Speaker 1: Need to get your football fixed on all things Army,
Navy and Air Force. This is Yards and Stripes Service
Academy Football. Now Here are your hosts, Pryce Atkinson and
Steve Carney.
Speaker 2: Happy Holidays, Merry Christmas, Happy New Year, all those good things.
As we are at Yards and Stripes Episode seventeen. We
got our recap to do, We got our Bowl preview
here on tap. I am Pryce Atkinson, and more importantly
he is Stephen Carney, host co host, I should say producer.
Nobody better in the business than Stephen. But we appreciate
you tuning in with us this week here as we
are all about the Service Academy's Army, Navy and Air Force.
And boy, Stephen, what a football game, and what a
surprise the Army Navy game delivered last weekend the Commander
in Chief Trophy. It's going to Annapolis. Actually, it's just
going down the road to Annapolis as it is now
sitting in the football complex there at the Naval Academy.
But we appreciate you tuning in. We got a lot
to get into. We're going to recap the Army Navy game.
We've got some transfer news, We've got some postseason news.
We've got Bowl games to preview. We got both Army
and Navy going bowling. We're going to get into their opponents.
We're gonna preview those games that are after coming up
after Christmas. On the twenty seventh and twenty eighth. We
got a Travis mannon Foundation Honor Roll segment. We got
some Bowl picks to make, so we're going to do
that all here on this episode. But as I told you,
Stephen Carney, he is the straw that stirs the drink
on this show. Stephen, what a game it was last weekend.
My goodness. Sometimes, you know, we get surprised quite often here,
and I think last weekend was one of those surprises,
because I know you and I both picked Army. Yeah,
but boy, it was a really a dominating effort by Navy.
If the line of scrimmage is, the Mids got a
thirty one to thirteen win over the Black Knights in Landover, Maryland,
snapping a two game losing streak, and to win the
CIC Trophy for the first time since two nineteen steven.
To me, it was all about the trenches and that's
where Navy I thought, won this game.
Speaker 3: Yeah, absolutely, and first off, Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays.
Speaker 4: So you know, for me, I.
Speaker 3: Was laughing because I was on I was on the
radio in Fort Myers the day before the Army Navy game,
and the morning showdown in Fort Myers is a couple
of guys I know really really well, and Mark Miller
and and David Moulton. They'd been down in Fort Myers
for ever, and you know, so I go on normally
talking baseball, but they know how big and how important
the Service academies is, you know, in football to me,
and so they so I came on to talk about
the game itself, and you know a lot of people
were touting Army as as I certainly.
Speaker 4: Was through the whole thing.
Speaker 3: And you know, one and one of the guys asked me,
you know, what what would it take for Navy to win?
I said, you know, it's going to be close, because
the game is always close. And they were like, so
what would it take to for Navy to win? I said,
what it's gonna take for Navy to win is they've
got to punch Army in the mouth early. They've got
to do it in the first drive because if they don't,
if they go three and out on the first drive,
and they give Army the ball to start with, having
had the ball once already, you know, having made a
stop on defense.
Speaker 4: I said, it's gonna be over at that point, because.
Speaker 3: You know that Army's gonna have one of those long
Army drives where they got where they you know, sixteen.
Speaker 4: Or seventeen plays. It's going to take you know, ten or.
Speaker 3: Eleven minutes for them to go down the field and
they'll score a touchdown on their first drive, because that's
what Army does, yeh. And you know, so when they went,
when Navy went down and scored a touchdown on that
first drive, I went, that's exactly what they needed to do.
They they converted on on late downs in the drive
and they and they put the ball in the end zone.
And when when you do that, it's like, that's exactly
what they had to what they had to do. And
then and then when they go and and they have
the defensive stop a couple of drives later with the
inn you know, the first interception of the game by
Deshaun Peel and then they have a short field and
they go down they make it fourteen to nothing. At
that point, I was like, there's your punch in the mouth.
They stood in front of the bully, they called them ugly,
and they punched him in the mouth.
Speaker 4: At that point.
Speaker 3: I don't think Army knew what to do at that
point because there's only one team that had done that
to him, and had done that because they were a
much more talented team than than Army, and that under Dame.
Speaker 2: I got two questions for it. But let me just
hit this real quick, because like you, I did a hit.
I was on with the Vsent guys out of Las
Vegas on Saturday a few hours for the game, and
you know I told them, you know, like we talked
about last week, three keys, number one mistakes. You know,
number one always is the team that makes the fewest mistakes. Well,
turnover margin minus three for Army red zone. Navy was
far more efficient inside the twenty than Army was. Maybe
was you know, they finished the deal when they got there.
And then the third was Captain America being Captain America,
you know, continuing to be and Bryce and Daily wasn't
Captain America. No, it was time this season. Yeah, I
mean he was ran almost twenty time, twenty carries for
fifty two yards, you know, through three picks seven to
sixteen passing. So he wasn't the you know, granted, you know,
finishing six in the Heisman Trophy. He was more than
deserving of where he finished. And he had a fantastic season.
All the post case season accolades are warranted. He just
did not have a good football game. He did not
play his best when they needed him to in their
biggest game of the year. So let me ask you this,
those were my keys, and that's what I came back to.
Two things. How much do you think the AAC game
the week before played into I don't want to say
the Army was flat, but they didn't have the edge
they played with all season. Because we watched Navy several
years ago when they played Temple. They were flat in
that game, and then they can't play the Army Navy
game they were much better. It was kind of the
opposite for Army. You know this time, what did that?
How much do you think that that played in? And
then number two, there was a lot being made after
the game, and I saw a lot of the Army
media kind of downplaying it and everything. But you know,
the shot that Jeff munkin took at maybe on several
radio shows, you know, through the course of the year.
