Army Football

Army (2-4) come off their bye week to travel to Nashville (3-3) to play a hungry Vanderbilt team for a 7PM EST matchup that will be available nationally on ESPNU and WABC 770 radio in the New York metropolitan area.  

The Black Knights saw their bye week as an opportunity to catch up on school work at the Academy and for injuries to heal. The second half of the season has major challenges for Army, starting with this visit to Southeastern Conference team Vanderbilt, the last home game at Michie Stadium against Fordham, the trip to Air Force, a home game at Yankee Stadium against Rutgers and a trip to Philadelphia to face Temple.  Then, to close the season, there's the annual rivalry game with Navy on December 10th.  

At his weekly press conference, Head Coach Rich Ellerson talked about how his team utilized the off week in their schedule:  

"The bye week is a fundamental opportunity, a chance to go back to training camp if you will. We're treating the second half of the season as a season unto itself."

Coach Ellerson makes a constant effort with both his team and the media to direct focus to the next game only and for the players to play the games one play at a time.  He commented on this approach:

"We made this absolute commitment, regardless of the situation, regardless of the scoreboard, regardless of what happened last week, we are going to treat every game like a season unto itself. We are going to stay in the moment."

For the Army defensive players and coaches, this bye provided an opportunity to regroup after a first six games when they gave up an average of 29 points and 392 yards per game. Of course, nine turnovers in six games have caused several pressure situations for the defense.

The depth chart does not show changes from the Miami game, but look for more variations in tactics to help cover the middle of the line and to prevent receivers from beating defenders down field.

The offense, on the other hand, has the running game at a high-octane level, leading the entire NCAA in rushing with an average of 361 yards per game.

The Black Knights' sporadic passing game is showing potential with quarterback No. 8 Trent Steelman completing his last 11 throws against Tulane and Miami for 194 yards and two touchdowns.

Steelman, a native of nearby Bowling Green, Kentucky, will have a big group of family and friends at Vanderbilt stadium. I asked the coach if we may see an expanded passing attack:

"We're not surprised that we can throw the ball a little bit. That's something that's been evident at practice. We try to pick our times to do that. Trent will be excited to be home and will have a few more people in the stands.

"But he has a pretty loyal following of family that sees him play pretty much every week. We're going to lose ourselves in this one moment, and certainly he'll be excited to play as he's ever been. But, so will we all."

We can expect No. 1 Ray Maples to carry the ball 12 to 15 times per game, building off of his three consecutive 100-yard games.  Fellow slot back No. 23 Malcolm Brown continues to generate big plays with a 7.7 yards per rush average.  Look for fullback No. 7 Jared Hassin to be given an expanded opportunity to run the ball in addition to his strong blocking ability.

One recent change since the Ball State game three weeks ago is the placement in the starting lineup at center of freshman No. 52 Ryan Powis from Midlothian, Virginia.  No. 66 Will Wilson moves to right guard, backing up junior No. 71 Matt Villanti from Katy, Texas.

Coach Ellerson has mentioned several times the potential he sees in Ryan Powis at center:

"We think Ryan is doing a fine job at center. That's a key position for us, just like any guy who's right down the middle of your team - pitchers, catchers, goalies or offensive centers and quarterbacks. He's right at the heart of the offensive effort and the good news is, he has a year under his belt playing at the prep school. We had high expectations of him when he got here. He has stepped into that role and we're not surprised that he's being effective there."

New Vanderbilt coach James Franklin comes from Maryland where he was the offensive coordinator.  He has generated considerable press attention for the team including an article in Sports Illustrated. A high energy confident guy, the goal he sets for his team is "Don't be intimidated by anyone". This comes across clearly in his press conference video prepared earlier this week.

I also asked Coach Ellerson about what he expects to see from the Commodores new head coach:

"This team is a reflection of the coach's personality. He's a very aggressive, enthusiastic and energetic guy. You can see his team has fed off him. They are blowing up all over the place. Sometimes they blow up in their own face, but they're aggressive and playing with a lot of emotion. He coaches with a lot of emotion. That has made them more competitive this year."

Vanderbilt comes into the game having lost three straight to SEC opponents, including a shutout loss at Alabama two weeks ago and a heated close loss at home to Georgia last week.  Their victories are a 45-14 win against FCS team Elon, a 24-21 win against Connecticut and a 30-7 stomping of SEC foe Mississippi.

Watch for the 'Dores to come up with some trick offensive plays.  Rich Ellison commented about facing an SEC team on the road, while needing a big effort to win their third game of the season:

"[Vanderbilt] came out really strong this year, have struggled the last couple of weeks to get a win, but they've played really well against good annual competition. They are explosive and do all kinds of things on offense. They were explosive last week in the kicking game - blocked a kick, faked a kick, returned a kick for a touchdown. They do all the things that make you crazy in the special teams area. Defensively, they have battled everybody to a standstill."

Army goes into this one as an 11-point underdog.  The keys will be the defense slowing down the Vanderbilt offense just enough to give the Army offense the chance to run long, ball-control drives down the field.  A commentator said this week how demoralizing it is for the defense when they cannot stop a running team like Army from methodically running the ball, play after play, down field. 

There is positive history on their side as Army won the last match up in 2009—an 16-13 overtime victory on an Alex Carlton field goal at Michie Stadium.  If Army can get ahead, play ball control, make a few pass plays work and get the crowd out of the game, they have a shot.

A win would give Army a chance to even their record at 4-4 next week against Fordham and keep alive their hopes to play in the Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl. 

You might have thought this a trap game for Vanderbilt, a game where a team lets down a bit against a perceived lesser opponent.  Almost anyone is a lesser opponent after you have just played Alabama and Georgia back to back.

Games like that can take a lot, physically, out of a team.  Ask Ball State, who were just shutout at home 42-0 by Temple after getting beaten badly 62-6 at Oklahoma.  Watching Coach Franklin's press conference this week, it is evident this is a coach that will have his team fired up and ready to play.  

Should be a good one Saturday Night in Nashville: Army and Vanderbilt!

Ken Kraetzer produces the West Point Football Report by SAL Radio broadcast every Tuesday night during the season from New Rochelle, NY on WVOX 1460 and heard nationally on WVOX.com.  Reach Ken on kgk914@aol.com. 

We had the chance to this week on our West Point Football Report radio show on New Rochelle, NY-based WVOX to discuss the Army football program with the Director of Athletics at the U.S. Military Academy Boo Corrigan, who came aboard early this year.

There has been much speculation in the media over the last week about the potential of Navy and Air Force being invited to join the Big East conference, but not Army. John Chuhran and I were pleased to speak exclusively with the Army Athletic Director on Tuesday night.

Q. Army has had great home games this year against San Diego State, Northwestern, the big win over Tulane and we understand you have a sellout for Fordham in 10 days?

A. We are very excited about the crowds we have had this year, about the football team led by Coach Ellerson, and we are also excited to be going to Vanderbilt this weekend. But then the week after that to be playing (Fordham) at home, there are a limited number of tickets still available. Very, very limited. But we were able to find a couple hundred more tickets the other day when we were checking through everything, to make sure we have a big house and a sellout, when we play Fordham.

