Speaker 1: Need to get your football fix on all things Army,
Navy and Air Force. This is Yards and Stripes Service
Academy Football. Now here are your hosts, Pryce Atkinson and
Steve Carney.
Speaker 2: All right, here we go another episode of Yards and Stripes, Army,
Navy and Air Force. That is what we do. And
how about a surprise in week one Steven to kick
things off as we get underway an episode two here
of Yards and Stripes. He is Stephen Carney and I
am Price Atkinson. Appreciate you tuning in with us this
week as we recap the weekend, we get you ready
for the week ahead. We've got our Travis Mannion Foundation
Honor Roll segment. We got game balls to give out.
We got picks to make for the week ahead, two
games to be exact. We will talk about those in
just a little bit. But Steven, damn good to see
you on a Labor Day edition as we were recording
on Monday evening, getting ready for yet another week in
a college football but before we put one foot in
front of the other. Damn it, how was opening weekend?
Did it feel like Christmas morning? I know it did.
Here at the app cons to the State.
Speaker 3: Yeah, It certainly did here with us here in Tampa
as well, and it really started on Thursday with the
University of South Florida beating Boise State at Raymond James
Stadium thirty four to seven, and it really never stopped
from that point on. I'm sure that Navy Athletics director
Michael Kelly, who we had on last week, of course,
go back and listen to that conversation if you want
here in the College Gridiron Coast to Coast podcast network Feed.
I know Michael was very happy to see that because
it's another step forward in a group and a group
of people that he led down here before going to Annapolis.
But then watching an entire weekend, you know, getting a
game on Fry, two games on Saturday to watch was
just awesome and had had everything lined up. It didn't
matter if I was working baseball games or if I
was here at the crib. There was college football on
on some device, whether it was my television, my iPad,
my phone, it didn't matter. There was going to be football,
and it was. It was a lot of fun for sure.
Speaker 2: Yeah, as the weekend is still literally opening weekend, it
is finishing off tonight as TCU and U and C
are on the field right now. But before we go
any further and we talk about what are the surprises.
I don't want to call it a shocker because I wasn't,
you know, shocked, you know, a little bit surprised. I
thought would be the closest game of the week. But
we'll get to that in a second. As Army falls,
Navy and Air Force get victories first, like we have
to do every single week. Steven a poppy Yon's pizza report.
We got to know Labor Day evening, we threw up
the grill up here at the Atkinson now tonight with
some burgers and dogs. What did Steven and his lovely bride?
How was that? Pabian's this evening? Give me the toppings?
Speaker 3: You know, usually on Mondays we have burgers. Okay, so
it's it's pretty funny that you got you got the
grill out. We usually do burgers on Monday, and we
usually leave the pizza for Tuesday or Wednesday. But with
with it being Labor Day, Emily was off from work.
I didn't have anything uh this afternoon. That was pressing
for me. So we went and got pizza for lunch
from a little place right down the street from the
crib called Slice of the Burg.
Speaker 4: It's a it's a New York style.
Speaker 2: Uh.
Speaker 3: I hate saying New York style pizza because that is
pizza to me. But I say New York style in
the sense that it's uh. You can get it by
the slice. They they sell it on paper plates. Uh.
They had all sorts of different uh styles which I
or I shouldn't say styles, but tops and some very
cool specialties. Emily got the Sweet Heat, which had pepperoni,
rakota and mango hobanarow honey on it. So in the sauce,
which I thought was really neat, I went straight meat lovers,
because that's if I want to If I.
Speaker 4: Want to have vegetables on a pizza, I'll order a salad.
Speaker 3: But what you can get when you can get two slices,
which is basically half a pie and a drink for
eight dollars or eight point fifty, it's the perfect lunch
to have and a great lunch special that they have
Slice of the Burg in Saint Petersburg, Florida.
Speaker 4: Definitely check them out.
Speaker 2: Well, I'm thrown off kilter because we usually don't record
on Monday evenings, so you know, forgive me for what
you know, for requesting a Popion's Pizza report. And no
we're not sollictening or advertising for popyons. They don't pay
as they are listening for Papa y okay, let right,
don't I want them to?
Speaker 4: I want them to sponsor yards and stripes.
