Army West Point Athletics
Feinstein's Findings: High Tension on Senior Day
November 12, 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. Feinstein newest book titled, "The First Major,--The Inside Story of the 2016 Ryder Cup," has recently been released. Feinstein's weekly report will be posted to GoArmyWestPoint.com following each battle on the gridiron.
Almost every football game, especially at Army, carries a certain amount of tension. Even the Black Knights resounding 21-0 win at Air Force, was tension-filled until the defense stopped Air Force deep in Army territory midway through the fourth quarter with the margin 14-0.
Had the Falcons scored on that drive to make it 14-7, playing in a stadium where Army almost never wins, it would have been sweating-bullets time. But the defense DID get the stop and the last few minutes were a joyride.
That wasn't the case Saturday inside MIchie Stadium. There's an old Ike and Tina Turner song called, "Rollin' on the River," in which Ms. Turner explains at the start that she and her husband normally sing songs that are 'rough,' but for this song they're going to take the beginning, 'nice…and easy.'
Back in September, when Fordham came to begin the season at Michie, it was was easy—64-6. In the five home games that followed it was rough—and rougher.
Buffalo? A 17-7 deficit for three quarters. UTEP—winless UTEP—a 14-14 halftime tie before pulling away. Eastern Michigan: only James Gibson and gravity allowed the Black Knights to escape with a one-point win. Temple? What were the chances that a sophomore quarterback would drive the air-challenged Cadets the length of the field to tie the game in the final seconds en route to winning in overtime.
Rough, rougher, roughest.
And then came Duke.
The Blue Devils aren't exactly known for playing football. In fact, about six hours after the last notes of 'Alma Mater,' echoed around Michie, their basketball coach—an Army grad, who began his coaching career at his alma mater—was becoming the first coach in Division 1 men's basketball history to win 1,000 games at the same school.
But David Cutcliffe has brought respectability to a football program that was a long-time laughing-stock. In the 10 years prior to Cutcliffe's arrival in 2008, three Duke coaches combined to go 17-97. In fact, from 1995 through 2007, Duke had FOUR winless seasons and two other autumns where it won once.
Cutcliffe is 56-67, which may not sound like much, but is Alabama-like compared to what came before him. The Blue Devils went to four straight bowls from 2012 to 2015 and a year ago they won at Notre Dame. That is about as likely an occurrence as Mike Krzyzewski, the aforementioned Duke basketball coach, losing at home to an NAIA team.
What's more, Duke has had Army's number the last couple of years. Two years ago, the Blue Devils came to Michie and won 44-3, the one true blowout in Jeff Monken's frustrating second season. A year ago, in a hurricane (literally) in Durham, they won 13-6.
Duke has an advantage over many of Army's opponents in that it faces the option at least twice and sometimes three times a season. It plays Georgia Tech ever year and plays Navy periodically too.
Saturday was no different. Nothing was easy for Army. Ahmad Bradshaw and the offense, so dominant against Air Force, had to fight for every yard. Bradshaw still managed 96 yards on 20 carries, but it was a pass that was the most important play he was involved in during the difficult afternoon. And fullback Andy Davidson, who has gone from being Army's leading rusher a year ago, to a part-time player on offense this year, made a critical play too: on special teams.
That's what good teams do. They find a way to win when it's rough. The final was 21-16 and the entire second half—Army didn't score—was extremely rough. Fortunately, those key first-half plays gave the Black Knights just enough cushion to hang on for dear life.
The first two series of the day made it evident that this was going to be another afternoon when big things and small things mattered. Duke got a fourth-down stop near midfield and quickly drove inside the 10-yard line. But one reason why Duke is now 4-6 after a 4-0 start (beside a tough schedule) is that it hasn't been very good at scoring touchdowns inside the red zone. The Army defense shut Duke down inside the five and the Blue Devils settled for a field goal and an early 3-0 lead.
The next 15 minutes decided the game—although no one knew it at the time.
The Black Knights put together one of their bread-and-butter drives, going 80 yards in 11 plays to a 3-yard touchdown burst by Darnell Woolfolk for a 7-3 lead.