Q. You have had a number of distinguished alumni visit West Point recently and speak to the athletic teams, including Chairman of the Joint Chiefs General Martin E. Dempsey '74 and Army Chief of Staff General Raymond T. Odierno '76. What is it like when these senior military leaders visit the Academy and speak to the cadets?

A. First of all it is a thrill, is what it is, beyond everything else. I got a chill when you were just talking about that. The chance to see and spend time with General Dempsey or General Odierno, and to see the affection they have for the cadets at West Point. Their understanding of West Point and the 47-month journey, as well as where our cadets are going for the next five years. It is really humbling to see that interaction, and see the affection they have for our cadets.

Q. You have a tremendous background in college sports, you have worked at some of most outstanding places in college athletics Notre Dame, Navy and Duke before coming to Army earlier this year. What do you see driving the fury of college conference realignment we hear so much about?

A. A lot of it has to do with being a part of one of the BCS (Bowl Championship Series) conferences, the automatic qualifier into the bowl game. Whether it is the television dollars that are associated with these conferences, the dollars have grown so significantly from teams in conferences receiving 8-10 million dollars, to the new Pac-10 deal with 20 to 25 million dollars per school.

In a time of declining resources, which I am sure everyone is familiar with, right now if you can find an additional five, 10, 15 million dollars by joining a conference, you kind of owe it to yourself to at least look at it, and if it is a fit for you to move forward with it.

Q. What are your thoughts about the service academies, how they fit into conferences, and what you would like to see Army do going forward?

A. Let me start by talking about West Point, because that is my lane, if you will. We are very happy where we are right now as an independent. We are happy with the ability to schedule teams all around the country. We are happy with the flexibility that gives us. 

Our goal at the end of the day is to develop leaders of character for the United States Army. 

Where we are right now gives us the best opportunity; gives us the opportunity for our football team to go out there and play on a weekly basis with a chance to compete; to win the game and then move on to a bowl.

Q. Tell us about the documentary being made on football at the academies?

A. We are working with Showtime, and our friends at CBS, on "Game of Honor." What they have been doing is they are following both teams starting this summer. They were part of plebe summer, showing what that is. They show what happens out at Buckner. They have been following a couple of cadets here and midshipmen down there as well. I saw a preview of it, you have the great line,

"You now have 90 seconds to say goodbye."

You can see the emotion, what people are going through when they turn over their child to West Point knowing that they are going to be safe; that they are going to be protected. But also knowing they are really going to come out a different person after 47 months. 

http://www.cbssports.com/video/player/game-of-honor

And it is really something to see. The access has been great for CBS and Showtime, and they really have done a great job telling an unbelievable story.

Q. We see the discussion about conferences involves different factors of recruiting, television, you mentioned financial before, and scheduling. What are some of the factors pro and con about conference alignment?  

A. Again where we fit right now, we are really comfortable being an independent. Again I can not speak at what other people are looking at. I know where we are, and kind of what we are thinking; talking with Coach Ellerson, (Superintendent) General (David H.) Huntoon, General Odierno, the people around here, we feel really good about where we are, who we are playing.

Playing people that look and feel a little bit like us—be it a Tulane, be a Miami of Ohio, schools were they value the double major if you will of academics and athletics and again making sure at the end of the day, that we have a chance to compete, we have a chance to win, and we are creating a great environment for our cadets athletes to come here to West Point.

Q. How much does the need to provide for other sports come into a decision about conference affiliation?

A. Again, you need to keep in mind, we are affiliated with a conference for the balance of our sports in the Patriot League. Again, talk about a conference which is really looking at things a little bit different, from making sure the academics are paramount, from the academic index which is part of the admissions process at the schools, to not red-shirting, to everything the Patriot League stands for. 

We are really comfortable in the Patriot League.

I have a have a great deal of respect our commissioner Carolyn Femovich and what she does. We look at that as a chance for us to compete. We had four teams go to the NCAAs last year from the Patriot League. That is a chance for us to compete; creates a great atmosphere for our cadet athletes.

Q. How do you see the balance of the football season and the Commanders in Chief games.

A. I see us playing in Nashville at 6 PM Central Time on Saturday, is what I see brother. Beyond that, the rest of that will happen after we play Vanderbilt this weekend. We are excited to go there. They have had a couple of tough games, with Alabama and Georgia the last couple of weeks, and we are going to go there and give it our best shot.

Thank you Boo.

The entire interview as well as many of our other Army football interviews and shows can be heard on http://www.legionpost50ny.com/Radio_SAL_111018_WP_Boo_Corrigan_AD_USMA.html.

Sons of the American Legion Radio from Squadron 50 Pelham, NY produces the West Point Football Report Tuesday nights during the college football season on WVOX 1460 AM and worldwide on WVOX.com. Reach Ken on KGK914@aol.com.

The news Friday night reported by the New York Daily News and many others is that the Big East is planning to invite Boise State, Navy and Air Force to join their football conference and possibly Central Florida, SMU and Houston.  Temple is apparently left out in the cold according to Dick Weiss's piece because of a veto from cross town rival Villanova.

The Big East was left in a state of complete turmoil with the news that Syracuse and Pittsburgh would be leaving for the Atlantic Coast Conference.  Some speculate that this means Rutgers and UConn will join them in the ACC.  Apparently not if Boston College has something to say about it. 

Would Louisville bolt for the Big Twelve? Would the basketball only members just say enough is enough and take their heralded conference tournament at Madison Square Garden back to a non-football league arrangement?

My read is that at this point much of this is up to the University of Connecticut.  The Associated Press reported that both multi-national championship basketball coaches Jim Calhoun and Gino Auriemma have expressed preferences to stay in the Big East.  Perhaps the desire of these two prominent coaches to keep playing in the conference that brought them extraordinary success is enough to keep the league together for both sports.  We will see in the next week or two. 

So Army fans, what about your Black Knights of the Hudson?

It is certainly a bit of concern to learn that the two other major service academies are quite possibly taking a step toward joining a conference based in your back yard.  The move could provide Navy and Air Force with more television exposure, scheduling certainty, financial resources and opportunities to play in major bowl games.  Perhaps.

How should Army look at the value of being in a conference?  Let's start with the history:

Army was a member of Conference USA from 1998 to 2004 and went 9-41 playing the likes of Cincinnati, East Carolina, Houston, Southern Mississippi, Louisville, UAB, South Florida, TCU, Tulane and Memphis. 

The decision to join a conference was based on the success the program had in the 1990s culminating in the success of the 1996 team going 10-2 and playing in a bowl game. 

The Army leadership liked the footprint of Conference USA, which brought the Black Knights to a number of areas of the country nearby to major Army bases.  A good idea in theory.

The Conference USA membership experiment turned out poorly as Army ran into strong upwardly programs like Louisville, East Carolina, UAB and Cincinnati who often won by embarrassing scores. 

