Army Football

 

Army senior Steelman practiced Thursday at West Point and projects to start on Saturday at Michie Stadium as the Black Knights (0-3) seek their first win of the season against the Stony Brook Seawolves (3-1) from Long Island.

Steelman appeared to suffer a rib injury last Saturday at Wake Forest when he ran to convert a 2nd and 1 at midfield. The veteran option QB was hit hard in his mid-section fumbling but Army retained possession when wide out Malcolm Brown fell on the loose ball.  Steelman got off one more play before collapsing to the ground in pain. 

Sophomore Angel Santiago came in for three plays, but with a 4th and 1 looming at the Wake 40, Steelman came back in to run the play gaining two yards and the first down.

Army will be glad to have Steelman in as they need a win desperately to keep hope for a successful season that will land them in the Military Bowl in Washington DC.  

Stony Brook is a lot better football team than VMI or Fordham—who were the Cadets most recent Football Championship Subdivision opponents.  This is a team which led Syracuse 17-14 at the half two weeks ago.  

The Army defense has not been stopping many drives giving up over 40 points in each of the first three points.  Above all this is a game when the Army seniors Steelman, Jarrett Mackey, Frank Allen, Nate Combs, and Josh Jackson and all need to rally their teammates to find a way to win.

Stony Brook Preview:

Stony Brook is a large, increasingly prestigious, state university located on the north shore on Long Island that is elevating its sports programs. 

When the school was founded in 1957 Earl "Red" Blaik had Army in the national spotlight and Pete Dawkins was a blooming back a year away from the Heisman Trophy. The Seawolves have come along way in sports with their baseball team this past spring qualifying for the College Baseball World Series in Omaha. 

The football program joined Division One in 1999 and next season this football team will move up from the Big South conference to the CAA, described as the top league in the Football Championship Subdivision.

The Seawolves coached by Chuck Priore come into Michie Stadium for the first time after wins over Central Connecticut, Pace, and Cogate and the lone loss at Syracuse of the Big East. 

They are ranked number 18 in the nation in both FCS polls. 

Their offensive line is huge, like that of Wake Forest which wore down the Army defense last week.  This group is led by Junior right tackle Michael Bamiro #69 who stands 6-8 and weighs 345 pounds with the rest of the "O" Line starters at 300 pounds with the exception of 280 pound center Mike Lisi. 

Behind the big line, Stony Brook likes to run the football leaning on the best running back in their history: senior Miquel Maysonet who has gained 3,341 yards on the ground.    The Seawolves are averaging 327 yards per game rushing, nearly as much as Army.  The quarterback is Kyle Essington who  has completed 28 of 60 attempts for 593 yards and seven touchdowns while suffering four interceptions.

On defense Stony Brook yields 296 yards per game and just under 21 points per game.  On his weekly conference call Coach Priore said:

"The tradition of playing a school like Army and preparing for their offense is challenging. It certainly will be a change for our defensive unit.  We're going to have a solid fan base up there. We're healthy and we expect to play a lot of players."

Army Preview:

The Black Knights desperately need and want a win in front of the Corps of Cadets and their Michie Stadium faithful after three weeks of frustration.

On the  weekly press conference Army head coach Rich Ellerson described the challenge provided by the first time visitors to Michie Stadium:

"Stony Brook is a real challenge. They're a Championship Subdivision team that's a powerhouse playoff team. They're a relatively veteran team that's played a lot of games and won a lot of games. They came within a whisker of upsetting Syracuse a couple weeks ago and are absolutely licking their chops. We are absolutely taking the underdog mentality into this."

The offense is playing on all cylinders last week gaining 506 yards with 429 yards of that on the ground. 

According to Army Sports information following the morning practice, Trent Steelman is expected to start for Army which is lift for the team.  Steelman scored three touchdowns last week rushing and threw for another score to half back Ray Maples who has run for over 100 yards in each of the first three games. 

Injuries have again knocked sophomore center Ryan Powis from the lineup replaced by the largest player on the roster, 290 pound senior Will Wilson who started against San Diego State.

Frankly I was not not optimistic about Steelman playing this week considering the shot to the ribs he suffered last week.  But Trent is the kind of player you have to lock his helmet in a trunk to keep him off the field. 

Last year when Angel Santiago was in he showed speed in running the ball himself, but had moments of indecision and lack of technique with his pitch-outs.  I asked the coach about the development of Santiago in his sophomore year:

"We've seen him the most in the practice environment. We'll find out when he has to go out there and play a significant number or reps on Saturday afternoon. You can see that he has the foot speed and athleticism to do some things.  He's going to run the offense a little bit differently and has a little different strong suit than Trent (Steelman). That will take some time to evolve."

Another Black Knight running back to keep an eye on is sophomore Trenton Turrentine, who returned to the lineup from injuries last week, commented the coach:

"He's a guy who we really liked coming out of last year. He got hurt last year and didn't have much of a spring. He was starting to have a great training camp and then broke his thumb during our first padded practice. He's battled back out there and is as physical a slot as we've ever had."

The defense is another story giving up an average of 44 points and 444 yards per game.  The Black Knights are young upfront and still not very big putting extra strain on the linebackers.  The Stony Brook offense will see in the films how the big Wake line broke big holes last week and will try to do the same.  

 On the press call, I asked Coach Ellerson about playing another team with a big offensive line:

"They are big, strong guys who know what they're doing. Our challenge is not so much what they do; it's more getting all of our guys on the same page and doing the same thing. We don't have the weapons in the defense that allow us to lineup in a single front or a single coverage. We're going to have to be able to do multiple things on defense and be able to execute them together. We have to take advantage of our quickness."

Army needs to find a way to help out the two sophomore tackles Robert Kough and Mike Ugenyi. The rush lineman Jarrett Mackey is still working his way into game shape after returning last week from a full years recover from an injury sustained in the 2011 opening game.  

About the return of Jarrett Mackey to playing shape, the coach said:

"He's part of that starting rotation, but the challenge is I'm not sure what percentage he's operating at. That was his first football in over a year. He has shown that he's a better football player than he was last Saturday. He just has to have some confidence in that leg and continue to get used to playing college football again."

Defensive End Holt Zalneraitis is not expected to play due to a hip injury so we will have to see how junior Kyle Maxwell #83 or sophomore Derek Sanchez #94 can do.  The anchors to the defense are the inside linebackers senior Nate Combs and sophomore Geoffrey Bacon.  Combs likes to dive into holes while Bacon needs to find ways to evade blockers, like the ones Wake through at him last week.  

On the conference call, I asked the coach about the importance of Combs and Bacon anchoring the defense together,

"Nate is exactly that. He manages our defensive front with a lot of young guys around him. He's taken on an awful lot on his shoulders. Geoff has to be more consistent there. He has all of the ability in the world in terms of running and tackling.  He's one of those guys who we give a lot of latitude to, so he has to be able to get his eyes on the quarterback and/or the running back and find his way to the football. There's some real opportunities in front of him because of his athleticism."

