Speaker 1: Need to get your football fixed on all things Army,
Navy and Air Force. This is Yarns and Stripes Service
Academy Football. Now Here are your hosts, Pryce Atkinson and Steve.
Speaker 2: Carney, episode twelve of Yards and Stripes your home for
Service Academy Football. He is Stephen Carney and I'm Pryce Atkinson,
and we are Army, Navy and Air Force. That is
what we do is we are part of the Last
Word on Sports podcast Network, and Steven you are front
and center last weekend. We're gonna get to it. First
things first, it was a sweet all three of our teams,
That's right, they all got dubs on Saturday, Army, Navy,
and Air Force. So we got a lot of happy
campers around this these parts this week because Army, Navy
and Air Force all walk out a winner, especially Air
Force stopping a seven game slide. So we'll get into that. First.
We got to get a Stephn update. Papa Yn's what's
the toppings on that pie? Tonight?
Speaker 3: The pie is empty tonight, No, p it's a uh
for tonight's game, uh, or for tonight's episode as we're
taping this.
Speaker 4: Uh, just it just has not happened to gone.
Speaker 2: Two weeks in a row with the boneless wing meal
that may be hungry last week, and then you did
the Papa yawns the week before of the meat lovers,
and so Dad Guma'm used to like going to bed
like starving now because I get a food report or
watch you eat as we you know, put this bit,
put this track, this baby, and lay down a podcast
for our loyal, outstanding listening till.
Speaker 3: We start doing this on YouTube and and everybody's gonna
have to watch me eat.
Speaker 2: We need. We might have to be going to video
at some point, especially with.
Speaker 4: Thought it's coming, It's coming.
Speaker 2: I have a feeling with the delicacies that you're you
know ingesting uh there in Central Florida. I'm quite jealous,
and I'm sure all our listeners would be too. But
as I mentioned Steven the sweep last weekend, we're gonna
get into all three games. We got the Travis Median
Foundation on a roll segment. We got two games to
look at to this coming week. We got picks to make.
We got a lot of news and notes. Is a
lot of postseason awards are really starting to come into focus.
Voting is ongoing Army. The college football playoff rankings Army
checks in for the second straight week, meant we got
a ton to do, so Steven the best podcast producer
in the entire world, let's get to it.
Speaker 4: Then.
Speaker 2: We're gonna start right there in Tampa, where Steven M.
Carney resides, because Navy came to town and got a
twenty eight to seven win on Saturday over the South
Florida Bulls. Maybe now seven and two five and one.
South Florida dropp into four and five and two and three,
But the biggest thing was Navy ending a two game slide.
Was Stephen on or on site looking live, and Navy
was helped certainly by the three USF turnovers and stop
the Bulls on a pair of fourth down conversions while
holding them to just sixty yards rushing. Stephen, take it away,
what did those eyes see?
Speaker 4: Yeah?
Speaker 3: First off, the thanks to Joey Johnson and Jim Lighthall,
a couple of the broadcasters for USF who had taken
to calling it the Steve Carnibowl, Because being a Navy
veteran and a USF alum, I gotta I got a
chance to see the two teams that I am the
most interested in when it comes to uh Division I
college football. So I got a great opportunity. My thanks
to Brian Secret of the University of South Florida for
making it all happen. Appreciate Brian on short notice, hook
and a brother up. I'm gonna be honest with you.
When things got started the way that they did, I
was like, this Bulls team is in trouble because I mean,
you come right out, you get you get a first down,
you know, and then from the forty you see Hide
and Wright take the ball and around and all of
a sudden he's off to the races and he's going
for a touchdown, and you're going, uh oh, here we go.
And then to watch the Bulls go down the fields
get picked off, and then then and then Navy turns
around and goes thirteen plays to make it fourteen to nothing.
Speaker 4: You know, in the first quarter.
Speaker 3: At that point, you know USF is playing without it
starting quarterback and Byron Brown there they've got their second
string quarterback in Bryce Archie going in. Archie is not
the same caliber of quarterback. He's a good quarterback, but
Byron Brown is so dynamic. Not only can he stand
in the pocket and pick teams apart.
Speaker 4: But he's got probably the best legs.
Speaker 3: Of any non option quarterback in college football. Let's just
put it that way. He's he could play option football.
He is that tough of a quarterback. And the fact
of the matter is the Bulls are without him, and
they have been without him now for the last three
or four weeks, and you can see that there is
a significant drop off to the Bulls offense. So to
go down fourteen to nothing early, and then there was
kind of an interesting moment when Navy fumbled the ball
on the second quarter. You know, the Bulls get the
ball around there around the Navy forty and they looked
like they get a first down, and you're thinking, Okay,
this could be the point where USF gets back into
this game. They end up going for it on fourth
down from about the twenty eight yard line, and I
was kind of scratching my head because I know Alex
Golis likes to be a little aggressive in those cases.
You know, he wants six, I get it, or he
wants seven. I certainly stand that. But at that point,
it's fourth and five. It's not like it's fourth and one.
It's fourth and five or so from the twenty eight
and Bryce Archie gets sacked, you know, for a loss
of ten. They turn the ball over on downs and
I'm thinking to myself, that's probably the point where you know,
if you're if you're Navy, you're thinking, we've got this
well in hand because they don't want to put points
on the board. I figured, you kick the field goal,
you get, you make it eleven, You're still got opportunities
here in in the first half to try and make
something happen. You're gonna get the ball to start the
second half. So even if you're down four, you know,
if you say it's fourteen ten at halftime, you're getting
the ball to start the second half. You got an
opportunity to go take the lead to start the second half.
I was very I kind of scratched my head on
that play early. But then you know, Navy does score,
you know, with a couple of seconds left in the
first half, to go up twenty one nothing, and at
that point you're going, all right, this game. You knew
the second half was gonna go a lot quicker than
the first half.
Speaker 4: At that point, Yeah.
Speaker 2: Well, maybe running for over three hundred and twenty that
certainly helped maybe keep the ball for darn near forty
lays on the ground, Yeah, quite a lot, and efficient too,
but nyvy having the ball for over thirty eight minutes
in the game and keeping the USF offense off the field,
and certainly maybe didn't play mistake free football. As you know,
Blake Korbaf put one ball on the ground, maybe put
two more on the ground, but they didn't lose those.