With Army's traditional games against Air Force and Navy added, the games against Lehigh, Colgate and Holy Cross, which dotted the early 90s schedules had to disappear.  The result were long seasons culminating in the forgettable 2003 season in which head coach Todd Barry was let go after six games and the team went winless on the year.  

The recovery from the conference experiment required the tenure of three coaches and a major investment in facilities.  Kimsey Hall was built to provide locker rooms, weight training and meeting room space.  Randall Hall provided a team auditorium.  The Hoffman Press Box was added to Michie Stadium to provide a professional media environment and premium viewing box locations.  The Foley Center provides an indoor practice facility comparable to an NFL team and a new "Field Turf" practice area was added. 

The culmination of this investment was the 2010 team winning the Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl, the first postseason win in 25 years at Army.  No school was happier about winning a bowl game last year than West Point.

This year Army is playing a very young team which Coach Rich Ellerson frequently calls "fragile" because their margin of victory is very narrow, just a single penalty or turnover can be the difference in a win or a loss. 

The team has played well at home especially in wins over Northwestern and Tulane but lost three road games to schools in the Mid-America Conference. Games against teams from the South East Conference and Big East loom ahead on the schedule as well as the Commander-In-Chief contests.

Army and the other service academies play at disadvantage to other top college football teams in terms of size on their offensive and defensive lines.  The Army defensive line is built to be quick and make adjustments but often plays at a 50 pound or more disadvantage per player. 

The offensive line has the biggest players on the team led by by 285 pound Will Wilson who started at center against Northwestern but has now been moved to guard covering the injury to Joe Bailey.  Many of the offensive line players of their opponents are 300 pounds-plus.

A goal at West Point is to place its teams in positions where they can be successful, the financial benefits of being in a major conference does not appear to be a key driver.  All in all, things are going in a positive direction at Michie Stadium playing as an independent.

So why would Army even consider joining a conference such as the Big East or even Conference USA if it is shortly looking for replacement members?

1. Scheduling: We just saw that to play three Mid-America Conference opponents this year, it took going on the road for all three games with a trip to play an energized Temple team at the end of the season.  If new conference alignments form, it may be increasingly hard for Army to schedule games once the conference seasons get underway.  Perhaps the prestige factor associated with the USMA will tend to off set that. 

Sal Interdonato of the Times Herald-Record recently carried this comment from West Point Athletic Director Boo Corrigan "In my time here, there sure has been a number of people interested in booking us about playing games."

2. Television:  Army has an excellent agreement with CBS Sports to have all of its home games broadcast nationally on cable.  Kind of a mini-ND arrangement. The Army-Navy game is scheduled as the featured season-ending football event on the CBS Network.  Road games are often not available except on the ESPN3 Internet channel.  Membership in the Big East would likely provide more broadcast exposure.

3.  Recruiting:  Army benefits from television to draw students from across the country to come to the Academy.  Conference identity will generally help attract players by suggesting the quality of teams they will have the opportunity to play each week.  The question is: will Army be a recruiting disadvantage if Air Force and Navy are in a conference and the Black Knights remain independent?

4. BCS Bowls:  Perhaps the greatest lure of a major conference affiliation is the opportunity if the team is successful to play in a major bowl game or even the BCS Championship game.  This is only likely to happen by joining the Big East.  Conference USA is negotiating with the Mountain West to link their two conference together with a championship game.  They hope the winner of this 20-plus team arrangement would be given a BCS Championship Bowl bid.  

Army, on the other hand, could be quite happy to contract to play in bowl games around the country such as the Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl in San Francisco or the Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl in Texas.  To play in these games Army must have a .500 or better record.

With their national following of West Point alumni and millions of US Army veterans they are a strong draw.  If Army has a strong season turning in a 10-2 or 9-3 record, perhaps they will be invited to a higher level bowl.

Essentially this period of traumatic conference realignment is about not being left out of the opportunity to play in the BCS bowls and the financial returns they bring. But for Army, would membership to a conference such as the Big East bring positive experiences or just a series of long seasons facing teams dedicated to advancing into "Top 25" consideration? 

All indications from West Point and their Athletic Director are that Army is happy as an independent and is fine watching on the sideline what happens to everyone else.  But the situation is fluid and if Air Force and Navy decide to join the Big East it could be tempting to join in. What do you think Army should do?

Ken Kraetzer produces the West Point Football Report for Sons of the American Legion Radio broadcast Tuesdays at 5:30 PM EST on WVOX 1460 in New Rochelle, NY and nationally on WVOX.com. Reach him on KGK914@aol.com 

Surprising news today out of West Point has confirmed that next year's Air Force-Army game, scheduled for Nov. 3, will be moved from Yankee Stadium to Michie Stadium.

This news was released this morning by the Army Athletic Association and the New York Yankees.

The game was planned as the third in a series of Army football games the Yankees would host after the conclusion of the baseball season. Last year, Notre Dame played Army on November 20 before a sellout crowd of 54,251 and a national television audience.

The Army-Air Force game is traditionally scheduled for the first Saturday in November, which does not leave much time for preparation after the World Series concludes. The Stadium would require at least several days to convert into a football configuration, which includes putting protective covers over the baseball dugouts, which are located just beyond the would-be corners of the end zone.

The Air Force game at Michie Stadium is always a sellout, and the game would expected to have a strong draw at Yankee Stadium.

"This change to the 2012 schedule will provide our fan base with a tremendous slate of games at Michie Stadium next year," Army Director of Athletics Boo Corrigan said. "With the strong possibility of a conflict with the Yankees' postseason schedule, we felt it was in everyone's best interests to return the game to West Point at this time."

The series of games scheduled for Yankee Stadium planned to take a year off in 2013 before resuming with a game against Boston College on November 8, 2014. BC is a logical opponent for a Yankee Stadium game, as they have many alumni in the area and travel is less than four hours driving from Boston. 

Perhaps Syracuse will be scheduled in the future.

The 2012 Army football schedule will now have six games at Michie Stadium, compared to the four home games this season:

2012
Sept. 8	at San Diego State
Sept. 15	NORTHERN ILLINOIS
Sept. 22	at Wake Forest
Sept. 29	STONY BROOK
Oct. 6	at Boston College
Oct. 13	KENT STATE
Oct. 20	at Eastern Michigan
Oct. 27	BALL STATE
Nov. 3	AIR FORCE
Nov. 10	at Rutgers
Nov. 17	TEMPLE
Dec. 8	vs. Navy (Lincoln Financial Field)

The Army-Air Force rivalry has been almost as intense as the Black Knights' rivalry with Navy.  Since the Air Force Academy was founded after World War II, largely by West Point graduates, the two academies have played 45 times.

Army will travel out to Colorado Springs to play the Falcons this year on Saturday, November 5.

The change in the Army at Yankee Stadium series points out how little flexibility there is in college football schedules. 