In the defensive back field, highly experience senior Josh Jackson is expected to return after missing last week with an injury. Two freshman Brandon Fusilier-Jeffries and Chris Carnegie are projected to start as co-coordinators Payam Saadat and Chris Smeland search for a combination that can stop the big plays down field.  

Finding a pass rush would help, but the only pressure tends to be from Nate Combs diving into holes and making early stops on runners or the quarterback. 

Summary: This is a gut check week for Army, they have to win in order to have a successful season.  This the week the senior leadership on the team needs to step forward and keep the team together, keep the offense controlling the ball as much as possible and to find ways for the defense to make more stops. 

The key on defense is to handle the huge offensive line of Stony Brook and find a way to put pressure on their quarterback.  The key Black Knight is Nate Combs who is inheriting the role in the middle of the defense so well performed in recent years by Steve Ersinger and Steve Anderson. 

Prediction, Army finds a way to win 38-24.

Army Notes:

Army may have another strong candidate for the William V. Campbell Trophy won last years by West Point's Andrew Rodriquez in senior defensive end Zach Watts.  The senior from Pittsburgh, PA is one of the 147 candidates for the award presented to the nation's top football scholar-athlete.  The Engineering Management Major has a 3.46 grade point average.

Ken Kraetzer covers Army football for WVOX 1460 AM based in New Rochelle, NY and Sons of the American legion Radio.  Listen to his high school/college reports on WVOX.com every Monday and Friday morning at 6:35 AM.

Once again, the Army offense looked effective moving the ball consistently down the field and converting drives into scores, but the defense was pushed around in a 49-37 loss to Wake Forest.

The Black Knights had strong performances from Ray Maples, 140 yards rushing averaging 9.3 yards per attempt, and Larry Dixon, 112 yards and a touchdown.  Senior Ray Maples, who has split time the past two games at both wide receiver and slot-back, ran for 79 yards and caught a 19-yard pass from Steelman. 

Trent Steelman had a solid game leading the option offense, running for 82 yards and three touchdowns before leaving in the closing moments with what appeared to be a rib injury.

The Army quarterback had a decent passing day, completing three of only four passes, one of which was a beautiful 13-yard throw to Ray Maples, who made a one-handed catch for a touchdown.   

Overall, Army gained 506 yards on the day and played their ball control game, maintaining possession for 33:26. Unfortunately for the Black Knights, they let the Deacons run up 517 yards of offense.

The Demon Deacons featured a big offensive line, all players over 6'4" and ranging in weight from the smallest left guard Whit Barnes at 290 pounds to the largest right tackle Colin Summers at 315.

This group of NFL-sized players was opening big holes and providing time to pass for quarterback Tanner Price. Michael Campanaro was the favorite target for Deacon quarterback Tanner Price, catching 12 passes for 153 yards and two touchdowns.

Two Wake Forest backs exceeded 100 yards rushing on the day with Josh Harris generating 129 yards on just 12 carries for an average of 10.8 yards and two touchdowns. Deandre Martin gained 115 yards and also reached the end zone twice.  Campanaro added the Deacons' fifth rushing touchdowns. 

Overall, Wake ran for 296 yards and passed for 221 yards.

Army started with a solid drive with Trent Steelman passing deep to sophomore Chevaughn Lawrence for 45 yards to the Wake 13. Steelman then converted on a two-yard run, but the PAT kick was missed by freshman kicker Daniel Grochowski. 

Wake also scored on their first possession. Tanner Price hit a 47-yard completion to Brandon Terry, then converting on a four-yard run by Campanaro. 

Army came back, taking a 13-7 lead on runs by Larry Dixon for 29 yards to the Deacon 39, then scoring on a 12-yard run.  Wake came right back with a 41-yard pass play from Tanner Price to Campanaro to take back the lead 14-13.

Starting the second quarter, Army went 73 yards down the field led by a 33-yard Ray Maples charge to the one, leading to a Trent Steelman plunge over his center Ryan Powis for his second score of the day.

After both teams finally had drives end with punts, the Deacons went 79 yards down the field with Price hitting Campanaro for a seven-yard score, taking back the lead for the third time 21-20.  A 21-yard field goal by Grochowski gave Army the lead at the half.

Army coach Rich Ellerson was interviewed by the ACC Broadcast, commenting:

"Offensively we can't miss an opportunity.  Defensively we have to get a stop.  It just takes some guys to settle in on the defense getting used to playing college football."

Starting for Army on defense were three freshmen: Chis Carnege at a corner, Brandon Fusilier-Jeffries at free safety and Alex Meier at free safety. 

Fusilier-Jeffries had a big game with 15 tackles, but it is a bad sign when a safety leads the team in tackles. Senior Josh Jackson, who had started 22 games straight for Army, sat this one out with a groin injury.

Wake Forest did not wait to retake the lead. It was 28-23 in the third quarter going 75 yards in seven plays. The touchdown was scored on a 19-yard run through a gaping hole in both the Army line and linebackers. 

The big Wake line just dominated play with Army's only chance to stop the play in the secondary.   

The game-changing mistake happened on Army's next possession as Ray Maples missed a pitch from Trent Steelman, resulting in a fumble recovered at the Army 25 by Justin Jackson. Wake converted in three plays, scoring a ten-yard run by Deandre Martin and expanding their lead to 35-23.

Army came back again with Ray Maples making up for his part of the fumble on the prior series with a 25-yard run to the Wake 30. Steelman scored his third touchdown of the day on a two-yard run to cut the Deacon lead to 35-30.

Then the Army defense started to break further again as the Deacon line opened up a huge hole to help Josh Harris run 63 yards for a score to put Wake ahead 42-30.

Army made another offensive effort to go 75 yards down the field, culminating in the Steelman pass to Ray Maples to cut the Wake lead to five 42-37, which held into the fourth quarter.

The Army defense forced Wake to punt, and Steelman and the offense started to move down the field once again. Then on a six-yard run to midfield, Steelman took a hit to his lower rib area.

He ran the next play, then went to the turf in pain. Angel Santiago came in at quarterback, but the drive stalled at the Wake 32.

The Deacons went down the field, culminating in a 3rd-and-6 play with Deandre Martin running 37 yards to make the final score 49-37.

For Army, the loss gives them a 0-3 record a quarter of the way through the season after playing three quality opponents.  

They really needed at least one win of the first three to show their program in Rich Ellerson's fourth year is maturing, and to stay in line for the 6-6 record that will place them in the Washington D.C. Military Bowl.