Speaker 2: I do too because I want to give out a
free pizza coupon to a lucky listener every week and
then them not claim it and we get to use
it for ourselves so we can. But you know, I'm
not that kind of guy. I am a much nicer guy.
But I'll tell you one thing, Tarleton was anything but nice.
Steven to the Black Knights in overtime on Friday Night
as the Texans. They walk into Mike Stadium and they
pull off a big one in double overtime Tarlatan State
thirty Army twenty seven and the season opener for the
Black Knights as Tarlatan State getting their first or second
ever win over a D one opponent. So obviously a
big evening for Tarletan State. And I thought, you know,
when we did our picks last week, I had the
game you know I picked. I thought it would have
been close. Thirty twenty four is when I had it.
You had at thirty three fourteen. I thought it would
be close for a while. But then in that fourth
quarter is when Army and their offensive line and playing
at home, they would just you know, when you when
you're playing a one double A team or excuse me
an FCS team, you know usually in the second half
and in the fourth quarter, that you know, the depth
starts becoming an issue. It didn't at Mikey on Friday night.
It's I mean, it seemed like Tarleton. You know, they
continued to really get their feet under them, and they
got stronger as the game went on. But you know,
regardless of how it transpired, what transpired was a very
tough opening loss for Jeff Munkin and his team. Uh
is they had that nine game home winning streak that
was snapped there at the hands of a Brad Larson's
thirty seven yard field goal in double overtime. Your reaction,
because again I don't think we say shocked, just a
little bit surprised here in this.
Speaker 3: One, Steve Well, and you have to think that Dwayne
Coleman left the game in the fourth quarter with a
while minutes to play, Now, I give their backup Cal
Helms all the credit in the world. He led the
Black Knights down the field and into field goal range.
But when you have a kicker that's in his first
collegiate game, as Dawson Jones was, you could tell the
nerves were kind of getting to him, and that's to
be expected from a true freshman. This is an eighteen
year old kid that is kicking in Division one football
for the first time, at home, in front of everybody
that he knows, and he ends up missing from I believe,
from forty three with as time expired to send the
game into overtime instead of giving the Black Knights a victory.
Speaker 4: Now Jones, I saw he went two for four.
Speaker 3: He made from twenty four and from forty missed from
forty three and forty. Here's the thing that really, if
I'm Jeff Monkin, this is what I harped on on
Saturday morning when I got the guys into the facility
and had them watching film early on Saturday morning before
you gave them maybe the opportunity to go watch some football.
Army was minus three in the turnover ratio. We've talked
about this every single year that for service academies to
be successful, you can't be negative in the turnover ratio
and two interceptions, they lost a fumble. They all came
in the second half. You know that that I think
is huge there that three of their drives ended with
the ball on the turf and with Tarleton State getting
an opportunity to go the other way. Never mind the
missed field goals at the end of regulation and in
second and in the second overtime that allowed Tarleton State
to pick up the victory. The the turnovers are what
Jeff Bunkin is is gonna harp on all this week
as they get ready for what's going to be a
much bigger, a much bigger program that they're gonna have
to go face in Manhattan, that being Manhattan, Kansas gah,
home of Kansas State.
Speaker 4: To gotta get that fixed.
Speaker 2: Yeah, Army up twenty four to ten midway through the
third quarter and did not score again until the Dawson
Jones forty forty yard field goal in the first overtime
to force the second overtime. And like you said, you know,
certainly Dwayne Coleman going out getting banged up late there
in regulation as cal Hellums came on in relief, you know,
just you know, not having your your your your signal caller,
the one that everybody knows, you know, the ones they
had the game plan for. That's that obviously hurt the
Black Knights. But you know, nonetheless, you know Coleman was
pretty darn good in the football game, you know, seven
twelve throwing the football one hundred and twenty nine yards. Yeah,
he had two interceptions. You mentioned the turnovers. That's not
gonna that's not going to make Jeff Munkin happy. But
he did run for a team high twenty four times
one hundred yards and a touchdown. So you know, this
is his team this year. This is not him coming
in relief for bryceon Daily. If you're an Army fan,
you're certainly not you know, you're not happy with the loss,
but you've got to be happy to see Dwayne Coleman
have that productive you know, have that productive night. And
as one of our listeners had had sent me a
note over the weekend, he's you know, he was bummed
out about it too, Steven Astaborski, who's a loyal listener,
but he sent me a note and he's dead on.