This announcement comes amidst daily speculation about the future of college football conferences. Both Army and Navy have been speculated as being invited to play in the Big East Conference. Comments from Army seem to suggest that they prefer to stay independent in football and continue in the Patriot League for most other sports.

Their experience as a member of Conference USA from 1998 to 2004 was viewed as not a good fit for the Academy.

Overall, this change will be viewed by many as a bit of a disappointment. Playing Air Force at Michie Stadium is always a game to look forward to, but playing a game at Yankee Stadium is a very special opportunity.  

Seeing the football configuration at the "Big Stadium in the South Bronx" reminds us of Army's games against Notre Dame during their national championship years in the 1940's.

Ken Kraetzer produces the West Point Football Report on WVOX 1460 AM from New Rochelle, New York, which is also heard nationally on WVOX.com. He can be reached at kgk914@aol.com. Unless otherwise noted, all quotes were obtained first-hand.

The "Thayer Week" endured by many of the cadets may have been a factor, a third road game in the Mid-American Conference proved to be a challenge, but the 503 yards of offense by the Miami of Ohio Redskins (1-4) was without question the key to their victory over Army (2-4) Saturday in Oxford, Ohio.

Miami quarterback Zac Dysert threw four touchdown passes on the day including a 20 yard TD completion to Nick Harwell capping off a nine play 98 yard drive with 7:05 left that proved the difference in the game. A sophomore from Missouri City, Texas, Harwell had 186 yards receiving from 10 catches on the day and two touchdowns.  He went into the day as the second-leading receiver in the NCAA.    

"We knew that he (Harwell) was going to be a challenge" Commented Coach Ellerson afterwards. "We knew whoever was going to be in his vicinity was going to need help, but the thing that's scary about him is the things he can do after the catch. He knew how to pick apart our defense and made us pay."

Dysert opened the scoring in the game with a 13-yard scoring pass to Harwell in the first quarter to give Miami an early 7-0 lead.  Late in the third quarter, he threw a 17-yard pass to Justin Semmes followed up just two minutes and 32 seconds later by a nine-yard strike to Andy Cruse just four seconds into the fourth quarter to tie the game at 28 all.  Overall, Dysert completed 24 of 37 pass plays for 342 yards in the air.

In addition to the success of the Miami offense to move down the field against Army, two turnovers were costly.  In the second quarter, with the score tied at 14 all, Steelman on the 12th play of a drive fumbled at the Miami 28. 

In the third quarter Miami gave one back.  With Army ahead 28-14, Miami fumbled on a second and one play at the Army 4-yard line. That could have been a back breaker but to the RedHawks credit; they continued to come back.  Later in the third, with Army leading 28 -21, Raymond Maples fumbled at his own 35-yard line.  The RedHawks took over and scored six plays later on a nine-yard Zac Dysert pass to Andy Cruise to tie the game at 28 all early in the fourth.

"That's one of those things that is consistently seen with success" commented Rich Ellerson afterwards.  "There's nobody on our schedule that won't beat us if we don't win the turnover battle. If we take care of the football and get some turnovers on defense, we will have a chance every week. We're not matching up to people very well on defense, and we need to find a way to get off the field on third and fourth down."

Army's offense played its normal, consistent grind-it-out game on the ground with the Black Knights and even had their best passing day of the year but came up short on the final drive. Army rushing the football for 326 yards led by sophomore Raymond Maples who gained a net 111 yards and scored on a 25-yard run in the first half. 

Driving late in the game, Army almost tied it up until a defensive stand by Miami ended the game.  Trailing 35-28, Army moved the ball from their own 32 to a first down at the Miami 13.  Losses on two running plays and a short gain on a pass play set up a 4th-and-12 at the Miami 12. 

Army quarterback Trent Steelman had already scored two touchdowns on the day, was tackled for an eight-yard loss by Jaytee Swanson of Miami with 24 seconds left to all but end the game. 

The Black Knights often ask Trent Steelman to run the ball in short yardage situations, went into the game as the NCAA's leading touchdown scorer among QBs,scored two more with scoring runs of one yard in the first half and five in the second.  The Bowling Green, Kentucky native played in his 31st consecutive game at QB an Academy record. 

Trent Steelman will be moving up towards the very top of many of Army's career all-time offensive records as the season continues.  His touchdown scored ties him for fifth place on the Army all-time list with with Heisman Trophy winner Felix Doc Blanchard with 26. 

This game was reminiscent of the Rutgers game last year when Army dominated the first half only to give up big drives in the second half.  Army held a 28-7 lead early in third quarter but let the RedHawks rally to score three consecutive times to pull out a come from behind victory. 

Perhaps, some of the five sophomores on the defensive were feeling the effects in the second half of the exam heavy "Thayer Week" late in the second half.  Perhaps, this is an example that Army being an independent sometimes has to play a road game in order to schedule opponents.  Army will again visit Miami of Ohio in 2015 before the RedHawks travel to Michie Stadium in 2016 and 2018.

The road to the Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl now looks very questionable at best with Army needing to win four of its next five to qualify.  The only true home game is in three week against Fordham.  After this week's bye, Army travels to the South East Conference and Vanderbilt (3-2) revived under new coach James Franklin. 

Vandy endured a 34-0 beating at Alabama Saturday night and face a visit from Georgia this week.  Later on the schedule are a home game of sorts at at Yankee Stadium against Rutgers (4-1) who just beat Pitt 34-10 and the last game in November in Philadelphia against a team trying to play itself back into the Big East, Temple (4-2) who just beat Ball State 42-0.

The Commander In Chief games should be very competitive. Air Force is 3-2 on the year after having their defense taken apart by Notre Dame Saturday 57-33 in South Bend.  Navy is 2-3 after losing this week to Southern Mississippi 63-25.  Air Force of course defeated Navy last week 35-43 in overtime on a disputed celebration call contributing to a missed point after touchdown.  Appears that all three Academy football teams are good offense and suspect on defense. 

Should be interesting as we enter the second half of the season and these traditional matchups approach and loom large.  Enjoy the Army bye week, perhaps take in the game of another team in your area.

Ken Kraetzer produces the West Point Football Report by Sons of the American Legion Radio heard most Tuesdays in the season on WVOX 1460 AM broadcast from New Rochelle, NY and heard nationally on WVOX.com.  Ken can be reached on kgk914@aol.com.

The biggest challenge facing the West Point (2-3) football team this week might not be injuries, playing on the road or even a hungry Miami of Ohio (0-4) team.  It could just be the many young players on the team getting through the rigors of a "Thayer Week," a week of strenuous academic and military requirements that is unique to the US Military Academy.

Sylvanus Thayer was a graduate of the class of 1808 who was sent to France in 1815 to study the teaching methods at the Ecole Polytechnique.  He came back and was named the superintendent where he set about raising standards, implementing regular exams and developing the Academy into the first professional engineering school in the country.  If you watch a parade conducted by West Point cadets, you will notice the style of dress uniforms is handed down from the Napoleonic era. 