Concern will now be for Trent Steelman, who has an injury to his midsection.  Steelman is a tough guy who never complains, but we will have to see if he can play next week against Stony Brook. Perhaps this game will be a chance to let Steelman rest, and to let Santiago play and gain experience.

The real concern is for the defense, which has given up 40 points or more three weeks in a row. The defensive line was undersized last year, and is not much bigger this year with Mike Ugenyi at 257 pounds, Bobby Kough at 239 and Jarrett Mackey at 240. 

Mackey, the "Legacy Captain", returned to the lineup against Wake and was scheduled to be in for 20 plays. 

Linebacker Nate Combs has size and strength and was being sent to rush into holes in the middle, but the other linebackers were pushed around by the huge Wake offensive lineman.

Army has a chance to go on a winning streak with three straight home games against Stony Brook, Boston College and Kent State, followed by a road game at Eastern Michigan.

To win their share of these games, Coach Ellerson and his defensive staff need to find a way to bolster their front seven players, to stop the run and to mount some type of a pass rush. Army does have a few spare large offensive lineman who might be given a chance to convert to defense.

While Army has a strong senior dominated offense, it would be a shame if the defense unit continues to be this far behind all year.  

Ken Kraetzer covers West Point football for WVOX 1460 AM in New Rochelle, NY and Sons of the American Legion radio. Listen to his high school /college football reports on 1460AM or www.WVOX.com every Friday morning at 6:35 AM.

Army’s Holt Zalneraitis emerged as a starting defensive end last year when the ranks were thin on the defense because of graduations and injuries.  Head coach Rich Ellerson frequently mentions Zalneraitis among the Army defenders he is counting on.

In 2011, as a sophomore Zalneraitis was one of the young players on the Army roster who was asked to take on considerable responsibility on the defense.  The native of Round Rock, Texas is taking a full load of science and pre-med courses at West Point in hopes of applying to medical school.

We met Cadet Zalneraitis at the recent panel discussion hosted at West Point by Army Chief of Staff General Raymond Odierno and NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell about concussion identification and treatment.  He is big guy, at 6’2” and a program weight of 230 and very polite to visitors as cadets at West Point always are.

This week, I had a chance to chat with his dad, Bruce Zalneraitis, and learned a family story about his grandfather, which inspired Holt to choose to attend West Point among a number of offers he had to play college football.

Vitold A. Zalneraitis lived in Lynn, Massachusetts and joined the Army Air Force, as it was called at the time, when what we think of as the Air Force today was part of the Army during World War II. 

After training in San Antonio, Texas, the members of the 487th bomb group left for bases in England during the spring of 1944.  Amidst horrendous casualty rates, Vitold survived the standard 25 missions when aircrews could rotate home but was asked to serve on backup crews for a few more missions. 

On September 30, 1944, First Leutenant Zalneraitis served as the bombardier on a B17 that left Lavenham, England for a mission that would carry them in a formation with many other planes across the North Sea, the Netherlands and into Northern Germany. 

Over Bielefeld, Germany something happened, the Army-Air Force "Missing Air Crew Report" said that eyewitness believed "heavy contrails and prop wash" caused the huge bomber to flip upside down, severing its right wing against the left wing of another B17. 

Both planes lost major parts of their wings, went out of control, and started to fall from the sky. Vitold was the only one of the eight-man crew who escaped the plane parachuting into a German field and was injured from the landing.

Holt's grandfather was captured and taken to a prisoner of war camp where he was interrogated about the top secret Norden bombsight that was used on the American planes but revealed nothing. 

Treatment at the POW Camp was reasonable, although officers were kept in a separate part of the camp from the enlisted prisoners.  The winter of 1944 was cold in northern Europe and the prisoners had little heat and modest food.  They exchanged some of the food they had for coal to heat their housing. 

In the spring of 1945 Vitold reported that the numbers of guards on the watch towers seemed to be reducing and eventually the camp was unguarded. 

The sound of artillery could be heard growing louder as the Russian Army approached from the east.  Zalneraitis decided to leave the camp on his own rather than wait with the others for liberation and used his knowledge of Russian to communicate and arrange eventual passage back home through Finland. 

For his heroism, he received the Distinguished Service Cross and combat injury, the Purple Heart.

Vitold came home, married and had a family while working for the Turbine Division of General Electric in Lynn that made jet engines for airplanes and turbines for power plants. 

Like veterans today, Vitold suffered from the memories of his war experiences and “Survivor's Guilt” being the only member of his crew to survive the B17 crash.  Eventually, he moved on his own to southern California where he found work at the McDonald Douglas plant in Long Beach. 

On an occasion soon before Vitold's death in 1999, Holt and his Dad spent time with Vitold in California.  The gathering included a viewing together of the movie, “Saving Private Ryan,” the epic Steven Spielberg movie which tells the story of a World War II Army ground unit fighting across France after D-Day, just the period of Vitold’s B17 flights into the same area. 

Viewing this highly charged, graphic war movie with his grandfather touched Holt, who decided then as a young boy that he would serve in the military some day.

Now Cadet Zalneraitis is a junior at the United States Military Academy, starting on the defense for the famed Army football team while taking every science and pre-med course he can in hopes of being selected for medical school.  

Often, people wonder why young men and women, usually the best students in their high school classes and captains of their varsity teams choose to accept the military and athletic rigor of West Point.  In many cases, it is because there is a family legacy of service like Holt Zalneraitis’ grandfather Vitold.   

Today, Friday September 21, is National MIA/POW Recognition Day, when those Americans who were prisoners of war like First Lt. Zalneraitis and the over-80,000 Americans including his crew members who remain Missing in Action are remembered.

Ken Kraetzer covers West Point football for WVOX in New Rochelle, NY and Sons of the American Legion Radio.

 

Both of Army fullback Larry Dixon's parents served in the US Navy, but fans of the Black Knights are sure glad the powerful runner choose West Point. The sophomore is emerging as a dominant player in the team's powerful running game.

In an offense which runs the ball virtually all the time, a three-touchdown, 136-yard performance for Army against Northern Illinois last Saturday earned Dixon the title of Bowl Subdivision Offensive "Player of the Week".

Dixon's big day was part of a 486 yard Army running day in the option offense, which featured two other Black Knights run for over 100 yards. Senior quarterback Trent Steelman ran 116 yards in 29 attempts and junior halfback Raymond Maples ran for 159 yards on 23 attempts, a strong average of 6.9 yards per rush. Army threw for eight yards and one completion in the 41-40 shootout decided by extra point attempts.

So far Dixon has 170 yards averaging 4.7 yards per attempt on the season, often running right over the center and into the heart of the opposing defense.   

Playing in all 12 games during the 2011 season, Dixon began to demonstrate his potential to be a game-changer. He ended up as the third leading ground gainer on the team, rushing for 657 yards and adding 90 more on kickoff returns.

