Army West Point Athletics
Feinstein's Findings: A Walk-Off Grand Slam
October 16, 2017 | Football
New York Times bestselling author, John Feinstein, is back for another season with the Black Knights and will report in after each football game during the 2017 season. The weekly report will be posted to GoArmyWestPoint.com following each battle on the gridiron.
Had 'em all the way.
That may explain why Jeff Monken was so fired up when the game FINALLY ended, that—channeling his inner-Bob Knight—he gleefully tossed a chair in the direction of the Corps as he and his players lined up for the joyful playing of the Army alma mater.
It may also explain why all who were there Saturday in Michie Stadium, will never forget the extraordinary tackle made by James 'Gibby,' Gibson on Eastern Michigan's potential game-winning two point conversion at the very moment when the day seemed lost.
Across the country, people undoubtedly looked at the final score: Army-28, EMU-27 and thought, 'hmm close game.' This was far more than a close game, this was a walk-off grand slam, except it was the defense—after a day-long struggle against a canny fifth-year quarterback--that struck that final blow.
To review: If you know anything about football, you knew EMU was going to be a tough out. The Eagles had lost three straight games—one in overtime; one on the game's last play and one in the final minute—to three teams with a combined 15-4 record. They had held Toledo, averaging 43 points a game, to 20 a week earlier. In Brogan Roback they had a quarterback who knew how to make plays under duress throwing to a bevy of talented receivers. And, as is often the case with Army's opponents, they were far bigger than the Black Knights on both sides of the ball.
That sounds like coach-speak. Every opponent is the Patriots before kickoff; the 49ers at halftime, when the coach can't believe his team isn't winning by four touchdowns.
This wasn't coach speak. The Eagles looked like a good team coming in and they still looked like a good team going out—even with yet another heartbreaking loss.
The paths the two football programs had travelled to this spectacular mid-October afternoon in college football's most spectacular setting, were remarkably similar.
They had met four years ago in Michie and Army won in a 50-25 rout with Terry Baggett running roughshod over the Eagles for 304 yards. EMU finished 1-11 and made a coaching change. The Black Knights ended up 3-9 and made a coaching change.
Chris Creighton was hired at Eastern Michigan; Monken was hired at Army. Both schools went through rebuilding pains for two years and then broke through a year ago: the Eagles went 7-5 and made a bowl game for the first time in 29 years—before losing that game to finish 7-6. The Black Knights (as everyone reading this knows) also went 7-5, beating Navy for the first time in 15 years and reaching a bowl game for the second time in 20 years. Then they won the bowl game to finish 8-5.
The difference between EMU's 2-3 record coming in and Army's 4-2 mark was simple: the Black Knights had been a very good fourth quarter team; the Eagles, not so much.
If there was any doubt that this was going to be a difficult day, it went away quickly. Eastern Michigan drove a total of 167 yards in 15 plays the first two times it had the ball. If there was one play that summed up the kind of afternoon it was going to be, it came on a 3rd-and-7 from the EMU 11 on the second drive. The Black Knights had Roback trapped near the goal line. Apparently trying to avoid a sack, Roback threw the ball up in the direction of the 20-yard line. With black shirts surrounding him, Sergio Bailey II went up, caught the ball and picked up 19 yards. Four plays later, EMU went up, 14-7.
Fortunately, Army's offense was just as effective—the difference being that—as always—the Black Knights picked up their yards strictly on the ground. Ahmad Bradshaw was, as usual, brilliant running the option. He rushed 19 times for 171 yards and seemed to know exactly when to give the ball up and to whom. Passing the ball he was 0-for-3. Army has now completed 7 passes in 7 games and has not completed a pass in three different games. The last time that happened at the (then) Division-1 level was 1997. For the record, Bailey caught eight passes on Saturday.
Army may not be able to throw the ball very well, but it has done an excellent job through seven games of holding on to it. The Black Knights had the ball for 41 minutes Saturday and didn't have a turnover—EMU had one, Cole Christiansen's late second quarter interception.
Christiansen's play led to one of the odder offensive sequences of the season—one that had to be on people's minds late in the frenetic fourth quarter. After Kell Walker, (115 yards) had picked up a first down at the 35 and then picked up two more yards on first down with more than a minute and two time outs left, Army called two "Hail-Mary" types passes. Either could have been intercepted. That left Army with fourth down and Monken opted to try another "Hail-Mary" after a timeout rather than have Blake Wilson take a swing at a 50-yard field goal. The pass fell incomplete again and the game was tied 14-14 at the half.
Those potential three points lost had to be in the back of everyone's mind as the fourth quarter unfolded. Army twice led by a touchdown, each time EMU answered. The Black Knights put together one of their classic long marches—16 plays, 83 yards while taking 8:59 off the clock—to go up 28-21. The drive was capped by a twisting, turning, tackle-breaking 13-yard run by Darnell Woolfolk, who was back on the field for the first time since the Ohio State game.
