Need to get your football fix on all things Army, Navy and Air Force.
This is Yards and Stripes Service Academy Football. Now here are your hosts,
Price Atkinson, Steve Carney and Mike love All. Here we go another
episode of Yards and Stripes or Hope for Service Academy Football. As we are
part of the College Gridiron Coast to Coast podcast Network, Episode five of Yards
and Stripes. He is Steve Carney, I am Pryce Atkinson. As we
said, we are part of the College Gridir and Coast to Coast podcast network
that comes to you every single week with a new episode on Tuesdays. And
we got a big week that has come and gone. As we get ready
for another set of games is coming up weekend. Army heading back into a
dome for the second straight week, while the Air Force Academy they've got another
Friday Night Mountain West showdown. So we got a lot to do this week
our Travismandian Foundation Honor Roll segment, we got picks, we got games to
preview, we got games to recap, and we've got to welcome our first
guest of the season, Major Steve Anderson from the US Army, a former
Army two thousand and ten team Captain linebacker, MVP of the two thousand and
ten Armed Forces Bowl, and now the co host of the Black Night Nation
podcast with Sal Inordinado. So Steve and I will catch up with Steve Anderson
here in just a little bit to talk all things Army and look back on
their exciting win this past week, look ahead to their upcoming game, and
everything that's kind of happened and transpired over this short two thousand and twenty three
season that we have undergone so far. But Steven, what's going on,
my man? How are your friend? It has been a very interesting couple
of days here in the Tampa Bay region outside of college football. Obviously a
big college football weekend here in Tampa, as the USF Bulls took on Alabama
Emma and came within a hair's breadth of making it a real game. They
lose seventeen three, you know, in a wild defensive struggle that I thought
was very interesting. And of course, the big news here in Tampa is
the announcement here today as we're taping this on Tuesday, of the Tampa Bay
Rays and a brand new baseball stadium coming to the city. Of Saint Petersburg.
But it is. It is a big college football week and very exciting
for Service Academy football, especially after what was a wild week last week that
saw two victories and almost a third so close for a second consecutive sweep week
for the Service academies. Yeah, let's dive into it. Everything was during
the week last week, a Thursday night game and then to Friday night tilts.
Let's talk about Thursday where the Naval Academy they dar near came close.
It almost upset Memphis in the Liberty Bowl and the American Athletic Conference opener for
both teams, but nonetheless Navy falling short to the Memphis Tigers twenty eight to
twenty four. Again the Mountains, or excuse me, the American Athletic Conference
opener for both those teams. Is Navy now oh and four on Thursday nights
since joining the American As Memphis wins, it's fifth straight over the Midshipman Boy,
Navy came out and looked like a different team. Steve. You know,
I don't know where you kind of came down on this thing, but
you know, I thought maybe a key play or key series in this game
was Navy leading fourteen to seven there late in the first half, but they
give up a touchdown, which is twenty thirty seconds left and a half.
You know, Memphis got the ball their owned forty and they went fifty six
yards on eight plays in just fifty six seconds to tie the game with twenty
three seconds left and a half. Then they get the opening second half kickoff
and go forty seven yards on seven plays. Took two minutes in thirty six
seconds. They turned a fourteen to seven deficit into a twenty one to fourteen
lead in the span of less than three minutes, you know, spanning the
very end of the first half and the very start of the second half,
and that kind of flipped. I thought that kind of flipped the game.
You know, Navy was in it the rest of the way, but it
seemed like that just kind of turned things and so where Navy was playing from
ahead, they were kind of chasing the rest of the way. Yeah.
Really, it certainly did. When you go from turning the ball over on
downs at the at the end of the first half and allowing Memphis to go
down and get that touchdown with less than a minute to go, as you
mentioned, to tie things up. They get the ball to start the second
half and they go down. It really was a fourteen point swing at that
point, and yeah, they got it. They got a couple of opportunities
late in the game. You know, Memphis missed a field goal in the
second half. Unfortunately Navy could not capitalize on that. They he had a
fumble and they couldn't capitalize on that, and then an interception Navy couldn't capitalize
on that. They have three opportunities to win this game and make our friend
T. J. Reeves very upset with everything this week. He would have
been hating our lives if we had come on this show and been able to
talk about how Navy was able to smoke his alma mater, the Memphis Tigers.
But unfortunately it was not to be. It was not to be,
as Navy coming up short and they followed a one in two overall Ozero and
one in the American Athletic Conference. I thought one of the other differences in
the game, Steve, I know, with the you know, the tally
sheet only says, uh, you know, twenty yards rushing for seth hen
again he was not even close to the leader, Blake Watson. You know
had one hundred and sixty nine for Memphis, including a touchdown, But I
thought Seth hen again. You know, he was twenty three to thirty five
throwing the ball, but I thought his legs, he was able to make
some plays getting out of getting out of pressure, and a couple of design
runs where you know a quarterback that can move the ball and not just with
his arm throwing it down the field, but can make a few plays here
and there with his legs. I thought that was you know, that gave
them that other weapon because I thought Navy was pretty stout defensively getting off the
field on third down in the game. But I thought Hennigan's legs getting them
out of trouble several times. I thought that was a key for Memphis en
route to the win. Yeah, we've mentioned a number of times Price that
with Navy being a smaller defensive team, you have to work on getting pressure
to the quarterback, and part of getting pressure to the quarterback is not allowing
him to extend plays. And unfortunately, as you mentioned, he was able
to break containment on a handful of occasions where you thought maybe he could be
hurried, maybe he could be hit, maybe he could be dropped, and
unfortunately it led to extended plays which allowed the Memphis Receiving Corps to be able
to take advantage of the Navy defensive backfield. So once again, the Naval
Academy falling twenty eight twenty four on the road at nithis last Thursday night.
