Army West Point Athletics
Feinstein's Findings: A Great Day of Football
September 06, 2020 | Football
WEST POINT, N.Y. - There are good days in life and, on rare occasions, there are great days. In a year that has been filled with dark and dangerous days around the world, Saturday afternoon at Michie Stadium was about as close to perfect as anyone could possibly hope to see.
To begin with, after weeks of wondering whether there would be a football season at all at West Point—or anyplace else—there was a football game. The second Landon Salyers kicked off to begin the game, the day was already a victory for everyone. And then, for the next three hours, it only got better.
The setting was certainly a little bit surreal. The only fans in the stands were the Corps of Cadets, who spread out on the Army side of the field and in both end zones. Everyone not actually playing wore a face mask whether on the sidelines, in the stands or in the press box. But the day was perfect—temperature at kickoff 75 degrees—and everyone who was there who wasn't connected to the visiting team had a glorious afternoon.
Facing what appeared to be a solid opponent with a dangerous quarterback, Army completely dominated Middle Tennessee State from the fourth play of the game—a fumble by Blue Raiders running back recovered by Jon Rhattigan--until the last play of the game, the result being a stunning 42-0 win. This wasn't Bucknell—the planned opening opponent for this season, or any other Football Championship Series team—it was a team that had been to four straight bowls before last season and 10 in 14 years under Coach Rick Stockstill.
And yet, the Black Knights were the Black Knights of 2017 and 2018, when they were a combined 20-5, not the Black Knights who stumbled to a 5-8 mark in 2019, deflated by injuries and by the end of their three-game winning streak against Navy.
To list all of those who contributed to the win would take until next Saturday's kickoff against Louisiana-Monroe. There were some who stood out just a little bit more—starting with the entire defense, making its debut under new coordinator Nate Woody and pitching Army's first shutout since a 21-0 victory at Air Force in 2017.
In all, the defense created four turnovers—one a pick-six—and had two others taken away, one by penalty, one by a questionable (at best) replay reversal. It also made Middle Tennessee quarterback Asher O'Hara look completely overmatched and that's saying a lot. A year ago, O'Hara was one of two FBS quarterbacks in the country to rush for more than 1,000 yards and pass for more than 2,500. The other was Oklahoma's Jalen Hurts, who was second in the Heisman Trophy voting.
All this with starting defensive backs Javhari Bourdeau and Jabari Moore both out. None of it mattered.
O'Hara rushed for 37 yards on 10 carries and completed nine-of-14 passes with two interceptions for 46 yards before being mercifully replaced in the second half. He also combined with his coaches for arguably the worst clock management ever seen in the final 30 seconds of the first half.
More on that later.
Army's offense, with junior Christian Anderson starting at quarterback, gave Coach Jeff Monken everything he looks for in an offense. There were no turnovers. Thirteen-of-15 third downs were converted. There were TWO 19-play drives, one for 85 yards, the other for 99. There was ball control—Army had possession for 35:29, more than two minutes more than its average per game last season, but still three minutes below the 38:33 it averaged in 2018. No one was complaining.
With Camden Harrison out of the lineup, freshman Isaiah Alston got the start at wide receiver. You might look at his numbers—one catch for 18 yards—and shrug, but that catch came on a third-and-seven on Army's second possession with the Black Knights backed up and not wanting to punt the ball back to the Blue Raiders—and was a glimpse of the potential the coaches see in him.
That said, the freshman who truly dazzled, was slotback Tyrell Robinson. Robinson is 5-foot-9 and 180 pounds. He rushed for 94 yards on nine carries (and had one 12-yard run called back by penalty) and appeared to be a threat to score almost every time he touched the ball. CBS's Ross Tucker compared him to the graduated Kell Walker, but, while Walker had speed, he had none of the quickness or elusiveness that Robinson showed on Saturday. One of offensive coordinator Brent Davis's challenges going forward will be to find as many ways possible to get the ball in Robinson's hands.
The offensive line was superb all day, clearing holes that allowed Army to rush for 340 yards and only pass the ball four times—all in the first half. Running back Sandon McCoy scored three touchdowns on short runs—1, 3 and 4 yards. Each time, Army overloaded the right side and McCoy ran through a huge hole into the end zone almost untouched. It reminded me a little of playing touch football in the schoolyard at P.S. 87 when we'd call out, 'same play!' and then run it without anyone coming close to stopping us.
Anderson scored the offense's fourth touchdown on a 21-yard-run and backup fullback Anthony Adkins scored the fifth to cap the 99-yard fourth quarter drive with a host of backups on the field, including sophomore quarterback Jemel Jones. Jabari Laws, still banged up after the injury he suffered at Air Force last November, didn't play, but could be ready in the near future.
While the injury to Kelvin Hopkins Jr. early last season helped derail 2019, it did give both Laws and Anderson playing time they would not have gotten if Hopkins had been able to stay healthy.