Army's other three fullbacks—Andy Davidson, Calen Holt and Connor Slomka—have all filled in admirably in Woolfolk's absence. But Woolfolk does two things that can't be replaced: he almost never fumbles and he almost never goes down on first contact. He rushed for 51 yards Saturday on nine carries (the four fullbacks were 25 for 125) and he gave Army the lead with 5:42 to play.
Everyone knew the game was far from over.
Sure enough, the Eagles began working their way downfield. On several occasions, it looked like they were going to be stopped—only they weren't. On 4th-and-seven from his own 42, Roback dropped, found no one open, was chased and (again) flung a desperation pass that Jaron Johnson came back to somehow catch and pick up the first down.
Two plays later, it was 3rd-and-7 and, surprisingly, Roback handed the ball to Ian Elliott, who was stopped cold for a two-yard loss, making it 4th-and-9. Only it wasn't 4th-and-9. Creighton had called time out from the sideline just before the snap. (Rules suggestion: once the play clock is under five seconds, time out can only be called on the field, unless the coach has already informed the official he's calling it in order to kill clock).
EMU had 3rd-and-7 again and this time Gibson was called for pass interference. After that, the (presumably) tying touchdown was inevitable and Roback found Bailey with a strike in the back corner of the end zone to make it 28-27 with 49 seconds to go.
That was when Creighton decided to go for broke—a two-point conversion. It made absolute sense: EMU's best chance to stop Army was giving it 49 seconds to go the length of the field as opposed to 25 yards with no clock in overtime.
Monken smartly called time out to give his defense a breather. EMU followed with its own time out. Then, Roback's pass in the end zone was knocked down by Mike Reynolds. Army had escaped!
Only it hadn't—again. Creighton had run down the field to the 5-yard line and called time ONE second before the snap with ONE second on the play clock.
If this was a movie, the script would have been rewritten—you can't make the audience wait that LONG for the climax.
Eastern Michigan was now mercifully out of time outs. But it wasn't out of surprises. Instead of dropping to pass, Roback ran left and pitched the ball to Eriksen—a perfect Army-style option pitch play. It looked like Eriksen would surely score until Gibson raced in from coverage in the end zone and—somehow—somersaulted him into the air. It looked as if Eriksen's momentum would carry him into the end zone but his elbow and the ball both landed a foot short. The officials got it right on the field and replay absolutely confirmed the call.
John Voit recovered the onside kick and—finally, amazingly—it was over.
The game was absolutely draining for those who played; those who coached; those who watched. This side of last year's Navy game, it was the most emotional Monken's been in public since he became coach.
Now, Temple is up next after a surprising loss to Connecticut Army's one win away from being bowl eligible for a second straight year. That though is for later.
There should be some taken to savor this one. And, to recover from it.
Had 'em all the way
Had 'em all the way.
That may explain why Jeff Monken was so fired up when the game FINALLY ended, that—channeling his inner-Bob Knight—he gleefully tossed a chair in the direction of the Corps as he and his players lined up for the joyful playing of the Army alma mater.
It may also explain why all who were there Saturday in Michie Stadium, will never forget the extraordinary tackle made by James 'Gibby,' Gibson on Eastern Michigan's potential game-winning two point conversion at the very moment when the day seemed lost.
Across the country, people undoubtedly looked at the final score: Army-28, EMU-27 and thought, 'hmm close game.' This was far more than a close game, this was a walk-off grand slam, except it was the defense—after a day-long struggle against a canny fifth-year quarterback--that struck that final blow.
To review: If you know anything about football, you knew EMU was going to be a tough out. The Eagles had lost three straight games—one in overtime; one on the game's last play and one in the final minute—to three teams with a combined 15-4 record. They had held Toledo, averaging 43 points a game, to 20 a week earlier. In Brogan Roback they had a quarterback who knew how to make plays under duress throwing to a bevy of talented receivers. And, as is often the case with Army's opponents, they were far bigger than the Black Knights on both sides of the ball.
That sounds like coach-speak. Every opponent is the Patriots before kickoff; the 49ers at halftime, when the coach can't believe his team isn't winning by four touchdowns.
This wasn't coach speak. The Eagles looked like a good team coming in and they still looked like a good team going out—even with yet another heartbreaking loss.
The paths the two football programs had travelled to this spectacular mid-October afternoon in college football's most spectacular setting, were remarkably similar.
They had met four years ago in Michie and Army won in a 50-25 rout with Terry Baggett running roughshod over the Eagles for 304 yards. EMU finished 1-11 and made a coaching change. The Black Knights ended up 3-9 and made a coaching change.
Chris Creighton was hired at Eastern Michigan; Monken was hired at Army. Both schools went through rebuilding pains for two years and then broke through a year ago: the Eagles went 7-5 and made a bowl game for the first time in 29 years—before losing that game to finish 7-6. The Black Knights (as everyone reading this knows) also went 7-5, beating Navy for the first time in 15 years and reaching a bowl game for the second time in 20 years. Then they won the bowl game to finish 8-5.
The difference between EMU's 2-3 record coming in and Army's 4-2 mark was simple: the Black Knights had been a very good fourth quarter team; the Eagles, not so much.
