Why a draft day salute to Doc Blanchard, an Army running back who never played in the pro's? 

Well, Doc Blanchard was drafted, third overall by the Pittsburgh Steelers, but he dodged that draft and volunteered.

He volunteered for the Army Air Corps and later the United States Air Force. 

Blanchard, "Mr. Inside" to his teammate Glenn Davis, "Mr. Outside," won almost every award a college football player could win. The Heisman, the first ever by a Junior, the Maxwell Award, and the John E. Sullivan Award.

During his career at West Point, Army football was the best in the nation. Their record during Blanchard's years under Coach Red Blaik was 27-0-1.

His teammate Davis won the Heisman the year after Blanchard. Army in the 1940s was football.

Army won three National Championships with the most dazzling backfield pair in college football history.

But Blanchard never played as a pro.

The War Department turned down his request and required him to serve his term of service.

Mr. Inside never looked back. Instead, he flew forward.

Blanchard flew fighter jets and bombers, serving in Korea and Vietnam.

Instead of parachuting out of his burning plane over a populated area near London in 1959, he piloted it the smoking jet down.

Blanchard flew 84 missions over North Vietnam in 1968 and 1969.

He later retired as a Colonel.

On April 19, Mr. Inside died at the age of 84. He was the oldest living Heisman Trophy winner.

A relic from another era when pro sports wasn't king, court, and jester.

Perhaps when you see a player complain about his draft status, whine that he wants traded, or moan about the team that's paying him millions to play a child's game, think of Old Doc Blanchard.

What did the Doc think of all that jazz?

Or maybe just raise a glass to Mr. Inside.

Perhaps lift the cold glass, if you can, when a glittering fighter jet cuts through the bright blue sky.

Toast the sparkling spring sky.

Toast Doc Blanchard.

Mr. Inside has said good bye.

The last couple seasons there were four teams in the ranks of the independents of FBS football. With Western Kentucky officially playing in the Sun Belt starting in 2009 that number drops to three.

What does this mean for Notre Dame, Army and Navy? Nothing. I just thought you should know.

Notre Dame took a step toward regaining some national respect with a season that more than doubled the wins from 2007.

Coach Charlie Weis has retaken over the play calling duties that he turned over to offensive coordinator Mike Haywood for the 2008 season. At the end of the season, Haywood took the head coaching job at Miami OH. Instead of finding a new coordinator, Weis decided he would again try being both head coach and offensive coordinator.

I find the move kind of interesting considering that in 2007, when Notre Dame 3-9, Weis was the offensive coordinator. Some of the speculation was that he could not do both successfully. Come 2009, I guess we will find out.

For me the schedule is a toss up. There are no teams on the schedule that I wouldn’t think Notre Dame has no chance against except USC. On the other hand, I think there are only a couple games that I think are very likely to be wins. That leaves eight games that I wouldn’t put money on either way.

The Navy enters their second year under head coach Ken Niumatalolo. Year one was an 8-5 winning season that ended in a win over rival Army, sealing up the Commander in Chief‘s Trophy, but a loss in the Eagle Bank Bowl to Wake Forest.

While the coaching part looks like they are in good hands, the players side of it is a question mark.

On offense, the quarterback, Kaipo-Noa Kaheaku-Enhada, two leading rushers, Shun White and Eric Kettani, and leading receiver, Tyree Barnes, were all seniors. They also lose many offensive lineman.

I think the defense stays pretty well in tact, losing less than half the starters. The defense may have to help carry the team through the early season.

After looking at the schedule I have to make the prediction that Navy will likely be in contention for a bowl game again, so long as they can overcome the losses of all the offensive skill players.

After just two seasons, Army fired head coach Stan Brock. Brock went 6-18 in his two seasons and 3-9 in 2008. He was fired less than a week after the Black Knights were shut out by rival Navy, 34-0.

Army went across the country to hire a new coach. Cal Poly coach Rich Ellerson, was named the Army head coach in late December.

Ellerson runs a triple option offense that took Cal Poly to FCS playoffs. Cal Poly finished number one in the FCS in total offense 487.5 yards per game) and scoring offense (44.36 points per game). With these numbers Cal Poly would have finished seventh in total offense and fifth in scoring offense.

I am sure the Army would have been happy just to crack the top 25 in either category. Or the top 50 for that matter.

The schedule sets up nicely for the Army to increase their win total from 2008. There is even a small chance that they could get to six wins. But I would still be surprised if they actually did it.