But the story of the poise shown in Larry Brown's effort and success in handling the difficult freshman year challenges thrown at him at West Point caught the eye of the Joe Drape in his new book on the 2011 West Point season "Soldiers First". In his new book about the West Point's 2011 season, Joe Drape chronicles, Dixon's arduous journey through "Beast Barracks" last summer, when every new cadet goes through a demanding six week basic training program which Drape describes as doing,  

 

 "A good job of weeding out the noncommitted".

Conditions at "Beast" were no different for a football player than for any of the other 1,000 plus members of his freshman class.  Drape quotes Dixon on what it took to get through the training period,

"You have to dig down.  It takes grit, true grit to get through the day.  You've got to have high performance every day because somebody's life might depend on it."

We had a chance to speak with the Bremerton, Washington native in August and he described what it was like to end up as a starting player at Army as a freshman:

"A real honor, especially when you think of the history this place has, and the guys I got to play next to, it was a real honor to play next to them".

The sophomore is handling what is a rigorous academic load while excelling at Division One college football.  This semester he is taking Advanced Physics, Geology, Intermediate French, and Calculus II.  About his major, he is looking at Kinesiology or Information Technology

Dixon described the extensive service of his parents in the US Navy,

"My Mom and Dad are both retired Navy, my Dad had 20 years service and my Mom, 24 years," proudly adding, "My Mom retired as a senior chief petty officer".

About his decision to go to West Point, coming from a Navy family and a Navy town on the far side of the country, the well-spoken, polite Cadet said,

"At first it was a little bit weird, at first they did know who to root for, but by the time the Army-Navy game came around, my Mom was an adamant Army fan.

Navy fans may wonder what happened, why Larry Dixon did not end up at Annapolis, but Navy's loss is Army's great fortune.  One thing we can all agree on, it is easy to root for service academy players like Army's Larry Dixon.

Ken Kraetzer covers West Point football for WVOX 1460 AM in New Rochelle, NY and Sons of the American Legion radio.  Listen to his high school /college football reports on 1460AM or www.WVOX.com every Friday morning at 6:35 AM.    

"Coming Close" is never considered good enough at West Point, but Saturday's 41-40 loss to Northern Illinois was a remarkable performance by the Army offense.

Ray Maples, Larry Dixon, and Trent Steelman all ran for more than 100 yards, as the Black Knights rushed for 486 yards and six touchdowns.

This was a remarkable contest. It had six lead changes, three in the fourth quarter, as the offenses of both teams moved the ball almost at will.

NIU had 515 total yards, led by quarterback Jordan Lynch, who threw for 342 yards, completing 18-27 passes, four for touchdowns. Army's dominant ground game enabled it to hold a 43:33-to16:27 edge in time of possession.

The difference was big plays by NIU.

At the end of the first quarter, on the fourth play after an effective Army punt by Chris Boldt put the Huskies back on their 2-yard line, Lynch ran around the Army right side, broke tackles at midfield and sprinted 88 yards for a touchdown that gave NIU a 14-7 lead.

In the second quarter, NIU wide receiver  Tommylee Lewis ran untouched 21 yards to give the Huskies a 21-7 lead.  After Army put together a 10-play scoring drive to cut the lead to 21-13, Army freshman kicker Daniel Grochowski missed the PAT, an error that would come back to haunt the Black Knights.

On the second play of the next drive, Lynch threw another touchdown pass to Lewis. This one covered 69 yards and put NIU ahead 28-13.

But the Black Knights kept coming back, with Maples, Dixon and sophomore Stephen Frazier, who was filling in for Terry Baggett, crunching yardage on the ground play after play. Quarterback Trent Steelman even completed a pass to junior Scott Williams on the drive.

Army scored on a Larry Dixon run up the middle, but it failed on its two-point conversion attempt, leaving NUI ahead 28-19 at the half.

In the third quarter, after the defense forced a punt, Army went 68 yards, scoring on a 25-yard run by Steelman to cut the NIU lead to 28-26. On the next NIU drive, Army linebacker Nate Combs prevented a touchdown by falling on a Huskie fumble in the Army end zone.

The Back Knights took advantage of the turnover, putting together an 80-yard drive, with Dixon, Maples and Steelman sharing the carries. Dixon gave Army the lead on a 4-yard run. And Steelman completed a two-point conversion pass to Patrick Laird to give the Black Knights a 34-28 lead. 

In the fourth quarter, a NIU punt return by Perez Ashford gave the Huskies possession at midfield, and Lynch threw a 31-yard TD pass to Martel Moore as NIU regained the lead 35-34.

On the next series, Combs recovers another Huskie fumble at the NIU 17-yard line. Steelman scored on the first play, running for his second TD, as Army retook the lead 40-35 with 8:48 remaining.

Northern Illinois proceeded to march back down the field, with a 28-yard completion from Lynch to Moore the key play. It converted a 3rd-and-12 play situation and advanced the ball to the Army 19. Another Lynch-to-Moore completion for eight yards gave NUI the lead 41-40.

The NIU two-point attempt failed, and trailing by one with 4:29 remaining, Army took possession at its 25-yard line.

A 10-yard run by Steelman brought the ball to the NIU 48. A procedure penalty cost five yards, but Maples ran for nine yards on second down. On 3rd-and-6, Steelman ran for two yards. On 4th down, the quarterback again looked for daylight, found none, changed direction and was tackled in the backfield, a play similar to the last Army play against Navy last December.

And that was the game.

In the postgame press conference, Steelman looked disappointed, despite rushing for 166 yards on 27 carries against a large NUI front seven.

As a four-year starter, Steelman wants the program to be successful so the Corps of Cadets can enjoy the victories for which, they are taught, there is no substitute at West Point.

I asked him afterward how they improved so dramatically from the 42-7 loss to San Diego State in last week's opener.

"There's no comparison, but at the same time we win as a team and we lose as a team, and we lost as a team today. I feel the same as I did last week. A loss is a loss.''

Afterward, Army coach Rich Ellerson looked exhausted but proud of the team's effort in the loss. He was especially impressed with the offense, which scored five second-half touchdowns.

"What a difference a week makes in terms of our competitiveness. Offensively, that is what it looks like when we're operating and feeling good about what we are doing. The defense scrambled, but they found a way to make some stops."

On the other side, in the happy visitors' locker room, Northern Illinois coach Dave Doeren was relieved to escape the trip to West Point with the narrowest of victories.

"Obviously, my hat goes off to Army. Their kids played hard. It was a heck of a football game. Our guys overcame a lot in that game to win."

Sophomore Ryan Powis was back at center against NUI, and the line of LT Ben Jebb, LG Frank Allen, RG Stephen Shumaker and RT Michael Kime performed well opening up holes against a large NIU defensive line anchored by 308-pound tackle Ken Bishop and 287-pound Nabel Jefferson.

