Army West Point Athletics
Feinstein's Findings: A Texas-Sized Shootout
November 19, 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.
Last team with the ball wins. First team to 50 wins. Get ONE stop.
Welcome to football clichés 101 for November 19th, 2017. Sadly, each of them fits Army's dizzying 52-49 loss to North Texas on Saturday night. Army had tied the game for the FOURTH time in the second half with 1:23 left at 49-49, Andy Davidson taking the ball in for the tying score from the 1-yard line.
As it turned out, that left too much time on the clock for the Mean Green. They had the ball last and the Black Knights couldn't get the one stop they needed. Trevor Moore kicked a 39-yard field goal with five seconds left and Army's six-game winning streak was over.
In the grand scheme of things, the loss isn't terribly damaging, except perhaps to egos—especially on the defensive side of the ball. The only thing the Black Knights can't do now that they could have done with a victory is win a school-record 11 games this season. They can still win 10 and, most important, the can still win the Commander-in-Chief's Trophy for the first time since 1996. Saturday wasn't going to have any affect on the CIC or Army's bowl status or anything else really important.
That doesn't mean losing didn't hurt. The six-game winning streak had been built on making plays when they were needed most: James Gibson's tackle on Eastern Michigan's two-point conversion attempt in the final minute; the miracle drive led by backup quarterback Kelvin Hopkins Jr against Temple; the defense digging in to stop Duke late after the blocked field goal a week ago inside Michie Stadium.
There was no lack of effort in Denton on Saturday night. The Black Knights were behind right away and never had a lead. But every time North Texas took the lead in the second half, Army came right back to tie the game again.
It was 7-0, then 7-7. Quickly, it was 21-7 and 21-13 after a missed Blake WIlson extra point that looked like it might be critical. The Mean Green went up 28-13, Army answered for 28-20 and got off the field at halftime with that margin intact after a late Max Regan interception with North Texas at the 5-yard line.
The entire second half was all about getting the extra stop because both offenses were virtually unstoppable. Each team had one third-quarter 3-and-out and scored on every other possession. There were 10 second half possessions, seven ended in touchdowns, one in the game-winning field goal.
Quarterback Ahmad Bradshaw was, as usual, brilliant. He carried the ball 27 times for 244 yards and became Army's single-season rushing leader in the first half when he went past Collin Mooney's 1,339—set nine years ago. By the time the game was over, he was at 1,472 with two games still left to play.
The fullbacks also had big nights: Darnell Woolfolk picked up 120 yards on 18 carries and Andy Davidson had 72 yards while taking the ball 11 times. Davidson, Woolfolk and Bradshaw had two touchdowns apiece. In all, the offense rushed for a mind-blowing 534 yards. Bradshaw's one completion, to John Trainor, picked up another 27.
In short, Army's offense would have been plenty good enough to win almost anytime, anyplace. The defense did well against UNT's star running back Jeffery Wilson, holding him to 72 yards on 19 carries.
It was the passing game though, that did in Army. North Texas quarterback Mason Fine came into the game averaging 280 yards per game through the air. He was better than that Saturday, completing 24-of-36 for 386 yards. What made stopping him so difficult was that he had so many receivers to throw to: Ten different North Texas players had catches during the course of the very long evening.
On the deciding drive, Army had two chances to stop the Mean Green and—at least—force overtime. The first came on a 3rd-and-5 at the North Texas 37. Fine scrambled and picked up six. A moment later, it was third-and-ten, the ball still on the UNT 43. First, an overeager James Nachtigal jumped offside, giving the Mean Green five crucial yards. Then Fine found Rico Bussey, his favorite receiver (7 catches) for 14 yards to the Army 38. Another Fine run of six and then a completion to Turner Smiley at the 22 set up the game-deciding field goal.
That last drive was a microcosm of a game the Black Knights will look back on as a lost opportunity. The special teams had, arguably, their worst game of the season: Wilson's missed extra point; a long kickoff runback which might well have gone for a touchdown rather than 60-yards if kicker Nick Shrage hadn't made the tackle; Mike Reynolds' fumbled punt—Army's only turnover.