Do they still have a program? You know? And he
said that in fairness, he said the same thing when
I asked about Air Force before, and he used that
joke several times. I think you and I maybe even
touched on it on a few episodes back. But you know,
Brian Newberry, immediately after the game, Navy's head coach, he
clapped back at Monkin and made a quip about it.
If you heard him with Jenny Dell on CBS he
Am after the game, and then Blake Corvath also mentioned
that in postgame interviews. So to me, that shows that
that quote was was top of mind and that that
was some whatever level of motivating factor that played into
Navy coming out. And like you said, they punched them
in the mouth.
Speaker 3: Yeah, absolutely to the first point, you know, did the
AAC Championship game kind of dull army? I don't think
it a dulled army as much as it helped, you know,
not playing in it helped Navy immenseally because we don't
know if if they had played in the American Championship Game,
you know what would Blake Corvath look like. I mean,
he needed those two weeks to make sure that he
was one hundred sent healthy and ready to go. You know,
I think this game looks a hell of a lot
different if Braxton Woodson is starting under center for Navy
as opposed to Blake Corvis. So I think I think
that's the that's the biggest key to come out of
this was the fact that they were able to take
two weeks and basically allow Blake Corvtt to be one
hundred percent for for Army Navy. That that was huge
for for the midshipman. And you know, obviously if h
that that whole you know, poster uh you know what
you put on the message boards there, uh, in the
in the locker room, you know, obviously you know we've
talked about it. I mean I remember mentioning it when
when Army played Air Force that that Jeff Mounkin used
that exact same sort of quote, uh, to to kind
of take, you know, playful jabs at Troy Calhoun. He
does that because he thinks his team is a hell
of a lot better than the than the other service academy.
And you know, I don't think I I think I
think if Air Force retained the Commander in Chief Trophy
last year and Army didn't, didn't or wasn't the holder
of of the the Commander in Chief trophy going into
this past weekend and the Army Navy game, maybe he doesn't.
Maybe he doesn't make that, uh you know, make that comment.
But now that Army got punched in the mouth and
they lose the Commander in Chief Trophy in the biggest
game of their year, and you see it all over
both both of the academies. You see it both at
West Point and Annapolis. You know, it doesn't matter. The
rest of the season is just you know, fodder, it's
just a path leading up to Army Navy. They want
to they want to beat the other one so bad,
and you know it doesn't matter that our me is
now eleven and two and going and playing in a
bowl game after Christmas. This season has been a complete
miss for them. Now, yeah, you know, and they won,
they won the American Athletic Conference Championship this year, and
it doesn't matter because they couldn't beat Navy.
Speaker 2: And Jeff Munkins said, I mean, he basically said in
the postgame press conference, look, our seasons tarnished. He basically
said those exact words afterwards that you know that what
they did is, you know, it's all nice and cute,
but really doesn't mean a lot because they lost that game,
and I know Jeff Mounkin was hurt. I talked to
several source at Navy, and you know they were a
little bit rubbed raw that you know after the game
that well, you know, Jeff Munkin wouldn't even mention Navy
by name, didn't even say congratulations to you know, coach Newbery,
none of that. Like he was, he was on his
heater after the game. He was, he was angry. And
know one Jeff Munkin, having met and been around him,
having worked with him, I wasn't a bit surprised to
see y nay or and a dispoint, not in the least,
but you know, like you said, you know, going back
to the game real quick, you know, obviously like they
punched them in the mouth. But give Navy our army
some credit because you know, after they went down fourteen
to oh, you know, Bryce and Daley brought them back
and they got on the scoreboard. It was fourteen to
seven at half time. But I thought the decisive one
was there, you know, in the start the second half
where you know, they get a field goal, you know,
to open the second half Army did to make it
you know, fourteen to ten. But just like Army answered
back at the end, you know, in the toward the
end of the second quarter there, Navy came right back
with the heiden Reich you know, finding you know, Eli
Heinrich Horvat did fifty two yards you know, for an
immediate score after they held Army to the field goal,
and to come right back when it got to be
twenty one to ten, Horvat's thirteen touchdown pass of the
season Heidenrich six TD reception of the season, both tying
school records. I thought that was a massive answer right there,
and that one, you know, I thought that was the
the big sequence of the second half, along with you know,
the fake punt because you know, Arby tried to bring
the heat. You know, they they were gonna go after
the punt, which I don't know what monkin was and
they were thinking by going after it, I understand they
needed to play, but where that ball was, it was like,
well that's that's kind of fake punt territory, And sure enough,
boy Landon Robinson, who was a b I mean defensive
tackle rumbling twenty nine yards. I mean he fumbled the ball,
put it on the ground, but maybe luckily got it back.
That was really game set match on that he was.
Speaker 4: He's a defensive lineman.
Speaker 3: You expect him, he's not expected to be able to
know how to how to carry on football. But big
Man was putting him up and stopping him down at
that point. But yeah, I mean, you look at what
h in the second half. You know, the big thing
in the second half you mentioned that that they were
able to hold Navy was able to hold the Army
to just the field goal.
Speaker 4: Uh.
Speaker 3: And I think more importantly, instead of just treading water
to use to use anautical use an audical time there,
they didn't tread water, you know, they held Army to
the field goal.
Speaker 4: They went down and scored a touchdown.
Speaker 3: Yeah, you know, and then got another interception, went and
scored another touchdown. They didn't they didn't hold fast there.
They they went and they kept the foot on the accelerator.
And I think that that's that was one of the
big issues that I that I've had, you know with
this game in years. Passes that it seems like that
when a team got out to a what looked like
a significant lead, and in this game, you know, a
anything outside of a one score margin is a significant
lead just because of the way these two teams are
known to play this game. You know, you get outside
of eight points in this game, like that's a huge
margin that that the other team's got to make up.
