Army West Point Athletics
Game Notes: Army Readies Itself For America's Game
December 03, 2018 | Football
WEST POINT, N.Y. - The Black Knights bring their seven-game winning streak into the 119th meeting of the Army-Navy Game, presented by USAA, on Dec. 8.
America's Game is slated for 3 p.m. and Army will be looking for its third consecutive win over its archrival. The contest will air live on CBS with Brad Nessler, Gary Danielson and Jamie Erdahl on the call. The game can also be heard on the Army Sports Network through the TuneIn app or goarmywestpoint.com.
HOW TO FOLLOW
TELEVISION • CBS
RADIO • Army Sports Network
GAME NOTES • Army Notes • Navy Notes
LIVE STATS • GoArmyWestPoint.com
TWITTER • @ArmyWP_Football
THE OPENING KICKOFF
• The Black Knights completed their second-straight undefeated home season during their last outing when they took down FCS foe and undefeated Colgate, 28-14.
• That victory extended Army's winning streak to seven consecutive games as it hasn't lost since a 28-21 overtime decision at then ranked No. 5 Oklahoma on Sept. 22.
• Since the start of the 2017 season, the Cadets have won 19 of their last 24 games for a .792 winning percentage and are 19-3 over the last two seasons when kicking off prior to 7 p.m. Eastern with a 9-0 mark in 2018.
• During its game against the Raiders, Army racked up 28 points which were the most given up by Colgate this year.
• Since their opener, the Cadets' running game has averaged 316.5 rushing yards and has scored 36 of their 41 offensive touchdowns during that time via the ground game.
• After leading the nation in rushing just a year ago, the Black Knights are back in the Top-5 in that category after averaging 303.0 yards (second nationally) over their last 11 contests.
• Darnell Woolfolk and Kelvin Hopkins Jr. are leading the team with 823 and 783 yards rushing, respectively. Woolfolk its tops on the team with 14 scores after three against Colgate, while Hopkins Jr. has picked up 10 TDs via the run.
• During its last outing, Army was 1-of-1 on fourth downs marking the seventh time this year it was perfect in that situation. The Black Knights are currently 30-of-33 on fourth down conversions in 2018.
• Woolfolk racked up his 37th career touchdown opposite the Raiders, which has him tied for third all-time with Army Hall of Famer Mike Mayweather '91.
• The Black Knights' defense has been stellar in stopping the run game. So far this season, Army has held five opponents to under 100 yards rushing, including four of its last six opponents (San Jose State, Miami (OH), Eastern Michigan, and Lafayette).
• For that feat, the Cadets are 12th nationally in rushing defense allowing only 106.5 yards per game.
• The Army defense has also been one of the nation's best when it comes to defending on third down situations. The Cadets are currently third in the country in that category, allowing only 28 conversions in 103 attempts (.274 percent).
ARMY-NAVY HISTORY
• This will be the 119th all-time meeting between these two service-academy rivals.
• The Mids currently lead the series 60-51-7 but the Black Knights have won the last two games.
• Six of the last 10 meetings between these two programs have been decided by seven or fewer points, including four of the past five games.
• Army defeated its nemesis last season in a blizzard 14-13 thanks to a missed field goal as time expired.
• Prior to that, the Black Knights ended a 14-game losing streak to the Mids after finally getting back in the win column after a 21-17 victory during the 2016 season.
• The Black Knights and Midshipmen had two common opponents during the 2018 season in Hawai'i and Air Force. Navy dropped both matchups to the Rainbow Warriors and Falcons, while the Cadets defeated each team during their meeting.
• There will be two big trophy's on the line when these two academies play each other: the Commander In Chief's Trophy and the Secretary's Trophy.
• A win by Army in this game will secure the Black Knights' the Commander In Chief's Trophy outright in back-to-back seasons for the first time in Academy lore. A victory by the Cadets will also hand them the Secretary's Trophy for the third-straight year, which is a trophy granted to the winner of the Army-Navy Game, presented by USAA.
ABOUT THE MIDSHIPMEN
• Navy sits with a 3-9 overall record and wrapped up American Athletic Conference play with a mark of 2-6.
• The Mids posted back-to-back wins over Memphis and Lehigh during the month of September but had a seven-game slide before registering a 37-29 victory against Tulsa on Nov. 17.
• Most recently Navy dropped a 29-28 decision at Tulane in which the Green Wave converted on a two-point conversion with under 90 seconds left to play.
• The Mids, who've lost 12-straight away from Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium, have struggled this season on the road. Navy's last road victory was a 31-21 triumph at Tulsa on Sept. 30, 2017.
• Much like Army, the Mids have a powerful running game and are currently third in the nation with 288.5 yards per game.
• Leading Navy's ground game has been Malcolm Perry, who's racked up 1,035 rushing yards and seven scores.
• Nelson Smith, Anthony Gargiulo, and Tre Walker have also been important in the Mids' running game, registering 402, 389, and 338 yards, respectively.
• Zach Abey has finally settled back in as the Navy's main play caller. He has gone 12-of-24 so far this season with 246 yards and one touchdown. Opposite the Green Wave, Abey finished 7-of-13 for 167 yards, including a fourth-down completion that kept alive the go-ahead scoring drive in the fourth quarter.
• There have been three main receiving targets for the Mids in Taylor Jackson, CJ Williams, and Perry. Jackson has accumulated 211 yards and one score, while Williams (187 yards) and Perry (149 yards) have both chipped in as well.
• On the defensive side of the ball it's been Taylor Heflin leading the charge. The senior has 93 total tackles on the year, including a team-best 52 solo shots.
