacks couldn’t land him with his mates. He is another disruptive defender that the Falcons must account for.

Even though Navy will be breaking in a new punter this season, they return their full arsenal otherwise. The kick and punt return game should be solid with Williams and Warren presumed to continue those roles. While at kicker, they should be in good hands with Bijon Nichols returning after a very solid freshman year.

What To Expect

By most accounts, Navy is returning a lot more known commodities if you simply look at production. There are a lot of similarities between these two squads, but on paper Navy looks to be poised for another good season. If their quarterback play acclimates quickly, this could be a very dangerous team with all the pieces around them.

Air Force on the other hand is not completed bereaved of talent, but there are far more unknowns at this point, especially with the a massive chasm under center. Similar to Perry Olsen, or whomever the Mid’s feature under center, the Falcons quarterback will have weapons to work with. Whether it’s Warren Bryan, Chance Stevenson or any Falcons working their way up the depth chart, it’s going to be a matter of how quickly the new QB1 can mesh with the pieces around them.

Last year featured two teams that ultimately combined for 22 wins, punctuated with signature bowl victories. Ironically in their head-to-head match though, both teams turned the ball over far more than normal, in what was uncharacteristically sloppy football. Albeit a thrilling game down to the end, this is not the kind of game that either team wants to recreate, especially Air Force.

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Another Conference Cancels Fall Sports for 2020

It was the Ivy League last week and today it’s another conference that is cancelling all fall sports in 2020.

Last week saw big news on the college sports landscape as the Big Ten and Pac-12 announced plans to only play conference games during the fall sports season this year while the Ivy League took things a step further, cancelling all fall sports.

Now the Ivy League has company as another collegiate conference is axing all fall sports.

The Patriot League that consists of American University, Bucknell, Boston University, Holy Cross, Colgate, Lafayette, Lehigh, Loyola (Maryland), Army and Navy, announced Monday that they have cancelled all fall sports for 2020.

The league added that both Army and Navy are exempt from the cancellations.

Army plays football as a Division 1 independent while Navy plays football in the American Athletic Conference.

For now, Notre Dame is still scheduled to play Navy on Labor Day weekend but I feel safe in saying that is looking murky at very best, much like college football in general for 2020.

Countdown to Notre Dame Football: 94 Days

In 94 days we’ll again see Notre Dame football on the field as the 2020 season will open. Find out today’s ND Football fact about 94 now!

Welcome back my friends to the show that never ends.  Notre Dame is set to open their 2020 football season now on Labor Day weekend at Navy as the Irish will play in Annapolis for the first time in the series that’s seen 93 meetings to date.

Yesterday we got news of the game being pushed back a week and moved from Ireland to Annapolis so we moved the counter back up to 95 as we count down the days to the Saturday of Labor Day weekend.

Today we move back down to 94, a number we discussed a week ago as we remembered former star defensive lineman Willie Fry.

Today we look at another 94 in regards to the history of Notre Dame football and it has an obvious link to the 2020 season opener.

94:  This year will be the 94th meeting all-time in the series between Notre Dame and Navy.

As you’re most definitely aware, Notre Dame has dominated this series for the better part of a century, leading all-time against Navy with a 79-13-1 mark to date.

Some quick facts about the Notre Dame/Navy series:

  • Having been played every year since 1927, Notre Dame and Navy is the longest uninterrupted inter-sectional rivalry going in college football.
  • The series has been played in 11 different cities:  Baltimore, South Bend, Chicago, Cleveland, Philadelphia, East Rutherford, Dublin, Landover, Orlando, Jacksonville and San Diego.
  • Notre Dame won 43 straight in the rivalry from 1964-2006, a streak that started with the Irish beating the reigning Heisman Trophy winner Roger Staubach and the Midshipmen, 40-0 in Philadelphia.
  • Navy’s four wins in the series from 2007 to 2016 match the amount of wins they had against Notre Dame from 1957-2006.
  • Why keep playing such a one-sided rivalry?  As fans of both programs are likely aware, Navy using Notre Dame as a training center for V-12 candidates during WWII, paying the University enough in that time to keep the doors open.

Fans at Notre Dame/Navy This Year?

Notre Dame and Navy have changed their season opening venue to Annapolis. Navy AD shared thoughts on if there will be fans in attendance

Notre Dame and Navy have been playing each other 93 straight seasons with episode 94 now coming Labor Day weekend.  As announced earlier, that game will take place on Navy’s actual home turf for the first time in the history of the rivalry.

If you’re like me at all you have an interest college football road trips and want to experience as many of the unique venues as you can.  For me Navy is high on that list and Notre Dame now playing there makes it that much more compelling for me to try and get to.

But before I or we can go, do we know if there will be fans allowed in the stands?

Navy athletic director Chet Gladchuk was on the ABC News affiliate in Washington, DC on Tuesday and discussed exactly that.

On a visit with the Baltimore ABC station he shared a little more information on the Labor Day weekend affair.

So a limited crowd is what it appears to be.  Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium seats roughly 38,000 people and the pandemic means for this possibility.  If Navy goes the route that Iowa State did just over a week ago it’d mean that roughly half of that would be allowed in attendance, 19,000 in this case.

Let’s hope that Gladchuk is right (since he wasn’t for much of the spring) and that fans are in the stands.  Even if it’s just at half or a quarter capacity, it’d still mean for a memorable experience for those able to go because like he said, it won’t be happening again.

100 Days Until Notre Dame Football (We Hope)

The countdown to Notre Dame football returning is on. Join us as we celebrating being within 100 days of Irish football returning! (we hope)

The countdown is on!

100 days from now (we hope) Notre Dame will return to the football field for Season 133 when the Irish take on Navy in a Week Zero affair.  Will the game be played as scheduled?  I’m guessing not in Ireland but perhaps with the way the news has gone this week we’ll see it get underway on time.

Each day from now until Notre Dame kicks off the year we’ll count down the days with the number and why it’s significant in the history of Notre Dame football.

Now we could take the easy route and start with perhaps the most-known 100 in Notre Dame football, that being Lou Holtz’s career win total as the Irish head coach.  Instead, we’ll go a little more obscure but still plenty impressive with our first entry.

100:  Michael Floyd’s total receptions during the 2011 season, the most ever by a Notre Dame player in a single season.  

Golden Tate’s 93 receptions in his Biletnikoff Award winning season of 2009 are the second most while Floyd’s 79 in 2010 and Jeff Samardzija’s 78 and 77 receptions in 2006 and 2005 round out Notre Dame’s single-season top-five.

100 days to go!!!

We really, really hope.