Last year the Detroit Lions selected Army linebacker Caleb Campbell late in the 2008 NFL Draft, and there was a lot of debate when the United States Government decided to add a new rule that allowed military academy grads to go straight to the NFL and delay their service.

With the Army’s alternative-service-option policy created in 2005, Campbell would have been allowed to play football while completing his military service as a recruiter and then in the reserves, but then on July 8 the military revised that rule, which forced Campbell to join his West Point classmates and delay his NFL Dream.

This year, a year after Campbell, there is another service academy member who could be facing the same issue come Draft Day 2009. Navy fullback Eric Kettani is scheduled to join us on an In The Bleachers Podcast in the near future and is fresh off a solid Senior Bowl experience, where he scored a touchdown and had a good week at practice.

The real struggle for Kettani might not be to get drafted, or even signed as a free agent if he isn’t drafted, but whether the new administration reverses the decision by the old one, which would allow Kettani to leap right into the NFL without any wait.

Scouts are saying that Kettani has the tools, and it was evident in his workout, where he ran the 40-yard dash in 4.59 seconds. He also boasts a 32-inch vertical leap and is able to bench press 395 pounds and clean 335.

Even with all of that, NFL teams might be shying away from him unless there is a clear path that he will be able to play and participate in NFL Camps after the draft.

I am all for letting athletes in the Service Academies postpone their Service to their country in order to try their luck with the NFL or other professional sport. It is good publicity for the Service Academies and might attract other athletes who would not have considered going to Army, Navy, or the Air Force.

But whether the administration decides to postpone his commitment or not, just make a decision and make it quick. This young man does not need to go through the emotional roller coaster that Caleb Campbell went through last season.

A thank you to Army's AD, Kevin Anderson, and superintendent, General Hagenbeck, for the wonderful Christmas and New Year's gift given to Army football supporters when they hired new triple-option football coach Rich Ellerson. After hearing him, it sounds like Coach Ellerson is just what many of us have been advocating for.

He's not someone uninformed enough like Todd Berry, a good man who made the mistake of thinking a wide-open passing offense is what Army needed. He's not someone like the famous Bobby Ross, who nobly thought long experience and success in coaching at the higher levels is all that is needed to be the savior of Army football.

He's not someone like the pro football great Stan Brock, who made the mistake of hiring an old buddy as offensive coordinator who had zero experience with option football.

He's someone savvy and informed enough, whose lifetime coaching philosophy has always been to accentuate the positive, eliminate the negative, and latch on to the affirmative.

His bag has always been turning negatives into positives, i.e., turning lemons into lemonade, by recognizing that the very things that are disadvantages in Div. I football, such as smaller size and quickness but not great times in the 40, are the very things needed for his homegrown style of triple-option football.

He has the insight and experience to know that triple-option football is perfectly suited to turning lemons into lemonade.

And, with his assertion that he even goes beyond the former Navy and now Georgia Tech coach Paul Johnson's triple-option playbook, I think he will be burning opposing D's when they cheat eight or nine guys up into the box, with his triple-option, play-action, short, quick-pass dumps, and slants and seam routes, to the TE, SE, and SB/WBs.

I like that he alluded to the fact that the coaches compete with each other before and during games, his OC vs. the opposing DC and his DC vs. their OC, and the smarter, more clever, more innovative coaches win.

I look forward to Coach Ellerson and Army having an OC who is not necessarily one having long experience, but is one who is a "whole person"—bright, clever, creative, perspicacious, always two steps ahead of the opposition—and who has, of course, run the triple-option.

Check out this article about Rich Ellerson by reporter Justin Rodriguez.

West Point teaches its cadets that in war, one must learn the lessons of the past. The question for those who follow its football program is: Will the Academy take its own advice?

West Point’s Athletic Director, Kevin Anderson, announced on Friday that Army Head Football Coach Stan Brock was fired after just two seasons on the Hudson. 

But as the debate emerges about whether Brock (6-18) had adequate time to turn the program around; one thing should be clear to Army football fans: 

The turn of events that culminated in Stan Brock’s dismissal began nine years ago on a Philadelphia street corner.

It was there, as the legend goes, on Dec. 5, 1999, one day after the disappointing 19-9 loss to Navy, that then-Army Athletic Director Rick Greenspan fired Head Coach Bob Sutton. 

With that, the Young-Sutton era came to an end at West Point.

Don’t get me wrong.  It’s not that the era was the end-all-be-all of Army football, nor did (as some speculate) Bob Sutton’s firing represent the loss of the Black Knights’ “last best hope” of being competitive.

