Knights have their day
End of dominance might be tough for Mids, but it’s good for historic rivalry 14-game losing streak at an end as Army defeats depleted Midshipmen
The entire Army Corps of Cadets streamed onto the field at M&T Bank Stadium early Saturday night, their joy unrestrained. And why not? It had been so long since Army had beaten Navy in one of college football’s greatest rivalries that many of those cadets were toddlers the last time it happened.
Through 14 straight defeats, the Black Knights had to wonder whether they would ever catch up with a Navy program that had climbed to a level of national recognition that Army could only dream about. Navy had taken total control of the historic rivalry soon after it entered its second century.
That domination was so complete that Army West Point coach Jeff Monken had reached the point where he conceded after his team’s 21-17 victory that it wasn’t really a rivalry anymore.
“You’ve got to win sometimes,” he said.
If this is what happens when Navy only has one week to prepare for Army West Point, everyone associated with the program had better hope the short turnaround never happens again.
Coach Ken Niumatalolo insisted the coaching staff had a plan in place for the possibility that the Midshipmen would play in the American Athletic Conference championship just seven days before the team’s biggest game of the year.
But the plan clearly did not work out as Navy looked completely out of sorts during a disastrous first half. The Mids pulled things together somewhat in the second half but could not overcome a two-touchdown deficit and lost to the Black Knights for the first time since 2001. PGS 6-7
Fullbacks Kell Walker and Andy Davidson combined to rush for 181 yards as Army beat Navy, 21-17, ending its historic 14-game losing streak in the series in front of an announced sellout of 71,600 at M&T Bank Stadium.
“We heard for a long time here at West Point about the streak and all that,” Army coach Jeff Monken said. “It feels good to be a part of the team that kind of put that to an end. Interestingly enough, I was in the other locker room when the streak started. So I’m really proud to be on this team to see the streak come to an end.”
Quarterback Ahmad Bradshaw did an outstanding job of directing Army’s version of the triple option and led the designated home team on a 12-play, 80-yard drive that produced the go-ahead touchdown with six minutes remaining.
No. 25 Navy could not pick up a first down on the ensuing possession and decided to punt with just over four minutes remaining. Army was able to run out the remaining time, and the Corps of Cadets stormed the field in wild celebration as the final seconds ticked away.
“First of all, hats off to Coach Monken and Army West Point. They outplayed us and outcoached us. Give them all the credit,” Niumatalolo said. “Right now, the magnitude of losing this game is pretty tough.”
Walker ran for a game-high 94 yards while working as a fullback and a slotback.
Davidson did most of his damage between the tackles in running for 87 yards and two touchdowns for Army (7-5), which dominated the time of possession 40:32 to 19:28.
Bradshaw was sharp in terms of reading the defense and distributing the ball as the Black Knights amassed 351 total yards and 23 first downs. The Mids managed only 201 total yards and eight first downs.
Sophomore quarterback Zach Abey struggled initially in his first career start, throwing two interceptions in a forgettable first half. The Archbishop Spalding alumnus performed much better in the second half and wound up rushing for 73 yards and two touchdowns. The Pasadena resident completed six of 10 passes for 89 yards.
“It’s a big game, a big stage for Zach. I thought he settled down much better in the second half,” Niumatalolo said. “I was proud of the way Zach bounced back. That’s a pretty stressful game, and he played a lot better in the second half.”
Navy scrapped its patented tripleoption offense in favor of the read option, a decision made by Niumatalolo at the beginning of the season. That scheme took the slots completely out of the game as fullbacks Shawn White (22 yards) and Chris High (17 yards) were the only players other than Abey to carry the ball. The Mids managed only 112 rushing yards, a whopping 215.5 below their season average.
“I thought early on it was working the way we thought it would,” Niumatalolo said of the read option, which Navy ran out of the shotgun formation. “We only ran 36 plays. I can’t ever remember running just 36 plays. We just didn’t have the ball enough to get things going.”
Ultimately, Niumatalolo will be secondguessed for his decision to punt the ball with just over four minutes remaining. Lockheed Martin Armed Forces Bowl The Mids faced fourth-and-4 from their 40 and the ninth-year head coach counted on the defense getting a quick stop, which did not happen.