But the one fumble was really the kind of the
the only miss queue maybe of the afternoon. But maybe
going back on the road, the biggest thing was getting
back in the win column and staying afloat while you're
gonna need some help, and certainly this weekend you can
take a little bit of it into your own hands
if you're the midshipman, but you do stay in the
American Athletic Conference championship game in regular season title race.
So a lot coming down the stretch here. We'll talk
about that here in just a little bit, the what
ifs and how that might play out. But Navy again
twenty eight to seven over South Florida there in Tampa,
the home of Stephen Carney himself, and thank goodness he
was there. To witness and give us the report as
we'll now pivot excuse me to the Black Knights number
eighteen Army hosting, or excuse me hitting the road to
North Texas and Denton. But Boy Bryson Daily returns as
a nacious nation's longest winning streak Stephen is intact and
it is now at thirteen games as Army did trail
for the first time since last November, but it didn't
last long as the Black Knights roared back and they
now match their nine to zero start from the perfect
nineteen forty nine in nineteen fifty season when they had
a seventeen game winning streak that spanned those two seasons.
But the story of the day, Bryce and Daily, he
returns and he didn't just get back on the field.
How about caring for a season high thirty six times
for one fifty three and both the Army's touchdowns.
Speaker 3: Yeah, and not only that, but you saw what Army
does best, and that is grind other teams.
Speaker 4: To a pulp. You look at it.
Speaker 3: All you have to do is look at the play
by play, the drive summaries. There were only six drives
in the first half, There were only seven drives in
the second half. So it's amazing to see how long
and how much time Army had in this game, over
forty one minutes, almost forty two minutes of possession time
in this game, including what ended up being you know,
I would say it might be the culmination of this
football season when when you look at what Army did
in that in the their first well, their first drive
i should say after the half led to an interception,
but they get North Texas to go three and out
and then go on a twenty one play drive going
eighty four they win I'm sorry, ninety four yards from
the six all the way in to the end zone.
They end up with thirteen minutes of possession that on
that that that drive went into the fourth quarter, which
meant that North Texas in the third quarter of this
game had the ball for exactly thirty eight seconds of time.
It's an it's just an incredible, you know, microcosm of
Army's season. They ground the the mean Green to to
a pulp. This was a team that had not scored
less than twenty one points in any game this season,
and they get held to three on their opening drive.
That was it. It did mean that Army actually trailed
in a game for the first time this year, as
you mentioned, but just an absolutely incredible performance from Bryce
and Daily in this game. And and other than the
the fumble late that was not Daily Uh.
Speaker 4: You know, I was thinking, you know, when when Kanye U.
Speaker 3: Doo Uh fumbles the ball at that point in the
fourth quarter and gives the Mean Green an opportunity to
get back into this game, and you saw everybody go
over and tap Tabooda on the on the on the shoulder.
You know, Jeff Bunkin is not happy with him, you
could tell that straight up. But all of his teammates
were behind him. They knew that. The especially the defensive
UH players. They all went over to him and said,
we got you, buddy, and they they went and another
interception in the end zone, and all of a sudden,
Udo's feeling a lot better about himself.
Speaker 2: Well, you mentioned the drive or army that started in
the third quarter and ended in the fourth. You know,
twenty one plays ninety four yards, three thirteen minutes, fifty
four seconds, just a minute, just over a minute, shy
sixty six sixty six second, shy of taking an entire quarter.
The Brice and Daily cap with that two yard run
that made the you know, for the game's final margin
of fourteen to three. Armies second nationally in time of
possession at nearly thirty five minutes per game, topping out
more than forty one on Saturday against North Texas. And
you know, obviously they avoided negative plays again. You know,
Armies only allowed eighty five yards and sacks and tackles
for a loss this season, by far, the lowest in
the country. But you know, getting away from Army's offense
for a minute, Steve and I want to get back
to the Army defense because, like you said, they gave
up that field goal on North TeX's opening drive. But
after that team this high power mean green offense to
just two hundred and eighty three yards. Now, granted they
only had it for eighteen minutes, so it's not that much.
But North Texas was averaging forty one points a game
and more than five hundred yards of total offense. They
only had two hundred and eighty three in the game
and obviously didn't he didn't even find the end zone.
Quarterback Channel Morris. He had thrown for three hundred yards
and five straight. He was at what two sixty I
think is what he finished with. You know, obviously picked
off Morris twice in the end zone, which is certainly
gonna help. But Army leading the nation also in defensive
points per game allowed at just eleven average per game.
This Army defense, while Bryson Dally's taken all the headlines,
Army's defense is still playing lights out football in just
of a big story that has Armies still undefeated now
at nine to zero.
Speaker 3: Yeah, and you think about this, The North Texas converted
four third downs all games. Army converted one, two, three,
four third downs on that drive alone and a fourth down.
So I mean they converted so many first downs on
that on that enormous on that gargantuan drive that that
took place in the second half. Like I said, I
was watching that game after Navy and USF and I
you know, coming back from the from the half and
seeing the turnover at that point and then you're going okay,
and then they they go on that drive and I
just watched it.
Speaker 4: I had this huge smile on my face.
Speaker 3: You can see the smile on my face right now,
like it was about three times beside because I was
just like, look at that, just keep.
Speaker 4: Moving the chains. Look at it.
Speaker 3: Move the chains again, Move the chains again, move the
chains again. It was unreal how many first downs they
converted on that drive to just basically milk every last
vestige of North Texas's pride away from them.
Speaker 2: Army nine and oh and still inside track now for
that American Athletic Conference Championship game, which just one they're in.
They are in, opponent unknown, will they host, that is unknown.
But inside track for a lot of different things. College
football playoff potentially is Boise State. They won yet again.