Then Davidson, the man largely displaced this season by Woolfolk, made his presence felt. The Army defense forced a three-and-out and on came punter Austin Parker, who hadn't had a punt blocked all season. That changed a moment later. Davidson, pushed his way into a tiny hole in the line and extended his arm as far as it would go, getting his hand on the kick. It bounced crazily into the arms of Jahvari Bourdeau, who turned and raced 25 yards to the end zone for a 14-3 lead 20 seconds into the second quarter.
In many ways Davidson's play was an exemplar of why this team is 8-2. On many teams, a junior who had been a star as a sophomore only to become a part-time player would sulk, say, 'why me?' find ways to complain and become (at best) a non-factor on his team. Davidson has run hard when given the chance; blocked hard when given the chance and even did a decent imitation of the Reggie Bush-push, circa 2005, on a couple of key third-and-short quarterback sneaks on Saturday.
But he made as big a play as he's ever made when he blocked the punt. The play wasn't just worth seven critical points, it left Duke a bit dazed. On the Blue Devils' next series, they moved the ball to the Army 33, but quarterback Daniel Jones fumbled and Rhyan England jumped on the ball to stop the drive.
Two plays later, facing 3rd-and-9, Army did something it hadn't done since the last desperate drive against Temple: it threw a pass. And it worked: Bradshaw tossing a strike to Kell Walker for a 42-yard pick-up. Two plays later, Bradshaw's longest run of the day—18 yards—made it, 21-3 with 8:20 left until halftime.
Army was 'Rollin'-on-the-Hudson.' Forget all that rough stuff.
Except, to quote another great performer, Lee Corso: "Not so fast my friend."
Duke pieced together an 11-play, 86-yard drive to cut the margin to 21-10 at halftime. Still, when the Black Knights held on downs on the first series of the third quarter, it looked like all was well.
And then the time machine showed up.
Suddenly, for a terrifying quarter-plus, it was 2015 again. First, there was a lost fumble by Walker—only Army's third lost fumble of the season. One of the big reasons why Army was 6-18 during Monken's first two seasons was its inability to hold on to the ball in close games.
The other issue back then was key penalties.
To be fair, the ACC officiating crew made some questionable calls—two on pass interference calls that were announced as charged to England when he wasn't involved in the play. The other was a fourth down spot that gave Duke a critical first down on the drive that cut the margin to 21-16.
Still, if the Black Knights had lost this game it would have been because of the time machine.
After stopping Duke's attempt to a two-point conversion, Army pieced together what looked like a game-clinching drive, marching to a first down at the Duke three while taking critical time off the clock.
Then it was 2015 again: an inexcusable delay-of-game penalty on first down. Woolfolk got four yards back. Then, an almost-as-inexcusable motion penalty that moved the ball to the nine. Walker got four. Woolfolk got two. Not enough. After a surprising Duke time out, Monken elected to go for the chip-shot 20-yard field goal that would make the lead eight.
The kick was blocked. On Duke's first play—after a TV timeout no less—Army had 12 men on the field. Duke had more than three minutes and two time outs to go 78 yards. Where was Doc Brown and the flux capacitor to get you home when you needed them?
Finally, Doc Brown showed up; the Black Knights snapped back to 2017: With a first down on its own 28, Duke went incomplete pass; sack on a blitz by Elijah Riley; incomplete pass. Cutcliffe decided to rely on his defense getting a three-and-out and punted.
Two plays later, Bradshaw turned a 2-yard gain into a 10-yard gain and a first down. Ballgame. Finally.
What was rough—again—became pure joy. The seniors left Michie with a win on Veterans Day and a 6-0 home record in their final seasons. The last Army team to go unbeaten at Michie? The 10-2 team of 1996 which also happens to be the last Army team to win the Commander-in-Chief's Trophy.
There's one more game before Philadelphia and it—naturally—won't be easy. North Texas gave Army fits last season, winning at Michie before losing in overtime in the Heart of Dallas Bowl. The Mean Green are 7-3, better than they were a year ago.