Superintendent Thayer emphasized science, math and self-learning by the cadets. Many say things remain much the same.  He is known at West Point as the “Father of the Military Academy.”*  

West Point remains primarily focused on training young men and women to serve as Army officers and "leaders of character," as their officials often tell us.

Herman Bulls, a graduate and official of the West Point Association of Graduates, described a Thayer Week as:

"An unfortunate week for Cadets where from an academic perspective, it is time for Written Partial Reviews.  There could be two or three WPRs due, which are big tests, which represent up to a third, 20 to 30 percent of the semester grade.  It is possible that a Cadet could have two of these exams on the same day.  This is true student-athletes in action.  There is no special dispensation made for football players. They must take the same exams and do everything that must be done."  

Head Coach Ellerson discussed the challenge of preparing his team for a game during a "Thayer Week" at West Point. "Can we, in a difficult week academically, go on the road to the scene of several crimes, the Midwest, where we have played poorly, and manage our week, manage our enthusiasm, manage our legs, manage our time and get our rest and play well; play well on the road."

Coach Ellerson often expressed concerns about his players, especially the sophomores and plebes (freshmen) getting enough sleep because of staying up studying and getting up early for morning formations, inspections and classes. He went on to say:

"We have the experience of what a Thayer Week can do to you the last time and we didn't handle it very well, so we're going to do some Draconian things in preparation for this contest. Our sophomore class is in an especially difficult week; a challenging week. So, we're going to do whatever we need to to accommodate those guys, so they can get their work done, prepare and at the same time get enough sleep so physically and nutritionally they're going to be ready to go."

The other challenge comes from the team across the line playing on their home field in Oxford, Ohio, the Miami of Ohio Red Hawks—a hungry and frustrated football team who would be eager to put their first W on the board against a team that has struggled on the road this year.

Don Treadwell is in his first year coaching at his alma mater after four years as the offensive coordinator for Michigan State.  Last week Miami was shut out at home against Cincinnati. To start the year they lost to Missouri and Minnesota before a home-opening loss to Bowling Green. 

Miami struggles at running the football, ranking 120th in the NCAA.  They have a capable passing game led by quarterback Zac Dysert, who is averaging 263 yards per game in the air.  He has completed 61 percent of his passes for 1,036 yards and two touchdowns. Nick Harwell is a favorite receiver with six catches for 149 yards.   

Coach Ellerson said, "Miami hasn't won a game, which is crazy when you look at the video tape. You see an offense and a quarterback and a bunch of receivers who are as talented and efficient and dangerous as any we've seen or any we will see. Their defense has done some tremendous things.  In many instances we're going to be lined up against the best guy we've faced this year.

"You can watch them push Missouri around," added the Black Knight coach. "You can watch them throw the ball against teams that are much better right now defending the pass than we are and have great success moving the football.  They know how hard it is, especially for us, to win on the road because we haven't come close to doing that.  We have a lot of respect for our opponent. You can almost feel the frustration on that football team watching them play because they're doing so many good things and the scoreboard just won't reflect it." 

Army junior quarterback No. 8 Trent Steelman, with the start Saturday, will set an Academy record with his 31st consecutive start, surpassing the record of Leamon Hall who led the Army offense from 1975 to 1977.  Steelman is having another solid year for the Black Knights, averaging 87 yards per game rushing the ball—fifth best in the NCAA among QBs.  His nine touchdowns rushing leads all QBs in the NCAA and is tied with two others for 5th among all players.

In last week's 45-6 win over Tulane, Steelman rushed for two touchdowns and was able to complete three passes including a 40-yard pass play to Davyd Brooks. As we thought might happen, he completed two passes to slot back No. 1 Ray Maples and a 25-yard completion to fullback No. 26 Larry Dixon.

Coach Ellerson reacted to my question about opportunities for his starting quarterback to reach higher levels

"He (Steelman) really plays a fine game. He's making good reads, he's distributing the ball. He was much more efficient throwing the ball (against Tulane). He was a very efficient player this last week, but we still have the ball on the ground at least one time and I say that's a needless opportunity we gave our opponent. We need to eliminate that. We're leaning on his experience and his prowess within the offense and that will continue to be the fulcrum for our success."

Last week on the opening series, Tulane moved the length of the field in three plays, a 10-yard pass, then two runs up the middle, a 67-yard run, and a three-yard pass for a score.  After that the Green Wave runners were held to 55 yards on the day.  One of the players anchoring the defensive line is 225-pound sophomore left tackle No. 88 Holt Zalneraitis.  I asked the coach about how he is able to handle the much bigger offensive linemen:

"Well, he's `undersized' for that position in the classic sense. He is extraordinarily quick. He's very strong, he's very quick. To make him effective, you have to move him. He can rush the passer, but sometimes he gets lost in there because of just the size differential and it can turn into a pile, but he is extraordinarily explosive. He's got rare ability in that regard. Every week he gets a little bit more comfortable in that world. He's very productive at some things that we do. There are still some challenges in his game."

The punts last week of junior No. 18 Chris Bolt were booming spirals. Bolt has been the punter the past three games after senior No. 38  Kolin Walk punted in the first two games of the year.  Bolt's punts have a slightly longer average at 41.9 yards versus Walk's 41.0 but appear to provide more hang time.  I asked the coach if he was pleased with Bolt's performance:

"We're a directional team. We try to play a little keep away from returners. That's where I still think he can be much more consistent and much better. The good news is that the timing and the placement has improved. We're getting the ball off. We're covering well. He's capable of being a very good punter, but the consistency remains a challenge."

Last week we said it was "crisis week," a vital win to keep a chance for a New Year's Eve date in the Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl in San Francisco and to regain their confidence after a disastrous trip to Ball State. 

This week Army has a chance to even their record at 3-3 before their off week.  Trent Steelman described the importance of this week:

"It's huge. A win here would put us back to .500 heading into the meat of our schedule. A win this weekend would be huge for our program and huge for our motivation. It's a must."

To do that they need to play well on the road, which they have failed at in two prior trips to Mid-American Conference teams. This is surprising considering that West Point was 5-0 on the road last year.  They also have to handle what it means to be a West Point cadet, handling the concentrated academic and military challenges thrown at the cadets during a "Thayer Week."

"I'm expecting that we're going to get this week right," commented Coach Ellerson, adding, "We're going to have our preparation right. We're going to have our minds and our feet and everything in the right place when we kick this thing off on Saturday because we haven't done that the last two times on the road."

Keys to the game are the standard ones for West Point:

1. Avoid giving up big plays at the start; don't play from behind.

2. Complete drives on the ground with the consistent running game

3. Contain the Red Hawks' passing game.

4. Win the turnover battle; avoid fumbles and interceptions.

Army showed a lot of growth and maturity last week, dominating a quality opponent.  They should be ready to demonstrate a strong level of performance on the road. Watch for improved play by the middle of the Black Knights defense.