There is one other kudo to pass out that doesn't appear anywhere in the box score. Army's place-kicking was shaky most of last year. Salyers, who has had the job and lost it in the past, has it again now. With Army up 14-0 in the second quarter, he came in to attempt a 44-yard field goal. He drilled it, even as he was being taken down by Middle Tennessee's Decorian Patterson, in an obvious roughing-the-kicker. The three points came off the board and McCoy scored his third 'same play,' touchdown moments later.
Even though it didn't count, Salyers kick was certainly encouraging.
Almost everything about the day was encouraging. The only confusing moments came on Middle Tennessee State's last drive of the first half. It started with the ball on the Blue Raiders 19 on a second-and-12. O'Hara threw a short pass to McDonald, who appeared to catch it and then was hit by Nathaniel Smith as he spun away from the tackle. The ball came loose and Cedrick Cunningham Jr. scooped it up and raced into the end zone, seemingly making the score 27-0.
The officials went to replay and, even though every replay appeared to show McDonald catching the ball and spinning as he was hit, the replay official overturned the call and made it an incomplete pass.
That call might have been critical—but, ultimately, wasn't. Given a reprieve, the Blue Raiders moved the ball for the first time all day, reaching the Army two-yard-line on a pass interference call in the end zone with 45 seconds and two time outs still left. A touchdown and what might have been a 28-0 Army lead would be a 21-7 lead.
And then the Blue Raiders slipped into the twilight zone. First, O'Hara fumbled the shotgun snap from the two and had to chase it down before being tackled at the 14. Still plenty of time—and those two time outs—left. Middle Tennessee State almost casually let the clock run down while O'Hara looked to the sideline for a play and never came close to calling time out.
The clock was at four seconds by the time the ball was snapped and O'Hara threw underneath to C.J. Windham, who was tackled at the seven as time ran out.
The Black Knights then scored on their first possession of the second half; Rhattigan then intercepted O'Hara and took the ball 43-yards to the end zone and it was 35-0. Rhattigan is a senior linebacker who has played little in the past. He is one of those guys who never gave up when he wasn't playing and is now ready to make the most of his chance this fall.
About the only numbers that were even a little bit disturbing for Army were 7-and-74; seven penalties for 74 yards. At the very least that will give the coaches something to harp on in the next week.
Beyond that, it was a great way to start what everyone hopes will be a 12-game season. The unsung hero of the day was Senior Associate Athletic Director Bob Beretta, who has done the football scheduling for 15 years, but never faced a challenge quite like this one when nine of the 12 scheduled games went away.
And, finally, there was the sight of the players and coaches singing the alma mater through their masks at game's end. A poignant finish to a wonderful day of football. Note those last words: a day of football.
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To begin with, after weeks of wondering whether there would be a football season at all at West Point—or anyplace else—there was a football game. The second Landon Salyers kicked off to begin the game, the day was already a victory for everyone. And then, for the next three hours, it only got better.
The setting was certainly a little bit surreal. The only fans in the stands were the Corps of Cadets, who spread out on the Army side of the field and in both end zones. Everyone not actually playing wore a face mask whether on the sidelines, in the stands or in the press box. But the day was perfect—temperature at kickoff 75 degrees—and everyone who was there who wasn't connected to the visiting team had a glorious afternoon.
Facing what appeared to be a solid opponent with a dangerous quarterback, Army completely dominated Middle Tennessee State from the fourth play of the game—a fumble by Blue Raiders running back recovered by Jon Rhattigan--until the last play of the game, the result being a stunning 42-0 win. This wasn't Bucknell—the planned opening opponent for this season, or any other Football Championship Series team—it was a team that had been to four straight bowls before last season and 10 in 14 years under Coach Rick Stockstill.
And yet, the Black Knights were the Black Knights of 2017 and 2018, when they were a combined 20-5, not the Black Knights who stumbled to a 5-8 mark in 2019, deflated by injuries and by the end of their three-game winning streak against Navy.
To list all of those who contributed to the win would take until next Saturday's kickoff against Louisiana-Monroe. There were some who stood out just a little bit more—starting with the entire defense, making its debut under new coordinator Nate Woody and pitching Army's first shutout since a 21-0 victory at Air Force in 2017.
In all, the defense created four turnovers—one a pick-six—and had two others taken away, one by penalty, one by a questionable (at best) replay reversal. It also made Middle Tennessee quarterback Asher O'Hara look completely overmatched and that's saying a lot. A year ago, O'Hara was one of two FBS quarterbacks in the country to rush for more than 1,000 yards and pass for more than 2,500. The other was Oklahoma's Jalen Hurts, who was second in the Heisman Trophy voting.
All this with starting defensive backs Javhari Bourdeau and Jabari Moore both out. None of it mattered.
O'Hara rushed for 37 yards on 10 carries and completed nine-of-14 passes with two interceptions for 46 yards before being mercifully replaced in the second half. He also combined with his coaches for arguably the worst clock management ever seen in the final 30 seconds of the first half.
More on that later.