We'll get into that in just a little bit, but
the biggest thing is nine and oh right now and
a chance to win the American Athletic Conference Championship in
their first season. And we will talk a lot about
a lot more about the situations the scenarios here. Coming
up is they only have one more conference game, and
we'll talk about that here just a little bit, as
Navy will be a non conference game. So let's move
to our last game. And we told you it was
a sweep, and so yes, we can report and we
are certainly happy to report, Stephen, that the Air Force Academy,
they have done it. They have snapped the seven game
losing streak. They have won a Mountain West Conference game
this season, and against a pretty dagdam good team too
in Fresno State Air Force thirty six to twenty eight
over the Bulldogs. Air Force now two and seven, one
and four in the mount Less Presno drop into an
even five and five, three and three in the mount Less.
And this was the first taste of victory obviously for
air Force since the season opener against Merrimack and you know,
trailing Fresno State twenty one to seventeen and a half.
It was the Falcons in the second half with a
field goal just before the break and then Quintin Hayes
first to two touchdowns on the ground the second half.
In all, air Force scored nineteen unanswered points from the
final play of the second quarter until thirty seconds left
in the game. Stephen, that was what got it done.
That was the difference in the game for the Falcons.
Speaker 3: Yeah, and this was a Troy Calhoun like performance from
this team.
Speaker 4: They got a ton of rushing.
Speaker 3: I mean, they ran the ball for three hundred and
forty four yards in this game.
Speaker 4: They had eighty running plays in this game.
Speaker 3: And I'm gonna say it again, eighty eight zero running
plays in this game. They had two guys that had
more than twenty five carries, and Quintin Hayes had twenty
five and Dylan Carson.
Speaker 4: Had thirty three rushes in this game. This was just.
Speaker 3: How much of the football can Fresno State's defense have
shoved down its throat? And the answer is forty five
minutes worth of it. This was This was all Falcons.
I know that the the score is close, but I
mean it you think about it. The Frisno States, their
their touchdowns came on drives of seven plays, three plays,
three plays and uh and then a uh uh and
then nine plays in the in the second half, but
their first half, their first half scores were were quick,
whereas air Force had nineteen plays, fourteen plays, eleven plays,
twelve plays.
Speaker 4: I mean, they they were just I loved seeing it. This.
Speaker 3: This was great to see. I you know, we've been
waiting all year, going what where? What are the falcons?
You know, what sort of identity does this team have?
Because this team didn't have one. You know, we're going
what you know, are they gonna run the ball? Are
they gonna are they gonna try and hybridize this thing.
Are they gonna try and throw the football because they're
they're throwing three different quarterbacks out there.
Speaker 4: No, no, no, no, no.
Speaker 3: They they finally showed this is the type of team
that they can be and they did it just.
Speaker 4: In the nick of time.
Speaker 3: They can't you know, it's not like they're gonna be
able to go to a to a bowl game this year,
you know, but you want to you want to finish
this season, this regular season feeling you know, strong about
yourself because then that's going to lead into everything that
goes on in the spring and then everything that that
takes place in the summer before you get ready for
the twenty twenty five season for those guys that are
still going to be around.
Speaker 2: Yeah, and obviously we're not shutting the book on this
season yet, but you know, it was, you know, without
a doubt, not even question, the best rushing performance of
the season, not by light years for Air Force, running
for three hundred and forty four on eighty carries as
a team. And yeah, you say, well, I'm sure they
destroyed Merrimac. Actually they only ran for one hundred and
sixty six and the win over Merrimac.
Speaker 4: Because we didn't know what they were.
Speaker 2: Exactly so you know, without a doubt, and you mentioned
Dylan Carson. How about this, you know, the kid, you know,
comes in junior running back, and you know, he easily
doubled his biggest output of the season, which was sixty
yards and the most amount of carries he had had
in the game was twelve. He carried thirty three times
while scoring the first air force touchdown of the game.
So you know, certainly, you know, getting some big plays,
and you know, you do look ahead to next year
a little bit because we obviously, you know, we know
they're not going to go bowling and Quentin Hayes, you know,
getting another start the sophomore out of enterprise Alabama boy
slippery man, And I think what I'm you know, basically
trying to get out right here is you know, not bowling,
you want to win on senior day coming up, but
starting to kind of invest in the future a little
bit with a quarterback that's going to be around for
a while, that he's not just there as a couple
of coffee's a senior, he was a backup, comes in,
he's gonna finish out the year. This is the guy
you're gonna invest a little bit. Then he's a sophomore
and he's getting some starts and by the time he
you know gets it, you know, back for his junior year.
Very likely could be we don't know when it comes
to Dray Calhoun. Well might be the starting quarterback for
air Force next year with the experience.
Speaker 4: Yeah. Absolutely.
Speaker 3: And you've got you've got two more conference games, uh
in front of you.
Speaker 4: They're both on the road.
Speaker 3: You're gonna play Nevada, who is you know, probably maybe
the worst, maybe the worst one FBS team.
Speaker 4: In the country.
Speaker 3: Uh, you know they are, They're horrendous and San Diego State,
who is probably middle of the road. But I think
a team that that air Force can beat you. We
win those two games. You finished the conference with a
three and four record. You're in the middle of the
pack of the Mountain West. So you think about that.
You had an awful start, uh outside of that that
Merrimack game, and all of a sudden, you're finishing three
and four, you're four and seven. Yes, it's not where
you want to be, but you're in the You're gonna
be ahead of a bunch of teams that and a
couple of these teams that you probably shouldn't be like
you're gonna be ahead of Utahs. You'll probably be ahead
of Utah State. You'll probably be ahead of Wyoming. You
might be ahead of Hawaii at that point. I mean
you could be.
Speaker 4: Uh.
Speaker 3: You know, three wins is not gonna be put you
in the top half, but you're gonna be outside. You're
gonna be that middle third, which is I think a
big plus uh for this for this Falcons team. Looking
looking ahead to twenty twenty five, for these guys that
are returning.
Speaker 2: Well, certainly congratulations to Air Force getting off the snot
stopping that losing streak. Is they will now get ready
for Senior Day this coming weekend, their last home game
in the Springs this season. We'll talk about that more
here as we come back. But we've got our game
balls to give out. Steven, who's gonna get your game
ball this week?
Speaker 4: Brother?