But the termination started the program down a path of regression and lost identity that has plagued West Point ever since.  

Sutton’s tenure at the Academy was by no means flawless.  In nine seasons, he led the Black Knights to a pedestrian 44-55-1 record and had only two winning seasons (1993 and 1996). 

Yet, Sutton understood the nuances of coaching at the Academy.  He understood that unlike most I-A (now FBS) teams, the institution defines the football program at West Point rather than the football program defining the institution. 

His teams reflected the tenacity, discipline and selfless service one would expect of a West Point football team.  And though often outperformed by their more athletic opponents and maybe occasionally outcoached, they were notoriously competitive. 

Enter Coach Todd Berry.

Despite just a 24-24 record at Illinois State, Berry succeeded Sutton as the 32nd head football coach at Army.

After all, Berry had just led the Division I-AA (now FCS subdivision) Redbirds to an 11-3 record in 1999 (its second consecutive winning season), and it was apparent to Rick Greenspan that Berry could lead the Black Knights of the Hudson out of the quagmire of mediocrity. 

Young, clean-cut, and charming, Berry represented a fresh face and new ideas. He promised to abandon the triple-option that had been the cornerstone of the Young-Sutton era.

Instead, he implemented the single-back, pro-style offense he had employed at Illinois State.  Additionally, he slashed the roster to focus on developing the team’s best athletes.

Yet, Berry’s tenure proved a huge disappointment.  Midway through his fourth season in 2003, he was fired after a 0-7 start. Army would go on to lose more games that season than any in NCAA I-A football history, with a record of 0-13.   

Many argue that it was his refusal to keep the triple-option that led to the failure of his program.  But the problem with Berry’s reign on the Hudson was bigger than that.  In Greenspan and Berry’s plan to modernize Army’s program, they had forfeited those elements which defined it. 

It wasn’t that Berry should have kept the wishbone because it was the only system that could work at Army.  He should have kept it because it is a system that Army can actually run better than other programs.

The tenacity, discipline, selflessness, and intelligence fostered at the service academy give its teams a distinct advantage in operating the triple-option and its intricacies.  By abandoning this system, Berry forfeited this advantage. 

It wasn’t that cutting players to concentrate on the most talented athletes was a far-fetched idea.  But the real question is why? 

West Point is one of the few college programs where all of its players are on an academic scholarship.  Without the need to worry about athletic scholarship limitations, why arbitrarily limit the pool of athletes the team can field? 

I digress.

After Berry’s dismissal and the inconceivably terrible 2003 season, West Point’s athletic department faced incredible pressure from alumni to find a big-time football coach to right the program. 

Enter Bobby Ross. 

A legend in many ways, Ross was an interesting fit for the academy.  He was a VMI graduate who had served as an Army officer in the early-70s. He began his head coaching career at another military school, The Citadel.

In the ‘80s he had great success leading Maryland and then Georgia Tech.  With the Yellow Jackets, he won the National Championship in 1990 and the Bobby Dodd Coach of the Year award.

Yet when Army approached him in 2004, Ross had been retired for four years and hadn’t headed a collegiate program in 13.

In many ways, his decision to leave retirement to coach at Army seemed more an act of pity than confidence in the program’s resurgence.

This attitude would haunt the program’s most recent regime. He seemed exhausted before his first season began at West Point.

Still, it was Bobby Ross. 

The Bobby Ross who had taken Georgia Tech from a 2-9 record in his first season to a National Championship in his fourth; the one who went on to lead the San Diego Chargers to the Super Bowl in 1995. Certainly, he could turn the program at Army around.

But despite making some slow progress, Ross could not get the program on the right track.  Initially, he too shrugged off any notion of reinstating the triple-option (though in his third season, he added an I-formation-based triple option to the playbook).  

His teams struggled mightily on offense: relying on a tough but vanilla running game and a primitive passing scheme in Ross’ “balanced” attack. 

The defense on the other hand, made steady albeit marginal improvement under experienced defensive coordinator John Mumford. 

Still, it wasn’t enough to compensate for the team’s poor offensive showings.  After three losing seasons, Ross retired due to exhaustion in January 2007 with a record of only 9-25. 

It was the timing of Ross’ departure that perhaps most influenced the hiring of Army’s next head coach.  In the midst of recruiting season, Athletic Director Kevin Anderson quickly appointed Ross’ offensive line coach, Stan Brock, to lead the team.