Maples had his second straight 100-yard game, rushing for 159 yards on 23 carries and scoring Army's first touchdown on its opening 75-yard drive. The gifted runner's averaged 6.9 yards per carry.

"I felt really good today,'' Maples, a junior, told me. "The line opened up some big holes, which gave me the opportunity to gain a couple of yards.''

But the breakout performance of the day came from Dixon, the sophomore fullback who had 136 rushing and three touchdowns on 28 attempts.

Playing on the artificial turf on such a warm day, NIU's Doeren said Army's blocking scheme and formations caused his defenders increasing problems as the game wore on.

"They started running a double-team scheme where they were loading two backs outside of the quarterback, kind of a student body option. We went into the game thinking that we could take the quarterback away with a certain call, and they eliminated it with the blocking scheme, so we had to adjust throughout the game."

The Black Knights now prepare for a trip to Winston-Salem, N.C., to play Wake Forest at 12:30 p.m. next Saturday. The Demon Deacons are coming a 52-0 loss to Florida State after opening with wins over Liberty and North Carolina.

Do you think Army can find ways to bring its defense up to the level of the offense and pull out a road win at Wake?

Ken Kraetzer covers Army football for WVOX in New Rochelle, N.Y., and Sons of the American Legion Press. Listen to his high school/college sports reports at 6:35 a.m. every Monday and Friday on 1460 AM, available nationally on www.wvox.com.

When Army hosts Northern Illinois Saturday for the home opener at historic Michie Stadium, the atmosphere at West Point will resemble Opening Day at Yankee Stadium an hour to the south, optimism for the season, inspiring music from the bands, the Corps of Cadets, parachute jumpers, patriotism and a sense of history. 

But can Army get passed that and control the game to pull an upset over a very strong Northern Illinois team?

This Army team came into the year feeling the program had finally matured in the fourth year of head coach Rich Ellerson's era. Top of mind goals are realistic chances for wins on the first Saturday in November against Air Force and on the second Saturday in December against Navy. But before those dates can be addressed, a schedule needs to be played and a winning season projected that will provide entry to the next goal of the season, playing in a bowl game.

College teams don't play preseason games, so it is always hard to judge their potential until they have played a real game. The Black Knights had their eyes opened wide last Saturday night at San Diego State in a 42-7 drubbing in which the senior quarterback, Trent Steelman, did not look right all night.

The senior missed three exchanges from his classmate center Will Wilson—a pair that have played together since prep school. The normally steady quarterback fumbled away one of the exchanges and threw two interceptions—both passes in heavy traffic that should at most have been sent into the sideline. With offense giving up the ball, the defense was left on the field too long and buckled.

Well, all that is last week and as Chris Smeland, the veteran Army defensive coach, says,

 "We forget the past week on Monday and just concentrate on preparing the team for the game this week and the opponent." 

Army might want to watch the tapes of its first three home games from 2011 when they played San Diego State, losing only by on a field goal in a game the Black Knights thought they should have won, then defeating Northwestern of the Big Ten and Tulane at Michie Stadium. They turned around the season last year after a bad opening loss and will want to rebuild their confidence and reputation as a solid team with a strong performance this week.

At his weekly press conference call on Tuesday, Army head coach Rich Ellerson talked about getting over the opening game and being ready for this week's home opener:

“We have to get over it, and that’s not easy.  You’ve heard me say it a thousand times and I’ll say it again, we need to turn the scoreboard off and play. We know what wins.  We need to go out there and focus on the things that correlate with winning – the things we practice and preach all the time. There are things that make the game fun to play. If we do that and hold on to each other, we’ll be competitive."

This West point team playing an option offense depends on the play of its quarterback Trent Steelman, who did not look like the player who has run and passed for over 4,000 yards in his Army career. About his senior quarterback, the coach said:

“He is obviously a guy who has tremendous expectations and is as intense a competitor as there is. That became an enemy of his. He tries to carry it all on his shoulders, and the truth is he doesn’t need to. At this point in his career here, there’s enough system and players around him that we need him to play quarterback. When he does, he’s a good player. Everything we do requires a real level of precision, and when somebody starts doing something just a little bit different to try to make something happen, all of the sudden you see something like what you saw on Saturday."

Northern Illinois will be a tough customer for Army in the home opener. The reigning Mid-America Conference Champions defeated Ohio University in the league championship game and then became  bowl winners over Arkansas State. Ohio is the team that just beat Penn State to start the season while Northern Illinois played Iowa at Soldier Field in Chicago, losing by just a point on a late score by the Hawkeyes. Last year, Army traveled to Northern Illinois in the season opener and in similar fashion, was beaten decisively by the Huskies.

Coach Ellerson described Northern Illinois as:

"May be the best team on our schedule.  The offense features big linemen who are really efficient at what they do. The quarterback brings his legs to the game and is a dynamic player in the backfield, while also being able to throw it. He’s not a one-dimensional guy; he has some great skill on the perimeter and has a running back whose style of running is a little bit like what we saw at San Diego State. He’ll get into the line, bounce back and is able to change direction on a dime. He’ll be hard to get a hit on."

The offense played without two starters, although Will Wilson in place of Ryan Powis at center is a very dominating player. I asked the coach about the return to the offense of several injured Black Knights:

“Our fingers are crossed that Malcolm (Brown) and Ryan (Powis) will be available this week.  We’re hopeful we’ll get those two guys back on offense.”

On the defensive side of the ball, Army is young with young sophomore tackles up front, Robert Kough and Mike Ugenyi and Junior Holt Zalneraitis at a hybrid type of defensive end they call a "Whip." The team is still missing on the defensive line Jarrett Mackey, the senior named "Legacy" captain of the team at the end of the year who has still not received a medical clearance to play. In a question I asked about the defense, Coach Ellerson commented on the play of his defensive linemen:

"Bobby Kough and Mike Ugenyi will remain on the radar as defensive linemen. Bobby and Mike are playing their first college football and did not play especially well last week, but they have demonstrated the ability to be successful in that space. A year ago, we just didn’t have guys who could compete in that space."

At the linebacker spots, seniors Zach Watts and Nate Combs, along with sophomore Geoffrey Bacon, have a lot of responsibility. It is evident how valuable linebackers Steve Anderson in 2010 and Steve Erzinger had been last year.  I asked Coach Ellerson during the conference who he sees stepping up to provide leadership on the field to the defensive unit:

“To be determined, but I would say Nate Combs has battled in there. Nate is directing the front and playing well. We need to give him a little bit of help on the perimeter. He’s had a long road to get to this senior year with a little bit of an injury background. Last year he played hard and really well at times, but was not always healthy. He was carrying around some of those former injuries then. Now those are behind him, and he has a chance to become very effective.”