Navy will now be off as they will have the weekend to kind of lick
their wounds again before they welcome USF to Navy Marine Corps Memorial Stadium. All
right, let's move to Friday. Steve, the Army Black Nights first up
on Friday game on ESPN, and the Black Nights they go into the Alamodome
against UT San Antonio. The Black Nights they lead wire to wire get a
thirty seven to twenty nine win to move to two and one overall, utsa
drop into one and two. You know, we're gonna talk with Steve Anderson
here in just a little bit about this game. And you know, again,
I thought this was one of the biggest wins of Jeff the Jeff moncan
era Non Service Academy wins, of course, but you know, you consider
everything, it was a darned near perfect game that the Black Knights played.
I mean, didn't have a single turnover in the game while running eighty three
offensive plays, not a single penalty. They led in time of possession,
had the ball for almost forty five minutes, scored on their first six drives
of the game. They didn't punt until ninety seconds left in the third quarter.
I mean, they never trailed. Quinn Maretski was fantastic three to three
on field goal attempts, including a career long forty five yard make. I
mean, I guess if there was anything that you know you'd be upset about
is giving up a few of those big plays defensively. But I mean the
Black Knights were six of six on four downs. Every single time they had
to get it they did. I mean, this is a utsa team.
I know. Frank Harris didn't play. He was out with a toe injury,
which was a big loss. But still, these were the two time
defending Conference USA champions moving over to what the American this season, and they
had won seventh straight home games seventeen out of their last eighteen there in the
Alamo Dome in Army goes in there and gets it done with a massive road
victory. Yeah, and especially after UTSA went into Mikey Stadium last year and
came out with a victory. So as a little bit of revenge. As
you mentioned, no Frankie Harris for the Roadrunners in this game. Instead,
I think they got his godson in their Eddie Lee Marburger. He was in
elementary school, I believe when Frankie Harris began his career at Utsay so but
and I thought that, you know, they did a good job of preventing
him from They didn't. He didn't have to drop back in pass thirty five
or forty times, which I think is a big plus for Army's defensive backs.
They tried to be a little more even with their with their offense,
try and keep Army Armies defense more honest. But I actually think that worked
out better for the Black Nights because they weren't having to deal with having to
have their defensive backs go back and cover every play. And if they had,
if they had run say fifteen running plays and forty five pass plays instead
of going almost fifty fifty, I think I think that the road Runners may
have had a better opportunity. And the fact that they didn't have Frankie Harris
to do that I think was a big, big plus for the Black Knights.
Yeah, the tone setting opening drive by Army to start the game.
I mean, going the length of the field on sixteen plays seventy five yards,
seven and a half minutes, Hayden Reid one yard touchdown run. Hayden
read big in the game for the Black Nights, twenty carries one oh seven,
which was a team high. But ironically on that opening drive, you
know that I thought was a kind of a tone setter. Bryson Daly was
oh four passing. You know, he didn't convert, didn't hit one of
those four pass attempts, but they converted every fourth down on that drive.
And you know, it was really a game. You know that Jeff Trailer
even said the UTSA head coach afterwards. You know it was they got they
got whipped up front, you know, on both sides of the ball,
and that was what did it for Army. I thought, Bryson Daly,
you know, just to play turnover free football, carrying at twenty four times
one hundred yards, the first Army player to surpass one hundred yards rushing and
passing in the same game since Kelvin Hopkins did it against Tulane in October twenty
nineteen. Bryson daily is fantastic. I mean the yards that he was getting
after contact. You know, they had trouble bringing him down. It didn't
look like it was his third game under center. He was just he was
simply flawless under centered with that Army attack. Yeah, he really was.
And that's a great That's a great thing to see when you have a young
quarterback and one that is you're hoping can grow into the offense that they're now
running there at West Point, it was. It was fantastic for UH to
see him be able to throw the ball down the field, be able to
use the running game as well, and keep the Roadrunners off offense off the
field. That was that was a big plus in this game. The fact
that they had was a close to forty five minutes of the sixty minutes that
they spent on offense. So that's that's If you're doing that, you're gonna
most times come out of games with a victory. And they certainly did all
right once again. Army a thirty seven to twenty nine winner over Ut San
Antonio on the road, a big win for the Black Nights as they continue
this tough stretch that they've got going on. Air Force next up on Friday
night to cap the week Mountain West Conference open or third straight time that they
have opened conference play against Utah State, a team that they had lost two
straight to an air Force gets a big thirty nine to twenty one win over
Utah State to improve to three and oh overall one and oh in the Mountain
West in a game that was you know, some people might look at the
score and say, hmm, you know, it's two three touchdowns, not
too bad. No, this game was not nearly as close as that score
might look. Air Force was up twenty one to oh nothing at the end
of the first quarter and Matthew Deport booted home a forty nine yard field goal
as time expired to give them a thirty two to seven lead at the half.
They never look back as they ran, steamrolled, literally ran all over
Utah State with three hundred and forty four yards on the ground, no turnovers,
and they held the ball for nearly thirty nine minutes, out gaining Utah
State four twenty eight to three zero two overall. You know, a solid
Mountain West Conference opening wind exactly what you want at home for the Falcons.
I think that being able to run the ball sixty four times is just an
amazing performance from And it really starts with the offensive line being able to get
the push that they needed and being able to allow Zach Larrier to be able
to feel comfortable back there to run run the football as much as they did.