Brock never stood a chance.       

When Brock was selected as the head coach at Army, he had a grand total of three years of collegiate coaching experience, having served all of it under his mentor Bobby Ross.

Like the three Heisman Trophies that are displayed in Army’s stellar athletic center, his prolific 15-year NFL playing career was perhaps more symbolic than relevant in guiding the undersized squad of overachievers to success on the football field. 

Sure.  His experience with Ross’ system and the few years at the Academy were valuable.  And he was no doubt a very effective and likeable offensive line coach. 

But for anyone to coach at Army (one of the most difficult coaching jobs in all of college football), it requires an extraordinary blend of experience and creativity. 

Unfortunately for Brock, he lacked the former and couldn’t develop the latter.

His teams fell victim to the ultra-conservative mindset that was born in the Todd Berry years and institutionalized under Bobby Ross.  It was as if each coach resolved themselves to what their players couldn’t do on the football field.

They tried, each in their own way, to avoid anything unique or risky for fear of the daunting athleticism of their opponents. 

They played it safe, relying on what they called “fundamentals” to disguise their lack of faith in their own teams’ ability to compete. 

And in doing so, they were defeated before their teams stepped foot on the field. 

Brocks’ open-mindedness in bringing back the triple-option spoke volumes about the coach’s willingness to adapt. 

Yet the “Brock-bone,” as ESPN commentator Shaun King anointed it, soon became a manifestation of the mentality described above.  It was safe, non-dynamic, and ineffective.

One CBS commentator revealed during this year’s disastrous Army-Navy game that Brock admitted to spending only about “eight minutes” on the passing game in practice.

And it showed.      

We’ll never know whether Brock would have been able to improve his system.  The problems with the scheme went far beyond the athletic limitations of his players as some suggest. 

Yes.  Speedier halfbacks would have been wonderful. But it doesn’t matter if they never get the ball.    

A quicker quarterback with a better knack for the option would have been fantastic.  But it’s irrelevant if he can’t make the right reads.

A bigger, faster, stronger offensive line would be great.  But even the best O-line would have problems beating nine defenders in the box, especially when you can’t stretch the field vertically with a passing game.

Army’s football players were often outplayed athletically this year, but the team was more often outcoached. 

And that’s unfortunate. 

From all the sources I’ve seen, Stan Brock is a good coach, and a better man.  His demeanor and compassion for the Corps of Cadets and his players will undoubtedly be his greatest legacy. 

When most would have passed on the job of coaching at West Point, he took it.  When others would have simply spoken of the challenges his players faced every day, he volunteered to experience it himself. 

He is an example of everything Army fans might have wanted in a coach except for one thing: 

He couldn’t stop Army’s sad sojourn down the road it began all those years ago in Philadelphia. 

Like those who have recently come before him, his teams played not to lose. And in doing so, his tenure failed to reflect the essence of West Point and everything captured in that simple phrase spoken by MacArthur and reiterated by West Point’s Superintendent, Lt. Gen. Hagenbeck:

“There is no substitute for victory.”

Army’s next coach must build a team that reflects that sentiment.  Alums and fans don’t expect the team to win every game.  They just want the team to play like they can. 

And as the Academy considers its coaching options with great care, they must look beyond the sum of any coach’s Super Bowl appearances, National Championships, miracle seasons, or pure nostalgia.

There are a number of good candidates in the running, including: the earlier mentioned Bob Sutton; his former assistant and current Kansas University offensive coordinator, Ed Warinner; former Army defensive back and New York Giants wide-receiver coach Mike Sullivan; Navy offensive coordinator and Paul Johnson disciple, Ivin Johnson; South Florida offensive coordinator, Greg Gregory; and Wake Forest’s offensive coordinator and former Air force lineman Steed (Lobo) Lobotzke. 

I disagree with those who argue that candidate must have a strong academy background to be viable.  Paul Johnson’s exemplary career at Navy supports my theory. 

Instead, the best candidate is one who can assess the program’s strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats (yes business methods work for football too), and creatively devise the team’s systems around them. 

Todd Berry and Bobby Ross came to the Academy with the idea that their systems could work anywhere, and in doing so they were shocked to find that they couldn’t.  

Additionally, the candidate must be one willing to take bold action.

No. I’m not talking about going for it on fourth-and-five on your own 33-yard line.  I’m talking about someone who isn’t afraid of trying new concepts in recruiting, such as leveraging Army’s nation-wide following to train and build a network of state and local recruiters. 