Then again, Army is better than it was a year ago too. The trip to Texas will undoubtedly be rough. Which is apparently just the way the Black Knights like it.
Almost every football game, especially at Army, carries a certain amount of tension. Even the Black Knights resounding 21-0 win at Air Force, was tension-filled until the defense stopped Air Force deep in Army territory midway through the fourth quarter with the margin 14-0.
Had the Falcons scored on that drive to make it 14-7, playing in a stadium where Army almost never wins, it would have been sweating-bullets time. But the defense DID get the stop and the last few minutes were a joyride.
That wasn't the case Saturday inside MIchie Stadium. There's an old Ike and Tina Turner song called, "Rollin' on the River," in which Ms. Turner explains at the start that she and her husband normally sing songs that are 'rough,' but for this song they're going to take the beginning, 'nice…and easy.'
Back in September, when Fordham came to begin the season at Michie, it was was easy—64-6. In the five home games that followed it was rough—and rougher.
Buffalo? A 17-7 deficit for three quarters. UTEP—winless UTEP—a 14-14 halftime tie before pulling away. Eastern Michigan: only James Gibson and gravity allowed the Black Knights to escape with a one-point win. Temple? What were the chances that a sophomore quarterback would drive the air-challenged Cadets the length of the field to tie the game in the final seconds en route to winning in overtime.
Rough, rougher, roughest.
And then came Duke.
The Blue Devils aren't exactly known for playing football. In fact, about six hours after the last notes of 'Alma Mater,' echoed around Michie, their basketball coach—an Army grad, who began his coaching career at his alma mater—was becoming the first coach in Division 1 men's basketball history to win 1,000 games at the same school.
But David Cutcliffe has brought respectability to a football program that was a long-time laughing-stock. In the 10 years prior to Cutcliffe's arrival in 2008, three Duke coaches combined to go 17-97. In fact, from 1995 through 2007, Duke had FOUR winless seasons and two other autumns where it won once.
Cutcliffe is 56-67, which may not sound like much, but is Alabama-like compared to what came before him. The Blue Devils went to four straight bowls from 2012 to 2015 and a year ago they won at Notre Dame. That is about as likely an occurrence as Mike Krzyzewski, the aforementioned Duke basketball coach, losing at home to an NAIA team.
What's more, Duke has had Army's number the last couple of years. Two years ago, the Blue Devils came to Michie and won 44-3, the one true blowout in Jeff Monken's frustrating second season. A year ago, in a hurricane (literally) in Durham, they won 13-6.
Duke has an advantage over many of Army's opponents in that it faces the option at least twice and sometimes three times a season. It plays Georgia Tech ever year and plays Navy periodically too.
Saturday was no different. Nothing was easy for Army. Ahmad Bradshaw and the offense, so dominant against Air Force, had to fight for every yard. Bradshaw still managed 96 yards on 20 carries, but it was a pass that was the most important play he was involved in during the difficult afternoon. And fullback Andy Davidson, who has gone from being Army's leading rusher a year ago, to a part-time player on offense this year, made a critical play too: on special teams.
That's what good teams do. They find a way to win when it's rough. The final was 21-16 and the entire second half—Army didn't score—was extremely rough. Fortunately, those key first-half plays gave the Black Knights just enough cushion to hang on for dear life.
The first two series of the day made it evident that this was going to be another afternoon when big things and small things mattered. Duke got a fourth-down stop near midfield and quickly drove inside the 10-yard line. But one reason why Duke is now 4-6 after a 4-0 start (beside a tough schedule) is that it hasn't been very good at scoring touchdowns inside the red zone. The Army defense shut Duke down inside the five and the Blue Devils settled for a field goal and an early 3-0 lead.
The next 15 minutes decided the game—although no one knew it at the time.
The Black Knights put together one of their bread-and-butter drives, going 80 yards in 11 plays to a 3-yard touchdown burst by Darnell Woolfolk for a 7-3 lead.