The big difference you will see between the two teams Saturday is size on the offensive and defensive lines. Northern Illinois has an offensive line the size of an NFL team; Army plays with 240-pound offensive tackles.The option offense can be an equalizer because run blocking is based on the speed of the blocking lineman to explode out in front of the play rather than to passively get tossed around by the defense pass blocking.

What you will find interesting about the Army offensive formations is that they don't play with a tight end; just two wide receivers and five lineman. In past seasons, Army played with one or more slot-backs lined just beyond the tackles forming a strong side of the formation. 

This year, Army is often playing a full-house backfield with the 2011 1,000-yard gainer junior Ray Maples, joined by sophomores Terry Baggett and 238-pound fullback Larry Dixon. This puts a lot of pressure on the blocking to come from the backfield.  

It might be interesting to see if they would go with a two fullback look, adding the 2010 1,000-yard fullback Jared Hassin to the blocking mix with Dixon. Watch the play of the fullbacks clearing space for Steelman, Maples and Malcolm Brown if he returns.

Playing at Michie Stadium is as intimidating environment as anywhere in college football, but Army feels the expectations of its fans, history and what it represents. There are Generals on the sidelines, wounded warriors inspire them with talks, and as they play, many of their alumni are serving in dangerous places like Afghanistan. Coach Ellerson constantly reminds them to play one play at a time. At the press conference, he pointed out the key to managing expectations is to:

“Just relax and play. I think people were excited to watch a team that had some experience and loved to play. That would be fun to see. Seeing a bunch of guys go out there and worry about making mistakes or what somebody thinks is not worth the price of admission.”

Can Army pull an upset? Don't underestimate the impact for visitors coming into Michie Stadium. Army's turf is a big home field factor. It will take a nearly perfect game of ball control football by the offense, but this Army team has as an opportunity to a make a statement with a strong performance.

The game can be seen nationally on the CBS Sports Network. 

Ken Kraetzer covers Army football for WVOX in New Rochelle, NY and Sons of the American Legion Press.  Listen to his high school/college sports reports at 6:35 AM every Friday and Monday mornings on 1460 AM and available nationally on www.wvox.com.

In what many thought would be a close game going down to the wire like last year's matchup at Michie Stadium, in Saturday's game played at Qualcomm Stadium, San Diego State dominated Army 42-7.

The Aztecs out-gained Army 443 yards to 282 amid breakdowns and turnovers by the Black Knights throughout the game.

Opening games for college football teams tell a lot about a team's status and potential for the year.  Afterwards Coach Rich Ellerson told the Army Sports Network:

"I am stunned, I did not anticipate, could not visualize us playing like that. Don't want to take anything away from San Diego State a good football team, they played well, they were precise, they were physical and we were not. Yes it was our first game, but we had so many veteran football players that were doings that we can do in our sleep, and we looked like we were trying to do it in our sleep. I am stunned."

The opening SDSU drive set the tone for the night with the Aztec's Adam Muema running 31 and 15 yards through the defense to the Army 40. Aztec QB Ryan Katz hit Colin Lockett for a completion to the 12-yard line and on the next play Katz took it to the 4.

Walter Kazee scored on the ground to give SDSU a 7-0 lead with the PAT kick by Chance Marden.

Army showed three backs in the backfield most of the night with sophomore Larry Dixon at the full back and junior Ray Maples and another sophomore Terry Baggett on the other side of Dixon. They played with two wide receivers and no tight ends, just the five offense lineman upfront.

The Army offense emphases the blocking of the guards Frank Allen on the left and sophomore Stephen Shumaker on the right both listed about 260 pounds, larger than the tackles both listed at 243 Senior Ben Jebb on the left and Michael Kime on the right.

Senior quarterback Trent Steelman had trouble with the exchange from center, another senior Will Wilson who was filling in for the injured Ryan Powis. It is not like Steelman and Wilson are unfamiliar with each other, they have have played together since their days at the Army Prep School four years ago.

Army first drive took the ball from their own seven to the SDSU 32 in nine crisp running plays, but on 2nd-and 4, Steelman fumbled the exchange and fell on the ball and then confusion led to a five yard procedure penalty leading a third and fourth down plays which lost the possession. After the Army defense forced the Aztecs to punt, on Army's first play Steelman again fumbled the snap recovered by the Aztecs Derek Largent in Army territory at the 36. This lead to SDSU taking a 14-0 lead still in the first quarter.

Later in the second quarter the Aztecs went 80 yards in seven plays capped on a 22 yard run by Walter Kazee who went virtually untouched down the right side into the end zone to make it with the PAT 21-0.

Army tried to get back in the game moving the ball across mid-field but Trent Steelman tried to pass rolling out to his left and threw a high risk lob pass over a rushing defender that was intercepted by Eric Pinkins. This was a pass that that Army QB should not have thrown except into the nearby bench area or just run himself. The Army defense held the Aztecs to a 40 yard field goal attempt which was missed by Marden keeping the game within three scores 21-0 at the half.

Army took the second half kick with a chance to get back in the game, but punted and the Aztecs completed a 57 yard pass play Ryan Katz to Ezell Ruffin with the nine play drive capped off by an Adam Muema one yard run. With the point after touchdown by Marden, SDSU took a 28-0 lead.

The game deteriorated for Army on the first play of the next drive when Steelman tried to throw a pass into a crowd of defenders and was picked off by the Aztecs Josh Gavert who brought the ball to the Army 33. Game over at this point. Two Ryan Katz pass plays gave SDSU a 35-0 lead.

Army finally got on the scoreboard on their next series staying on the ground with Ray Maples and Terry Baggett. In five plays the combination ran the ball 75 yards and Baggett from Chicago scoring his first career touchdown. Army freshman Dan Grochowski from Sarasota, Florida kicked the PAT, his first scoring chance after winning the field goal/PAT kicking job in training camp.

The highlight of the evening was the running of the junior Ray Maples with 107 yards in 19 attempts for an average of 5.6 yards and the sophomore Baggett 100 yards in 13 attempts. Larry Dixon had 34 yards and Jared Hassin, Jon Crucitti got in and both averaged over five yards per carry in three attempts each. The problem was Trent Steelman when he carried the ball often with defenders quickly in the backfield gained only three yards total in nine attempts. On the day Army gained 282 yards on the ground in 62 plays on the ground.

An exclamation point was added to the series of breakdowns Army suffered in this game when following the Army score, the Aztecs Colin Lockett ran back Eric Osteen's kickoff 96 yards up his own left side virtually untouched for the final score of the game. Coach Ellerson commented to Army Sports Network,

"We had trouble just lining up to formations we have been working on for four weeks. We have a basic way to cancel gaps and our defensive ends struggled with their tight ends. The defense doesn't crumble because some guys are getting pushed around. The lack of our ability to get lined up and settled in with our eyes. Just play the defense. The QB-Center exchange, the kickoff, it is stunning how few things we were able to execute."

