Army West Point Athletics
Army West Point
Northwestern
Army Topples Northwestern With Fourth Quarter Heroics
September 17, 2011 | Football
Sept. 17, 2011
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WEST POINT, N.Y. - Junior quarterback Trent Steelman rushed for 108 yards and three touchdowns and Army's defense limited Northwestern to 309 yards of total offense as the Black Knights posted a 21-14 victory on Saturday in front of an afternoon crowd of 35,784 at Michie Stadium.
Steelman carried 28 times, scored three rushing touchdowns and completed one pass for six yards as Army posted its first win of the season and dropped the Big Ten's Northwestern to 2-1.
Senior linebacker Steve Erzinger made nine tackles and Justin Trimble and Andrew Rodriguez each contributed six, as Army held Northwestern to 115 yards rushing and 194 yards in the air.
Army out-gained Northwestern, 387-309, held a 40:19-19:41 advantage in time of possession and lost just one fumble in moving to 1-2 on the season.
The Black Knights won their second-straight game against Northwestern and first since 1988 by picking up 23 rushing first downs, 381 yards rushing and scoring touchdowns in all but the second quarter.
While Steelman topped the 100-yard mark for the fifth time in his career and second week in a row, sophomore Raymond Maples rushed 17 times for 95 yards, junior Malcolm Brown picked up 79 on six rushes and junior Jared Hassin contributed 40 yards on 11 carries.
After falling behind in its opening two losses, Army struck first against the Wildcats. Army forced a Northwestern punt on the opening possession and then used a methodical, 18-play drive for its first lead of the season.
Steelman picked up nine yards for a first down on the third play and then gained seven more to keep the drive alive. Brown collected five yards, Hassin ran for three and Larry Dixon picked up four to move the ball to the Northwestern 17 yard line. Steelman did the rest, scooting his way in from 17 yards out for a 7-0 lead after Alex Carlton's extra point capped the 81-yard, nine-minute drive.
Northwestern tied the game in the second quarter when starting quarterback Kain Colter hit Jeremy Ebert for a 14-yard touchdown. Colter completed 12-for-23 passes for 89 yards while backup Trevor Siemian hit on 5-of-7 passes for 105 yards and a touchdown.
Army won the coin toss and elected to defer to the second half where that possession made it a 14-7 advantage. A 10-play, 73-yard drive eclipsed 4:17 off the clock. Maples rushed for 33 yards on the first play then picked up two more. Freshman Trenton Turrentine gained 11 and then Steelman rushed for nine. Sophomore Jon Crucitti rushed for six yards, Maples picked up eight on two carries and then Steelman bulled in from a yard out with 10:43 left in the third quarter.
Northwestern, which opened the season with wins over Boston College and Eastern Illinois, tied the game a second time in the final quarter. After Army missed a 25-yard field goal, the Wildcats needed just three plays and less than a minute to score when Siemian hit Ebert for a 62-yard touchdown.
Army didn't waste any time in going back on top, scoring on its next possession. Brown collected 23 yards on the second play of the nine-play, 75-yard drive and then Maples rushed for 17 yards. Sophomore Scott Williams picked up 17 yards on the next play and Hassin rushed for a yard to move the ball inside the 10. Steelman gained eight yards on two plays and then went over junior center Will Wilson from a yard deep for a 21-14 Army lead with 2:49 left to play.
Northwestern moved the ball to the Army 42 on the ensuing possession, but junior Nate Combs sacked Siemian and then made a tackle for a short Northwestern gain. A three-yard rush was followed by an incomplete pass to turn the ball over on downs.
Following two straight games at Michie Stadium, Army will travel to Ball State next week before returning home to face Tulane at noon on Oct. 1.