And and sometimes when when a team gets outside of
that eight point margin, when they get on the other
on the far side of it. In years past, you
would see the you know, the other team take their
foot off the accelerator and kind of let the opponent
back into this game to try and keep it close. Yeah,
you know that there was none of that this year
with Davy maybe put the hammer down in that second half.
They punched them in the mouth in the first half
and drop the hammer from the top rope in the
second half. In this game, you know, every time you
know nay, you know, Army seemed like it had an answer.
Navy went down and scored a touchdown and pushed it
a little further in the good direction for the midship
and like you said, field goal from Army to start
the second half. Navy goes and scores a touchdown, hold
Army to another field goal. They go down and score
another touchdown, and so what was fourteen to seven at halftime?
Speaker 4: You know when you got into the.
Speaker 3: Fourth quarter, you know at that point it's twenty eight
to thirteen. Yeah, and now it's on the other side
of two scores. And then they get another interception. They
turn it into three more points and that gets your
final and that's where your final rates.
Speaker 4: And at that point, you know it was all over.
But the crying at.
Speaker 3: That point for Army, Yeah, what it's saying first in
this case.
Speaker 5: Yeah.
Speaker 2: Navy wins the two Service Academy games this year by
combined forty nine points, which ties the twy nineteen Navy
team for the biggest combined CIC blowouts since two thousand
and seven. Win the Naval Academy beat Air Force and
Army by combined forty nine points, and the win over
Army this year gives Navy victories over two right opponents
for the first time since nineteen fifty eight. Stevens so
doing some big things as obviously it was a it
was a hugely successful season for both Army and Navy.
Army would beg to differ with the result of last
weekend's game. But nonetheless, you ask anybody that's say West
Point fan, they will tell you it's been a fantastic year.
Speaker 3: Yeah, and eleven wins. You know you're going to a
significant bowl game, You've got your conference championship in your
first year. It's nothing to sneeze at if you're if
you're a fan of the Black Knights at all.
Speaker 4: Yep.
Speaker 2: Navy finishes the regular season now nine and three, Army
eleven and two, as they are going bowling. That CIC
Trophy is in Annapolis for the forthcoming year, the first
time since twenty nineteen. As we mentioned, all right, let's
give out some game ball, Steven, because we got some
bowl games to preview here in a minute game ball,
I mean, look, I think there's we talked a little
bit ago, maybe two choices. I'll let you have first pick.
Speaker 3: Yeah, there's basically one on each side. And so I'm
gonna go offense for my game ball, and that would
be the man who ended up in the end zone
a lot for Navy in this game, and that's quarterback
Blake Corvath. You know, one hundred yards through the air,
two hundred yards on the ground, finished with four total touchdowns.
You know, I thought that, you know, as much as
Bryce Daily has been Captain America for.
Speaker 4: The entire year.
Speaker 3: When it comes to Service Academy football, Blake Horvath was
mister John Paul Jones, don't give up the ship.
Speaker 4: And he had not yet begun to fight.
Speaker 3: So yeah, he was the Admiral of the s S
United States and Naval Academy on Saturday. So he gets
my game ball for this. How about you price, all.
Speaker 2: Right, my game ball? Other side of the ball, Landon
Robinson Junior from Baar Lawn, Ohio, the defensive tackle. What
more could you do in the game, because you know mentioned,
you know, the the job that Navy did on the
at the line of scrimmage, on both lines to scrimmage,
especially against Armies offensive line that we'll talk about here
in our note section where offensive linemen across their you
know front five, you know, pulled in all kinds of
postseason accolades, including the Joe Moore Award, which was announced
the night before the game so as the best college
offensive line in college football. So Navy going up against
what was deemed the best offensive line in college football,
Navy's defensive line was unbelievable, and Landon Robinson was at
the head of that ahead of that ship. Because maybe's
three leading tacklers. Where I get back to LANDA. Robinson,
maybe's three leading tacklers in the game, Stephen. They weren't safeties,
they weren't linebackers. They were all defensive linemen. And that
was led by Landon Robinson, who had a team high
thirteen stops, you know, three solo tackles. He had the
obviously the fake punt that he rumbled twenty nine yards.
It was just a thing of beauty down the left side,
and you know, coughed up the ball at the end
and maybe you know, luckily recovers for them, but he
was without a doubt. You heard his number being called
time and time again, number ninety six, and you saw
Robinson on the back of the jersey. He was in
the backfield and making place all game. And so Landon Robinson,
he gets my game ball with a team high thirteen tackles.
Now just mention, Justin Reid had ten and Griffin Willis
had eight, all defensive linemen leading the way. Because that's
how dominant Navy's defensive line was in the football game.
All right, let's step away, Steven, as we're part of
the Last Word on Sports podcast Network. We've got a
Travis mannin foundation on a roll to do. We got
picks to make, but we got bowl games to preview.
We're going to preview the Armed Forces Bowl in the
Independence Bowl here in just a second, Steve, tell everybody
what they can get at the last Word on Sports
podcast Network.
Speaker 3: Yeah, this week on last Word on Sports here, we've
got plenty of bowl previews like we're doing here.
Speaker 4: The guys that it just means more football.
Speaker 3: And coffee did actually two shows this week when it
comes to bowls. They went through the College Football Playoff
and also all of the bowls involving.
Speaker 4: SEC teams here this year.
Speaker 3: Thirteen bowl games the SEC is involved in this year,
which is absolutely incredible, including a couple of them going
on here in the Tampa Bay region. Of course, the
Gasparilla Bowl had the University of Florida and the Liaquest Bowl,
which is what the Outback Bowl is now being called,
is of course Alabama and Michigan.
Speaker 4: Which is a fantastic matchup.
Speaker 3: But the guys there go through all of their bowl
games this year for the SEC and of course the
folks at This Week and the ACC do the same
with the ACC and the Big Twelve. SEC breakdown with
Tyler Jones. Bowl previews from the Big Twelve with the
folks that OutKick so plenty on The Last Word on
Sports Podcast Network from College GRIDIRN, Coast to coast.