San Diego State improved to 1-1 on the season, they look to be a contender in the Mountain West Conference before they make their scheduled move to the Big East. Head coach Rocky Long was asked by the NBC Sports Network about the play of defense:

"It was much better than last year, we played a little bit harder and some plays we could not make last year. And our offense did a lot better job than last year too so you get a few points, you can play better defense if you're area ahead." about his quarterback,

 "Ryan Katz, he got a lot better between game one and game two and we hope he gets better between two and three because we are going to have to be a lot better than we were today to win a lot of games."

For Army after returning from the long flight home on Sunday afternoon, they will need to quickly reorganize to prepare for their home opener Saturday against a very good Northern Illinois team.

Last year in the road opener very similar to this one, the Huskies defeated Army 49-26 in DeKalb. On Saturday the Huskies evened their record with a 35-7 home win over Tennessee-Martin of the Ohio Valley conference. Head Coach Dave Doeren's team played well in an opening game 18-17 loss to Iowa of the Big Ten at Soldier Field in Chicago giving up a Hawkeye touchdown with just 2:15 to play. The Husky defense gave up only 268 yards on the day.

Going into the season, the rebuilt Army defense was a question mark and continues to need improvement, but the vital question mark is if Trent Steelman can come back and play like he did his first three years as the Army quarterback who gained over 2,000 yards both running and passing, while scoring 28 touchdowns himself.

Ken Kraetzer covers Army football for Sons of the American Legion Radio and 1460 WVOX and http://www.wvox.com/ in New Rochelle, NY. Listen to his local high school and college football summaries Friday's and Monday's at 6:35 AM.

Army Head Coach Rich Ellerson sounded cautiously optimistic at his Tuesday media conference call preceding the Black Knights opening game at San Diego State on Saturday. 

The game to be played at Qualcomm Stadium will be broadcast nationally by the NBC Sports Network with the kickoff scheduled for 4:38 PST / 7:38 EST.

Army is trying to win a game on the road for the first time since the 2010 season when it won the Armed Forces Bowl at SMU's home field in Dallas.  To give his players the feel of playing a road game, Coach Ellerson had the team fly to Fort Benning in Georgia to play their spring game in front of over 5,000 soldiers and Army family members.   

Last year San Diego State narrowly defeated Army 23-20 in an exciting game at Michie Stadium on a 42 yard field goal with 9:29 left in the fourth quarter.  Army fumbled eight times in that game and lost three. 

This year head coach Rocky Long’s Aztecs will be seeking to replace two top players from a year ago off to the NFL quarterback Ryan Lindley and 3,000 yard career runner Ronnie Hillman.  

The quarterback is scheduled to be Ryan Katz who is a transfer from Oregon where he threw for 2.401 and 18 touchdowns in 2010.

This past week, San Diego State lost their opener to Washington 21-12 with Katz throwing for 128 yards, a touchdown with one interception. Nat Berhe led the Aztec defense with eight tackles and a fumble recovery.  

Their defense appeared aggressive giving up just 3.4 yards per rushing attempt and making ten tackles for losses. 

Coach Ellerson discussed what he saw watching the tape of the San Diego State’s opening game: 

 "They had some bad things happen to them early, got into a hole but battled back.  I'm sure they've devoted time to preparing for the option this preseason, knowing they are playing us and having Air Force in their conference, but you can't not be focused on that Washington game.“

This year Army is showing on its two deep depth chart nine seniors, six juniors, and seven sophomores among the starters, this is quite a change from 2011 when the lineup included numerous freshman and other inexperienced players. 

Coach Ellerson addressed my question on the experience his team has this year,

"We're a more mature football team than we were a year ago. Mature beyond our years, if you will. Last year we were starting more freshmen than seniors. This year we're starting about the same number of sophomores as we are seniors.  Those 'young sophomores' are older than their age because of the circumstances of a year ago when they were between the white lines with the game on the line."

If last year’s 3-9 season and close loss to Navy while playing many underclassman was considered a rebuilding year, 2012 is different. 

This season Army has a senior quarterback named Trent Steelman, two runners who have gained over one thousand yards in a season named Ray Maples and Jared Hassin and a defense without a freshman in the starting lineup. The expectations are for success and to be a factor in the Commander-In-Chief competition against Air Force and Navy. 

Coach Ellerson commented:

"We're a more mature football team, and we expect to win. We expect to be in some tough situations and we expect to handle those situations. We've been at this long enough, in the saddle for three years. We have enough guys who were recruited and developed for this style of offense and defense. We have an internal schedule which cracks the code in terms of how to manage the West Point journey in such a way to keep ourselves healthy and fresh on Saturdays."

In past years Coach Ellerson told the players when things were going bad to “Turn off the scoreboard, play the next snap”.  This year he expects the Black Knights to be much more competitive.

"You're not going to have to read between the lines to know that things are working. You'll be able to see it on the scoreboard more often than not."

The service academies generally do not have the huge lineman common place at civilian college teams, Army is training its future officers to lead platoons through harsh jungle and desert conditions. 

The Black Knights have to work to keep weight on players who are required to complete extensive summer military training. A San Diego based reporter asked the coach about Army’s "Double-Eagle Flex" defense which emphasizes speed over size,

"It is a little bit unique, it's multiple and it allows you to play with guys who look good in a cadet uniform. We don't value 300-pound linemen; we value strength, explosiveness and range of play."

The Black Knights have depth in the offensive backfield this year with their top seven runners back from a team which led the NCAA in rushing last year with 346.5 yards a game. 

At the top of the list is senior quarterback Trent Steelman who ran for 645 yard last year and scored 12 touchdowns.  Then there is Raymond Maples who ran for 1,000 yards in 2011 and Jared Hassin who ran for over 1,000 yards in the bowl wining season of 2010.  Don’t forget Malcolm Brown who ran for 572 yards last year and is designated as a starting wide receiver for Saturday’s game. Then there are the talented starting running backs both sophomores Larry Dixon, Terry Baggett, and Trenton Turrentine.

The coach had a few words to say about the young players,

"I'm impressed with Terry Baggett, He is one of those good news stories; a guy who had a few flashes of brilliance, but was banged up a lot of last year. Raymond (Maples) and Larry (Dixon) have never been better."

Army’s option offense allows the quarterback the chance to read the defense before choosing to pitch-out or keep the ball himself.  I asked the coach if the depth in the backfield allows Trent Steelman the opportunity to spread the ball around hopefully keeping him healthy throughout the year,

"Our opponent will determine who is going to touch the ball. Obviously, not everything we do is triple-option. We have some designed hand-offs, but we also have some designed keeps. Our quarterback's ability to distribute should be an asset. We have a four-year starter Trent Steelman at an academy running the option. That gives us a great chance to be right in terms of who has the ball in their hands on any given play."