He said, look, Army's goals are all still within reach.
Beat Navy, win the Commander in Chief Trophy, make a
bowl game, make it to the American Championship game in
the season ranked again. So I was like, I can't
argue with you, dude. Yeah, the loss sucks it. I
don't say it's embarrassing losing to a you know, one
double AFCs team, but everything's there, still on the table.
Speaker 3: Yeah, the fourth the fourth goal might be a little
tougher because I can see a lot of college football
writers and coaches going, I'm not going to give my
vote to an Army club that lost to an FCS
team to begin the year. I can just see especially writers,
maybe not so much coaches, but I can see writers going,
now they lost to an FCS team, I'm not giving
them a vote, even if they run the table from
here on out. There are certainly writers that are out
there that will say screw that. But I agree, all
of those goals are still within reach and they're all
still very attainable. But it's going to start. You know,
Army is going to now be unfortunately behind the proverbial
eight ball and maybe with a very likely chance this
week that they're going to start the euro in two,
which they did not want to do.
Speaker 2: Yeah, once again Tarleton's State thirty Army twenty seven and
double overtime. As the Black Knights now get ready to
go on the road to Manhattan and then the Little
Apple to take on k State. That'll be a tough
one certainly this weekend. But moving on from last weekend,
Navy fifty two vm I seven, we thought this one
would be probably over at halftime, and it certainly was.
As the two headed monster at quarterback for Navy. You know,
it's funny now starting to see, you know, some of
that depth you know Navy, you know, last couple of years,
you know, before Blake Corbath really took the bull by
the horns last year, played a lot of quarterbacks over
the last couple of seasons. Now that might be starting
to pay off a little bit. Yes, it was vm I,
but you know, Blake Corbath comes in, is the starter,
one of you know, considered one of the top quarterbacks
certainly in the American throws six to seven, nearly perfect
sixty six yards, those eight to beautiful eighteen yard touchdown
passed to Eli Heiden right before they bench him and
put Braxton Woodson in you know who, a senior who
you know started has had his moments starting under center.
He had one hundred and eighty yards rushing what on
just seven carries, a seventy four yard touchdown run, a
sixty eight yard touchdown run the second half as Navy
rolled up fifty five hundred and fifty six yards of
total offense four hundred and sixty four on the ground.
Navy could do no wrong. But it was all started
by those two quarterbacks, Blake Corbath with throwing the football
and then certainly Braxton Woodson in his legs.
Speaker 3: Yeah, and I looked at this game and watching this game,
it was it was interesting to see how the dynamic
changed between the quarterbacks, and it gives Navy a little
bit of a wrinkle that teams are gonna have to
start preparing for. It's like, okay, are we going to
see Blake Corbath doing his thing? And he can run
the ball, he can throw the football, and then Braxton
Woodson with the amazing way that he was able to
get through into a second into the VMI secondary and
get down the field and into the end zone twice.
I saw this note at Woodson's one hundred and eighty
yards on seven carries is the most yards on seven
carries since Clyde Edwards. Hilaire when he was at LSU
had one hundred and eighty eight yards on six.
Speaker 4: Carries, which I think about that.
Speaker 3: I mean, you're averaging over thirty five yards of gary.
Speaker 4: You know, that's an incredible number.
Speaker 3: But yeah, I do like the fact that now Brian
Newberry has these two different facets that he can show
out there, and you when you have two facets, you
technically have.
Speaker 4: Four because you can go the other way. And I
really like that.
Speaker 3: It's gonna make Navy even harder for opposing defensive coordinators
to script against.
Speaker 2: Yeah, this won't get I'm not prisoner, you know, I'm
not a prisoner of the moment kind of god. I
always like to temper expectations, especially when you're playing a
one double a team, a much lesser opponent in week one.
You know, it usually takes I've said it before on
the podcast here many times I'll say it again. It usually, really,
to me, takes a month to really learn, you know,
what a team is, who their identity is, what their
strengths are, because again, the opponents are usually so varied
in that first month of the season. So you know,
for everything that we say about Army just a few
minutes ago, and we'll say about Navy right now, and
certainly air Force, you know, there's a lot of season ahead.
