Feinstein's Findings: A Team on a Mission

It was James Lane Allen, the Kentucky novelist born in 1851, who wrote, "Adversity doesn't build character, it REVEALS it."

There may be no better example of that than the 2016 Army football team.

As Coach Jeff Monken pointed out in the days leading to Saturday night's game against UTEP, no one would be critical of the Black Knights if they were unable to pour heart and soul into the game. When they gathered last Sunday afternoon to begin their preparation for the trip to El Paso, they were rocked by the impossibly sad news that their teammate, starting cornerback Brandon Jackson, had died in a car accident early that morning.

"Never, have I been part of something like that, something filled with so much heartfelt emotion," said Athletic Director Boo Corrigan, who was there when Monken delivered the news to his players. "It was something that will stay with me for the rest of my life."

No doubt that was true of everyone in the room: players, coaches, staff. There was no practice that day and the next morning Monken met with his 14-man leadership counsel and put the question to them directly: "Do you want to play the game Saturday?"

The answer, according to Monken, was "unanimous and emphatic."

The players then said they wanted to practice on Monday—normally an off-day—to make up for the practice that had been cancelled on Sunday. That was when Monken knew his team was going to be ready to play on Saturday.

It was—unanimously and emphatically. In truth, neither the Miners nor the 37,893 in Sun Bowl Stadium, quite knew what hit them. Army was—forgive the cliché—a team on a mission from the opening minute of the game. The Cadets marched up and down the field on a hot, humid evening as if they were running a shell drill, with no defense on the field.

The first nine times the offense touched the ball, it scored. After settling for a field goal on the opening drive of the game, Army scored touchdowns on its next eight possessions. It was 24-0 at halftime and 38-0 less than four minutes into the third quarter. The 66-14 final was an accurate reflection of the difference between the two teams.

UTEP Coach Sean Kugler, was impressed and gracious. He readily admitted his team had been embarrassed, adding, "I'm happy for them (Army) after what they've been through this week."

He also made some news: "I'd put them in the Top 25," he said. "I have a vote. I'll take care of that tomorrow."

So, to the list of, 'first time in 20 years,' statistics you can add this: For the first time in 20 years, Army received points in one of the national polls on Sunday.

The Black Knights are also 3-0 for the first time in 20 years. As Corrigan pointed out, it's going to be easy to track all the, 'first-times,' since that 1996 Army team started 9-0 en route to finishing 10-2 and winning the Commander-in-Chiefs Trophy. The CIC, more than anything, is the 'first time in 20 years,' stat the Cadets would like to ring up between now and December 10th.

That though, is for later. For now, the focus should be on what has already been accomplished. The statistics give a very clear picture of this game: Army out-gained UTEP 598 yards to 269 yards. It held onto the ball for 41 minutes and 20 seconds. The fullbacks continued to be productive: Andy Davidson had 106 yards and a touchdown (his third straight 100-yard game) and Darnell Woolfolk had 71 yards and three touchdowns. The offensive line consistently opened holes for the fullbacks and the slotbacks all night. All three quarterbacks, Ahmad Bradshaw, Chris Carter and Malik McGue, were effective all game. They combined to complete 7-of-8 passes for 179 yards. Army's had five game stretches in the recent past when it didn't pick up 179 yards through the air. Special teams produced a touchdown when Jaylon McClinton jarred the ball loose on a third quarter kickoff and Max Regan picked it up and ran 17-yards into the end zone.

But one statistic matters above all when analyzing this start: 7-0. That's the number of turnovers by the opponents versus the number of turnovers by Army. Last year, in the seven games Army lost by a combined 30 points, it turned the ball over TWENTY-THREE times. That is losing football. A 7-0 turnover margin is, quite simply, winning football.

The last thing Monken wants anyone inside the locker room to do at this moment is to think about anything beyond next Saturday night's game at Buffalo. The Bulls are 0-2, coming off a 38-14 loss at Nevada on Saturday. Even with a 2-0 road record, Army can't afford even a small letdown against any opponent. This group of players seems to understand that.

But while the players and coaches have to have tunnel vision about the trip to the soon-to-be Great White North this week, the rest of us are allowed to fantasize.

After Buffalo, Army has a week off before it travels to Duke: a team that embarrassed the Cadets 44-3 at Michie Stadium a year ago. This Duke team appears to be a shadow of that Duke team. It lost its starting quarterback in pre-season and has losses to Wake Forest and Northwestern on its resume already.

Regardless of the outcome at Duke, the next two games are (finally) at home: Lafayette and North Texas. It is not out of the question (sorry, Coach Monken, can't resist) that Army could—wait for it—clinch a bowl berth in October—even before it begins CIC play on November 5th against Air Force.

Clearly, this team's goals go way beyond winning enough games to play in postseason, but given that only one Army team (2010) has achieved that in—you guessed it—the last 20 years, that is no small thing to contemplate.

Army does not have a specific bowl tie-in this year, but given the plethora of bowls, Corrigan should have no trouble finding a place for the Black Knights to play. Even so, he might want to start placing a few phone calls in the not-too-distant future.

For now though, the focus is on Buffalo. And, at least for the moment, it should be on what was accomplished in the shadow of the Mexican border on Saturday. A group of players who had been through an unspeakable tragedy showed up to play a game and to honor a fallen comrade through their efforts on the field.

Mission accomplished. Character revealed.

Army West Point Athletics

Feinstein's Findings: A Team on a Mission

Players Mentioned

Ahmad Bradshaw

Chris Carter

Andy Davidson

Brandon Jackson

Jaylon McClinton

Malik McGue

Max Regan

Darnell Woolfolk

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