Speaker 3: I've been thinking about this throughout this segment, and you've
had a number of guys that that you could talk
about in this Uh. In these three games, I'm not
giving my game ball to one person. I'm giving my
game ball to seven people. It is the front seven
of Air Forces defense that I'm going to give it to.
And here's why Fresno States running running rushing performance in
this game. They finished with a combined minus five yards
as a team rushing the football. Wow, minus five yards rushing.
So the Air Force front seven gets my game ball
this week.
Speaker 2: Wow, I like it. I like it. My game ball
is gonna go to. Of course, we're calling it the
bryceon daily, you know, honorable game ball at this point,
we've renamed it for the guy. But I'm gonna go
with Army senior safety Max d Domenicous the Army defense
what they did yet again. He led the team with
nine tackles, seven of them solo, to go along with
two pass breakups. So the senior safety Domenico di Domenico
getting it done. But as a whole, the Army defense
just continuing to play outstanding football again, leading in the
nation at giving up just eleven points per game. Continued
big plays, but North Texas likely without a doubt, probably
the best offensive team that Army was going to see
in their first year in the American not including the
Naval Academy, and they just flat shut him down. And
the two picks that were in the end zone, you know,
just huge to keep him out of the end zone
and to limit North Texas without even a touchdown this
game after they were averaging forty one yards a game.
I got to go with one of the stars and
the stalwarts from the Army, the Army Defense, Max d
Domenico with my game ball. All right, Steve, when we
got two games, we got a preview, we got the
Travis Manning Foundation on a segment, we got news and notes.
We gotta tell you where Army checked in, and the
latest college football playoff rankings. We're gonna do all that
here when we come back on the Last Word on
Sports Podcast Network, Steven, tell everybody what they can find.
Speaker 3: Absolutely the Last Word on Sports Podcast Network for all
things college gridiron, coast to coast Already this week we've
got this week in the ACC. Of course, Miami falls
from the ranks of the unbeaten at the hands of
Georgia Tech. So that gets a lot of love on
this week in the ACC for the guys that for
it just means more football and coffee. They have a
great conversation with the MBG himself, the message board genius,
and they get into all things.
Speaker 4: SEC this week.
Speaker 3: Also, get off my pylon they're looking out west, the
Holy War between BYU and Utah that went on until
two am on Sunday morning. I had to be up
for it, so yeah, I know all about that. They
go Matt Deemmit goes deep into BYU Utah, plus talk
about Oregon and Indiana in the Big Ten. And then
of course Florida football insiders. I don't know if you
know this, Price, but the state of Florida last week
in college and pro football went one and eight. The
only team that won last week was the Miami Dolphins
on Monday night over Los Angeles. So price, price you get,
you gotta want to listen to Jason Powers talk about
the wildness that's going on.
Speaker 4: He has Kevin Brockway of the Gainesville Sun.
Speaker 3: They're talking about Billy Napier coming back and Todd Golden
and the whole situation with the Florida basketball team as well.
That is all this week here on The Last Word
on Sports podcast Network from College Gridhirn coast to coast.
Speaker 2: We got a ton for everybody. We had a ton
more we got for you here on Yards and Stripes.
When we come back here on episode twelve.
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Speaker 1: The latest with Navy, Army and Air Force on Yards
and Stripes, Service Academy Football.
Speaker 2: All right, appreciate everybody tuning in this week to Yards
and Stripes. You're home for Service Academy Football, Army, Navy,
and Air Force. I'm Bryce Atkinson. He is Stephen Carney,
and let's get to our game previews this week because
we have two games to talk about, including a big
one in Annapolis. But Army is off. They've got a
bye week as they get ready for a big game
against Notre Dame the following weekend. So we won't talk
about Army and then get ready to take the field.
But what we will talk about is Army checking in
at number twenty four in the latest college football playoff rankings.
They move up one spot. Stephen sitting right behind Army,
how about two lost two lane? To me, that one
speaks volumes and I know there's a lot of hand ringing.
You know this week on the rankings where who you
know checked in where? But the biggest thing is looking
at Army's path, and you've got Boise State, who is
in the mount West. Obviously, they're thirteenth in the latest
rankings at eight and one. A reminder for everybody, their
only loss was to number one Oregon by a field goal, Steven,
So they have got a very good loss. If you're
going to have what's what we would term is a
good loss, Boise State at thirteen. Washington State the other
non power team, you know, a group of five team
that would be ahead of Army right now, Washington State
eight and one at number eighteen, and.
Speaker 4: Their only loss is to Boise State.
Speaker 2: So there's a lot of things in play here. But
as you and I were talking, look, Army's nine to
zero and we want them to continue to run this
stable and see how far they can take this thing.
But with two lane, even with two losses, there are
only one spot behind an undefeated Army team. You know,
even if Army finds a way to go undefeated through
this whole thing, Steven, I think they're going to need
some help. I don't know if it's going to be
that easy for Army to win out and then they
find a spot. Is the G five team in the playoff.
Speaker 3: Yeah, Unfortunately the Black Knights right now, their chances of
being in that twelve team playoff are significantly diminished. They
are not dead by any stretch of the imagination, but
unfortunately the You can see that the committee feels that
Boise State has a much stronger schedule, and as you mentioned,
their only losses to the top team in the country,
Oregon who is ten and zero, and Washington State who
is eight and one, And as I mentioned, their only
loss is to Boise State. So that right there tells
you where they put Army when it comes to these
group of six teams. Right now, they're third. They would
certainly get a lot closer to being second by doing
one small, tiny little thing. It's very simple to only
three words long beat Notre Dame because Notre Dame is
in those twelve teams as well, and it would be
the biggest win in Army schedule this year by strength
of opponent. Right now, their strongest opponent is last week's
win over North Texas, and that's a team that's right
around five hundred. They're winning percentage combined winning percentage is
somewhere in the vicinity of forty percent. They're like a
four hundred strength of schedule as opposed to some of
these other teams like a Boise State, like a Washington State,
even some of these other big twelve clubs that are
that are up there. You know, Colorado's got two losses,
but they've they've had a very very good, uh good run.
Here Louisville is in front of them, they have three losses. Uh,
you know, South Carolina's got three losses, LSU has three losses.
Speaker 4: You know, these are these are.