Prediction: Army 27, Miami 17

Ken Kraetzer produces the West Point Football Report broadcast Tuesday nights at 5:30 PM EST during the season on WVOX radio 1460 AM and nationally on WVOX.com from New Rochelle, NY. Reach him on kgk914@aol.com

 

* Shell, Amy E,  The Thayer Method of Instruction at the United States Military Academy: A Modest History and a Modern Personal Account.

 

Eliot Asinof in the late 1960s wrote a football book called Seven Days to Sunday, Crisis Week with the New York Giants.

The era of prearranged bowl games makes this a "Crisis" week for West Point. After a bowl win last year and a contract with a New Year's Eve bowl again this season, it is an important goal to win six games and again be "Bowl Eligible." To have a realistic chance to reach six wins in 2011, Army needs to defeat Tulane on Saturday.

West Point as a service academy has a national following of alumni, not to mention the millions of Army veterans all over the country, which makes them an attractive guest for a bowl committee. They are contracted to play in the Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl at AT&T Park on New Year's Eve if they can win six games. So besides the annual mega goals of beating Navy and Air Force, there is a bowl game to play for this week.

For a realistic shot at the postseason, the Black Knights (1-3) dearly need a win on Saturday at Michie Stadium against Tulane (2-2).  It is homecoming at West Point, so a capacity crowd of over 35,000 is expected; there will be no lack of crowd support. A win for the Black Knights will put them back on track for bowl eligibility at 2-2, with two road contests coming up.

Meanwhile, the coaches stress they can only play one game each week.

"Every week, you're trying to be 1-0." commented head coach Rich Ellerson at his weekly press conference call, "All we're trying to do is be 1-0 somehow, some way, this week. We're going to run our offense. We're going to run our defense. In the backdrop of all this is West Point and what we're doing daily here. We have to deal with what's happening

now, and if we'll do that, we'll have a chance to go out there and put our best foot forward, and if we do that, we have a chance to win. Nothing else, frankly, enters into it."

The Green Wave, led by former UCLA head coach Bob Toledo, comes into Michie Stadium with strong wins over Southeastern Louisiana and UAB and 20-point losses to Tulsa 31-3 and last week at Duke 48-27. They have not really played any close games; they either win big or lose big.

The two teams and schools know each other well from playing each other 13 of the last 14 years going back to Army's membership in Conference USA. The teams have won at each other's stadiums the last two years, with a Tulane 17-16 win at Michie Stadium in 2009 and the Black Knights win 41-23 last year at the Superdome. 

The Green Wave like Army is a stronger offensive team than defense. They average 246 yards per game in the air, which is more than twice the 122 yards they average on the ground. QB No. 11 Ryan Griffin threw 14-for-29 last week against Duke for 188 yards and a touchdown. They spread their running game among a number of backs, led by tailbacks No. 26 Orleans Darkwa and No. 25 Albert Williams. Watch on kicks No. 2 Robert Kelley, who is averaging 22.6 yards per return. 

Watch for Tulane to try some trick plays on offense against the young Army defense. Commented Coach Ellerson:

"They are a team that will be resourceful.  They'll have the double reverse, the flea flicker pass and throw back to the quarterback all on the same doggone play. They throw it deep, they throw it short, they do some fly stuff, some zone cuts, zone reads and they throw the ball to the backs. They won't try to do everything in every game, but they have a lot of resources to draw from in terms of system."

On Defense, Tulane is giving up 377 yards per game, with 254 yards of that in the air and 122 on the ground. Middle linebacker No. 20 Trent Mackey is a key stopper with 13 tackles recorded last week.

Word from New Orleans is that Coach Toledo felt his team was not physical enough in their loss at Duke last week and instituted "Alley Drills." which are two on one blocking and tackling drills for the first time this season.  He described plans to use more linebackers this week to counter Army's option running game. 

At his press conference, Toledo said, "We are going to be playing more bigger guys, more linebacker type people, to take care of that offense".   

For Army, a team averaging per game 372 yards rushing the football, third best in the NCAA, the keys are avoid mistakes, control the clock and complete drives. Last week. two blocking fouls and an interception hurt them badly in the first half.   

The plus side is that the ground game is being nicely spread by QB No. 8 Trent Steelman to fullback No. 7 Jared Hassin and slotbacks No. 23 Malcolm Brown and No. 1 Ray Maples. Last week, Hassin finally got untracked and ran for over 115 yards, his first 100-plus yard effort of 2011 after exceeding 1,000 yards last year.

"We're getting some yards, but when are we getting them? We have to play consistently." commented Coach Ellerson about his running game, "We're going to have to be consistently productive. We're going to have to manage that. We can't take plays or quarters off."

What the Black Knights need to eventually do is find ways to stretch the defense in the air. They may be ok this week mostly using the option running game, but later in the year against teams which can stack the outside, they will need more. Army QB Trent Steelman needs to get the ball to wide outs like the two fast sophomores No. 88 Jared McFarlin or No. 2 Anthony Stephens. Watch for Army to try what they added in midseason last year, which is short passes to backs coming out of the back field.  Last year, Hassin caught 12 passes, starting in Week 5 for 154 yards.

"We can protect better so that the quarterback's not always scrambling. Still, somebody's going to have to go up and catch a ball. Somebody's going to have to throw it in a place where it can be caught, and somebody's going to have to protect. It's not rocket science." commented Ellerson about making the passing game productive.

A factor to watch for Army is how the changes to the offensive line due to the serious injury suffered last week by right guard Joe Bailey, who left the field on a cart. Junior No. 71 Matt Villanti will step up to start to the left of center No. 66 Will Wilson and right tackle senior No. 68 Mike McDermott. Watch for No. 76 senior Robert Kava from American Samoa do compete for playing time for the Black Knights up front.On the left side is junior No. 79 Frank Allen at guard and senior No. 78 Brad Kelley at tackle. 

Information about injuries is kept very tight at colleges partly due to regulations. I asked about the injury last week to senior Joe Bailey and the impact of his loss on the offensive line.

"He's doing fine, but obviously we won't have him back, and that's tragic. That's the worst part of the game," commented coach Ellerson. "The good news is that it's the kind of injury that he can expect a full and complete recovery from."

The defense was beaten for 383 yards passing last week at Ball State, which will have to toughen up considerably to stay with a good passing team like Tulane. Look for defensive tackle No. 92 A.J. Mackey to be set up with plays to rush the Tulane backfield.

Overall, the defense has been led by the play of co-captain No. 9 Steve Erzinger, who has 51 tackles after four games into the season.  The next Black Knight on the sheet is sophomore free safety No. 17 Tyler Dickson, with 21. When I asked if Erzinger having 30 more tackles than his next teammate on defense reflects his solid play or that too many plays were reaching him, coach Ellerson said,   

"(Erzinger) He's playing well. He'll still find plenty of things to be critical about with himself, but he's being very productive. He is making some plays, frankly, that he shouldn't have to make. We need to be a more complete outfit on defense if we're going to have some success here." 

On special teams, the Black Knights would really like to set up senior kicker Alex Carleton so he would make a field goal and rid himself of the slump he  has been in. Last week, a botched snap and hold missed an opportunity to put first half points on the board when it was 7-0.  