You know, these were lesser opponents. Yeah, I know Army lost,
and air Force and Navy one big. But how much
can you really learn about beating up on vm I?
We did learn that, you know, Yeah, you should put
your foot on your foot on the throat when you
got them down, and they did. And you know, a
team that like vm I, that has struggled mightily in
the success category every up and down the stat sheet.
Navy holding vm I to less than one yards rushing
per game. Don't care who you are, that's gonna win
you a football game most anytime you play.
Speaker 4: Yeah, it certainly will.
Speaker 3: And uh when you look at especially see the time
of possession, uh, and and all of the all of
the team stats that that you that you tend to
look at there. Yeah, I know that you know, maybe
you would like to have seen the time of possession
be a little higher. But when you're when you're going
down the field as quickly as they were, you know
that's going to be something that you don't have to
that that you kind of have to take with a
with a grain of salt. I loved the fact that
they were ten for thirteen on third downs. I loved
the fact that they had zero turnovers. And and again
I will, I will harp this until the cows come home.
Speaker 4: Price. Uh.
Speaker 3: That that is exactly how a service Academy puts in.
Speaker 4: It puts up a victory.
Speaker 3: It doesn't matter if it's against the Key Dets, it
doesn't matter if it's against cod Debts, it doesn't matter
if it's against Wildcats. You know, it's exactly what a
Service Academy should be known for when it comes to
their football program.
Speaker 2: And the other thing, too is when you have got
the returning cast of characters like Navy does. And I
say that with all with all respect and everything, but
when you return the playmakers in the kind of weapons
that Navy has, especially on the offensive side of the ball,
you want to see him get going early and you
don't want to have to wait, well, where has so
and so been? You know, after a couple of games
that wasn't the case. Blake Corvath showed out played great
now Alex Tesca led the team with you know, fifteen carries.
He had eighty nine yards, just shy of six yards
of carry. Of course, Eli heiden Wright did his thing.
He had seventy yards on the ground and a touchdown
then also caught a touchdown pass six receptions for sixty
five yards. All your studs, you know, in playmakers for Navy,
they were showing, they were showing out and show themselves
in that very first game. And that's what you like
to see is once again they beginning that fifty two
to seven win over VMI to prove to one to
zero as B and I dropped to oh to one
on the season. All right, last game of the weekend,
Stephen out in Colorado Springs the Air Force Academy. They
bounce back and get a forty nine to thirteen win
over But now when I say bounced back, obviously I'm
referring to the tough season last year. But now nineteen
straight wins to open the season and a fifth straight
win dating back to last year. Because as we've talked
about last week previewing the season, you know, it's tough
of a season the Air Force did have last year.
They ended the season on a four game winning streak.
So you wrap it around, that's now fifth or five
straight wins for the Falcons in a game that had
a weather delay there in the third quarter. You know,
that took about not quite an hour and then they
end up playing a twelve minute fourth quarter there with
both coaches agreeing to it. But I think one of
the biggest things is you saw Josh and it was
a revolving door quarterback. Last year for Air Force, you know,
they didn't even have a single quarterback throw multiple touchdown
passes in a single game last year. He did it
with two touchdown passes. In this game, he only had
four compleations, but two of them were for touchdowns one
hundred and twelve yards. It was great to see Josh
Johnson get to get going again opponent, notwithstanding a win.
And this is exactly how you want to start it
to get it going for the Falcons.
Speaker 4: Yeah, and they were.
Speaker 3: Able to stretch the field on those on those touchdowns.
One of them was a forty yarder to Quinn Smith,
and then Kate Harris, who had two rushing touchdowns, also
had the sixty six sixty two yard touchdown pass as well.
So I like the fact that they were able to
try and stretch things down the field, made like easier
for them on the ground, and they did. I thought
a good job on the ground, you know, rushing the
rushing the football, you know, two hundred and sixty seven
yards rushing Buckdal had just two hundred and sixty six
total yards. So I love that that look there, and
I loved that they were able to get plus turnover wise,
whereas you know, Army was minus, Navy was even, air
Force was plus. They got they picked up a fumble,
they they got an interception, so two of the Bison
drives ended with the ball going the other way.