This was a game in which the little things mattered because there was no margin for error on a night when anything less than a touchdown on any possession was a step backwards.
The good news? None of Navy's quarterbacks can throw the ball the way Fine can and the Mids certainly won't have 10 receivers make catches. That said, Navy easily could have beaten Notre Dame on Saturday and the Midshipmen have two quarterbacks—Zach Abey and Malcolm Perry who, if healthy, can run for big yards against anybody.
There is a lot of time to contemplate what will happen on December 9th in Philadelphia. Both teams will have plenty to play for—even more than usual in the Army-Navy game. Even though the Mids had won 14 straight prior to last season, they took the loss to Army hard. When you're used to always having something, having it taken away hurts.
For Army, the stakes are easier to figure out. The last group of Army seniors to win the Commander-in-Chief's Trophy are now in their 40s with families and sons who are playing football. As much as has been accomplished during this remarkable season, it will lose a little bit of its sheen without the CIC. Win the CIC and this goes down as one of the best seasons in Army football history. A bowl game victory would be a very pretty cherry on top of that 170-pound trophy.
Jeff Monken, his staff and this group of players have built steadily towards this for four years. Many of the walls that seemed so impenetrable for so long have been brought down: beating Navy; winning at Air Force; learning how to win close games; going to back-to-back bowl games.
Monken has talked repeatedly in recent weeks about how this team has gotten itself into position to do some great things—historic things. As disappointing as Saturday night was, none of that has changed even a little.
The last Army coach to win the CIC was Bob Sutton, now the defensive coordinator for the Kansas City Chiefs. Sutton was 6-3 against Navy, including five straight victories from 1992 through 1996. Sutton always told his players the same thing before they went out to face Navy: "The more desperate team wins the Army-Navy game."
The next three weeks are about arriving in Philadelphia feeling as desperate as a team can possibly be. Saturday didn't change that even a little bit.
Last team with the ball wins. First team to 50 wins. Get ONE stop.
Welcome to football clichés 101 for November 19th, 2017. Sadly, each of them fits Army's dizzying 52-49 loss to North Texas on Saturday night. Army had tied the game for the FOURTH time in the second half with 1:23 left at 49-49, Andy Davidson taking the ball in for the tying score from the 1-yard line.
As it turned out, that left too much time on the clock for the Mean Green. They had the ball last and the Black Knights couldn't get the one stop they needed. Trevor Moore kicked a 39-yard field goal with five seconds left and Army's six-game winning streak was over.
In the grand scheme of things, the loss isn't terribly damaging, except perhaps to egos—especially on the defensive side of the ball. The only thing the Black Knights can't do now that they could have done with a victory is win a school-record 11 games this season. They can still win 10 and, most important, the can still win the Commander-in-Chief's Trophy for the first time since 1996. Saturday wasn't going to have any affect on the CIC or Army's bowl status or anything else really important.
That doesn't mean losing didn't hurt. The six-game winning streak had been built on making plays when they were needed most: James Gibson's tackle on Eastern Michigan's two-point conversion attempt in the final minute; the miracle drive led by backup quarterback Kelvin Hopkins Jr against Temple; the defense digging in to stop Duke late after the blocked field goal a week ago inside Michie Stadium.
There was no lack of effort in Denton on Saturday night. The Black Knights were behind right away and never had a lead. But every time North Texas took the lead in the second half, Army came right back to tie the game again.
It was 7-0, then 7-7. Quickly, it was 21-7 and 21-13 after a missed Blake WIlson extra point that looked like it might be critical. The Mean Green went up 28-13, Army answered for 28-20 and got off the field at halftime with that margin intact after a late Max Regan interception with North Texas at the 5-yard line.
The entire second half was all about getting the extra stop because both offenses were virtually unstoppable. Each team had one third-quarter 3-and-out and scored on every other possession. There were 10 second half possessions, seven ended in touchdowns, one in the game-winning field goal.
Quarterback Ahmad Bradshaw was, as usual, brilliant. He carried the ball 27 times for 244 yards and became Army's single-season rushing leader in the first half when he went past Collin Mooney's 1,339—set nine years ago. By the time the game was over, he was at 1,472 with two games still left to play.