I mean, when you're averaging over five and a half yards an attempt
over the course of a game and you're gonna and you're gonna end up with
sixty four carries on the ground, that really leads to a the health of
your of your offense. It keeps everybody healthy because everybody is moving forward and
be It keeps your defense healthy because they're staying off the field. And much
like we said with Army, and the fact of the matter being that you
know Army had forty five almost forty five minutes time of possession, air Force
was up close to forty minutes of time of possession. And you want you
want to see that in a game when you're gonna run the game, when
you're gonna run the football as much as they do. Yeah, Emmanuel Michelle
leading the way on twenty eight carries, one hundred and six yard three touchdowns,
two of which came in the first quarter. You know, but when
you've got an offense it's just churning on all cylinders. At nine to thirteen
on third down and they converted their only fourth down attempt. You know,
you're gonna win a lot of football games, especially when your defense. You
throw that in there where they only gave up three hundred yards of total offense,
five sacks, nine tackles for a loss, forcing two turnovers. You
know, Alec Mock. You heard his name last week. You're hearing it
again for a reason. I mean, just all over the place was the
senior linebacker or excuse me, the senior defensive end, you know, responsible
for a game high eleven tackles for the Falcons, eight solo, which was
a career high, two tackles, two TFLs, forced the fumble. I
mean, just he continues to lead the way with that that that Falcon defense
that is you know, again playing in the Mount West. Commerce talked about
it last week. The numbers and what they're doing defensibly are no joke because
they play in the league with some high octane offenses and they are shutting teams
down. Obviously, this is the first Mountain West Conference game. Many more
to come, but boy, it was a complete team effort Steven on both
sides of the football for Troy Calhoun's team. Oh absolutely. And the other
thing that you want to say about the defense is the fact that they were
able to get into the passing lanes. Everybody was able to I mean they
had seven passes defense in that Alex Mock you mentioned all of all of his
numbers. He got his big ugly hands up there and knocked down a pass
as well. He got into the passing lane as well. But you look
at it. Jamari Bellamy had a pair of pds, Jonathan young Blood had
one, CJ. Boyd had two. So the not only were the defensive
backs getting into the passing lanes and breaking up passes, but the big uglies
were doing it up front as well. Yeah, the mount West Conference Fresno
State, you know, is certainly a surprise team early right now, you
know. But the Air Force Falcons, you know, they were picked tie
for a reason. And you know, you look down at Boise State,
that's one in two right now. Boy, if you're an Air Force Bean,
you gotta feel awfully good. Steve where things are at right now.
I know it's just three games into the season. You gotta go on the
road here, play your first road conference game. But boy, things are
churning along just perfectly right now for the air Force Falcon's thirty nine to twenty
one winner over Utah State at Falcon Stadium last Friday night. All right,
let's give out some game ball Steve, I'll fire first this week. I
think you went first last week. I'm gonna I'm gonna get by game ball
out. I'm gonna go back to the Black Nights in San Antonio. You
know, I'm just so so impressed by what Army did offensively in this game
where bryceon Daily you know had you know, you know, had mistakes,
had errors, you know, first first career start against Uel Monroe. Uh,
you know, then comes home and plays, you know, fantastic against
Dell State. I don't know, you can't read a whole lot into that
kind of a win over Dell State, but clearly took that momentum from that
Delaware State win right home. As the Texas native goes back home, you
know, and he carries a twenty four times for one hundred yards played.
Turnover free football they converted converted every fourth down. As I mentioned, I
gotta go Bryson Daily, you know, a game ball, just the way
he looked and what he did leading that offense. You know, I know
they have you know, eight offensive linemen that return the season that have started
games, but boy that you know, in a in a new offense,
it just does not look like they're missing a whole lot right now, Steve,
So, Bryson Daily gonna get my game ball this week, and well
deserved. I'm gonna stick around in Colorado Springs and the air Force Falcons had
five touchdowns on the ground, and I gotta go with Emmanuel Michelle. Twenty
eight carries one hundred and six yards. As you mentioned in three scores,
he doesn't get into the end zone. Air Force doesn't win that game,
and so well, I really I got to give my hats off to Emmanuel
Michelle and he gets my game ball this week, well deserved, no doubt
about it. All Right. We told you that we are a part of
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When we come back, Steve, we got it, We're gonna pivot
out and go out to Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, where Major Steve Anderson serving
in the US Army. He's co host of the Black Night Nations podcast,
a twenty ten Army team captain play linebacker for the Black Nights. He's going
to join us here in this next segment to talk about every related to this
Army football team. We're excited to have Steve Anderson joining us when we come
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Army and Air Force on Yards and Stripes Service Academy Football all Right continuing
on here on Yards and Stripes, your home for service Academy football, Army,
Navy, and Air Force. But it is the Army Black Knights that
we're going to specialize in this segment right now. And we've got a first
time guest here with the Steve. We've got Major Steve Anderson. He's a
co host of the Black Knight Nation podcast with my Man sal Inner Donado.
You can check him out online Black Knight Nation dot com. Steve was a
team captain for the Army Black Nights two thousand and nine, two ten,
MVP of the Armed Forces Bowl and a big win over SMU sixteen to fourteen.
Man, Steve, it's it's great to have you on. And before
I go a step further, man, just thank you so much for your
service. As you are a major in the US Army and you're out there
and Fort Levinworth, Kansas. Man, we can't say enough for your patriotic
duty and serving America. So thank you so much for joining us to night.
Steve. Yeah, no, I appreciate you guys having me. Any
opportunity to talk Black Knight football is a good opportunity, So again, thanks
for having me and look forward to the conversation tonight. Well, we're excited
to talk the Black Nights and I mean, look after last Friday Night,
I mean, we're gonna talk a good bit about him right now. Let's
get started with that win over UTSA thirty seven to twenty nine, Steve.
And you know, I was talking, you know, after the game with
some buddies and you know, tweeted it out. I think that was one
of the most impressive wins of the Jeff Muncaneer and anybody that follows college football,
especially the Army Black Knights. You know what kind of opponent UTSA was.
Granted, Frankie Harrison did not play, but still that's a big team,
that's a fast team. You went on the road, you have a
new quarterback that was in what his third start, you made, you jumped
on him early, got off the field with some key play. Top five
at least win wins in the Jeff Munkin era. You know that may not
be named you know, Navy or air Force. That was a big one
on Friday night, Steve. Yeah, absolutely, I was gonna ye added
the caveat at the end there with the not Navy air Force win because I
was gonna say it's uh yeah, the breaking the streak, and then the
c C was, you know it's gonna be tough to beat that totally these
old Army fans, right, but yeah, No, I think the most
impressive thing about the victory was the way we won. Watching Bryson Daily really
kind of come out of that shell, almost as if the Delaware State game
was like solidified the trust between the offensive coordinator in the quarterback and said,
hey, I can do this. You know, I had a little had
a little you know, anxious nerves during ULM. Hey that's in the in
the rear view mirror, now, coach, let's let's open this thing a
bit and and get after it. And I just really really enjoyed watching the
complete game through and through, not the not the halftime, you know,
you know, goof up with the bomb at halftime. But other than that,
a pretty complete game. I was I was joking with with Price that,
uh, Frankie Harris, the quarterback for UTSA, you may have played
against him because he's been there with the Road Rivers. Uh, this is
his seventh year in college football, so I was joking that he might he
might have played against you in one of those games back in the day.