Or by building an offensive scheme that might be a bit different than what they’re used to.

Or having the gumption to demand excellence from players from whom society already demands so much. 

For these very players have each chosen to become cadets, warriors, and leaders because they believe in what they can accomplish.

They want a coach that believes the same. 

This is rivalry week. Or so ESPN tells us.

It's the week we get some big college football rivalry games.

Ohio State-Michigan: Not so much this year.

Northwestern-Illinois: Becoming very interesting lately.

Washington-Washington State: You are joking right?

Utah-BYU: BCS or bust

There are many great rivalries in all sports. None seem to carry the luster that college football rivalries hold.

And none has the meaning of the Army vs. Navy rivalry.

No, neither team will compete for a BCS berth or a conference title. Most times, a bowl game is a great reward to a service academy. And yes, Army has hardly been competitive in the last few years (against anyone).

But, that does not take away from this game.

I know deep down that Army will most likely get beat down again, but I will watch every play from start to finish. I always do.

Many people cannot understand why this game gets the attention it does from CBS and the national media given that it is usually a mismatch and neither team has national prominence.

No answer I give will satisfy these critics.

This game is very special to some of us who have served in the Military. To me, there is nothing quite as cool as seeing the "Beat Army" banner on a Navy Ship or "Beat Navy" on a Bradley or an Abrams.

Alabama vs. Auburn can't do that.

One of my favorite games I have ever watched was the 2004 game. Even though it was another Navy massacre, with a score of 42-13. But, just getting to watch it at all from a bunker in Fallujah was awesome for me. It helped bring a little distraction, even if only for three hours.

Navy has won nine of 11 games and six in a row.

But, I will hold out hope that Army can pull off the upset and make this a close rivalry again.

While Air Force and Navy continue to book their annual bowl reservations, Army continues to look for answers every year.

The future never seems to be any brighter. After today's 30-3 loss to Rutgers drops the Black Knights to 3-8, the present isn't looking good either.

On the bright side, they have four losses by 10 points or less. Hey, whatever you can take right?

But come Dec. 6, all that can change. With one win, the program can take a drastic upward turn.

In the one rivalry where records truly do not matter, anything can happen.

I will hope for the best for Army football and enjoy what is if not the best rivalry in sports, the most meaningful one by far.

"When Army and Navy meet, there is no other game with deeper foundations or greater prestige."

How do you define the term "rivalry"?

The dictionary definition lists rivalry as "the act of competing or emulating". In sports, rivalries are judged by team against team, normally by the quality of both competitors, what's on the line each time the two square off, and what it means to the organizations and fans.

But the most important thing is how much the teams like each other. The average fan would specify that a "rivalry", which is defined as the act of competing or emulating is anything but. The average fan would justify that a rivalry game is the competition of two teams that dislike each other, or the competition of two teams that have storied traditions, rich histories, or title game aspirations.

In college football, though, the term rivalry might bear a bigger definition on how much respect and class the universities exemplify towards each other, whether it be on the field, off the field... or defending the great country that is the United States of America.

In my sincere opinion, the biggest rivalry in college football is the annual Army-Navy game. Meeting at neutral locations every year since 1890, this rivalry might just be the most evenly-matched and most consistently competitive match-up in all of not only college football, but sports in general.

The Navy Midshipmen currently hold a 52-49-7 series advantage over the Army Black Knights, which allows for Navy graduates and students some bragging rights they'll use to their advantage every slight chance they receive.

With the powers toning down in recent years, the game hasn't taken as big of a stage as it used to have back a few decades ago. When these teams matched up several decades ago, the National Championship was usually discussed, or on the line for these two rich programs.

Army has 3 total championships (1914, 1944, 1945), while Navy has one. (1926)

It isn't exactly as glitzy and glamor filled for these two programs on paper compared to the likes of Ohio State - Michigan and Southern California - Notre Dame, but there's many points to consider on why this rivalry is the best in the game.

For one, due to specific regulations administered and outlawed by both Universities, there are more guidelines instilled to ensure that the graduates and alumnus of the respective Universities are fully prepared for their duties following their scholastic careers in the Army or Navy.

For example, Navy is more tough academically to enroll into. We've seen many academic scandals and controversies in the past couple seasons, mainly involving players that were highly sought after out of high school. These players might not choose Navy because they realize and comprehend how difficult the challenges in the classroom are.