The fullbacks also had big nights: Darnell Woolfolk picked up 120 yards on 18 carries and Andy Davidson had 72 yards while taking the ball 11 times. Davidson, Woolfolk and Bradshaw had two touchdowns apiece. In all, the offense rushed for a mind-blowing 534 yards. Bradshaw's one completion, to John Trainor, picked up another 27.
In short, Army's offense would have been plenty good enough to win almost anytime, anyplace. The defense did well against UNT's star running back Jeffery Wilson, holding him to 72 yards on 19 carries.
It was the passing game though, that did in Army. North Texas quarterback Mason Fine came into the game averaging 280 yards per game through the air. He was better than that Saturday, completing 24-of-36 for 386 yards. What made stopping him so difficult was that he had so many receivers to throw to: Ten different North Texas players had catches during the course of the very long evening.
On the deciding drive, Army had two chances to stop the Mean Green and—at least—force overtime. The first came on a 3rd-and-5 at the North Texas 37. Fine scrambled and picked up six. A moment later, it was third-and-ten, the ball still on the UNT 43. First, an overeager James Nachtigal jumped offside, giving the Mean Green five crucial yards. Then Fine found Rico Bussey, his favorite receiver (7 catches) for 14 yards to the Army 38. Another Fine run of six and then a completion to Turner Smiley at the 22 set up the game-deciding field goal.
That last drive was a microcosm of a game the Black Knights will look back on as a lost opportunity. The special teams had, arguably, their worst game of the season: Wilson's missed extra point; a long kickoff runback which might well have gone for a touchdown rather than 60-yards if kicker Nick Shrage hadn't made the tackle; Mike Reynolds' fumbled punt—Army's only turnover.
This was a game in which the little things mattered because there was no margin for error on a night when anything less than a touchdown on any possession was a step backwards.
The good news? None of Navy's quarterbacks can throw the ball the way Fine can and the Mids certainly won't have 10 receivers make catches. That said, Navy easily could have beaten Notre Dame on Saturday and the Midshipmen have two quarterbacks—Zach Abey and Malcolm Perry who, if healthy, can run for big yards against anybody.
There is a lot of time to contemplate what will happen on December 9th in Philadelphia. Both teams will have plenty to play for—even more than usual in the Army-Navy game. Even though the Mids had won 14 straight prior to last season, they took the loss to Army hard. When you're used to always having something, having it taken away hurts.
For Army, the stakes are easier to figure out. The last group of Army seniors to win the Commander-in-Chief's Trophy are now in their 40s with families and sons who are playing football. As much as has been accomplished during this remarkable season, it will lose a little bit of its sheen without the CIC. Win the CIC and this goes down as one of the best seasons in Army football history. A bowl game victory would be a very pretty cherry on top of that 170-pound trophy.
Jeff Monken, his staff and this group of players have built steadily towards this for four years. Many of the walls that seemed so impenetrable for so long have been brought down: beating Navy; winning at Air Force; learning how to win close games; going to back-to-back bowl games.
Monken has talked repeatedly in recent weeks about how this team has gotten itself into position to do some great things—historic things. As disappointing as Saturday night was, none of that has changed even a little.
The last Army coach to win the CIC was Bob Sutton, now the defensive coordinator for the Kansas City Chiefs. Sutton was 6-3 against Navy, including five straight victories from 1992 through 1996. Sutton always told his players the same thing before they went out to face Navy: "The more desperate team wins the Army-Navy game."
The next three weeks are about arriving in Philadelphia feeling as desperate as a team can possibly be. Saturday didn't change that even a little bit.
Players Mentioned
QB
/ Football
RB
/ Football
DB
/ Football
LB
/ Football
DB
/ Football
RB
/ Football
RB
/ FootballArmy Rugby vs Navy 11/15/25 (KnightVision Free Live Sports)
Friday, November 14
Army Sprint Football vs Navy 11/15/25 (KnightVision Free Live Sports)
Friday, November 14
2025 Army-Navy Game Uniform: 250 YEARS OF SERVICE & SACRIFICE
Wednesday, November 12
Army vs. Temple Game Highlights
Saturday, November 08