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Military Academy Sports Report

V

Vince

Member
Folks, I don't know how well this thread will do, but I'm a fan of the military academies, so this thread is for them ONLY.

Air Force nearly pulled off a shocker yesterday, losing by only three points to #7 Oklahoma. The Sooners dropped to #8 in the polls, while Air Force advanced from 28 to 26 (Only the top 25 teams are "ranked").

Army, by far the weakest of the military teams, shocked the entire universe by winning 24-0 yesterday, and Navy also won. However, neither team got any ranking votes.
 
Still shocked by its 24-0 victory last week, Army faces Duke this week. A frequently powerful team, this year Duke hasn't gotten a single ranking vote.

Army is number 11 in running, while Duke is one of the worst teams in holding down a running opponent.

Can Army, with its unusually high 2-1 record, beat Duke this coming Saturday?
 
Once again, Army has shocked the universe, this time beating sometime champion Duke University 35-21. Army had lost its last seven games in a row against Atlantic Coast Conference opponents, and Folks, this team of West Point students is really turning itself around.

And Air Force strengthened its position in the Rocky Mountain West Conference when it beat Conference rival Wyoming 20-14. Brigham Young traditionally wins the Rocky Mountain West Conference nearly every year, but they are doing poorly this year..

Navy has the week-end off.

Virginia Military Institute isn't officially a military academy, and that's lucky news. They lost to Virginia today 48-7, and last week they lost 45-0, leaving them 1-2 for the season.
 
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I was disappointed in today's (September 26, 2010) rankings.

Despite winning, Air Force dropped from 26 to 29, and despite winning, Army received no ranking votes. Air Force is #1 in rushing, while Army is #11. So what's the problem?

The problem is that neither team is playing powerful opponents. Air Force's three-point loss to #7 Oklahoma put it high on the list, but it isn't enough (especially since AF lost that game).

For the last 27 years, Air Force has been in the top ten rushing teams 26 times, but they were only the #1 rushing team once. This year they might do it again.
 
The experts are really panning Air Force today, and even their coach is disgusted at them. The AF Falcons beat the Wyoming Cowboys all right, but the Cowboys had lost their last two games by a total of 72 points. They were beating AF after three quarters, before the Falcons woke up and played an outstanding fourth quarter and saved the game.

But Navy had the week off, and they'll be playing the Falcons this Saturday (October 2, 2010). Although they haven't received a single ranking vote, one expert predicts that the Midshipmen will win.

Meanwhile, still in shock that they are 3-1, Army plays Temple this Saturday. Last Saturday, Temple nearly pulled an upset over #23 Penn State, before Penn woke up and regained the lead. Neither Army nor Temple have a single ranking vote, but both teams are plaing far better than they have in years.
 
It's Saturday, October 2, 2010.

A pile of pundits predicted that Navy would beat Air Force today, but for the first time in eight years, the Falcons beat the Midshipmen, 14-6. Navy never stopped firing, and they almost made a touchdown with 25 seconds left in the game. In the highlight of the game, Air Force blocked a Navy punt, and the ball rolled back to the Navy 15 yard line before Air Force recovered it.

Both teams played well, and Navy might get some ranking votes in tomorrow's poll.



But it was a disappointing day for Army, losing 42-35 to Temple. With neither team having any ranking votes, Temple had nearly upset #22 Penn State last week, and the Owls are still on a roll. Down by 15 points, Temple scored 29 straight, in what Coach Al Golden called their biggest victory in five years. The Owls fumbled on the opening kick-off, allowing the Black Knights to score. In my opinion, Army, which has a hard time realizing what it's like to be a winning team, went to sleep in the second half. Although they scored the final touchdown, the Black Knights just didn't wake up in time to save the game.

Don't look for Army to receive any ranking votes tomorrow.
 
The rankings are out, and the Air Force Falcons were ranked for the first time since October 2002! Ranked at #25 (only the top 25 teams are "ranked") Air Force advanced due to its hard-won victory over a determined Navy yesterday. Navy had concentrated on stopping the Falcons' #1 rushing offense, and both AF touchdowns were thrown by passes, not running.

No surprise that Army didn't get a single ranking vote, but neither did Navy.