• Joining him has been Hudson Sullivan (80 tackles) and Sean Williams (77 tackles). Heflin and Nizaire Cromartie are tied for tops on the team with three sacks, while Heflin's nine tackles for a loss of 30 yards lead the Mids.
America's Game is slated for 3 p.m. and Army will be looking for its third consecutive win over its archrival. The contest will air live on CBS with Brad Nessler, Gary Danielson and Jamie Erdahl on the call. The game can also be heard on the Army Sports Network through the TuneIn app or goarmywestpoint.com.
HOW TO FOLLOW
TELEVISION • CBS
RADIO • Army Sports Network
GAME NOTES • Army Notes • Navy Notes
LIVE STATS • GoArmyWestPoint.com
TWITTER • @ArmyWP_Football
THE OPENING KICKOFF
• The Black Knights completed their second-straight undefeated home season during their last outing when they took down FCS foe and undefeated Colgate, 28-14.
• That victory extended Army's winning streak to seven consecutive games as it hasn't lost since a 28-21 overtime decision at then ranked No. 5 Oklahoma on Sept. 22.
• Since the start of the 2017 season, the Cadets have won 19 of their last 24 games for a .792 winning percentage and are 19-3 over the last two seasons when kicking off prior to 7 p.m. Eastern with a 9-0 mark in 2018.
• During its game against the Raiders, Army racked up 28 points which were the most given up by Colgate this year.
• Since their opener, the Cadets' running game has averaged 316.5 rushing yards and has scored 36 of their 41 offensive touchdowns during that time via the ground game.
• After leading the nation in rushing just a year ago, the Black Knights are back in the Top-5 in that category after averaging 303.0 yards (second nationally) over their last 11 contests.
• Darnell Woolfolk and Kelvin Hopkins Jr. are leading the team with 823 and 783 yards rushing, respectively. Woolfolk its tops on the team with 14 scores after three against Colgate, while Hopkins Jr. has picked up 10 TDs via the run.
• During its last outing, Army was 1-of-1 on fourth downs marking the seventh time this year it was perfect in that situation. The Black Knights are currently 30-of-33 on fourth down conversions in 2018.
• Woolfolk racked up his 37th career touchdown opposite the Raiders, which has him tied for third all-time with Army Hall of Famer Mike Mayweather '91.
• The Black Knights' defense has been stellar in stopping the run game. So far this season, Army has held five opponents to under 100 yards rushing, including four of its last six opponents (San Jose State, Miami (OH), Eastern Michigan, and Lafayette).
• For that feat, the Cadets are 12th nationally in rushing defense allowing only 106.5 yards per game.
• The Army defense has also been one of the nation's best when it comes to defending on third down situations. The Cadets are currently third in the country in that category, allowing only 28 conversions in 103 attempts (.274 percent).
ARMY-NAVY HISTORY
• This will be the 119th all-time meeting between these two service-academy rivals.
• The Mids currently lead the series 60-51-7 but the Black Knights have won the last two games.
• Six of the last 10 meetings between these two programs have been decided by seven or fewer points, including four of the past five games.
• Army defeated its nemesis last season in a blizzard 14-13 thanks to a missed field goal as time expired.
• Prior to that, the Black Knights ended a 14-game losing streak to the Mids after finally getting back in the win column after a 21-17 victory during the 2016 season.
• The Black Knights and Midshipmen had two common opponents during the 2018 season in Hawai'i and Air Force. Navy dropped both matchups to the Rainbow Warriors and Falcons, while the Cadets defeated each team during their meeting.
• There will be two big trophy's on the line when these two academies play each other: the Commander In Chief's Trophy and the Secretary's Trophy.
• A win by Army in this game will secure the Black Knights' the Commander In Chief's Trophy outright in back-to-back seasons for the first time in Academy lore. A victory by the Cadets will also hand them the Secretary's Trophy for the third-straight year, which is a trophy granted to the winner of the Army-Navy Game, presented by USAA.
ABOUT THE MIDSHIPMEN
• Navy sits with a 3-9 overall record and wrapped up American Athletic Conference play with a mark of 2-6.
• The Mids posted back-to-back wins over Memphis and Lehigh during the month of September but had a seven-game slide before registering a 37-29 victory against Tulsa on Nov. 17.
• Most recently Navy dropped a 29-28 decision at Tulane in which the Green Wave converted on a two-point conversion with under 90 seconds left to play.
• The Mids, who've lost 12-straight away from Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium, have struggled this season on the road. Navy's last road victory was a 31-21 triumph at Tulsa on Sept. 30, 2017.
• Much like Army, the Mids have a powerful running game and are currently third in the nation with 288.5 yards per game.
• Leading Navy's ground game has been Malcolm Perry, who's racked up 1,035 rushing yards and seven scores.
• Nelson Smith, Anthony Gargiulo, and Tre Walker have also been important in the Mids' running game, registering 402, 389, and 338 yards, respectively.
• Zach Abey has finally settled back in as the Navy's main play caller. He has gone 12-of-24 so far this season with 246 yards and one touchdown. Opposite the Green Wave, Abey finished 7-of-13 for 167 yards, including a fourth-down completion that kept alive the go-ahead scoring drive in the fourth quarter.
• There have been three main receiving targets for the Mids in Taylor Jackson, CJ Williams, and Perry. Jackson has accumulated 211 yards and one score, while Williams (187 yards) and Perry (149 yards) have both chipped in as well.
• On the defensive side of the ball it's been Taylor Heflin leading the charge. The senior has 93 total tackles on the year, including a team-best 52 solo shots.
• Joining him has been Hudson Sullivan (80 tackles) and Sean Williams (77 tackles). Heflin and Nizaire Cromartie are tied for tops on the team with three sacks, while Heflin's nine tackles for a loss of 30 yards lead the Mids.
Players Mentioned
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