I really want to ask you about Isaiah Alston because he's been one of my
favorite guys to watch this year. I know that he's not going to get
the sort of targets that a team that runs a true spread offense looks at.
Uh, well, we'll get but still, you know, we had
two catches. He had was two catches for sixty eight yards in that game.
Is he maybe one of the best receivers that you'll see come out of
a service academy, you know, in the last like ten years, because
I really love the size and how that could relate at the next level.
You know, we've started to see guys getting an opportunity to play at the
next level of football. Could he be the next guy that gets that that
opportunity. Yeah, I think he's definitely got the frame for it, and
he's getting plenty of experience blocking. So you know, it's very undervalued but
important skill to have in the NFL because most teams are on a you know,
a fifty fifty sixty forty. Uh, So you gotta be able to
block if you want to see the field. Uh And as long as he
just keeps developing those tools. Look, he's not gonna get the nine ten
targets that you're gonna see in a spread spread offense, but he will get
you know, three four five targets. As Bryson Daily continues to you know,
get more comfortable in the RPO style offense, and we start to really
open up the playbook and in the the open space really starts to show itself
on the on the slant, so the slugos or even the fly routes,
and it's gonna be up to that chemistry to make those targets count. It's
very I mean what you uh, sixty eight it was the sixty eight yards.
Yeah, two catches for sixty eight yeah right, So you add a
couple more catches, uh, and he's up to one hundred and twenty yards.
So the the impact to the game. And I agree with you.
I think he is just a fascinating player, huge frame, Uh, just
great route running and he's not afraid to go for the catch because you know,
he's he's gonna put his head in there because he's like, look,
this is one of my find all right, Like I'm going for this ball.
Steve Carney and Pryce Atkinson were joined this week by our man and special
guest Steve Anderson. He's a co host of the Black Knight Nation podcast Major
US Army Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, a former Army team captain. And you
know, Steve, no, a lot was made the beginning of the season,
and rightfully so, you know, Drew Thatcher bringing in uh, you
know, a new new look offense, you know, to the Hudson and
you know it's still a run first. You know, Jeff Munkin told us
before the season and he's, look, we still want to run the dad
gum football. That's what we're gonna do. But they're doing it out of
different formations. You know, it certainly doesn't look the same, and it
doesn't look the same, especially when you think about some of the guys like
Tyson Riley, who's you know, been what I think maybe been moved to
h back tight end full time. Jacoby Buchanan's not really you know, carrying
that ball that much. But then you got the emergence of Hayden Reid and
we're still waiting on Tyrell Robinson to work his way back from injury. But
it has a different look, especially with a lot of the you know,
non household names right now that we're so used to call in their name with
just you know, twenty twenty five carries a game. It's a lot of
new faces right now. Yeah, I think the I think the best meme
I saw was a quadruple barrel shotgun. One of the formations somebody sent me.
They're like, what is the offense? Is this correct? And they
just sent me a you know, essentially a quadruple barrel shotgun. I was
like, yeah, that's that's basically how we're gonna run this same But yeah,
a lot of new faces. And as a you know, as a
prior player, as a guy who knows the coaching staff and a guy that
knows is what it takes, you know, to get on that field.
Those guys have done thousands of reps, thousands of reps from when UH coach
thatcher showed up thousands, So you can you can best. You know,
you can sleep easy and I know, and the best players at those positions
are on the field with what we got right now, And you know,
it was a tough pill to swallow. I'm sure for some of those guys
moving positions or taking a lesser role, but you saw, you know,
Buchanan got his shots. They're they're given the two matters, they're capitalizing in
certain situations, and those guys are they're answering the call. And that is
what the true sign of commitment work ethic brotherhood that you love to see is,
you know, go from a guy that's gotten thirty carries a game,
twenty five carries a game to hey, you're gonna get maybe five or six,
but they're gonna be important and carries that we need you to be dialed
in when your numbers called. Be ready. I don't think anybody was concerned
or word that you can't wouldn't be ready, But you know, it's it's
something that a lot of people just take for granted in the game of football
because a lot of guys are just they're just football players. They're not people
to a lot of fans and to a lot of people, and they just
don't understand what the impacts can have on on a player's psyche or you know.
But that's why it's you know, a physical, mental, emotional,
spiritual game. You have to be ready to do that, and those no
better place than the academy to understand that, you know, team over self
because that's exactly what these guys will go to in a year, two years,
three years from now. Yeah, you talk about leaders of men,
I want to turn to the other side of the to the defensive side of
the football and talk about Leo Lowen and the linebacking corps. Uh there,
because I really you know, being senior leaders and being being through this and
having gone through this now for four years, you got you gotta feel like
those guys are just like coaches on the field and and they've got these guys
ready to go at a moment's notice, and they understand just how to make
that that defense work at its best. Yeah, and I you know,
Leo Lowen is has become one of my favorite players to watch. Obviously,
Mark cal brought turned a lot of heads last year and that was super fun.
But watching that, watching Loans just evolved from role player to player to
leader has been you know. And of course I'm biased as a linebacker having
gone through of a similar process, but you know, I said this on
Black Night Nation the other day, Lowen's gotta understand. You know, we
are routine a lot of defensive linemen throughout the game, and that is what
makes a linebacker truly special is not just getting the players in the right position,
but understanding all the different types of defensive linemen that's in front of him,
and when you got the big boys, or when you got the quick
guys, or when you got the younger guys first older guys, and those
those small intricacies that nobody else will notice, but that middle linebacker has got
to know because the fits are just slightly different, the steps are just slightly
different, the reads or the keys. It just might be the slightest difference.
But as we know, this game continues to be a game of inches.