Speaker 4: And I and I.
Speaker 3: Think that's a huge boost of confidence to a defensive
squad who found that a very hard thing to do
last year.
Speaker 2: And another thing that was hard to come by for
Air Force last year, which you don't usually it's not
the case, especially when you talk triple option football and
service academies, because you know, typically big plays that are
going to come Those big plays weren't in abundance last
year for the Falcons. But they started with a big play,
a forty yard touchdown pass Josh Johnson to Quinn Smith
to open the game, and then another big, a big
touchdown pass from Josh Johnson Decaid Hair sixty two yards
to end the first half up twenty eight to seven.
That's got to give you a lot of confidence. Again,
you know, a Bucknell opponent notwithstanding, but you know, one
thing that you can do in a game like this
is you can start strong. And you're younger guys and
some first time starters, guys that may not have played
a lot. You can give them a taste of success,
and that's something that can carry you a long way.
Especially when you get that kind of momentum and you
get that taste of success early. That's a good sign
for air Force and Troy foul Troy Calhoun's team because
it just was not in abundance, especially those big plays.
They just continually lacked the home run, big hitter.
Speaker 3: Last year, Steve, Yeah, and I looked at last year
Navy got that first bit of success in their schedule,
putting up forty nine points against Bucknell. This year, it's
all your air Force has turned to nearly hang a
fifty nine or a fifty burger on the Bison. So
maybe I you know, I I'm not saying that those
can be related, but I do like the fact that
they were able to do a very similar sort of
outing as what Navy was able to do last year
with this club, and will that lead to similar success
this year?
Speaker 4: Who knows.
Speaker 3: Yeah, I mean that's why they play these games. Yeah,
on the field and not on paper. But it's certainly
a very positive piece that Troy Calhoun and company can
point at and go, Okay, guys, now you know what,
You've got this feeling underneath you, and now we start
to move on from here because things are going to
start getting harder after our bye week this week.
Speaker 2: Yeah, a really clean game played by the Falcons. They
were also seven to ten on third and fourth down combined,
and you know, four hundred and twenty six yards offense
is something that in an area they struggled with last year.
So the big plays were certainly a welcome site and
good to see as air Force gets that forty nine
to thirteen win over. But now to open the season,
all right, let's give out some game balls, Steven, because
I'm gonna let you go second, because you got a
special one, and so I'm gonna fire away first. And
as we just mentioned, air Force, Josh Johnson a quarterback.
He is gonna get my game ball because coming back
after a season where Air Force just struggled offensively to
find any kind of identity. You know, there were times,
you know they thought throwing the football might be their ticket. No,
Josh Johnson came in and you know, won the job
this summer, the junior out of New Orleans and played
a strong football game four seven, one hundred and twelve yards. Again,
he threw what two touchdowns? And you need to have
some consistency at quarterback, and Troy Calhoun has been notorious
Steve we know of playing even a revolving door at quarterback,
not being happy with some guys for whatever reason. Boss
Johnson can play in lock down the spot. He's got
a lot of the physical tools we will see. It
obviously is gonna get a lot harder against against Kansas State.
But the job he did in settling his team and
getting that those big plays in the first half huge
in my book, especially for Air Force to get back
to their winning ways and build on that four game
win streak. Josh Johnson gets my game ball, the junior
quarterback from air Force.
Speaker 4: All Right, my game ball goes.
Speaker 3: I'm gonna go a little different for this first game
ball of the year, I'm gonna go with Army sophomore
defensive back Larry Pickett Junior.
Speaker 4: And I know what some people.
Speaker 3: May say, Okay, if you don't know Cadet Pickett, he's
on special teams. He did get a tackle in the
loss to Tarlton State. But it's not so much what
he did on the field that which is why he
gets the game ball, But it is what ha happened
off the field with Larry Pickett Junior. As on early
Sunday morning, the cadet who was with his father, Larry
Pickett Senior, from Raleigh, North Carolina, they pulled an elderly
man from a burning car outside of West Point, just
outside of West Point on Route nine W and Fort Montgomery,
and so just after midnight ran towards a burning vehicle
anuring the down power lines crackling around it, and pulled
a man to safety just just before the car really
caught fire. And in which case, who knows what would
have happened to that driver and our Army ad Tom
Theodoracus wrote on x that Pickett's conduct is quote exactly
what we strive to develop leadership, courage, and selfless service.