Speaker 3: Teams that you know, I think even if Army goes
under goes undefeated, you know, you're gonna be able to
jump some of them, but you're not gonna be able
to jump all of them.
Speaker 4: Uh.
Speaker 3: But so you're going to need to beat Notre Dame
next week and you're going to need help. You're gonna
need Boise to to fall off from from this point
looking forward and looking at Boise State's schedule, maybe maybe
Kenny's got a plan this week because they go to
San Jose State this week. You would love to seek
any of you my the lolo, you know, and Boise's
opportunities at at possibly going for a for a spot
in the CFP. Washington State, unfortunately, their schedule is almost
as bad because they have New Mexico. They are at
Oregon State, it's the only Pac twelve game of the season,
and then they finished the year against Wyoming, so they
don't have a very strong schedule to finish. So I
could see them being eleven and one. You know, I
can see Boise State maybe losing a game here and
they'll still have to play in the in the conference
championship at that point, probably against you know, either a
Colorado State or a un L V.
Speaker 4: So we'll see what happens.
Speaker 2: We would love to see Army. Let me just say
this up front, we would all love to see Army
in the College Fullwall Playoff. I wasn't trying to be
Debbie Downer or throw any round on the parade. I'm
just My point was is simply that Army likely is
going to need help. Even with a win over Notre
Dame next weekend, They're still going to need some help.
Speaker 3: It's not it's not that they're gonna need some help pricing.
They need a lot of help. Yeah, they're gonna they're
gonna need both Boising State and Washington State to stumble
at least once more, Yeah, both of them. And then
at that point then all bets are off.
Speaker 2: A lot more football to be played, folks, A lot
more can happen, a lot it will happen. What exactly
will happen, we will wait and find out. But it'll
be fun going through the journey together. All right, Let's
go ahead and turn our attention, Steven, to our two
games this coming weekend. We'll start as like we always do,
in chronological order from kickoffs, and we will start in
Annapolis on Saturday at twelve noon, number twenty five two
lane eight and two six and zero in the American
traveling to take on the Naval Academy seven and two
five and one Senior Day in Annapolis. But Stephen, this game,
I mean being billed is one of the biggest games
in Navy Marine Corps memorial history, at least in recent history.
And ironically, this is gonna be Navy's three hundred football
game played at home there in that stadium, as twenty
three seniors will be honored. This will be the twenty
six all time meeting between the two teams, first time
since twenty twenty. But boy, there is an awful lot
on the line crucial to determining who will play in
the American Athletic Conference Championship Game on Friday, December the six.
Speaker 4: Yeah.
Speaker 3: Absolutely, because for Tulane, this is their chance to punch
their ticket basically into the into the American Athletic Conference
Championship Game and make sure that Navy is not in it,
because you know, the Green wavers six to zero. A
win this week would get them to seven and zero
with one game left to play in in conference, so
they would they would be the other team in the
AAC Conference Championship Game and then it just determines on
which team is going to end up being uh the
host in this and you would still have an opportunity.
Speaker 2: Uh.
Speaker 4: I know that.
Speaker 3: Army plays UTSA, Tulane has Memphis. Uh, both of both
are going to be very difficult games. But that's down
the road. That's still down the road a couple of weeks. So,
but this is this is a big one for Tulane.
You know, the the Green Wave have not seen a
team like Navy this year. You know, I was looking,
I was looking at their schedule here this year and
you know they didn't they they haven't seen a team
do what Navy does, uh this year. You know, their
two losses were at home to Kansas State, which was
by a touchdown, and then they lost by a couple
of touchdowns to Oklahoma. So both of their losses are
the top twenty ranked teams. So I I think that
you know, this is going to be a matchup of
styles clashes to the extreme. You know, you look at
Tulane's quarterback Mensa Darien Mensa. You know, he's got sixteen touchdowns,
only four interceptions. He's got a completion percentage of over
sixty five percent. You know, there's a kid that knows
how to take care of the football. But they also
run the ball still pretty well as well. Also, you
know they've got a thousand yard rusher. They are very
very balanced, and the way to make sure that their
offense is unbalanced is by holding the football. And that's
exactly what Navy did last week against USF. I could
see them doing it again this week against Tulane.
Speaker 2: Yeah. Again, this is a twelve noon kickoff on ESPN
two in Annapolis and the two lane Green Wave. They
are giving a touchdown Maybe is a seven point home
underdog to the Green Wave over under in this one
is fifty two and a half. And you know, Tu
Lane's gonna be going for a little bit of history
right here in themselves. They've won sixteen straight American regular
season games, putting the Green Wave one win, shy of
Tyingsf's UCFS mark of seventeen straight from twenty seventeen to
twenty nineteen. But you know, kind of getting back to
you know the breakdown. You know. Look, a two Lane
win that puts Nate, that puts a two Lane win
on Saturday, puts the Green Wave in the championship game
against the Black Knights, location to be determined depending on
the rest of the regular season. But a tu Lane
win in its Army versus Tu Lane in the AC
Championship game on Friday, December six, a Navy win would
put the Mids even with Tulane, and Navy would hold
the tiebreaker over the Green Wave with the head to
head win. A Navy loss obviously clinches the spot for
Army tu Lane, but a Navy win over Tulane and
then a Navy win over East Carolina and then potentially
a Tulane win over Memphis couple with an Army loss
to ut s A that would create a three way
tie for first between Navy, Tulane and Army. We won't
get into the tie breakers and all that, but.
Speaker 3: No, because it's it is very It means I'd have
to take my shoes off, uh to start count because
it has to do with you know uh. Because now
you're getting into strength of schedules, You're starting to get
into you know, points against common opponents.
Speaker 4: It's a it is a wild while.
Speaker 3: Like I said, I gotta take my shoes off if
we're gonna if we're gonna get into that.
Speaker 2: Yeah. John Sumrall has done a fantastic job since coming
over from Troy to take over the Tulane program from
Willie Fritz who left for Houston. John sumral is one
of the rising stars and coaching. I don't say that
just because he is a fellow Kentucky Wildcat in the
UK ALM he is. There are a lot of people
looking at him already as a potentially a potential higher
and the sec the ACC So he might only be
in New Orleans for one year, but we will find out.