Army's offense, with junior Christian Anderson starting at quarterback, gave Coach Jeff Monken everything he looks for in an offense. There were no turnovers. Thirteen-of-15 third downs were converted. There were TWO 19-play drives, one for 85 yards, the other for 99. There was ball control—Army had possession for 35:29, more than two minutes more than its average per game last season, but still three minutes below the 38:33 it averaged in 2018. No one was complaining.
With Camden Harrison out of the lineup, freshman Isaiah Alston got the start at wide receiver. You might look at his numbers—one catch for 18 yards—and shrug, but that catch came on a third-and-seven on Army's second possession with the Black Knights backed up and not wanting to punt the ball back to the Blue Raiders—and was a glimpse of the potential the coaches see in him.
That said, the freshman who truly dazzled, was slotback Tyrell Robinson. Robinson is 5-foot-9 and 180 pounds. He rushed for 94 yards on nine carries (and had one 12-yard run called back by penalty) and appeared to be a threat to score almost every time he touched the ball. CBS's Ross Tucker compared him to the graduated Kell Walker, but, while Walker had speed, he had none of the quickness or elusiveness that Robinson showed on Saturday. One of offensive coordinator Brent Davis's challenges going forward will be to find as many ways possible to get the ball in Robinson's hands.
The offensive line was superb all day, clearing holes that allowed Army to rush for 340 yards and only pass the ball four times—all in the first half. Running back Sandon McCoy scored three touchdowns on short runs—1, 3 and 4 yards. Each time, Army overloaded the right side and McCoy ran through a huge hole into the end zone almost untouched. It reminded me a little of playing touch football in the schoolyard at P.S. 87 when we'd call out, 'same play!' and then run it without anyone coming close to stopping us.
Anderson scored the offense's fourth touchdown on a 21-yard-run and backup fullback Anthony Adkins scored the fifth to cap the 99-yard fourth quarter drive with a host of backups on the field, including sophomore quarterback Jemel Jones. Jabari Laws, still banged up after the injury he suffered at Air Force last November, didn't play, but could be ready in the near future.
While the injury to Kelvin Hopkins Jr. early last season helped derail 2019, it did give both Laws and Anderson playing time they would not have gotten if Hopkins had been able to stay healthy.
There is one other kudo to pass out that doesn't appear anywhere in the box score. Army's place-kicking was shaky most of last year. Salyers, who has had the job and lost it in the past, has it again now. With Army up 14-0 in the second quarter, he came in to attempt a 44-yard field goal. He drilled it, even as he was being taken down by Middle Tennessee's Decorian Patterson, in an obvious roughing-the-kicker. The three points came off the board and McCoy scored his third 'same play,' touchdown moments later.
Even though it didn't count, Salyers kick was certainly encouraging.
Almost everything about the day was encouraging. The only confusing moments came on Middle Tennessee State's last drive of the first half. It started with the ball on the Blue Raiders 19 on a second-and-12. O'Hara threw a short pass to McDonald, who appeared to catch it and then was hit by Nathaniel Smith as he spun away from the tackle. The ball came loose and Cedrick Cunningham Jr. scooped it up and raced into the end zone, seemingly making the score 27-0.
The officials went to replay and, even though every replay appeared to show McDonald catching the ball and spinning as he was hit, the replay official overturned the call and made it an incomplete pass.
That call might have been critical—but, ultimately, wasn't. Given a reprieve, the Blue Raiders moved the ball for the first time all day, reaching the Army two-yard-line on a pass interference call in the end zone with 45 seconds and two time outs still left. A touchdown and what might have been a 28-0 Army lead would be a 21-7 lead.
And then the Blue Raiders slipped into the twilight zone. First, O'Hara fumbled the shotgun snap from the two and had to chase it down before being tackled at the 14. Still plenty of time—and those two time outs—left. Middle Tennessee State almost casually let the clock run down while O'Hara looked to the sideline for a play and never came close to calling time out.
The clock was at four seconds by the time the ball was snapped and O'Hara threw underneath to C.J. Windham, who was tackled at the seven as time ran out.
The Black Knights then scored on their first possession of the second half; Rhattigan then intercepted O'Hara and took the ball 43-yards to the end zone and it was 35-0. Rhattigan is a senior linebacker who has played little in the past. He is one of those guys who never gave up when he wasn't playing and is now ready to make the most of his chance this fall.
About the only numbers that were even a little bit disturbing for Army were 7-and-74; seven penalties for 74 yards. At the very least that will give the coaches something to harp on in the next week.
Beyond that, it was a great way to start what everyone hopes will be a 12-game season. The unsung hero of the day was Senior Associate Athletic Director Bob Beretta, who has done the football scheduling for 15 years, but never faced a challenge quite like this one when nine of the 12 scheduled games went away.
And, finally, there was the sight of the players and coaches singing the alma mater through their masks at game's end. A poignant finish to a wonderful day of football. Note those last words: a day of football.
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Players Mentioned
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