Speaker 2: All right, we got more to do. We're going to
get into the two bowl games here when we come
back on Yards and Stripes, your home for service Academy Football.
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Speaker 1: The latest with Navy, Army and Air Force on Yards
and Stripes, Service Academy Football.
Speaker 2: Right continuing on and here on Yards and Stripes, your
hope for service Academy football, Army, Navy and Air Force.
That is what we do and what we are gonna
do right now, Steven, We're gonna talk about some bowl
games because Army and Navy they are going bowling and
just what outstanding seasons for both programs. It's gonna be
a lot of fun to watch them go up against
well on one pretty stout opponent one. Well, we'll find
out what happens is we'll go ahead and get into
the Armed Forces Bowl first, because it's gonna be the
Naval Academy taking on the Oklahoma Sooners out of the
SEC in the Lockheed Martin Armed Forces Bowl on Friday,
December of the twenty seventh, Stephen at twelve noon Eastern
Standard Time on ESPN. This line has changed, Stephen, it
was once I believe at six and a half. It's
come down to a field goal, as the Sooners are
now just favored by three points over under in the
game is still sitting at forty three and a half
for the twenty second Armed Forces Bowl at AM and G.
Carter Stadium there on the campus at TCU and Fort Worth.
But it gonna be Navy's twenty fifth Bowl appearance and
third time in the Armed Forces Bowl. The first time
they played an SEC team in a Bowl game since
fifty four, and the last time they played an SEC
team at all was twenty eleven when the Mids took
South Carolina to the wire at Williams. Brice Stadium twenty
four to twenty one. So, you know, a big game
for Navy to test themselves against the big boys six
and six Oklahoma. As Navy does lead the series. They
won the only meeting between the two teams that was
played in Norman back in nineteen sixty five, attend to nothing,
shut out win for the midshipman. So, Steven, your reaction
the Sooners Navy? You know, of course this time of year,
you never know what you're going to get combol season
with transfer, portal opt outs, you know, those kind of things.
So you know, and then you know, obviously the motivation
factor is always there, especially for a six and six team.
So you know, what might we see from the Oklahoma
Sooners as they square off against Navy on Friday, December
twenty seven.
Speaker 3: Yeah, that's the that's the big question, Price is what
need with Oklahoma team is Navy going to see here
in at Amon G. Carter Stadium for the Armed Forces Bowl?
Because you know, this is a an Oklahoma team that
has had some very high highs, it's had some.
Speaker 4: Very low lows as well.
Speaker 3: I mean, this is an Oklahoma team that beat Alabama
and is likely you know, most likely the reason why
the Crimson Tide are not in the College Football Playoffs
this year. You know, you look at them and probably
Vanderbilt or are the two main reasons why Alabama is
on the outside looking in this year.
Speaker 4: But this is also a team that has had some
big struggles.
Speaker 3: When you look at how they have handled things, you know,
they've been blown out a lot. Now, granted, these are
mostly by some pretty good teams, you know. They their
losses are to Tennessee in the College Football Playoff, Texas
in the College Football Playoff, uh, and then a bunch
of them in the you know, obviously all of their
losses are in the are in conference play. Two teams Texas,
South Carolina and Ole Miss. We're both excellent teams. Missouri
who's ranked in LSU. You know all you know, some
some of the best teams in all of college football
because they're all in the SEC.
Speaker 4: You know.
Speaker 3: So they've had some really high highs, they've had some
really low lows. But this is going to be about
who's going to be on the field for the Sooners
here for this game. Because you know that there are
a lot of players for Oklahoma that are in the
transfer portal and that have opted out because they're looking
at possibly playing at the next level in the National
Football League. So you know, I I really do think
that for the guys that are staying, uh when when
you look at Oklahoma, you know they're in for a
root awakening because Army is I'm sorry, Navy is going
to be really uh motivated to to you know, after
the Army Navy game, to to put this on them.
Speaker 4: They really are.
Speaker 3: They want to they want to cap this with a
with a victory, and this is being the Armed Forces
Bowl and they're all members of the Armed Forces that
they definitely want to show up for it.
Speaker 2: Yeah, Jackson Arnold, the quarterback transferring Nick Anderson who said
all kinds of freshmen receiving records wide receiver. He's in
the transfer portal. He's headed to LSU. But yeah, it
just you don't know what you're gonna get. But one
thing we do know that Navy is gonna get. They're
gonna get an opponent that I don't think you can
argue is probably gonna be one of the top two
most talented opponents in terms of roster and players. The
Navy's gonna face behind Notre Dame this year. I mean,
there's no question that Oklahoma is still going to have
some of the most talented guys you know in the country,
certainly that Navy is gonna face. But you know, this
is a chance for Navy that if they could beat Oklahoma,
it would make the twenty four team just the six
in school history to win at least ten games, joining
teams from ninety five four to oh nine, twenty fifteen,
and most recently the eleven and two team from twenty
and nineteen. But a couple of things. Did you know,
steven Navy is the only FBS team in the country
that just two home games in their final nine regular
season contest. Also maybe the only FBS team in the
country that didn't that did not play a one score
game all season.
Speaker 3: And we all we thought that one score game was
coming last Saturday, and it did not happen. So yeah,
it's a it's amazing, I think. And and to be fair,
you know, this wasn't supposed to be a one score
This bull game wasn't slated to be a one score
affair either, because you mentioned, you know, it's the line
is a field goal.
Speaker 4: It started at nine. So this this has come through.
Speaker 3: Uh, you know plenty of those key numbers that uh,
you know, experts will talk about getting down all the
way to to three and you know who knows who
knows it probably doesn't go much lower than that. But yeah,
you know this is going this is expected to be
a much closer game than people expect. I don't think.