It's proven every week why it's a game of inches, and that's what
matters. All right, continue with Steve Anderson and Steve on stay on defense
real quick, because maybe I'm wrong. I could be right. I'm not
right very often, but I feel like, take me back to Jay Bateman,
because I feel like when Jay Bateman took over as defensive coordinators several years
ago. I can't remember if he was the first DC under Monk and U
in Army. Obviously he was there for what four or five seasons before he
went on to North Carolina. Now Nate Woody defensive coordinator who's been you know,
several of the you know, top universities over the years. I feel
like when Jay Bateman took over a defensive coordinator, really things began to change,
you know, for Army football. Certainly everybody knows triple option, but
Jay Bateman seemed like he brought in this attacking, playmaking style defense that wasn't
a kind of what I've always thought of, you know, from the Service
academies as a ben but don't break you know, type of defense. You
know, I feel like that it was you know, look, we're not
gonna sit on our heels, We're gonna go after make plays, We're gonna
move guys around. And I feel like that really kind of in a way
has changed the game defensively across Service Academy football. Because Nabe obviously, you
know, they had Buddy Green for years, you know, who was a
real ben, but don't Break guy. They bring in Brian Newberry. He
kind of tries to bring in that same attacking style. And then obviously you
see what Air Force is doing defensively. To me, they look like they're
night and day different than what they were ten years ago. Am I crazy
to think that Jay Bateman kind of changed the game defensively for Service Academy football.
When it comes to playing defense. Well, you know, I think,
you know, when I was there, we ran the double legal flex,
right, and that the whole mentality was, Hey, we don't have
the size. We've got to rely on our quickness, our speed, and
we've got to just attack and just to the quarterback before they throw a ball
because we're you know, we don't have we don't have the capability of just
letting the quarterback stand back there for five six seconds. So I think there
was a little you know, there's a little leeway before Bateman that we're changing
defenses. We're getting out of the double legal flex, we're going back to
the standard four three three four five two six you want, you know,
whatever you want to you know, depending on whatever you want to call it
based on the package. Uh. But but yeah, I think I think
what happens, right, and this is what you hope as a coach,
you know, I you know, I coach all little league now, so
it's it's it's way different. But as a coach, you're not just coaching
football players. You're coaching men, all right, And the most important thing
about these men is they're gonna go lead other men and women in combat.
And it's not it's not a question of it question of when right you have
got to us. You've got to reiterate what they learn at the military academy
in the game of football. And I think what happens is is it it's
it's a mentality that's brought out, you know, from players. I still
believe the best leadership class I got it West Point was Army football. And
what you're doing is it's continues to trickle down and it builds and it builds
and it builds, and year after year, those linebackers or those that those
safeties or those linemen, they get a little piece of what excellence looks like
and they grab that piece from those seniors right that have been in the program,
and then now they're the seniors, and now those juniors through freshmen grab
a little bit piece of them and they keep building off of. And that's
what I think our defense has been able to do over the years is continue
to increase that mentality or build off that mentality to where they're looking at the
good stuff that they really like from their position groups or what they liked from
their defensive captains and build off of it. And I think that is what
great programs can do. It's not just you lose a coach, you lose
a senior class and you're starting from scratch. You're building off of what you
learned. A excuse me. And I think that is what I see is
it's almost a residual effect that's exponentially growing with the new last I see it
every year where they're finding their identity and then it's there and then it's building
off of that. And I think it's really it's really special to watch,
and they're gonna see a big piece of identity get grown because I always find
that when you have a opposition like they have this week, you know,
it really does build character. And they've got a big character building test here
this week. They go to the Carrier Dome to take on Syracuse. It's
the first time since nineteen ninety six. As I was said to Price last
week, I was at that game at the Carrier Dome as a student for
Syracuse. My friend Donovan McNabb, who I had classes with, was of
course the quarterback there and in that game, as I had to look up,
the Orange got five hundred and nine yards of offense. And really was
the last time that Syracuse was any good was back in the in the nineties.
But now now here we are. Syracuse is three and zero going into
into this matchup, and it's the Black Knight's opportunity to end a losing streak
in ninety six Army at an eleven game unbeaten streak going into that game at
the Carrier Dome. They got a chance to pay a little payback this week.
Yeah, I've got a great mentor, coach, Ben Kweka. I'll
still call him coach to this day. He coached me at prep school as
my defensive coordinator, and obviously he's still coaches to this day in the NFL
for the Denver Broncos. You know, start a middle linebacker for the ninety
six team. And I know that game quite a bit. We've got a
chance to talk, you know, just over the years and through his mentorship.
So I know it's huge. I know this is a big game because
one everybody says it is right. So if everybody says it is, usually
it. But the other thing is Syracuse is good. They're a good team
this year. Uh, there're not the cues of all its kind of you
were saying, and they've got some weapons offensively and defensively that if we do
not, you know, if we don't play really sound Army football, it
could get ugly. All right. As we begin wrapping up with Steve Anderson,
Major Steve Anderson, former Army team captain now co host of the Black
Night Nation podcasts, and Steve, you know, with Syracuse up next this
weekend, then you got the off week, and then you got home against
Boston College, Troy and LSU. I don't want to, I don't want
to ask is it a make or break stretch here? Because certainly, even
if you lost all four, you you got you know, plenty more to
go and play for, especially considering you haven't even played a Service Academy yet.
I mean, but these next four are gonna be tough. I mean,
certainly two ACC schools. You got Troy, who won twelve games a
year ago. We know how good LSU is. I mean Boston College.
Shoot, I mean I think there one and two, but I think they're
what they're different. I think eight points separates, you know, the point
differential combined and their three games. Uh, you know, Syracuse is explosive
on offense. I mean, how critical is this next four game stretch for
Army in the black nights the way this season could go. Yeah, I
mean it's the gauntlet of the season right now. And you know, we
just talked about building off of you know, the previous senior class generations.