The Black Knights struggled last year up front mounting a pass rush and stopping the run against teams like Temple who had huge offensive lines.

This year the defensive line is rebuilt around starters Robert Kough and Mike Ugenyi both sophomores.  

Army Football Sports Information Director Brian Gunning reports that senior defensive lineman, Jarrett Mackey the “Legacy” captain of the team is not yet cleared to play from the injury and recuperation that ended his 2011 season in the opening game. 

Coach Ellerson answered my question about the defensive line.

"Some of the guys who are playing defensive end this year were playing defensive tackle last year. Having Mike and Bobby in there is part of why are optimistic. Obviously, they'll be playing their first significant number of repetitions this week. They've prepared really well and are both physically mature, gifted guys that are going to improve as the season rolls along. We're going to give them a reasonable job description. I felt like there were times last year when we were asking guys to do something that, frankly, wasn't in the cards physically."

At the end of the day for Army, the Black Knights will look to Trent Steelman to make the tough third and fourth down plays that will make the difference on the year.  As in the past three years, Army will give Steelman to carry the ball into the end zone himself.

Coach Ellerson addressed a question about his senior quarterback,

"We have a four-year starter at quarterback. That is good anywhere, but it's especially good at a service academy which runs the triple option. A guy who has been in as many hard-fought situations as he's been and a guy who has been in the program with the same coaches for four years should be a tremendous advantage for us."

About the leadership Steelman brings to the Black Knights, he said

"He's beyond being an experienced, good player; he's a great young leader. He's handled some incredibly difficult moments. This football team's had some great days and some tough days. He takes it all on his own shoulders and has learned how to manage himself to be an asset to his teammates."

Ken Kraetzer covers Army football for WVOX 1460 AM in New Rochelle, NY and Sons of the American Legion Radio.  His Twitter address is @SAL50NYRadio

In 2011, with many freshman and sophomores in important roles, the Army defense struggled with a lack of size and experience in the front line.

This year, players joining the team and experience earned through adversity should pay dividends. Army calls its defense the "Double Eagle Flex," which has its origins going back to when Coach Rich Ellerson was the defensive coordinator at Arizona.

After the major preseason scrimmage held at Michie Stadium in mid-August, I had a chance to speak with the Black Knights co-defensive coordinator Payam Saadat, who came to West Point four years ago with head Coach Rich Ellerson. During games, he works with the players on the sidelines while his co-coordinator Chris Smeland calls signals from the press box.

Last year in the Army-Navy game, the Black Knights were able to stop two Navy drives deep in their territory for field goals. I asked Coach Saadat about the time Army spent working in the scrimmage on goal line and short yardage defense, 

We tried to create a situation, being aware of when we take the field and the attitude we try to have—one of those was a goal line situation inside the six yard line, where we were going to see if can keep someone out of the end zone. Establishing our identity in that area is an important aspect leading into this season, it is a critical part of the game, it is a critical part of the field. In trying to make sure we are mentally right, how we perform down there is important. 

In 2011 the defense gave up an average of 28 points and 359 yards per game. They will need to improve their run stopping and add pressure on the quarterback. Coach Saadat commented on the progress the defense showed in the scrimmage,

The "Ones" had a longer drive, where I think you are seeing more minus yard plays, which is great. That gets us into situations where we really like to use our uniqueness to defend our opponents that third and long, second and long, down and distances. I think we accomplished that. Guys were running around well, we had some good strong tackling. Like to see some more turnovers, we need to be more ball aware with regard to the turnover game.

Improving the Black Knights for 2012 began with the defensive line finding young players and also those returning from injury who could add size and run stopping ability. Holt Zalneraitis received praise from Coach Ellerson for his play at defensive end. The addition of several players allows the very athletic Zalneraitis to play the WHIP position in the second row. Coach Saadat described several of the players he is counting on.

We have high expectations for all five guys...Bobby Kough (Jr, 6'3", 250), Mike Ugheni (So. 6'3", 250), Joe Drummond (So. 6-3, 220), Richard Glover (So., 6-0, 270), and Clayton Keller (Jr, 6'1" 226). Though three of those five, Bobby, Mike, and Joe have not played college football yet, we feel they are going to be a dominating force. Now they have to get in the game and play, but they have definitely made the picture look different to the guys standing behind them. 

Last season, Coach Ellerson said that too many plays were being stopped by Erzinger and the safeties because they were not being stopped in the front line. I asked Coach Saadat about the role of the linebackers or second row players as they are called at West Point. 

For us it is important that the middle functions the way we want it, everything works out from the middle. So if the middle is right, it is a ripple effect to the edges, and to the back end.

In 2011, Geoffrey Bacon was among the leading play makers on the defense with 60 tackles made and will start at the Middle or MIKE linebacker spot for the opening game. Coach Saadat described that the bigger defensive front should give Bacon more opportunities to stop plays,

Primarily with Geoffrey Bacon (So, 6'1", 200). Playing the "Mike" linebacker, playing behind those tackles, he is going to find a lot more day light in order to run. He is a young man who can run well—He is a strong tackler, he is physical, and with what those guys are doing in front of him, is going to allow him more room to get down hill and start running.

At the outside linebackers starting the season will be Hayden Pierce (So, 6'3", 180) at the SAM or strong side position and Justin Trimble (Jr, 5-11, 200) at the ROVER. Last year Pierce had 32 tackles and Trimble had 12 for Army. 

At the Quick position will be Sr. Zack Watts and and at the Bandit spot, Sr. Nate Combs.  Last season Combs had 37 tackles Watts had 26.About his outside linebackers Coach Saadat said,

We like what we have on the edges, with Hayden Pierce and Justin Trimble. Those guys have played a lot of football between them. Those three guys across are going to be able to take advantage of what we are able to do up front and how much we are going to be able to make big plays because of what the front five are doing in front of them.

The leading tackler of returning players from 2011 who made 76 tackles, Thomas Holloway will start as the back-up to Justin Trimble.

The defensive backfield for the Black Knights will have a couple of seniors providing leadership in cornerback Josh Jackson and Ty Shrader at Free Safety. Tyler Dickson, who had 60 tackles last year, will play the other corner. 

Jackson, who catches punts for the team, is so fearless that Coach Ellerson has said he would rather he took more fair catches.

Ken Kraetzer covers Army football for WVOX 1460 AM and WVOX.com in New Rochelle, NY and Sons of the American Legion Radio. Listen to his reports Mondays and Fridays during the season at 6:35 AM and on the Sons of the American Legion report at 2:30 PM Mondays.