They have more to go and coaching carousel has yet
to start turning. But another stat here for you. A
win on Saturday would give Navy a five to zero
record at home, which would be the first time the
Mids have gone undefeated at home since twenty to nineteen,
when they went up perfect six and zero. But in
the seasons where the Navies had five or more home games,
they've only gone undefeated just five times at Navy Marine
Corps Memorial Stadium nineteen eighty one, four, twenty thirteen to fifteen,
and then nineteen and then also we'll see what the
situation might be. Was something to keep in the back
of your head, potentially is Navy's won seventy two consecutive
games at home when leading after three quarters, the nation's
longest such streak. The last time Navy lost at home
when leading after three that was before I even got
to the Naval Academy and was working in an athletic
department in October twenty third of nineteen ninety nine, when
the Mids led Akron twenty nine to thirteen and ended
up losing thirty five to twenty nine.
Speaker 4: Stephen, Yeah, let's not talk about that now.
Speaker 2: Number twenty five two Lane and Navy again twelve noon
ESPN two from Navy More Income Memorial Stadium, Tu Lane
A touchdown favor on the road. Fifty two and a
half is the over under all Right, the other game, Stephen,
the Oregon State Beavers, the Conference Les Beavers. They are
heading to the Springs to take on two and seven
air Force. This is a three thirty Eastern Standard time
kickoff on the CBS Sports Network. Oregon State giving three
and a half on the road over under forty four
and a half in what will be the first ever
meeting between these two schools.
Speaker 3: Yeah, and this is a Beaver's team that, amazingly enough,
at four and five, is in first place in the
PAC twelve. Because there really is no PAC twelve. It's
basically just Oregon State and Washington State as they have
their agreement with the Mountain West Conference set up for
this year. Of course, next year the PAC twelve will
return with a bunch of teams that they have taken
from the Mountain West Conference. So I looked at, you know,
what the Beavers have done well this year, and really
what they have done well this year is run the football.
This is a this is a team that, much like
air Force, is going to want to control the line
of scrimmage. They are going to want to run the football.
They're averaging almost five yards of carry as a team.
You know, they've got twenty five rushing touchdowns as a
team here this year. They only have four passing touchdowns.
So obviously they are going to want to run the
football and control the line of scrimmage. I think that
this could end up being very much like what you
see what or what I should say, what you saw
last week between Army in North Texas, where every possession
is going to count for both sides. Because much like
what we saw in Denton this past week, do not
be surprised if there are only six total possessions in
the first half or eight total possessions in the first half.
Speaker 4: I don't see.
Speaker 3: This one going, you know, twelve, fourteen, sixteen possessions and
a half's unless there's a lot of three and outs,
and there could be a lot of three outs. But
both of these teams are gonna want to run the football,
and I don't see that happening.
Speaker 2: Yeah, I'm with you on that, you know, stat for
you well, well, before you give you this one senior
day in the Springs, the senior class for Air Force yes,
they're not gonna be going bowling this year. It stinks,
but still a chance to benish strong. This has been
an outstanding class of seniors for Troy Calhoun, thirty one
and seventeen overall, seventeen to twelve in the Mount West.
They've gone to three bowl games, winning them all, defeating
also a pair of Power five programs, including also James
Madison last year in the Armed Forces Bowl when they
were ranked in the top twenty five. So just certainly
an outstanding opportunity to say thank you to those seniors
and support them as they go out, you know, on
Saturday in their last game in the Springs. This Air
Force will be on the road for the last two.
But here's what did you know? Stephen Air Force is
just one of two schools nationally where the head coach,
offensive and defensive coordinators are all at their alma maters.
Head coach Troy Calhoun, offensive coordinator Might Fast, and defensive
coordinator Brian nor all academy graduates. Can you name the
other school?
Speaker 3: Oh, let me think about this. It's certainly not the
University of South Florida. I know that one for a fact.
As i'm as I try as I try and do
this is as quickly as I can, and I get.
Speaker 4: A region.
Speaker 3: Out west, all right, so they are out it's a
it's a program that is out west.
Speaker 4: I'm gonna say, U c l A, I think to
Sean Foster.
Speaker 2: Went to U c l A.
Speaker 4: I'm gonna guess you see to.
Speaker 2: Give you the answer. It is the opponent on Saturday
for air Force, the Oregon Wow State Beavers.
Speaker 4: I didn't know that the.
Speaker 2: Only other school. They're head coach Trenton Bay, offensive coordinator
Ryan Gunderson and their decordinator Keith Hayward. All O su alums,
bet you didn't see that one and Furtesy courtesy of
the Air Force Sports Information Office and my friend Troy Garnhart,
the outstanding sid at the Air Force Academy. So once
again a three point thirty kickoff there on CBS Sports Network,
Oregon State and air Force a three and a half
point favorite, as the Beavers are forty four and a
half is the over under Steven. We got more to
do here. We got a Travis Minon Foundation on a
roll segment coming up just on the other side. We
got a bunch of notes to pass along. We got
some picks to make Let's do that when we come back.
Speaker 5: In two thousand and seven, Mareen 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 thea and inspired civilians
at Travismannon dot org.
Speaker 2: All right, welcome back in the Yards and stripes, your
home for Service Academy Football, and you know it's time
for our Travis Manion Foundation Honor Roles segment for the
honor remember a fallen hero, one that has given the
ultimate sacrifice for our nation and for our freedoms. And
you can find out a lot more about the Travis
Mannion Foundation online at Travismannion dot org. And this week
in the TMF hon Role, We're going to honor remember
Staff Sergeant Jerry Hudgens from the United States Army Staff
Sergeant Hudgens was a Native American Cato Indian who was
born and raised in Norman, Oklahoma, where she played varsity
basketball at Norman High School. Before enlisting in the US Army,
she completed her basic training at Fort Jackson before being
assigned to the eighty second Airborne. She was deployed to
Iraq excuse me for eighteen months, and after her service
time was complete for active duty, she moved back to
Oakland and joined the Oklahoma Army National Guard, where she
was then deployed to Afghanistan for twelve months. She volunteered
to deploy for a third time to Afghanistan, but was
severely injured at four Bliss during training. She was moved
to Fort Hood at the Warrior Transition Unit to complete
her medical outprocessing. When she was told her career was
over due to injury, she became severely depressed. Once she
returned home, she tragically took her own life. She was
a mother of two to two beautiful daughters of her
own and a stepmother to three sons. She was an
amazing soldier, mother, wife, and leader, and she has greatly missed.