An unofficial ranking site that ranks the top 120 teams ranked Navy at 77 and Army at 91.
 
What? You didn't know that Coast Guard Academy has a football team? The academy plays in the New England Conference, which is not eligible for ranking votes. They are 2-2 so far, and last Sunday one of their players set an academy record when he returned four punts.

NEW LONDON, CONN.--(10/4/10)--Sophomore Eric Gerken, who set a school-record with 167 punt return yards including an 85-yard touchdown in Coast Guard’s 19-7 win over Fitchburg State, was named the New England Football Conference (NEFC) Special Teams Player of the Week.
 
Saturday, October 9, 2010.

Somebody taught Air Force Academy how to pass. Last week, the Falcons beat Navy when they relied on passing. And today they beat Colorado State the same way. Colorado expressed surprise at how well-prepared they had been to stop Air Force's #1 rushing, and then saw Air Force rely heavily on passing in a 49-27 victory.

Folks, that's good coaching.

And Army continues to stun the universe by beating Tulane 41-23. After throwing away a fifteen point lead last week, West Point appears to have adjusted to the shock of having a good team.
 
With today's win over Tulane, Army has won three road games for the first time since 1997. They're hoping for their first bowl game since 1996. They've already outscored last year's team, so the question is: Will they get any ranking votes tomorrow?

Navy was losing by six points to Wake Forest with 26 seconds to go. They threw a touchdown pass and made the extra point. But don't look for any ranking votes tomorrow.
 
Air Force went far enough into the wild blue yonder to be ranked #23, from being #25 last week.

Despite their wins, Navy and Army received no ranking votes.

An unofficial ranking site, which ranks the 120 best teams, moved Navy from 55 to 54. They moved Army from 91 to 75.

Folks, Army isn't getting a lot of respect, but at least they're getting SOME respect.
 
Looking at this Saturday's upcoming games:

It doesn't look good for #23 Air Force, who will be going against #4 Texas Christian. They aren't even discussing the game on their website. Air Force is concentrating on improving their defense, which has been allowing opponents, even defeated ones, to get good scores.

And the Falcons have a pretty tough schedule ahead of them for the rest of the season. If they finish the year ranked, they'll deserve it.
 
Navy goes against Southern Methodist University this Saturday, October 16, 2010.

It should be a good one, with Navy ranked #54 and the Mustangs ranked #58 on an unofficial site.

With a 4-2 record so far, the Mustangs have won their last two games.
 
Looks like a bad week-end for the military academies.

Army took Rutgers into overtime and scored a field goal, but Rutgers still won.
 
I messed up, FOlks. Air Force goes up against #4 TCU NEXT week, not this week. They are playing unranked San Diego State tonight.
 
Navy was losing 14-0 in the third, but the Midshipmen threw their anchors away and won 28-21. Don't expect any ranking votes, but look for Navy to move up in the unofficial polls tomorrow.

Speaking of 14-0, that was the score at halftime when Army was beating Rutgers. And, as they did with Temple a few weeks ago, the Black Knights let their big lead go down the drain.
 
Another defeat, as unranked Colorado State beats #23 Air Force 27-25. With a tough schedule ahead of them for the rest of the season, the Falcons are unlikely to finish the season ranked.
 
Folks, it looks like nine people besides me are following this thread. Comments, including courteous disagreements, are always welcome.

In the unofficial rankings of the top 120 teams, Navy rose from 54 to 53 after beating closely-ranked Rutgers last week.

And after losing, Army fell from #78 to #87.
 
Does #40 Air Force have a chance against #4 Texas Christian University this Saturday?

Well, it's a long shot. In order to keep its high ranking, TCU must massacre any weak team that it plays, and it has done so in the last three games, allowing no touchdowns and only one field goal. So, TCU must smother Air Force, with its #1 rushing in the nation.

But two teams in a row lost, when they tried to smother the Falcons' running, because Air Force then relied on throwing the ball.

Air Force can advance in the rankings if they lose, just by playing a good game. In that case, TCU will drop in the rankings, even if they win. So the pressure is on TCU to use a strategy that has failed the last two teams that tried it: smother Air Force's rushing.
 
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