So to Cadet Pickett, who I gave a Bravo zulu
to on social media.
Speaker 4: He gets my game ball for this week.
Speaker 2: Yeah. Absolutely, just incredible heroic stuff. And like you said,
that's what you're training leaders to be at the at
the United States Military Academy. So just incredible stuff from
Larry Pickett, you know, putting others before themselves. Amazing. All right,
we're gonna come back here in a second. We've got
more games to preview. We've got our Travis Manian Foundation
on a roll segment where on our fallen hero that's
given the ultimate sacrifice. We get some picks to make.
But first we are part of the College Gridiron Coast
to Coast podcast network, available on last Word on sports
dot com. Get off my pylon. I mean, we have
got a litany of shows college football that will scratch
your itch on the College Griddar and Coast to Coast
podcast network, including a new one this week, Steven.
Speaker 4: That's right.
Speaker 3: We've got Tim ham and who's taking over the Pig
Skin and Burnt Ends podcast where we talk football and food.
Speaker 4: Sounds like probably one that we should have been doing.
Speaker 3: But although we only talk three three different schools, so
it might be a little tougher, but certainly Pigskin and
burnt Ends will start this week. Of course, we have
this week in the ACEC and Big ten Paradigm, which
come out on Mondays this week. Nor Drury, who is
the host of Big ten Paradigm, talking a lot about
Ohio State and their statement victory over then number one
ranked Texas and so he's got that going. Of course,
get off my pylon talks about the West Coast. We've
got Florida football insiders talking about college football here in
the Sunshine s a big week for college football here
in Florida because Florida one, Florida State one, Miami one,
USF one, and UCF one off played Jacksonville State.
Speaker 2: That doesn't really count.
Speaker 3: But the first four certainly do, especially USFS win over
a top twenty five RANC team for the first time
since twenty nineteen, I believe when they beat Navy. But
that's another story for another time. But plenty of stuff,
plus the Big twelve and SEC Breakdown with Tyler Jones
and Thomas Bridges coming up later this week. So again
college Gridiron Coast to coast on social media at Gridiron
Coast and of Course, last Word on sports dot Com
where you can find it all.
Speaker 2: Don't forget you can subscribe to Yards and Stripes, Yards
and Stripes on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, wherever it is you
get your podcasts to search yards and Stripes. Obviously, you
can find it on the last Word on Sports, last
Word on sports dot Com, College Gridiron, Coast to Coast
podcast Network, Steve Carney Price Hatkinson. We'll be right back
to preview our upcoming games and a whole lot more
here on Yards and Stripes.
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Speaker 1: The latest with Navy, Army and Air Force on Yards
and Stripes Service Academy, Football.
Speaker 2: Army, Navy and Air Force. That's what we do here
on Yards and Stripes. See Steve Carnegie Price Atkinson. As
we continue on rolling along on episode two, we've got
two games this week. We just recap the ones from
weekend one. Now we got week two on tap and
let's start Steven with our first game of the day.
Going in order as far as kickoffs, Navy hosting UAB
Alabama Birmingham coming to Navy Marine Corps Memorial Stadium for
a Saturday three point thirty pm kickoff on CBS Sports Network,
as it will be the American Conference opener for both
teams and a series that Navy leads two to nothing
right now. Navy a twenty one and a half point
favorite over under in this one right now as we
sit on Labor Day evening fifty nine and a half points.
Navy welcoming the Blazers after a big forty five point
win over vm I maybe's largest margin of victory and
a season opener since nineteen forty five, and a team
that went on to go seven to one and one.
You know, like I said, this these team, this is
a young series, Steven has Navy won the game last
year in Birmingham forty one to eighteen, and then won
the year before in Annapolis thirty one to six. We'll
pick the games here in just a few minutes in
the next segment, but you gotta like Navy at home
in this one. Even with ten first time starters in
the opener, whis tied with Fresno for the most in
the country.