Commented coach Ellerson:

"That was a snap and a hold issue (against Ball State). He actually struck the ball very well on those extra points and whatnot. I think he'll manage this OK. He's one-third of that equation."

Trent Steelman did a good job of summing up what the Black Knights have to do to beat Tulane:

"Like we face every week, they have a quick, athletic defense. We have established ourselves as an offense that can be potent, but at the same time, we can keep you on the field. That's what we need to do: keep their defense out there and their offense off the field."

 "They are good for about a trick play a quarter," comments Steve Erzinger, "They have some crafty stuff that they like to throw at you. It's really guys just staying home, doing their assignment and waiting for that reverse or that trick pass."

Watch for the offense to play their ball control game and get on the board several times in the first half. Hopefully the mix of Brown, Maples and Hassin can keep some of the hits off Steelman so he can play the whole game. As to the passing game, look for a pass or two directed to a back coming out of the backfield. 

Key for Army defense is to stop the Tulane passing game. The defensive backs need to keep the game in front of them and watch for Army to try some odd blitzes to get more pressure on the Tulane quarterback. 

So there you have it, a "Crisis Week" at West Point, the week which will keep their bowl chances alive or label the year strictly rebuilding and waiting for the Navy game. They are favored by a touchdown, and are playing well at home. 

My Prediction: Army 24 -Tulane 17. What do you think?

Ken Kraetzer produces the West Point Football Report from Sons of the American Legion Radio heard every Tuesday at 5:30 PM during the season on WVOX 1460 AM in New Rochelle, NY.  Contact him on kgk914@aol.com 

 

"We will have some great days but it is going to stay fragile," commented Army head coach Rich Ellerson to WABC's Tony Marino after the Black Knights' 48-21 loss at Ball State (3-1) Saturday on the road in Muncie, Ind.

"We are struggling up front on defense. We are getting pushed around a bit. When we rushed the quarterback, he did not feel it."

About the offense, which ran well but did not compete a single pass play, the disappointed coach said, "Offensively we showed how fragile we are, if we can avoid those drive killing penalties and the turnover, we are going to hang in there in the first half, we are going to stay competitive, we are going to protect our own defense a bit by staying on the field and we are going to be in the end zone another time or two."

After the huge win last week over Northwestern, Army went into Ball State as a slight favorite.  This contest had the potential to be a trap game, a let down for West Point, but few expected a wipe out like the season opener against Northern Illinois. The Black Knights last year with a veteran team were 5-0 on the road at campus sites.  In 2011 playing many younger players, the first two stops in the Mid-American Conference have proved quite challenging with a visit to Miami of Ohio coming up in two weeks.

The offense continued to move the ball well with 402 yards rushing but could not complete even one pass in the game. Raymond Maples had another big game carrying 16 times for 125 yards. Jared Hassin, as we thought he might, had 17 carries and produced 111 yards, his first hundred yard game of the year.

However, then there were five penalties, often at crucial times, including two "chop blocks" called on center Will Wilson. Possibly the officials were calling the rule tighter, about blocking the legs of the opposing defensive lineman. We will have to ask coach Ellerson about this on Tuesday.

Ball State certainly played well under first year coach Pete Lembo, who previously coached at Lehigh and Elon and owns a season opening win over Indiana from the Big Ten. Cardinal quarterback Keith Wenning threw for 383 yards and two touchdown passes. Ball State added 162 yards and four touchdowns on the ground.  

Referring to Ball State's Wenning, coach Ellerson commented, "He is a good player and he had a hot hand, we could not do anything to cool it off. That's always going to be a problem." 

It might have been a bit different if Army had converted its first quarter touchdown to tie the game at 7-7. Ball State went out to a 7-0 lead on a 12 play, 80 yard drive resulting in a three yard scoring run by Jahwan Edwards. The Cardinal freshman would score three times in the game.

Army countered with its own drive down the field with what appeared to be a potentially tying touchdown, but junior center Will Wilson was called for a "chop block." The Black Knights ended up trying a short field goal to put points on the board. A successful field goal would have at least helped get senior kicker Alex Carleton out of his slump.

Carleton missed two field goals against Northwestern and and has missed two point after touchdowns so far this year. Somehow the snap or hold was botched and the kick ended up a line drive which missed. Just down 7-0 the Black Knights seemed to lose their momentum.

The second quarter belonged to Ball State, who scored 24 unanswered points. Quarterback Keith Wenning led the Cardinals on four scoring drives which included a 12-yard run by Edwards for his second score of the day and touchdown throws to junior Jamill Smith and freshman Willie Snead. A final Cardinal 56-yard drive of the half resulted in a 21-yard field goal by senior Steven Schott.

Injuries mounted in the game with linebacker Justin Trimble going out with an injured foot and then guard Joe Bailey suffering a serious leg injury. After several minutes of attention on the field the senior from Marietta, Georgia left the field on a cart. This left the Black Knights with holes in the middle of the defense and on the offensive line.

Army in the first half was unable to convert its drives on offense and on defense was exploited by both the run and passing games of Ball State. At the half, the Cardinals lead 31-0.

Early in the second half, Ball State took care of the ambition Army had to get back in the game by producing a six-play, 62 yard drive to score capped by a Jahwan Edwards one yard run. 

West Point did get its offense going in the second half with its first score of the game coming on an eight play 77 yard run capped off by a Ray Maples 1-yard run. Later in the fourth quarter, Maples scored his second touchdown of the game converting an 80 yard, 10-play drive with a 19 yard touchdown run.

Army freshman Terry Baggett from Chicago was given playing time and demonstrated potential to fill in for the injured Trenton Turrentine by rushing four times for 36 yards and scoring on seven-yard run.

Overall, not a terrible production day for the Army offense with 402 yards rushing although penalties thwarted drives when it might have made a difference in the first half. Jared Hassin and Ray Maples both had over 100 yards, but a difficult day for the defense giving up 545 yards of offense, with 383 of that in the air. 

Last year the Black Knights in mid-season added passes to the backs coming out of the back field, especially targeting Jared Hassin.  Maybe we will see that again to gain productivity from passes in the game plan. 

Describing the state of the team following the game, coach Ellerson said, "Both teams are in the locker room now, the one which laid an egg today and the team which played out of their minds last week, there is an awful lot of energy, and an awful lot of want to."

Ellerson added, "[This game] is a step back, it only becomes a cliff, if we let someone pull us apart. As long as we stay together, and hold on to how we play, we can play better, coming out of our shoes and attacking our opponents, playing on the edge. Those two things together, staying together as a team, holding onto one another and continuing to attacking our opponent, and swarming on defense and be a bit better along the way.

"But those drive stopping penalties and the turnover, you see how fragile it is against a good defensive football team  Even five yards, a silly procedure (penalty) we should be able to finish that up in four down territory, but that is how fragile we are right now"  He added, "The good news is we get to play again next week."