“I just thought 4 yards was a little too far. We hadn’t been running the ball very well the whole game,” Niumatalolo said. “Maybe if it was a little closer I might have gone for it. If we don’t get it, the game is over.”
Army slotback Tyler Campbell picked up the first crucial first down with an 11-yard run. Navy called timeout with 1:49 left and Army facing third-and-1. Bradshaw plowed ahead to pick up 2 yards, and that allowed the Black Knights to take a knee three times to kill the remaining time.
Navy (9-4) will close out its season by playing Louisiana Tech in the Lockheed Martin Armed Forces Bowl on Dec. 23.
“It definitely hurts, especially as a senior,” Navy defensive end Amos Mason said. But, he added, “We have another game, and we have to push on.”
Navy got the ball to start the game and Abey went under center on first down. However, the sophomore then backed up and operated out of shotgun on second down as the Mids unveiled the read option.
Army seemed surprised by the new look and High gained 10 yards on third down to bring the ball just short of midfield. Two plays later, White found another big hole and ran 11 yards into Army territory but fumbled after being hit.
White was not carrying the ball high and tight the way the coaching staff teaches, and strong safety Xavier Moss knocked it loose with his helmet. Free safety Rhyan England recovered and a promising drive to start the game ended in a deflating turnover for the Mids.
Davidson did most of the damage on fullback dives up the middle as Army mounted a 66-yard touchdown drive that lasted 14 plays and took 7:39 off the clock. Davidson dived over from the 1-yard line to give the Black Knights a 7-0 lead with 4:23 remaining in the first quarter.
Offensive coordinator Ivin Jasper called for play-action pass to open Navy’s second possession, and Abey unwisely tried to force the ball to intended target Jamir Tillman. Moss looked like a center fielder waiting for a fly ball as he easily intercepted the overthrow.
Army drove into Navy territory on its second possession, but safety Sean Williams ended that by leaping high to pick off a pass Bradshaw should not have thrown. Navy could not capitalize on the turnover, going three-and-out, with Abey carrying the ball on all three downs.
Punter Alex Barta certainly didn’t help the cause by shanking a 15-yarder out of bounds, setting the Black Knights up at the Mids 46-yard line. Bradshaw then directed the triple option to perfection as Army ripped off big gains both inside and outside, marching downfield with relative ease for another touchdown. Walker had an 11-yard run on third-and-3 to set up a 1-yard scoring plunge by Davidson to increase the lead to 14-0 at the 7:12 mark of the second quarter.
Navy’s offensive woes continued for the rest of the half as a sack of Abey led to another three-and-out on the third possession, while another errant throw by the quarterback resulted in a second interception.
Not surprisingly, the halftime stats were overwhelmingly in favor of Army, which picked up more first downs (14) than Navy ran plays (13). The Black Knights had 182 total yards compared with 49 for the Mids and dominated time of possession 22:32 to 7:28.
Navy needed to find a way to turn things around early in the second half, and a fumble by Bradshaw could have been it. Cornerback Jarid Ryan forced the fumble with a hard hit on Bradshaw and Williams recovered at the Army 32. Navy Army FIRST QUARTER ARM: Davidson 1 run (Wilson kick), 4:23 SECOND QUARTER ARM: Davidson 1 run (Wilson kick), 4:23 THIRD QUARTER NAV: Abey 1 run (Moehring kick), 11:23 NAV: FG Moehring 28, 3:59 FOURTH QUARTER NAV: Abey 41 run (Moehring kick), 12:42 ARM: Bradshaw 9 run (Wilson kick), 6:00 A: 71,600. 0 7 0 7 10 0 7 7 — — 17 21 RUSHING: Navy, Abey 19-73, Sh.White 3-22, High 4-17. Army, K.Walker 16-94, Davidson 28-87, Bradshaw 9-51, Woolfolk 6-31, Campbell 3-29, Asberry 3-18, Trainor 1-8, McGue 1-1, (Team) 3-(minus 3). PASSING: Navy, Abey 6-10-2-89. Army, Bradshaw 2-4-1-35. RECEIVING: Navy, Tillman 3-33, Sh.White 2-27, Colon 1-29. Army, E.Poe 1-29, Joe.Walker 1-6.