Speaker 3: Yeah, and UAB is not an an inexperienced group this year.
And you know last year, you know, having a having
a new quarterback transferring in in Jalen Kittna, you know,
you could go Okay, Now he's had a he's had
a full year with the with Trent Dilfer, and I
I really do think that that's a that's a big plus.
Speaker 4: Uh.
Speaker 3: He had two hundred and forty seven yards in uab's
win in Week one, So I don't think that that
he's going to be anything to write home on to
write home to. But I really do think that, you know,
Navy's defense is going to be in for a much
tougher standard this week than than they were against v M.
I I think, you know, Jalen Kittna is obviously the
son of John Kittna, uh, the former NFL quarterback. So
I think that that's gonna be that's gonna be a
really good test for for this Navy defense.
Speaker 4: I think you're absolutely right.
Speaker 3: You know, this is not a game that should be
in doubt, especially if NAY plays like they did last week.
I think that they're going to have a way to now,
you know, make it a real easy victory. But I
really do like the challenge. I like the step up
in competition that they're going to.
Speaker 4: Get this week.
Speaker 2: Yeah, I do too. And UAB coming off at fifty
two to forty two win over Alabama State on Thursday
night last week, Blazers putting up thirty five points in
the second half, and they mentioned Florida transferred Jalen kitting
at eighteen to twenty three two hundred and forty seven
yards and two touchdowns. But it was really an outstanding
ground game led by Javon Jackson, a red shirt senior
who used to play or transferred Austin p and utep
one hundred and sixty six yards on seventeen carries, two touchdowns,
while Solomon Bebe, saphomore, he tossed in two touchdowns with
fifty one yards on eight carries. So a big, you
know effort on the ground, but also getting it done
through the air. But you know, again, this is gonna
be a step up for both Navy and UAB, you know,
after playing you know FCS opponents last week, much much different,
especially with a first American Conference game on the line.
Speaker 3: Stephen, Yeah, absolutely, and you know, I love the fact
that that Navy's getting the conference play started this early.
And you know, you mentioned Kittner, you mentioned Jackson. Of
course you've got their their main wide receiver, Corey Milner,
who is a sophomore from Alexandria City, Alabama, So a
very young wide receiver, not you know, not not the
biggest guy in the world. He is six foot two,
so he is going to be bigger than Navy's defensive backs,
but still not the biggest wide receiver that these guys
will see. But a guy that can certainly run and
had a pretty good outing here to start things. He
had five catches, almost one hundred yards through the air,
did have a forty nine yard excuse me, forty nine
yards is the long end of twenty six yard touchdown.
So I really do think that that's gonna be big
for Like I said, I think this is gonna be
huge for the for the defense and especially the defensive backs.
Speaker 2: All right, once again, Navy and UAB a three point
thirty kickoff on Saturday CBS Sports Network. Is Navy's a
big twenty one and a half point favorite against UAB.
Moving on through the day, our second game, Army is
gonna be hitting the road heading to the Little Apple
to take on number seventeen Kansas State. The Wildcats one
in one overall obviously Army zero to one, losing their
season opener. This is a Saturday seven pm Eastern Standard
Time kickoff. This is gonna be on ESPN. The main
ESPN is Army right now is getting seventeen and a
half in a game with over under his forty six
and a half. Right now, Army does lead the overall
series two to nothing. And you know, Case State obviously,
we know they went to Ireland and farm again that
first one, you know, coming up short to Iowa State
to you know, put it mildly, and then they had
to come from behind again steven last week to get
that thirty eight to thirty five win over North Dakota,
a pretty darn good team out of uh you know,
from the FCS level. Uh, but they did get it done.
And now they got to turn their attention to Army
coming to the Little Apple.
Speaker 4: Yeah.
Speaker 3: And and Avery Johnson their quarterback, uh, you know, five
touchdowns through two games, no interceptions, and really you got
to give credit to the Wildcat offensive line. They have
kept him upright for the most parties. He's only been
sacked twice in two games, so not a lot of
pressure has gotten to Johnson. Would love to see the
Black Knights try and you know, take a couple of
chances against Kansas State. You've got to get to Avery
Johnson in order for for you to have that opportunity.
Speaker 4: And I really do think that they it's going to
be very, very difficult.