Her top character strengths her described by her husband Aaron
as appreciation of beauty and excellence, bravery and leadership, and
Aaron said of his wife, Jerry, my wife was fearless.
Just before a third deployment, she volunteered to try and
become an infantryman when the Army allowed women to be
combat soldiers. She wanted to show her troops that women
could be infantry and deploy with an infantry company and
lead soldiers in combat. She would have been the first
woman at Oklahoma National Guard to be a combat veteran
with a combat infantry badge. She would have also been
the first female warrior in her tribe. During her first attempt,
she nearly made it completely through the Army's infantry course,
but was unable to throw the anger and eate ninety feet,
missing the mark by only two feet. She was planning
on returning to school to returning to the school after deployment,
but ended her life. So many members return home from
active duty with mental health disorders PTSD and other mental
health issues, and it's a fact. In two thousand and
twenty two, study showed that seventeen point six percent of
active duty servicemen and women had some form of psychological
health concern for which they sought treatment. While they're an
array of avenues for service members to seek health health counseling,
there are confidential counselors available for members and their families
through Military One source at one eight hundred three four
to two nine six four seven Again eight hundred three
four to two nine six four seven. So this week
we want to remember the life of Staff Sergeant Jerry Hudgens,
who passed away on April the twenty ninth, twenty and eighteen.
Speaker 6: Travis Mallon Foundations nine to eleven Heroes run five k
Ray 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 heroesrun dot org.
Speaker 1: The latest with Navy, Army and Air Force on Yards
and Stripes Service Academy Football.
Speaker 2: All Right, final segment here on Yards and Stripes Episode twelve,
Steve Carney Price Atkinson. As we begin to wrap this
one up and get ready for a big Saturday at
college football, I want to thank in the Travis Median
Foundation for one again working with us to honor our
fallen heroes. Certainly obviously Veteran State came and went last week,
and you know, I hope everybody had the chance to
thank someone they know, loved that that served or is
serving around the country. I made sure that my first
first outreach went to my man Steve Conne himself, because
damn so lucky to have you, Stephen.
Speaker 3: And I wore my I wore my USS Theodore Roosevelt
command ball cap, which is about twenty five years old,
maybe and maybe not. I'm trying to think, when did
I get to the ship. Yeah, nineteen ninety nine, so
so yeah, so it is. It's twenty five years old.
And I took a picture and it is beat up,
like it's the last one I have. It's a class
I got to find, so I got to find and
you know, they don't make these. These are like these
are new era caps too, so because you buy them
at the ship's store and they're really really nice and
you can only get them on the ship. So usually
I've I've been looking around and you get the ones
that are like all ugly, and you know, the ones
that you can buy at the at the exchange, which
are not the same. You know, it's not the right
it's not the right material, it's not the right stitching.
So I only have one left, and it's beat the
hell up, and so I took a picture of it
and I was like, yes, it is old and it
is beat up, much like the guy wearing it, but
which got to laugh out of everybody. But I only
break it out for very special occasions. I wore on
both Saturday and Sunday to Raymond James Stadium for my jobs.
Speaker 2: So God, I love it. I love it, and I
love the hat, and I love you too because you are.
Speaker 3: I'm going on eBay here this week, so see if
I can find anybody that's got him. I know what
they look like, and so I can tell. I can
tell from pictures between real ones and ones that you
buy at the exchange or at an arm Navy surplus store.
I know the difference, and so I can find them.
Hopefully I can find one on eBay that's a little
better looking than the one that I have.
Speaker 2: Now, if any of our listeners have one or know
where they can get one to Steven, send him a message.
Speaker 4: Now seventy one that's what I'm looking for.
Speaker 2: That's it, all right, Steven. A couple of news and
notes to pass long before we get to our picks,
because I know everybody's on the edge of their seats
ready for that one. So we're part of the last
Word on Sports podcast Network. But let's start out West
air Force the game, their game at Nevada on Saturday,
November the twenty third. That's going to be a ten
to thirty five PM Eastern Standard time kickoff on FS one.
That's eight thirty five there locally, but Air Force in
Nevada on November twenty third on FS one at ten
thirty five Eastern. Air Force kicker Matthew Dupour named the
Mountain West Special Teams Player of the Week this week.
Scores season nine twelve points in their win over Fresno
with three field goals thirty five, thirty seven, and six
to become the all time lyad score in Air Force
history with two hundred and fifty seven points. Second field
goal marked the first points for Air Force in the
third quarter all season. Steven Air Force had been outscored
sixty eight to nothing in the third quarter this year
until he wand at home that field goal. Army junior
linebacker Caleb Fortner. He was named the AAC Defensive Player
of the Week after his eight tackles and two TFLs
for you in the game against the Mean Green, limiting
North Texas to sixty nine yards rushing in two hundred
and eighty three total yards. He has started all nine
games for the Black Knights, with a team high of
seven and a half tackles for a loss. Staying with
Navy or Staying with Army, The Army offensive line named
one of ten semi finalists for the Joe Moore Award,
that one's given out annually to the best offensive line
in college football. So congratulations to the big uglies upfront
for Army, and then also sharing a couple of awards.
Armies Bryce and Daily and Avy's Blake Corbath, the quarterbacks,
both named semi finalists for the Debut O'Brien Award, while
Daily he was named the semi finalists for the Maxwell
Award and the Walter Camp Player of the Year Award.
I will tell you, as a voter as a member
of the Football Writers Association of America, Daily did get
my vote in the Maxwell Award. Colin Ramos also got
a vote for me for a first team linebacker from
the Naval Academy, So just passing that along and then
staying with Navy, real quick Stephen. Big news this week
in terms of the future, Navy and Notre Dame announcing
their twenty twenty six game that will be played at
Gillette Stadium in Foxboro, Massachusetts. The twenty twenty six installment
will mark the first time in the ninety nine game
series history that the Story Rivalry will be played in
New England. The matchup will be the Fighting Irish's first
time playing at Gillette Stadium, while the Midshipman it will
be their second time after playing the Army Navy game there.