I don't think that's gonna be the case, though, And
I'll tell you about that. I'll tell you why I
think that when we get into our predictions here coming up,
all right.
Speaker 2: Armed Forces Bowl again is the twenty seventh of December
twelve noon on ESPN, Navy ninety three versus Oklahoma six
and six out of the SEC. Can't wait for that one.
Also can't wait for number nineteen Army eleven and two
taking on Now not Marshall, it's Louisiana Tech because Marshall
has opted out due to too many players hitting the
transfer portal. With Charles Huff leaving Huntington taking over as
the head coach at Southern miss kind of weird that
you have the the reigning conference champions leaving the championship
team from the fund Belt to take the job at
the bottom of the fun Belt. There's a lot of
internal strife there at Marshall between the new athletic director
and then Charles Huff them not renewing his contract. So
I know a lot of people of college football they
saw this coming. But nonetheless Marshall opting out Louisiana Tech
from nearby five and seven. They are now in the
Radiance Technologies Independence Bowl there in Shreeport. This one is
going to be a Saturday, December twenty eighth, kickoff at
nine to fifteen pm Eastern Standard Time on ESPN. Army
the last I've seen Stephen giving sixteen and a half
over under forty three and a half? Is that? Is
that what you still see?
Speaker 4: Yep, That's exactly what I have here.
Speaker 2: So the forty eight annual Independence Bowl there in Shreeport,
Army's eleven all time Bowl appearance Army seven and three
and previous games including a foreign record under Jeff Munkin
in the Bowl era Army two to zero all time
against Louisiana Tech, defeating them in two thousand and eight
and twenty thirteen in a game that was played in
the Cotton Bowl. But as I mention, what Army or
what Navy could do. With the win, Army would secure
its twelfth victory of the season, which would be the
most ever by an Army team in program history. But
to do it, they're gonna have to knock off Sonny
Comby's Louisiana Tech team, who you know, first Bowl for
them since twenty twenty steven. You know, they were three
and six, but they won two of their last three,
and but they haven't played since thirty three to nothing
win over Kinnesas State on November the thirtieth.
Speaker 3: Yeah, and you know, I give a lot of credit
to to Sonny Comby and Louisiana Tech for taking this game,
because I'm sure that there were a lot of teams
that you know that are in that five and seven range,
you know, because all those all the six and six
teams are in, so you knew that you weren't going
to get another team that was above five hundred. You
were going to have to go to a five and
seven team. And I give Sonny Comby and his guys
a hell of a lot of credit because you know
a lot of those guys have probably you know, on
other programs, have already gone home. You know, you're in
the you're in the middle of the of the Christmas vacation.
You know, many of these teams at five seven haven't
practiced now for uh a good two or three weeks,
and so the fact of the matter is that you
know Rustin is close. You know Louisiana Tech has a
lot of guys from the area, so then none of
them have gone very far. And so you can put
together your team again and say, hey, we got to
get back on the field, we got to start practicing,
and you've got another game to play, and it's a
great opportunity, uh for Louisiana.
Speaker 4: Tech to to show off. Uh.
Speaker 3: You know, the Bulldogs did not have a very good
year and now you've got an opportunity.
Speaker 4: To play spoiler.
Speaker 3: This is a no lose situation for for Louisiana Tech.
You're getting a great match. You're getting a great matchup
against the team that you know is going to play
hard and he's going to be angry. So so if
you're the Bulldogs, you can you can try and take
advantage of some of that aggression that you know the
Black Knights are gonna have. And I think that you
know you're gonna be in in good shape for for
this game and and it's a great final piece as
as Sunny Comby tries to get the Bulldogs going back
in the right direction.
Speaker 2: Yeah, and you know to a Louisiana texts credit. You know,
while they are just five and seven, you know, five
of their seven losses were by a touchdown of leste
and one of the Yeah, and then one of the
two games was not by There wasn't a one score game.
They were tied with the n C State. Uh you know,
back in the second game of the season, they were
tied entering the fourth quarter before losing by ten. So
you know, they they've been you know, mauled basically one
time other than that they were in Yeah. So you
know Max Max Bullock, the starting quarterback, Evan Bullock, I'm sorry,
uh true freshman six five. You know it's come on
thrown for almost two thousand yards and that you know,
Sunny Company's you know, he's you know, a disciple of
the air raid. Almost two thousand yards, fourteen touchdowns, only
two picks. But one thing that Louisiana Tech does do
they give up a.
Speaker 4: Lot of sacks.
Speaker 2: While they might not throw it to the other team,
Army is going to be able to get to Evan
Bullock in this game. And I think that's where you know,
certainly Army's gonna win the game is at the line
of scrimmage.
Speaker 4: Oh absolutely.
Speaker 3: And and if you're if you are, if you're playing
behind the sticks, it doesn't matter who you are in college,
in my opinion, if you're playing behind the sticks, your
your offense is in trouble. At some point you're gonna
have you're gonna find yourself with with issues. And whether
it's in uh, you know, possession time, whether it's in
where you're starting drives, because you know, if you're starting
behind the sticks, that means that if you're punting away
you your opponent's gonna have a shorter field.
Speaker 4: It means a shorter field for Army.
Speaker 3: You know, even though they may only have sixty yards
to go and out of seventy five or eighty yards
to go, that's still, yeah, it's going to be a
long drive and it really hurt your defense.
Speaker 4: That happens. Yeah.