I don't know if we've had a stretch of four games like this, uh,
you know for quite some time. I mean, this is you know,
we've had these teams on schedule, these type of teams on the schedule,
but they haven't been you know, consistently, you know good. You
know, you know in the same year. You know, Troy has been
good. You know, you know a team has been bad. But we've
got four teams now that are they're good, and you know, you say,
it's not make or break, but we've definitely gotta we've got to come
out of here with with with at least a few uh you know, we
gotta we gotta feel at the very minimum, we gotta feel good about these
four games because uh, it's definitely gonna be a fight each and every week.
I mean, you there is no not that Army you know, ever
does this because you know, again, I know, these guys, they're
only focused on Syracuse this week, and uh, they're gonna give it everything
they're got. And I'll tell you this right now. We don't turn the
ball over and you hold the ball for forty five minutes. Hey, we're
coming out of all four and we're coming all four of those gay who w
I'll tell you that right now. Yeah, you get if you can get
to forty five minutes of time of possession, I would I would say you're
four and oh as well, absolutely, yeah. I mean we were just
short of forty five minutes on on Friday nights. So I think the confidence
is there. I think the mentality is there. You just have to take
it one play at a time. And I know it's such a cliche,
but these games are you know, every play is gonna matter with these these
four games coming up, and the coach will have him ready, that's for
sure. These guys, these guys have been in big games. There's play
a build off of from last year in the previous years, so it would
be a great first test of the season. Score prediction against Syracuse hit us
on the way out. I think it's gonna be twenty four twenty one.
Army there he heard it. You heard it from Major Steve Anderson. She
is a former team captain servant in the United States Army Fort Leavenworth, Kansas,
and more importantly, he is the co host this season of the Black
Night Nation podcast. But we Steve, we cannot thank you for the time,
and we cannot thank you for your service to our country. Thank you
so much for everything tonight and today and this week on this episode. Can't
wait to do it again here moving forward this season, getting you back on
with us, Bud. Absolutely, thanks guys for having me in. Hey
go Army be Syracuse. All right, once again, thanks to Steve Anderson
for joining us to talk all things Army Black Nights, and we're going to
talk about more about their game coming up against Syracuse. Here in just a
second, we've got our Travis Mannion Foundation on a roll segment. We're gonna
make some picks for this weekend set of games here in just a little bit.
But let me let's tell you about these games that we do have ahead
this weekend. Navy is off, as we mentioned, they have got a
bye week this weekend before they will return home to Navy Marine Corps Memorial Stadium
against USF next weekend, but mention at the very outside of the show,
Steve Army, I excuse me, air Force Friday Night Tilt once again.
This is gonna be another mount Less Conference affair, except this time air Worse
is hitting the road this Friday night and they're traveling out to San Jose State
is undefeated. Air Force three and zero one and O in the mount Less
going to take on the San Jose Spartans San Jose State Spartans, who are
one in three. This will be the Spartans mountain Less Conference opener, a
Friday night kickoff at ten thirty pm Eastern Standard time, seven thirty pm Local.
This wasn't gonna be televised on Fox Sports one. And I'm a little
bit surprised to see air Force only giving three and a half points in this
game. The last I've seen over under is set at forty seven. But
I'm a little surprised Steve, that that line is just over a field goal.
I'm not sure about you. Maybe that's just about right. Usually the
guys in Vegas know a lot more about these things than I do. Though,
Yeah, I was kind of surprised when I saw that San Jose State
was only an underdog by three or three and three or three and a half
points. They've had a really tough schedule to start things off. I mean
when you start off with USC at the Coliseum and then having to go up
to Corvallis or excuse me, having to host Oregon State coming down from Corvallis,
and both of those teams are top twenty clubs. Uh, you get
you get a kind of a break week with cal Poly, but then you
got to go to Toledo and take on a Rockets team. And you know,
the MAC is a really good conference this year, and so yeah,
you leave uh Toledo with a with another loss. I think all three of
their losses, none of them are horrific, you know. I yeah,
okay, you you get doubled up by USC. USC is supposed to be
one of the five best teams in the country. You know Oregon State,
Uh, losing to Oregon State at home is not is not ideal either,
But again, they're they're a top twenty team. I thought that, you
know, they could have let they could have won that game in Toledo and
been two and two, and I think that I think that's what you're seeing
in this line is that this team is a lot better than its record indicates.
I still think that this is still an air Force team that's going to
take teams behind the woodshed this year, I think, and especially if they
can run the football like they did last week against Utah State, I think
you will see them want to do the same thing to the Spartans this week.
And if they do that, I think they're in really good shape.
Yeah. This will be the seventh all time meeting between Air Force and San
Jose State. Air Force leading the series four to two, Falcons just one
and two on the road though at San Jose State. But that last meeting
between these teams was won by the Spartans there at San Jose State in twenty
twenty seventeen to six. But Air Force has got a bit of a streak
on the line here, Steve. They've won eight straight games dating back to
last season, the fifth longest active streak in the nation, and they've won
five away from home, you know, dating back to last season as well.
So you know, a few streets on the road against a San Jose
State team that I guess, like you mentioned, you know, their beneficiaries
of the respect of the teams and the opponents that they played with the two
games against two teams from the PAC twelve ranked in the top twenty. So
be interesting to see what the San Jose State Spartans, you know, dial
up there at home in their first Mountain West Conference opener, because you know,
anytime you're playing a conference game, especially your first one at home,
you've got to come out fired up. If you don't, something is very
wrong. Yeah, and their fan base is going to be very fired up.
I don't know if for people that don't think that folks on the West
Coast care about their football, all you have to do is look at some
of the some of the cities and towns that have schools out on the West
Coast and just see how rabid a fan base they have. And yes,
San Jose is a much is much different then Eugene, Oregon, or Corvallis
or Pulman, Washington. But I really do think that they love their football
in that area, and they've got a lot of college football to be around,
whether you're talking about Stanford and down in Palo Alto, cal in Berkeley,
or of course San Jose State, they really do love their college football
in that area. And I think they are going to be fired up well
once again. Air Force at San Jose State on Friday night, ten thirty
pm Eastern Standard time, seven thirty local kick there on Fox Sports One.