Then Davidson, the man largely displaced this season by Woolfolk, made his presence felt. The Army defense forced a three-and-out and on came punter Austin Parker, who hadn't had a punt blocked all season. That changed a moment later. Davidson, pushed his way into a tiny hole in the line and extended his arm as far as it would go, getting his hand on the kick. It bounced crazily into the arms of Jahvari Bourdeau, who turned and raced 25 yards to the end zone for a 14-3 lead 20 seconds into the second quarter.
In many ways Davidson's play was an exemplar of why this team is 8-2. On many teams, a junior who had been a star as a sophomore only to become a part-time player would sulk, say, 'why me?' find ways to complain and become (at best) a non-factor on his team. Davidson has run hard when given the chance; blocked hard when given the chance and even did a decent imitation of the Reggie Bush-push, circa 2005, on a couple of key third-and-short quarterback sneaks on Saturday.
But he made as big a play as he's ever made when he blocked the punt. The play wasn't just worth seven critical points, it left Duke a bit dazed. On the Blue Devils' next series, they moved the ball to the Army 33, but quarterback Daniel Jones fumbled and Rhyan England jumped on the ball to stop the drive.
Two plays later, facing 3rd-and-9, Army did something it hadn't done since the last desperate drive against Temple: it threw a pass. And it worked: Bradshaw tossing a strike to Kell Walker for a 42-yard pick-up. Two plays later, Bradshaw's longest run of the day—18 yards—made it, 21-3 with 8:20 left until halftime.
Army was 'Rollin'-on-the-Hudson.' Forget all that rough stuff.
Except, to quote another great performer, Lee Corso: "Not so fast my friend."
Duke pieced together an 11-play, 86-yard drive to cut the margin to 21-10 at halftime. Still, when the Black Knights held on downs on the first series of the third quarter, it looked like all was well.
And then the time machine showed up.
Suddenly, for a terrifying quarter-plus, it was 2015 again. First, there was a lost fumble by Walker—only Army's third lost fumble of the season. One of the big reasons why Army was 6-18 during Monken's first two seasons was its inability to hold on to the ball in close games.
The other issue back then was key penalties.
To be fair, the ACC officiating crew made some questionable calls—two on pass interference calls that were announced as charged to England when he wasn't involved in the play. The other was a fourth down spot that gave Duke a critical first down on the drive that cut the margin to 21-16.
Still, if the Black Knights had lost this game it would have been because of the time machine.
After stopping Duke's attempt to a two-point conversion, Army pieced together what looked like a game-clinching drive, marching to a first down at the Duke three while taking critical time off the clock.
Then it was 2015 again: an inexcusable delay-of-game penalty on first down. Woolfolk got four yards back. Then, an almost-as-inexcusable motion penalty that moved the ball to the nine. Walker got four. Woolfolk got two. Not enough. After a surprising Duke time out, Monken elected to go for the chip-shot 20-yard field goal that would make the lead eight.
The kick was blocked. On Duke's first play—after a TV timeout no less—Army had 12 men on the field. Duke had more than three minutes and two time outs to go 78 yards. Where was Doc Brown and the flux capacitor to get you home when you needed them?
Finally, Doc Brown showed up; the Black Knights snapped back to 2017: With a first down on its own 28, Duke went incomplete pass; sack on a blitz by Elijah Riley; incomplete pass. Cutcliffe decided to rely on his defense getting a three-and-out and punted.
Two plays later, Bradshaw turned a 2-yard gain into a 10-yard gain and a first down. Ballgame. Finally.
What was rough—again—became pure joy. The seniors left Michie with a win on Veterans Day and a 6-0 home record in their final seasons. The last Army team to go unbeaten at Michie? The 10-2 team of 1996 which also happens to be the last Army team to win the Commander-in-Chief's Trophy.
There's one more game before Philadelphia and it—naturally—won't be easy. North Texas gave Army fits last season, winning at Michie before losing in overtime in the Heart of Dallas Bowl. The Mean Green are 7-3, better than they were a year ago.
Then again, Army is better than it was a year ago too. The trip to Texas will undoubtedly be rough. Which is apparently just the way the Black Knights like it.
Players Mentioned
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