Army is a tough military school, and has a lot of discipline. This is the obvious reason that many high school seniors turn away from committing to the Army program, because they want to experience full campus life when they are in college... and going to Army just doesn't give that to you in a sense. (Of course I'm talking about the social experiences, partying and so on)

And for the obvious pointer in this scenario, the post-graduate commitment you make when attending these schools - joining the Army or Navy, respectively. Many football players that do indeed pan out to be National Football League talents are denied permission to play in the league, with only a few exceptions.

The most recent example being Caleb Campell, a defensive back from Army who was drafted by the Detroit Lions. Overjoyed with the opportunity to be a part of the league, which so many hope to reach, he was disheartened when he remembered he had to serve his Army time before he could join his new team.

With so many talented players joining college football today, and top-tier recruits hoping to make a name for themselves on Sundays, becoming a star on campus during Saturday for a traditionally good program such as Navy and Army is overlooked entirely.

With that, though, adds a unique experience to the game.

While it isn't superstar against superstar like most rivalries showcase, it's military branch against military branch. If any game in this fine country is deserving of the crown "America's Game", this is positively the one that has to be it.

No game displays as much passion for the pigskin as what this competition turns out to be. Without the focus taking prime attention to one athlete, the game is taken shape as a team game, with all 11 players for both teams becoming the stars, and that's what really makes sport today, and what really makes this rivalry what it is.

The schedule proclaims Army and Navy each play 12 games, including their game against each other. But in the back of every player and coach's mind burns one deep thought, and that's either "Beat Army" or "Beat Navy".

The game has always been competitive, whether the competition be on the field, in the stands, in the press boxes or where each school's band is seated.

This meeting has seen some spectacular finishes, and some moments well worthy of being proclaimed the best rivalry in college football hands down, and maybe even the best rivalry in all of sports. These players are passionate about playing football, not about the money, the rankings or the draft status.

History has been made countless times in this contest. Instant replay was introduce to the world of college football during an Army-Navy game in 1963. The game has seen future NFL Hall of Famers play, like Roger Staubach, and countless future professionals that were allowed to play... possibly even more if regulations weren't so strict.

Many people tend to imagine what the rivalry would become if the University policies for each Army and Navy weren't so strict.

I feel there would be a big difference, mainly because this rivalry is the best because of the schools. It's a branch of the United States military against another branch of the United States military. It's representatives of what this nation is and has become, and that's explained with one word and one word only:

Freedom.

It's not university against university out there. It's against the men that protect and defend this nation to the fullest of their capabilities, and if that doesn't spell out rivalry game to you, then nothing should, and nothing does.

These teams play for the love and respect for the game of football, not for the sake of hating each other. That's what makes this rivalry the biggest and best in college football today.

If you are betting college football this Saturday, Nov. 1, be sure to visit Touthouse.com for updated college football odds, expert college football picks, and NCAA predictions. Click here to buy winning college football picks.

Army +8.5 (-110)—Saturday, Nov. 1, 2008, noon

The Air Force Falcons may be 6-2 straight-up compared to just 3-5 for the Army Black Knights, but Army is on a 5-0 against-the-spread run and can give the Falcons fits at home here. In fact, the Cadets have won three of their last four games outright, and the only loss during this stretch was 27-24 in overtime on the road vs. what has become a pretty decent Buffalo team.

These teams are very similar in that both clubs run the ball often and neither has a passing game. Army is averaging an impressive 246.9 rushing yards per contest on 4.5 yards per carry compared to a minuscule 45.4 passing yards. Then again, we see that as a positive for a team getting more than a touchdown, as Army should be able to shorten this game by running a lot of clock.

Air Force is averaging even more rushing yards per game at 291.0, though it averages an identical 4.5 yards per rush as the Black Knights. Keep in mind the Army defense is only allowing 116.5 yards per game on just 3.5 yards per carry, so that may slow the Falcons down somewhat. At the very least, it will take them longer to drive down the field, again killing clock and favoring the underdog.

As long as Army does not turn the ball over much, we fully expect it to be in this game until the end, and an outright home upset would not shock us at all.

College football free pick: Army +8.5 (-110)—courtesy of LT Profits

Miami (Florida) +2.5—Saturday, Nov. 1, 2008, noon

The Miami Hurricanes and the Virgina Cavaliers go head to head in a key ACC matchup between two teams that are currently in top form. After a 0-2 start in conference play, the Canes have come back with impressive successive wins against Wake Forest and Duke. Meanwhile, the Cavaliers have won four straight games, including victories over two top-25 teams.