Speaker 2: Number nineteen Army eleven and two versus Louisiana Tech five
and seven in the Independence Bowl Saturday, December the twenty seventh,
at nine to fifteen Eastern Standard Time on ESPN again
Army giving sixteen and a half over under forty three
and a half in one of the busiest bowl game
days of the postseason. Bowl calendar is the twenty seventh
or twenty eight is going to have a lot of
action for people to tickle their fancy when it comes
to college football, as Army and Louisiana Tech will finish
up the night. But real quickly, Steve before we get
out of here, as we get ready for our Travis
Manning Foundation on a roll segment, we get ready to
come back and make our picks. Got some notes to
pass along, you know, college football playoff as we're recording
Saturday morning. It got off the ground last night. And
the thread, you know, the common between the academies obviously
is Notre Dame and the number seven I. They get
a twenty seven to seventeen win over Indiana in the
first ever college football playoff game played on a home campus.
And so I was going into the game. I had
my gut that was telling me Indiana all week. But boy,
Notre Dame looked dominant, especially behind you know, their strong
running game and then being able to stop the run.
What Marcus Freeman said, I think at the end was
really right. You know, when you have a running game
and can stop the run come December and game set
and cold, and this time of year, you got a
shot against most anybody. And boy, at this point, I
think Notre Dame might find themselves in that championship game.
Speaker 3: See yeah, I know a lot of people liked Indiana
in that matchup, you know, the battle for the Hoosier State,
and you know, I was, I was looking at it,
and really that twenty seven to seventeen final isn't really
indicative of how prominent Notre Dame was. I mean that
was twenty seven to three midway in the fourth quarter,
for crying out loud. So uh, you know, really the
Hoosiers found themselves in big trouble early and fell behind,
you know, big early, and they really could never get
their their offense going at all, uh in the contest.
And so yeah, for for Notre Dame, it's a huge plus.
And and you're right, they have found themselves now in
the cat bird seat because they're gonna go and they
play Georgia in the All State Sugar Bowl on New
Year's Day. Georgia is gonna be without Carson Beck and
so now you're you're looking at they're they're likely the
favorite to win that game because you know they're going
to be completely healthy come come New Year's Day. And
then they get the winner of SMU, Penn State and
Boise State, and I would think that if you're Notre Dame,
you're a much more talented team than Boise State or SMU,
and Penn State is known for gagging these things away.
James Franklin is his his you know, his reputation is
that he can't finish.
Speaker 4: And so you've got.
Speaker 3: A shot right now if you're the Fighting Irish, now
that you've gotten past Indiana, you get a shot to
be at the in the finals of this game against
probably an Oregon or in Ohio State. Those are the
two teams on the other side that really have the
most likely path to being on the other side of
that bracket. I personally have Oregon myself, but and for
personal reasons, one of my best friends is a program
director now in Eugene, and so he runs the Eugene Duck,
the Oregon Ducks radio network for Cumulus out there, and
so I'm very I'm very hopeful for the Ducks to
be in the on the other side and against Ardiam
should be a fun one.
Speaker 2: Yeah, it's gonna be fun to watch this playoff shakeout
twelve team playoffs for the first time, as everybody knows,
but we are excited to watch Army and Navy try
and cap off great seasons and their bowl games on
the twenty seventh and twenty eight. As we begin wrapping
up our Bowl preview here, we're going to come back
with our Travis Manion Foundation Honorall segment, honoring a fallen
hero than Steven and are We got some games to
pick and some notes to pass along as we get
out the door here in the Yards and Stripes, your
home for Service Academy Football.
Speaker 5: In two thousand and seven, Marine First Lieutenant Travis Manion
was killed in Iraq after saving his wooted 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 too. 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 fallen, and inspired
civilians at Travismannion dot Org.
Speaker 6: Welcome back in the Yards and Stripes. You're home for
Service Academy Football. We've come to that point in the
show where it's time for our Travis Mannion Foundation Honorale
segment for the honor remember a fallen hero that has
given the ultimate sacrifice. This week, we're going to remember
Chief Warrant Officer for United States Army Brian hazel Grove,
a native of Edinburgh, Indiana. Chief Warrant Officer hazel Grove
was assigned to the third Battalion, seventeenth Cavalry out of
the tenth Aviation Brigade, tenth Mountain Division out of Fort Drum,
New York, and he gave the ultimate sacrifice on December
the twenty third, two thousand and four, when his OH
fifty eight Kiowa Warrior helicopter crash near mosl in northern
Iraq during a combat mission served during Operation Iraqi Freedom.
The military responded reported his residence as Fort Rucker, Alabama.
Hazel Grove and the other pilot in the helicopter crash
soon after the takeoff. The military said Chief Warren Officer.
Hazel Grove graduated from Edinburgh High School in Indiana and
joined the Army in nineteen ninety four. Before becoming a
helicopter pilot, he worked in military intelligence and served two
tours of duty in South Korea. His brother Brad Leman said, quote,
the guy was amazing. He thrived in the military and
was making it a career. Brian is remembered as a
very bright and very personal and likable. He had a
great sense of humor and live life without regrets. That's
Brian hazel Grove, Chief Warrant Officer of the United States Army.
And we honor remember folks like Brian hazel Grove who
gave the ultimate sacrifice because as we all know, our
freedom is not free. And the Travis Manian Foundation is
carrying on the legacy of commitment service in local communities
all across the country and the name of loved ones
that have given that ultimate sacrifice. And so we take
the time this week every week on the podcast to
honor remember these fallen heroes that are serving, that served
in places all around the globe.
Speaker 7: Travis Mallon Foundation's Nine to eleven Heroes run five K
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 to eleven heroesun dot org.
Speaker 1: The latest with Navy, Army and Air Force on Yards
and Stripes Service Academy Football, we.
Speaker 2: Begin close up shamp here on Yards and Stripes. We
will be back with one more episode after the first
of the year to wrap up the bowl games. But
we are putting a bow on this Bowl preview edition
as we're getting ready for the Independence Bowl and the
Armed Forces Bowl. Certainly, I know everybody's gonna have all
eyes on the college football playoff as we will as well.