Air Force a three and a half point favorite. Last I've seen, and
the game that we just talked to Steve Anderson about. You heard his pick
there, But Army two and one going to undefeated Syracuse Saturday, a twelve
noon kickoff on the ACC Network. Army getting two touchdowns right now, Steve,
the last I've seen over under is set at an even fifty in a
game that's going to be in the Carrier Dome. Back to back Dome games
for the Black Nights after going to the Alamo Dome. Now going to Syracuse
and certainly going to be a highlight on the you know, the season schedule
with the first meeting between these New York programs. It's nineteen ninety six when
you were there. McNabb led the Syracuse Orange to a forty two seventeen win
that snapped an Army eleven game winning street back in ninety six. But you
know, two teams that just don't play each other. I wish this one
was honestly on the schedule every single year when you talk about you know,
you know, power conference major college football in the state of New York.
Yeah, and this is a Syracuse team that's unlike a lot of the Syracuse
teams that we've seen in recent years. Syracuse has been on a very big
down swing since moving over to the ACC. But they're three and ozh this
year. And look, they're not quite to the level that they were in
the Big East when I was there, when Donovan McNabb was quarterbacking and Conrad
was in was in the backfield, and Antonio Anderson was on the defensive line.
Uh. You know, those are three guys that all played UH and
had some some pretty good careers in the National Football League, and uh,
Syracuse isn't to that point yet, uh coming back, but I think they
look much better this year. There's a great this is another great milestone,
uh piece for UH for Army. And you know we mentioned this with Steve
Anderson. You know, he mentioned the this is the start of a very
difficult stretch of their schedule. And when you go at Syracuse and then you
take on Boston College, who gave Florida State all they can Handle and then
Troy, who all Troy did was win twelve games last year and then finishing
it up at LSU. Uh. Yeah, this is a very very difficult
stretch, uh for Army, and I would love to see them go out
there and use their size on the outside. You know, having Isaiah Austin
out there, I think is going to be kind of strange for Syracuse defensive
backs to see a Service Academy player bigger than them, But I think that
could be that could be a big plus. And if they can get a
quick score early, if they can get if they can get that first score,
I think they can really put the orange on their on their heels and
see way where they can go from there. You know, Syracuse won a
thirty nine teams still unbeaten in terms of FBS teams only. They've only given
up twenty seven points in their twelve quarters this season, outscoring opponents forty nine
to nine. And you know, you look at their the victory so far.
You know, it gets Colgate in Western Michigan. That's not going to
do I know, a whole lot for you. But going on the road
and beating up Perdue team pretty handily thirty five to twenty a game. They
four six fumbles, recovering four last week, and they also got an interception
in that ball game. A deep receiving corps and a defense that really is
stout against the pass. Well, luckily for US Army, they're not gonna
be throwing the ball a lot. But Army is certainly going to have to
account for quarterback Derrick Schrader, Mississippi State transfer. He carried the ball last
week, Steve and the win over Purdue one hundred and ninety five yards on
the ground and a quarterback school record four rushing touchdowns. The one hundred ninety
five yards on the ground by Schrader last week against Purdue the second most by
a quarterback in Syracuse history and ninth most by a quarterback in ACC history.
So a big, big test for the Black Nights going on the road.
And you know you mentioned schedule. Maybe could this be one that Syracuse looks
ahead a little bit on. We don't know, but after this Army game,
Syracuse is going to be faced with probably the three best teams in the
entire ACC, playing Clemson, at North Carolina and at Florida State their three
games coming up immediately following Army, so they better have their eye on the
prize this week, and that's the Black Nights instead of looking ahead to some
of these challenges they've got Steve in the acc. All right, we've got
our Travis Mannion Foundation on a roll segment coming up. We got a few
note news and notes to pass along, and we got some picks to make
this week, Steve, So let's do that when we come back here on
the Yards and Stripes, your home for Service Academy Football. In two thousand
and seven, Marine First Lieutenant Travis Manion was killed in Iraq after saving his
wooded teammates. Travis's legacy lives on through the words he spoke before his final
deployment. If not me, then who Words that today fuel the spirit of
Travis Manion Foundation and through TMF these words can live in You two show the
world what you're made of, because character is invisible until it's not. Find
out how you can strengthen the character of your community alongside empowered veterans, families
of the fall, and inspired civilians at Travismanion dot Org. All right,
welcome back into the Yards and Stripes, your home for His Academy Football,
and we continue on with our Travis Manon Foundation honorall segment ORIY honor a fallen
hero one that has given the ultimate sacrifice. And you can find out more
about the Travis Mannion Foundation online at Travismanion dot org. And this week we're
gonna remember somebody that used to reside right here where I do in Easily,
South Carolina, Captain kimberly In Hampton, U S Army. She gave her
life on January the second, two thousand and four, in Fellujah, Iraq.
Captain Hampton was piloting a helicopter when it was shot down by enemy ground
fire and crashed, and she later died as a result of her injuries from
the crash. She was living out a dream of hers commanding a US Army
Air Cavalry troop, one of the things she will be remembered for amongst the
many things that she stood forward and she lived for, but was also being
the America's first female military pilot killed in combat by the enemy. Captain Hampton
was assigned to the eighty second Aviation in Battalion, the eighty second Airborne Division
out of Fort Bryan, North Carolina. She was born in Greenville, South
Carolina. She attended Easley High School before going on to Presbyterian College, where
she was enrolled in the ROTC and graduated in nineteen ninety eight. She served
in Korea in Afghanistan before being deployed to Iraq. In August. At twenty
twenty three, she was posthumously awarded the Bronze Medal in the Purporal Heart.