The Black Knights will look to fine tune their offense and reorganize their defense for next Saturday's noon Homecoming game against Tulane. The game becomes a must win to keep Army's postseason bowl game chances a reasonable possibility.

Ken Kraetzer hosts the "West Point Football Report," heard Tuesdays at 5:30 p.m. during the season on WVOX.1460 AM and WVOX.com. Reach him on kgk914@aol.com

 The Army Black Knights (1-2) make their first trip ever to Scheumann Stadium at Ball State in Muncie, Indiana on Saturday to take on the Cardinals (2-1) in search of a win to bring their season back to .500.

This one has the potential of being a flat performance for Army after the extraordinary 21-14 win against Northwestern last week.  The Black Knights used their strong running game to gain 381 yards on the ground, score three touchdowns and control time of possession 40:19 to 19:41 against the Wildcats. 

The West Point defense has been getting better with each week of the season after a disappointing opening night versus Northern Illinois.  They held their own against San Diego State and Northwestern despite falling to the Aztecs 23-20 in a thriller.

Senior linebacker Steve Erzinger has 34 tackles on the season, including four and a half tackles for loses and two sacks while demonstrating leadership in the middle of a young unit that lists six starters who are sophomores or plebes in 2011.  Junior Nate Combs and senior co-captain Andrew Rodriquez have been sharing the "WHIP" linebacker position which tends to cover the middle of the defense.

At the weekly Army press call, I asked Coach Ellerson about the mix of players in the linebacker corps: 

"Obviously, both Nate Combs and Andrew Rodriguez are playing the whip linebacker position; they are both veteran football players at that position.  Steven Erzinger and Justin Trimble have been productive in their own right.  That's just our second row.  Those are some veteran guys who are surrounded by young guys.  We have three veteran football players who are being productive for us.  We really needed some veteran guys to step up and settle some of the young guys down," Ellerson said.

  

The young safeties have been productive with sophomore Tyler Dixon having 17 tackles and freshman Hayden Pierce with 15 in three games.  On the front line, credit the play of tackles sophomore Holt Zalneraitis and junior A.J. Mackey.  These two are holding their own and stuffing the run against the 300-pound offensive linemen they are facing each week.

"We're feeling good, but we can't let it get to our head," Mackey said after Saturday's game.

"We have to focus on our next opponent.  We have a new opponent and we have to take it to them and work on getting better each and every practice this week, preparing for the Cardinals this weekend."

Coach Ellerson was pleased, if also slightly disappointed, that no takeaways

were created last week.

"We played across the line of scrimmage a little bit, and that's something that correlates with takeaways, but to no avail this past week.  But, that's a step in the right direction."

Certainly the offense has been productive and consistent.

Last week, junior quarterback Trent Steelman carried the ball himself for 108 yards and three touchdowns behind a maturing offensive line. Often, Steelman carried the ball himself on short yardage situations. In the opening drive against Northwestern, for instance, Steelman ran for six first downs in the 18 play 81-yard drive.

Some Army fans may be worried about the number of hits the Black Knights QB is being subjected to in 2011, but coach Ellerson says Steelman still has untapped potential.

"He's a physically tough guy, and he has to be playing quarterback in this offense," Ellerson said. "The ball's always going through his hands. We're a triple option team and he's one of the options. If he doesn't have the ball in his hands, he decided it was going to somebody else because they were taking him, usually aggressively." 

So far slot backs sophomore Malcom Brown and sophomore Raymond Maples have been productive running to the outside often on pitch-outs from Steelman.  Brown has 248 yards gained on the ground averaging nearly ten yards a carry.  Maples, meanwhile, has 157 yards averaging 4.9 yards per carry this year. 

"Ray's running much more aggressively. If there's nothing there, he's going to try to make something there. He has that ability. He's a good blocker without the football.  I think that's the biggest growth he's made. He's not looking for a place to run; he's making a place to run," Ellerson said.

So far, junior fullback Jared Hassin has performed more of a blocking role. Hassin carrying just 31 times for 115 yards through three games and is way behind is 1,000 yard pace of 2010.

I asked the coach about his interest in getting Hassin more of a workload carrying the football.

  
"The ball's going to go through the quarterback's hands," Ellerson said. "Our opponent will determine, in many instances, who's going to get it. That's our offense." 

Certainly a veteran coach like Rich Ellerson is not going to tip his plans, but watch for the Black Knights to try to utilize Hassin more to reduce the number of hits on the quarterback.

The Black Knights were 5-0 last year on the road playing at campus sights before the loss at Northern Illinois to start the season. This will be a test of being able to demonstrate their mission focus on the road. 

Coach Ellerson will face off against Ball State's new head coach Pete Lembo, who came to the Cardinals after previous stints at Lehigh and Elon. The Cardinals are 2-1 on the year, owning an opening game win over Indiana from the Big Ten.

 "This week is Ball State, and they're off to a great start," Ellerson said. "They opened up against Indiana and beat those guys. They had a come-from-behind victory against Buffalo this last Saturday.  They have a super efficient quarterback, Keith Wenning. They have a young freshman running back, (Jahwan) Edwards, who I thought really flashed. Defensively, they're very, very active. Probably the most pressure-oriented outfit we've seen this season.."

  

Coach Ellerson also addressed the play of senior kicker Alex Carlton who booted 11 consecutive field goals to finish 2010, but has missed two extra point kicks and both field goal chances against Northwestern.

 "Alex (Carlton), that first long kick we had—the 47-yarder—was really well-struck. It was coming in and it looked like it was going to be super and then it cleared the East grandstands and a little gust of wind caught it and carried it out. You need to stop thinking a little bit and leave some of that intellect on the side and just keep playing. The next one was not Alex.  He'll be just fine."

The Black Knights were probably pleased to escape their three game start to the season against 2010 bowl game participants with one win.  As it turned out, they beat Northwestern and came close to beating San Diego State.

Now begins a stretch of five games which will determine if they have the potential to repeat the success of last season with a 2011 post season bowl game. They will probably need to win at least three of five of games after Ball State which includes next week's home game against Tulane, then two more tough road trips to Miami of Ohio and Vanderbilt before the last home game of the season against Fordham. 

The Commander-In-Chief section of the schedule begins November 5th at Air Force, followed by the Yankee Stadium date with Rutgers on Nov. 12 and a visit to the Link Philadelphia to play Temple on Nov. 19th.  The ultimate rivalry game with Navy is Dec. 10th at FedEx Field in DC.

Army has the challenge of playing precision, no mistake football every week in order to be a consistent and confident winning team.

Expect Ball State to come up with a great effort and probably lead in the first half, but the Black Knights will prevail.  Watch for Coach Ellerson to try and give kicker Alex Carleton a few chances to kick his way out of the slump he is.

Final: Army defeats Ball State 27-17

Ken Kraetzer hosts the West Point Football Report every Tuesday night at 5:30 p.m. heard on WVOX 1460 in New Rochelle, NY and nationally on WVOX.com. Reach him at kgk914@aol.com.