If there was any doubt that this was going to be a difficult day, it went away quickly. Eastern Michigan drove a total of 167 yards in 15 plays the first two times it had the ball. If there was one play that summed up the kind of afternoon it was going to be, it came on a 3rd-and-7 from the EMU 11 on the second drive. The Black Knights had Roback trapped near the goal line. Apparently trying to avoid a sack, Roback threw the ball up in the direction of the 20-yard line. With black shirts surrounding him, Sergio Bailey II went up, caught the ball and picked up 19 yards. Four plays later, EMU went up, 14-7.
Fortunately, Army's offense was just as effective—the difference being that—as always—the Black Knights picked up their yards strictly on the ground. Ahmad Bradshaw was, as usual, brilliant running the option. He rushed 19 times for 171 yards and seemed to know exactly when to give the ball up and to whom. Passing the ball he was 0-for-3. Army has now completed 7 passes in 7 games and has not completed a pass in three different games. The last time that happened at the (then) Division-1 level was 1997. For the record, Bailey caught eight passes on Saturday.
Army may not be able to throw the ball very well, but it has done an excellent job through seven games of holding on to it. The Black Knights had the ball for 41 minutes Saturday and didn't have a turnover—EMU had one, Cole Christiansen's late second quarter interception.
Christiansen's play led to one of the odder offensive sequences of the season—one that had to be on people's minds late in the frenetic fourth quarter. After Kell Walker, (115 yards) had picked up a first down at the 35 and then picked up two more yards on first down with more than a minute and two time outs left, Army called two "Hail-Mary" types passes. Either could have been intercepted. That left Army with fourth down and Monken opted to try another "Hail-Mary" after a timeout rather than have Blake Wilson take a swing at a 50-yard field goal. The pass fell incomplete again and the game was tied 14-14 at the half.
Those potential three points lost had to be in the back of everyone's mind as the fourth quarter unfolded. Army twice led by a touchdown, each time EMU answered. The Black Knights put together one of their classic long marches—16 plays, 83 yards while taking 8:59 off the clock—to go up 28-21. The drive was capped by a twisting, turning, tackle-breaking 13-yard run by Darnell Woolfolk, who was back on the field for the first time since the Ohio State game.
Army's other three fullbacks—Andy Davidson, Calen Holt and Connor Slomka—have all filled in admirably in Woolfolk's absence. But Woolfolk does two things that can't be replaced: he almost never fumbles and he almost never goes down on first contact. He rushed for 51 yards Saturday on nine carries (the four fullbacks were 25 for 125) and he gave Army the lead with 5:42 to play.
Everyone knew the game was far from over.
Sure enough, the Eagles began working their way downfield. On several occasions, it looked like they were going to be stopped—only they weren't. On 4th-and-seven from his own 42, Roback dropped, found no one open, was chased and (again) flung a desperation pass that Jaron Johnson came back to somehow catch and pick up the first down.
Two plays later, it was 3rd-and-7 and, surprisingly, Roback handed the ball to Ian Elliott, who was stopped cold for a two-yard loss, making it 4th-and-9. Only it wasn't 4th-and-9. Creighton had called time out from the sideline just before the snap. (Rules suggestion: once the play clock is under five seconds, time out can only be called on the field, unless the coach has already informed the official he's calling it in order to kill clock).
EMU had 3rd-and-7 again and this time Gibson was called for pass interference. After that, the (presumably) tying touchdown was inevitable and Roback found Bailey with a strike in the back corner of the end zone to make it 28-27 with 49 seconds to go.
That was when Creighton decided to go for broke—a two-point conversion. It made absolute sense: EMU's best chance to stop Army was giving it 49 seconds to go the length of the field as opposed to 25 yards with no clock in overtime.
Monken smartly called time out to give his defense a breather. EMU followed with its own time out. Then, Roback's pass in the end zone was knocked down by Mike Reynolds. Army had escaped!
Only it hadn't—again. Creighton had run down the field to the 5-yard line and called time ONE second before the snap with ONE second on the play clock.
If this was a movie, the script would have been rewritten—you can't make the audience wait that LONG for the climax.
Eastern Michigan was now mercifully out of time outs. But it wasn't out of surprises. Instead of dropping to pass, Roback ran left and pitched the ball to Eriksen—a perfect Army-style option pitch play. It looked like Eriksen would surely score until Gibson raced in from coverage in the end zone and—somehow—somersaulted him into the air. It looked as if Eriksen's momentum would carry him into the end zone but his elbow and the ball both landed a foot short. The officials got it right on the field and replay absolutely confirmed the call.
John Voit recovered the onside kick and—finally, amazingly—it was over.
The game was absolutely draining for those who played; those who coached; those who watched. This side of last year's Navy game, it was the most emotional Monken's been in public since he became coach.
Now, Temple is up next after a surprising loss to Connecticut Army's one win away from being bowl eligible for a second straight year. That though is for later.
There should be some taken to savor this one. And, to recover from it.
Had 'em all the way
Players Mentioned
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