She has survived by her parents, Dale and Anne Hampton, and the Travis
Mannion Foundation honored Captain Kimberly in Hampton through the Character Doesn't Matter program on May
the twenty first, twenty twelve, at the Ambler Theater in Ambler, Pennsylvania,
where Kimberley's story was shared with seventy three student athletes. And the Kimberly
Hampton Memorial Foundation has formed to celebrate the life and honor and the memory of
their daughter and only child, Kimberly, and their mission is to raise funds
to provide scholarships for reserving Easley High School students, support the Captain Kimberly Hampton
Memorial Library, and you can find out more information online at Captain Kimberly Hampton
dot org. Travis Mallion Foundations Nine to eleven Heroes run five k race series
units communities across the country and around the world to honor the sacrifices of September
eleventh and the war since. Join your community this September and register to run,
walk or rock by visiting nine eleven Heroes run dot Org. The latest
with Navy, Army and Air Force on Yards and Stripes Service Academy Football.
All right. Wrapping up this episode of Yards and Stripes, see Steve carnem
Price acketson Appreciated every by tuning in again. A new episode coming at you
every Tuesday, mostly Tuesdays here on the College Gridiron Coast to Coast Podcasts network
that you can find on Apple podcast, Spotify wherever it is that you listen
to your podcasts, and we just preview the games ahead. Are two games
coming up this weekend. But first of all, before we give some picks
a couple of news and notes to pass along to you, Army Jeff Jeff
Munkin, their head coach, agrees to a contract extension through twenty twenty seven
at West Point. I'll pay him reportedly of an average of more than two
million per year. As Jeffmunkin has led the Black Nights to three CIC trophies
and four Bowl wins, including that Academy record eleven victories in twenty eighteen.
So you know, Mike Buddy and the brass there at West Point excited to
get Jeff Munkin locked in with that contract extension through twenty twenty seven. Air
Force Emmanuel Michelle mentioned to him just a few minutes ago as he got Steve's
game ball. This week, he was also named the Mountain Less Offensive Player
of the Week, rushing for one oh six, a career high, second
most by a Falcon this season, including three touchdowns in the win over Utah
State. And also air Force continuing to receive votes in the USA Today Coaches
poll or for a fourth straight week, they received nine votes to rank thirty
seventh. If you're going to go down and count where that might sit.
So as we move forward, Steve a couple of games to pick this weekend.
Let's start Friday night. Let's the first one up Air Force in San
Jose State. Which way are you're going to go in this woman? Man?
Yeah, I still think that air Force is the cream of the crop
when it comes to the Mountain West. And so even though they're giving points
on the road to a team in their home opener, home conference opener.
I should say, I really do think that it's going to be a heavy
run fest. I think that you're going to see air Force and the Falcons
try and run the ball as much as they did against Utah State. They
may not get to was it sixty four out of sixty eight plays we're running
play? I don't know if they I don't know if it's going to be
that high of a percentage, but I would love to see the Falcons and
Coach Calhoun go with somewhere in the fifty to sixty running plays, maybe maybe
keeping the Spartans a little more honest with a couple of extra passes. But
I really do think that, uh, for the Falcons to come out of
this with a with another victory, it's got to be it's got to be
a heavy run dose and they end up with a with a touchdown or or
maybe more when on an out of this out of this game in San Jose,
Yeah, I agree with you. I think it'll be a heavy uh
dose of the running game, probably on both sides. I think it'll be
much lower scoring than what we saw from air Force in Utah State. Last
week. But ultimately, I think air Force is just too strong on both
sides of the football. I think it'll be closer, you know, than
most people might. I think when you think airs, you know, air
Force in San Jose State. But I'm gonna go with air Force on the
road. Maybe something like twenty eight to twenty win for Troy Calhoun's team.
All right, second game, the one game we have on Saturday this week,
Army at Syracuse. I don't know, man, this is a little
bit tougher one to pick. Which way do you want to go in this
one? Stephen, Yeah, I know. Steve Anderson when we asked him,
said twenty four twenty one Army. I don't think that Army is gonna
be able to keep the orange on their heels as much as our friend,
uh yeah, Major Anderson thinks that he will. Maybe maybe it's all that
that hot, dusty air in Leavenworth, Kansas. I think that Syracuse ends
up winning this game. I think it's probably closer than most of the college
football experts would say. I still think that they can keep it within two
scores, and so I'm gonna say it's gonna be twenty four fourteen Syracuse.
Yeah, it's I was, you know, leaning in something a little bit
like that. I think that I think that Army will keep this thing closer
than the fourteen points that they're getting right now. Yeah, I'm thinking kind
of something in the long along the lines of a twenty three to thirteen,
you know, somewhere along there, twenty four or fourteen kind of a ten
point spread maybe, But I think Army will cover. I just think Syracuse
at home. I do think Syracuse is uh, you know, I think
the attention to detail is going to be a little bit difficult, you know,
playing an option team, a triple option team, and then with what
Syracuse has coming ahead, I think they're gonna kind of walk out there and
think that they can cake walk all over Army, and that's not going to
be the case. They're gonna find themselves in a football game there in the
second half that I think ultimately that they're going to you know, slow,
you know, pull away or distant themselves and get the win there at home.
So there you have it, my man, We've got air Force,
we've got Army. Both taken on opponents on the road this week. We
got Navy off. Let us thank major Steve Anderson once again for joining us
this week. Co host of the Black Night Nation podcast was souther inner Donado.
Awesome having Steve with us and going to join us again a few times
more this season. Can't wait to have him back to talk some more Army
Black Nights and appreciate the Travis Mannion Foundation once again for stepping up and supporting
us on the podcast this year and the opportunity to partner with TMF with our
TMF honor Roll and don't forget. Nine to eleven Heroes runs are going on
all throughout the rest of the month in a community near you. You can
sign up online at Travis Mannion dot org. Steve, there's nothing left to
do but get ready for the games. So man, I hope you enjoy
him this weekend, friend, Oh absolutely, I'm looking forward to it.
I'll certainly be looking forward to next week when we can talk about my two
favorite teams in college football, that being Navy and USF going head to head.
But that's for next week. I'll be enjoying Army and Air Force this
week for sure. Well until next week, don't forget. Every Tuesday and
new episode comes at you with yards and Stripes your home for Service Academy Football,
Army, Navy, and Air Force is what we do all college football
season, and we will see you again next week here on Yards and Stripes.
Join us again next time for Yards and Stripes Service Academy Football. To
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