Stephen a couple of notes to pass along before we
pick our two bowl games. As I mentioned earlier, the
Joe Moore Award winner for the best offensive line in
college football that went to the Army Black Knights. What
an honor is? Jeff Monkin informed his team on Friday night,
and is the trickle down effect continue? Was so? With
such a great year and dominant upfront effort, a lot
of Army Black Knights garnering some major postseason honors. Army
senior guar Bill Katzijanis and named the Sports Illustrated First
Team All American. Bryce and Daily was an honorable mention
SI All American senior tackle Lucas Scott. He earned second
team recognition by the Football Writers Association of America. He's
the first Army player to appear on the Football Writers
Association of America All American team since Mike Mayweather running
back did it back in nineteen ninety and then Army
West Points saw more offensive lineman Paolo Genarelli. He was
named an AP All American to the third team. So
three Black Knights getting some major All American honors from
the offensive line. Bryce and Daily. Of course, awards continue
to pour in for him. He was named the finalist
for the Campbell Award along with Ashton Gent, Kevin Jennings,
cam wardor Sanders that goes to the top quarterback, and
then Jeff Munkin a finalist for the Don Trophy and
a Simili finalists for the George Munger Coach of the
Year Trophy. So congratulations to them. And then also staying
with Army Real Quick, a former defensive end Andre Carter
that certainly Black Knight fans. They remember he was signed
to the Las Vegas Raiders practice squad last week. So
congratulations to Andre Carter still in the National Football League.
And then for the Naval Academy senior safety Rayon Lane,
the third who's had a great season. He accepted invitation
to playing the Reese's Senior Ball All Star Game. That's
going to be on February the first in Mobile slated
to kick off at two thirty Eastern Standard time on
the NFL Network. Stephen, what did I miss, dude.
Speaker 3: With The one thing that we missed right now is
Kanye Youdo. We missed talking about how the Army running
back has decided to leave West Point. He has entered
the transfer portal. He's got a handful of visits coming up.
But yeah, that's a big piece leaving. And that's something
that we don't normally talk about here, is you know,
the transfer portal going out because you don't normally see
it from from the service academies. It's one of those
things we have mentioned in previous episodes, and I know
I've mentioned when I've done you know, radio around the country.
Why you know, Jeff Monkin loves his situation and why
I didn't think, you know, with any of these open jobs,
whether it was Wake Forest or West Virginia, North Carolina,
you know that all had Monkin's name attached to them.
Why I didn't think he was gonna leave West Points
because he doesn't have to deal with NIL, He doesn't
have to deal with transfer portal normally. But Kanye Udo
has has decided that two seasons with the Black Knights
is enough and so he is leaving to seek his
football fortunes elsewhere. The other big piece is that UH,
when you're looking at coaching wise, Matt Drinkle, who was
the offensive line coach UH at Army UH that has
left and is now the head coach at Central Michigan,
has has taken a couple of his UH friends from
from West Point UH to become assistant coaches with the
with the Chippewas. And I was looking at some of
the some of the other names that that are coming
out outside of you know, some of these guys that
are with UH, that that have been with the Black
Knights you know currently, But like Wes Fleming, who used
to be a defensive quality coach at Army left to
go to Cincinnati in the same role is now joining
Drinkle in Central Michigan as defensive backs coach uh as well.
So there's another army connection joining the Chippewas.
Speaker 2: Yeah, but the big one you mentioned Kanye Udo hitting
the portal something you just don't expect, you know, another
year where a major offensive weapon for Jeff Monkin's team,
you know, is hitting the portal as Isaiah Austen did
it last year. Now it's Kanye you doo and as
we as we talk here on Saturday morning, December the
twenty first, he has got visits he being Kanye you
Doo scheduled to s MU, Missouri, Arizona, and North Carolina. Also,
he mentioned on Twitter that Ohio State had reached out.
So it'll be interesting to see where Kanye you Doo
ends up. But just something you don't quite often see.
Speaker 3: North North Carolina is kind of interesting because of course
of their connection with the Naval Academy. With with Bill
Belichick now being the head coach with the Tar Hills,
that's a that's going to be a very prime landing
spot for a number of players here this college football offseason.
I'd be curious to see how many guys a take
visits to North Carolina and be end up committing to
Belichick and the Tar Heels.
Speaker 2: Yeah. Friend of from Canada asked me what I thought
about Belichick. He said, how how long is it going
to take before all the five stars in the world
end up there. I said, I don't know if that's
actually going to happen. They'll get talent because it's Bill Belichick,
but it's not like you're playing for Dion Sanders. When
you're playing for Bill Belichick. I know that everybody talks
about that works with him. I mean, I got to
know coach Belichick his dad Steve very well. When I
worked at the Naval Academy. His dad, Steve Belichick. He
came in our offices every morning to read the newspaper
and he would stand at my door and talk for hours.
But I know that his son, having never met Bill Belichick,
a lot like his dad, where you might see it dry,
but you know when people are around him, he's, you know,
very personable. So it'll be interesting to see what recruits
see and what they decide as far as ending up
in Chapel Hill, because I think we've all kind of
read they're going to open up an nil checkbook here.
That's that hadn't been quite open like that, maybe for
the basketball team, but not the football.
Speaker 4: Team or the women's soccer team.
Speaker 2: Right, yeah, all right, Steve, we got two bowl games
pick before we get out of here and start down
in the eggnog and you know, lacing it with the
bourbon before. I'll ask you about that in a second here.
But let's get our picks before we get out the door.
Let's start with Navy taking on Oklahoma on December of
the twenty seventh in the Armed Forces Bowl. Navy nine
and three, Oklahoma six and six Sooners. Right now, as
we set a fueld goal favorite forty three and a
half the over under, do you think the SEC are
they going to be able to rain? Or do you
think Navy's going to get their first win over an
SEC team since beating Ole Miss in the fifties.
Speaker 4: Yeah.