When these football programs met last year, the Cavaliers mercilessly beat the Canes in their own backyard, down in the Orange Bowl by a 48-0 count. While revenge in college football can sometimes be overstated and overhyped, this is not one of those situations.

The aforementioned loss marked the first time since 1974 that Miami (Fla.), was shut at home. Worse of all, the loss came in front of some of the school's all-time top players. Needless to say, some key boosters were not impressed with how coach Randy Shannon seemed unprepared for that game.

Since then, the head coach has had this date circled on his calender and will have his team more than ready to compete. Wahoos head coach Al Groh knows there is a storm blowing in and will batten down the hatches. Look for a hard-fought affair with the Canes' strength, their defense, ending up being the difference maker.

Final notes and key trends: The underdog has won the last four meetings...The Canes have covered four straight road games.

Projected score: Miami (Fla.) 23, Virginia 20—courtesy of Alex Smart

1945 was unlike any other year on record.

World War II was ongoing but the Soviets had marched into Poland. Germany’s Nazi dictator Adolf Hitler had fled to his underground bunker, properly titled the Fuhrerbunker.

This is the same year where President Franklin D. Roosevelt sat down with Winston Churchill & Joseph Stalin at the Yalta Conference. In February of 1945, the battle of Iwo Jima took place when 30,000 Marines stormed the island to help further American victory in the Pacific Theatre.

Most notably, the largest bittersweet memory of 1945 was the dropping of the atomic bomb on Nagasaki & Hiroshima, Japan.

On May 8 of 1945, the Germans surrender to the Allied Forces.

On September 12 of 1945, the Japanese surrendered to the American-led Allied Forces in Singapore.

Life in America marched on with a new sense of pride.

The Chicago Cubs made the World Series but lost to the Detroit Tigers. The Chicago Cubs have yet to return to the World Series since.

Many future sports icons were born in 1945 from Phil Jackson and Larry Bowa to Walt Frazier and Jim Palmer.

Still, America was missing something. Baseball was still the national past time. Football was just as controversial then as it is today.

The year before, the Army football team was crowned by the Associated Press as national champions after a 9-0 season. Controversy erupted when Ohio State finished 9-0 but didn’t receive the same recognition from the media after they had just won national champion honors in 1942.

1944 was just the second time Army was crowned as college football national champions by the Associated Press. The first came in 1914.

1945 was a special year for the Black Knights football program. After receiving its second national title the year before, the Army Black Knights continued to stroll forward under head coach Earl “Red” Blaik.

The most famous game of the 1945 season took place at Yankee Stadium on November 9. The unbeaten Fighting Irish of Notre Dame were ranked second in the nation. The cadets from Army were unbeaten as well. In “The House That Ruth Built,” Army smacked Notre Dame around, winning 48-0.

Army’s win over Notre Dame at Yankee Stadium exemplified their 1945 season. Army averaged 8-yards per play on offense and 46 points per game. Their defense allowed just 6 points per game.

Army was led fullback Doc Blanchard. In 1945, the fullback position was nothing like it is today. The fullback position put rings around the eyes of defenders like they were looking at the planet Saturn. He also played linebacker, placekicker, and punter.

1942, Doc Blanchard was a freshman at North Carolina. At the end of the year, he enlisted in the United States Army. On July 2, 1944, Blanchard received an appointment to the United States Military Academy at West Point, New York. While playing football at West Point, Blanchard’s teams went 27-0-1.

In 1945, Doc Blanchard won the Heisman Trophy. In 1946, Blanchard was drafted 3^rd overall by the Pittsburgh Steelers. He decided that professional football wasn’t for him and went on to become a pilot for the newly formed United States Air Force. This football star turned hero went on to serve our nation in the Korean War & Vietnam War.

Speaking of Blanchard, Notre Dame coach Ed McKeever once said “I’ve just seen Superman in the flesh.”

On December 1, in front of 102,000 fans in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, including President Truman, Blanchard led the Knights offensive with three touchdowns (one on defense) in a victory over rival Navy.

Even though World War II was over by the fall, the Black Knights would continue their offensive and finish the season as national champions with a 9-0 record. The Alabama Crimson Tide finished 10-0 but were not recognized by the Associated Press.

1945 was a year where America stood still. World War II was wrapping up in scary fashion. Communism began to engulf Eastern Europe. Wages started to soar for the American worker and Army won its second consecutive national championship in football. Things were beginning to look up for the country.