And then finally, Navy punter Riley Rithman see Special Teams
Player of the Week.
Speaker 4: Steven Yeah, I was.
Speaker 3: I saw the announcement that the twenty twenty six game
between Navy and Notre Dame was going to take place
at Gillette Stadium in Foxboro, and I thought to myself,
I was like, that's the place that you want to
play that game, you know, I didn't I know that
there were a lot of people that did not like
the Army Navy game being played at Gillette Stadium.
Speaker 4: I was. I was not.
Speaker 3: One of the real big supporters of it. I like
it being either in New York, in the Washington, DC,
Maryland area, or in Philadelphia. I personally like that, and
I know that they want to try and allow it
to kind of breathe and get to certain other places.
I like the tradition of it. But for me, I
love that Navy and Notre Dame are going to play
in Boston or just outside of Boston and Foxborough. That's
a game that I think you could move anywhere. That's
a game you could play at in at Jerry's World.
That's a game you could play at Allegiance Stadium in
Las Vegas. That's a game that you could play at
hard Rock Stadium. Down here in Miami. You can play
it here at Raymond James Stadium if you wanted to.
That's one that I think should be moved around every
year and be played outside of you know, South Bend
and Annapolis.
Speaker 2: Yeah, all right, let's get to some picks, because I've
got my picks, I've got my scores, I've got them
all written down for our two games. Steve, all right,
let's start. Let's start with air Force because the Biggie
is the last one. Let's start with Oregon State at
air Force three point thirty kick on CBS Sports Network.
Oregon State is a three and a half point favorite
on the road over under a forty four and a half.
Can air Force make it two wins in a row?
Speaker 4: Steve, you know what, It's senior Day. You mentioned it already.
It is senior Day.
Speaker 3: You can't tell me that those Falcon seniors aren't going
to be motivated and all of the underclassmen, they're gonna
be motivated for them. You know, it's not often that
a Service Academy football player needs that extra motivation, but
they're gonna get it this week. And yes, I have
air Force winning this game. It's not gonna be pretty,
that's for sure. I have air Force seventeen Oregon State fourteen.
I think it's gonna be close. Like I said, I
don't think there's gonna be a whole lot of a lot,
a whole lot of possessions that are going to either
be you know, there's not gonna be these mid possessions.
You're gonna see a lot of three and outs, or
you're gonna see some long drives from these teams. So
I think it's going to be I think it's gonna
be close. But I think the Falcons send the Beavers
packing seventeen fourteen.
Speaker 2: Wow, how about that? All right? Well, we're gonna be
on opposite side in this one, Steven, because I think
that as much as air Force has struggled and could
be finding some footing, which I hope they are, I
think they're running a game of Anthony Hankerson, the outstanding
running back for Oregon State, has run for over eight
hundred and seventy yards fourteen touchdowns. I just think it's
going to be too much. I think they're gonna wear
the Falcons down on Senior Day. I like Oregon State
in a little bit higher scoring game. I like them
twenty seven to seventeen in the Springs. All right, Tulane
in Navy, Big game of the week, A lot of
American Athletic Conference implications in this one, Steve number twenty five.
Tulane at Navy, twelve noon kick off ESPN two, Navy
as a touchdown underdog at home fifty two and a
half in over under. What he thinks, Steven, can Navy
pull it off?
Speaker 4: You know what? You know what you know what I love.
You know what I love price. I love chaos.
Speaker 3: I love chaos when it comes to the top of
the American Athletic Conference standings.
Speaker 4: And there's only way. There's only one way.
Speaker 3: To get chaos, and that is for a win for
the Midshipman. So yes, I think that, Uh, there's no
crawfish ball going on in Annapolis. You're gonna have some
blue crab and some old Bay season and going on
as the Green Wave get pipped by the Midshipman in
this game. I think Blake Corvat has a huge day
in this game, whether it's handed the ball off to
the three headed monster known as Alex Tesca and uh
Dabboffana and Eli Heidenreich, I think that I think that
they could have a huge day.
Speaker 2: Uh.
Speaker 3: And so yes, I have Navy winning this game. Thirty
one twenty one.
Speaker 2: Wow. So the first excuse me for the first time
all season, Steven and I are going completely the opposite
way on picks. As much as I also would like
to see Navy win and I like to see Air
Force wam, I'm going with the enemy. I'm going with
the visitors in this one. I'm taking Tulane to knock
off Navy twenty four to twenty, setting up the Green
Wave and the Black Knights in the American Athletic Commerce
Championship Game. But one thing I can guarantee, obviously, somebody
will win, well, somebody will lose. But the other thing
that I can guarantee, that's more important. People are gonna
be eating good outside of the stadium in Annapolis on Saturday.
When you talk about some so hungry, some crab and
some old oh BOYBCA just.
Speaker 3: Sabcakes and some remolode and fear to go along.
Speaker 4: Oh my goodness, gracious.
Speaker 2: It's gonna be a beautiful day, I think in Annapolis.
Speaker 4: I love Maryland.
Speaker 2: You are now, but I also know how much you
love food, So that's true right there. I wish we
could get a Steven at this game and get a
food report on next week's episode. That's what I really
wish we could get.
Speaker 4: But hey, stress, hook a brother out.
Speaker 2: And a plane ticket too. Yeah, all right too, Steven.
Great job. As always, man, We are back every single
week here once again on the Last World on Sports
Podcast Network. Usually come to you on Wednesdays, Tuesday, Wednesday,
Thursday midweek as we get you ready Army, Navy, and
Air Force. That is what we do. He is Steve Carney.
I'm Price Acts, and we appreciate everybody tuning in, investing
their time and listening to this episode. If you've listened
to other ones this season, we just appreciate you taking
the time to support what we do and the passion
we have for Service Academy Football. Can't wait to do
it again next week.
Speaker 4: Steven absolutely enjoy the games.
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
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