Speaker 3: I do think that this is going to be a
historic game, and not for the reasons that the SEC
wants it to be. I think that, you know, the
transfer portal. I think that the opt outs are going
to be too much for the Sooners, and so I
have Navy winning this game, getting their first win since
that victory overall Miss back in the fifties over an
SEC team. I have twenty three to twenty. I think
it it's a field goal. Oh man, I just I
just think it's going to be an exciting game. I'm
certainly looking forward to it.
Speaker 4: I know I'll be watching it. I can't wait for it.
Speaker 2: Well, we're close. We're very close because with my picks
i've put down, I had twenty four to twenty is
what I went with. Navy. I think Navy two. Navy's
got a track record, especially in the last several years,
when they go bowling, they bring it. Navy brings it.
It means something, and you know, I think the academies
both Army is the same way, both Army and Navy.
They always bring it come bold time because it does
mean something. It's different. It's actually the reward that bowl
games used to be for, not the afterthought. Is many
of the Power five teams, you know, think of it
as exhibition season, and so I think Navy's going to
bring it. I think despite Thennables being one of the
best defensive minds, best defensive coaches that I've seen in
college football. I think that Lake Horvath and Drew Chronics offense.
They're gonna they're gonna be able to rev it up
and get done with they need to, and I think
Navy wins at twenty four to twenty. All right, Army
Black Knights taking on Latch the replacement for Marshall in
the Independence Bowl eleven and two Army verse five and
seven Louisiana Tech. I don't think this one's even close, Stephen,
but I'll let you fire first.
Speaker 4: Yeah, I completely agree with you.
Speaker 3: Now, if this was Marshall and a Marshall that was
you know, full you know, with full capacity. I think
that this is a much closer game. I think this
is a much more exciting game, you know. I think
Army is going to feel slighted, you know, especially because
now they've gone from having the champion of the of
the Fun of the Fun Bowl, you know that that
conference now to a five and seven team. I think
they're gonna take out their frustrations on the Bulldogs. I
feel bad for Sonny Comby's boys because the you know, congratulations,
young men. You're gonna get to see some real men
in this one. I have Army thirty five Louisiana Tech
three in this game.
Speaker 2: All right, I'm much the same. I think two it's
gonna be a curb stomping. I think Army is gonna
be really pissed. I think they're gonna play pissed. I
think they're gonna play with a purpose after what happened
in the Army Navy game. I think they're gonna want
to end this outstanding season. You know that they capped
with a AAC Conference championship win, dominant win at that
over Tu Lane. I like Army forty nine to thirteen,
a little bit higher scoring, But you and I both
are on the same page. We both think it's going
to be.
Speaker 3: Yeah, I think I think it's gonna be I think
it's gonna be lower scoring because I think that that
Jeff Monkin's gonna take most of the starters out at
the half. I think it's gonna be like twenty eight
to nothing at the half, and I think he lets
he lets his second and third string guys finish out
the second half and get some playing time.
Speaker 2: Can't wait, can't wait for Bowl season to continue on
as we have our two of our three teams bowling.
Just can't wait to watch Army and Navy. You know,
take on their phone from Oklahoma and Louisiana Tech Stephen
before we get out of here. I know Papa Yan's
is going to be on the holiday menu for Oh
absolutely you you and your wife.
Speaker 4: I know that.
Speaker 2: Hopefully the lightning continue to win. Get your fifty percent
off coupon, because who doesn't want, you know, a discount
of pizza. But holiday drink at choice? Are you an
egg non guy?
Speaker 3: You know, I'm not really, you know, I'm I'm more
about the bourbon in.
Speaker 4: The egg nog than the and then the eggnog itself.
Speaker 3: You know, I'm a and usually it doesn't get cold enough,
although it is cold today, yeah, it's it's in the
it's in the low fifties here in Tampa today, which
is quite chilly. So usually it's it's about cool drinks,
uh at Christmas time and not and not drinks that
warm you up. But I'm a hot totty guy, like
you know, when it's when it's cold at Christmas time,
I'll take a hot toddy anytime I like it.
Speaker 2: I didn't get into until I was a little bit older,
but it wasn't my drink of choice certainly when I
was younger, but started to learn that appreciation for a
decent agnog here a little bit later in life. But Steven,
I think and speak for all of us, you and
I both here and everybody last word on Sports podcast Network.
But you know, for you and me, Happy Holidays, Merry Christmas,
Happy New Year to everybody. We will stay tuned in
our social media platforms. We will get an episode out,
whether it's after the it will be after the Bowl games,
whether it's before New Year's or right after New Year's.
We will get one more episode done to put a
bow on this entire season. And Steve and I will
will we'll let you know, you know a recording date
and when we're going to have that episode out on
our Yards and Stripes Facebook and Twitter accounts, so follow
us there. Steven, certainly, Merry Christmas to you and your wife,
your family. Hope you guys have a have a great
and save holiday out there.
Speaker 3: Yes, and Merry Christmas to you and the folks there
as well. And Merry Christmas to all of our listeners
at Yards and Stripes. We hope this holidays season finds
you healthy and certainly happy during this time because yeah,
it's the end of the year. Let's close out twenty
twenty four the way twenty twenty four should be closed
out and get ready for a great twenty twenty five.
Speaker 2: Let's do it. Thankful for all our listeners, thanks to you, Steve.
Thankful for all you do and keeping Yards and Stripes
running and all the great podcasts on the Last Word
on Sports podcast Network, But for Steve Bryce Atkinson, and
we will talk to you again after Christmas as we
dive into both the bowl games. But until then, Marry Christmas,
Happy holidays, and we'll talk to you soon.
Speaker 1: Join us again next time for Yards and Strikes Service
Academy Football. To get more on all things Service Academy Football,
like Yards and Stripes on Facebook and follow them on
Twitter at yards and Stripes and make sure that you're
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Speaker 6: Yes,