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Whether or not you think Army is still relevant in college football today, one thing is for certain: West Point is still one of the best sporting venues in the country.  Pregame on the Hudson remains a combination of pride, patriotism, and sheer mania as cadets, fans, and a general officer or two come together for some of the best traditions in college football.

Cannon blasts, military parades, skydivers, helicopters, American flags, and a sea of uniformed servicemen and women speckled with zany costumes greet fans and foes alike. 

Combine all of that with the hope of a new season and the return of the much-anticipated option offense, and the excitement surrounding last Friday’s game against Temple was palpable.  Yet the game that followed the festivities on Aug. 29 was anticlimactic, as the visiting Owls routed the Black Knights of the Hudson by a score of 35-7 in what was clearly a disappointing showing for the home team.

Perhaps most frustratingly, Army seemed to beat themselves with atrocious special teams play and a mistake-prone offense that was ineffectual at best. 

What about that so-called “new option offense”?  A unique combination of the flex-bone, traditional wishbone, and the spread offense, the Hudson Valley Express couldn’t get the train on the right track early in its debut.

Third year starting quarterback Carson Williams didn’t look comfortable and often had trouble making reads, which led to missed opportunities and an occasional fumble (one of which was returned by Temple for a touchdown).

Fullback Collin Mooney displayed the toughness and tenacity we have come to expect from a West Point fullback.  The senior bruiser was the workhorse last week with 26 carries for 81 yards, mainly because of the offense’s inability to get the ball to the outside and into the hands of talented running backs Patrick Mealy and Tony Dace.

The passing game was similarly impotent, as Williams couldn’t find the open receivers underneath and forced passes upfield (one of which led to an interception).  

Poor quarterback reads and bad exchanges aside, second year head coach Stan Brock is probably more disturbed by the subpar blocking of his charges.  The offensive tackles were constantly jammed on their all-important releases to linebacker row.  This was in part responsible for Williams’ miscues, as he couldn’t adequately determine if the jamming end was cracking down on the fullback or keeping contain on the quarterback.

Probably less obvious was the lack of blocking by Army’s halfbacks.  In a scheme known for its devastating cut blocks by runners that are half-men/half-ballistic missiles, Army’s tandem seemed lost trying to decide who to block and often didn’t find anyone at all, which contributed to a lackluster outside running game.     

As insufficient as the offense seemed last Friday, it still offers hope for a team that hasn’t crossed the .500 mark since 1996.  Brock and his staff were wise to turn back to the option during the offseason.

Former coach Todd Berry’s decision to trade in the triple-option for a one-back spread offense proved disastrous, and Bobby Ross’ balanced, pro-style attack only showed marginal improvement.  Brock’s scheme displays the uniqueness and creativity that may, in time, turn the Black Knights into a perennial winner. 

But no scheme can replace sound fundamentals.  To so many West Point fans, last Friday’s defeat looked awfully similar to last season—and the year before that, and the year before that.

It was the same turnovers that plagued Todd Berry’s reign.  The same play-not-to-lose conservatism we saw under Bobby Ross, and the same promise of a team on the brink with renewed confidence and preparedness to win. 

That promise fell short. 

It was on a Carlos Santiago muffed punt in the first quarter of last Friday’s game against Temple that I heard that all-too-familiar phrase, “Here we go again,” echo in my head like those pre-game cannon blasts.  But as I looked at players, coaches and other fans, I knew. 

I knew they were thinking the same thing.

It was validated in the Black Knight’s performance.  Miscues, conservative play calling, and the gradually emptying seats confirmed, in my mind, the real problem with Army football. 

This team and those who support it feel that the Black Knights have to be perfect to win.

It’s like a mistake is a death sentence to the Black Knights, a condemnation of the team’s imperfection—a glaring statement of the Black Knights' “lack of athleticism, size and speed.”  Army football hasn’t had a winning season in 11 years because they don’t believe they can overcome. 

Well, guess what, Black Knights.  You aren’t perfect!  But football, like war, is about overcoming adversity.

If Army is going to ever achieve a winning season, they’ve got to have enough confidence to know that they are going to make mistakes and can win in spite of them.  Players, coaches, and fans need to believe not just in what the Black Knights stand for and represent—we must believe in what they can do. 

We’ll get that chance tomorrow when Army hosts the University of New Hampshire.  When the Black Knights make that inevitable mistake, let’s replace “Here we go again” with “Here we go, Army.  Here we go!”

Go Army!  Beat New Hampshire!