Speaker 3: You saw, you know, North Kotda is a much better
FCS team than Tarleton State. You know, North Dakota is
always in the FCS Final four or in the championship game.
They're not getting ousted in the second round like Tarletson
State was. Now, could Tarlaton State take that next step
and could they take that next step this year?
Speaker 4: Sure?
Speaker 3: Absolutely, But I really do think this is going to
be about Avery Johnson getting and getting pressure on Johnson
to make sure that he can't go through his progressions.
Speaker 2: Yeah. Absolutely. And you know in two games right now,
the k State defense holding opponents to less than two
or less than three yards per rush on seventy nine attempts,
also sixteen tackles for a loss in seven sacks, which
ranks twenty fourth nationally. So, right, now kse State getting
the job done against you know, teams trying to run
the football, which we obviously know that's what Army's going
to do. In quarterback, Avery Johnson set to make his
seventeenth career start under center with a pass efficiency of
one fifty seven and a half and throwing for a
completion percentage of sixty seven percent as he enters the
week fourteenth in the country and passyards per game just
shy of three hundred and sixteenth nationally and completions at
twenty four and a half. So, you know, Chris climb
and this is a coach and a team. You know
that I've become a big, big fan of Chris Climban
ever since that he got highed there in the Little Apple.
And Jean Taylor, a friend of mine who we work
together at Navy, now the athletic director at Kansas State.
Jean's done a great job since he took over the
job at Kansas State, getting Chris climbing from believe it
was North Dakota State, and obviously getting their basketball program
turned around with the Jerome tang And you know, there's
a lot of big things happening there in the Little Apple.
But I'd love I'm just a huge fan of Chris
Climbing and the job he's done there at k State
since he entered the Big Twelve.
Speaker 3: Yeah, and I think, you know, Kansas State is a
is definitely a program that most people are certainly aware
of their success when it comes to football. You mentioned,
you know, getting the basketball program turned around. They've got,
you know, plenty of other sports that they're obviously very
very good at, and so credit to Gene Taylor on that.
The other thing that I think Army is gonna have
to worry about when it comes to their offense is
you got to watch out for the guy we're.
Speaker 4: In forty four.
Speaker 3: Toby Osen saw on me a six foot three junior
defensive end. Iowa State didn't have him marked, and he
got a couple of sacks in that game. He also
had six tackles in the in the victory over in
North Dakota.
Speaker 4: So this is the guy who's got you.
Speaker 3: Know, ten tackles, seven solos, and three sacks so far
through two games. If you if you don't know where
forty four is in the is on the field, it
doesn't matter if it's Dwayne Coleman. If it's Cale Helms
or if it's you and I under center for Army,
they're going to go down and then it's not going.
Speaker 2: To be pretty interesting. I mentioned that the series, Army
leads the series two to nothing. This is going to
be the seventh meeting and program history for the Wildcats
facing one of the service academies, and interesting enough, they're
all either they're one sided rivalries as Army leads the
series two to oh, but KSE State in three meeting
against Air Force. They're three to oh all time against
the Falcons. But KSE State's only meeting against Navy came
in the twenty nineteen Liberty Bowl if you remember, just
one of the fantastic games of Bowl season that was
a twenty to seventeen loss to the midship mid So
it's kind of feast or famine in a little bit
of a way. And just the seven meetings against service academies,
which will be it'll be the seventh on Saturday, but
nonetheless should be an outstanding matchup and I love the
fact that it's going to be on ESPN. Army getting
some major play in airtime with this one again kicking
off from the Little Apple seven o'clock Eastern Standard time,
Army ginning seventeen and a half in this game against
Kansas State, Steve, what we got more to do? We got?
We got a Travis Manion Foundation Honorall segment coming up
in the very next segment, we got some picks to
make on the way out the door. Let's go ahead
and do that here on Yards and Stripes, your home
or Service Academy Football.
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 the phone, and inspired civilians
at Travismanion dot Org.
Speaker 2: Welcome back into the Arts and Stripes. Now it's time
for our Travis Mannon Foundation Honorale segment, where honor and
remember a fallen hero one that has given the ultimate
sacrifice for our nation and for our freedoms. And here
this week we're gonna honor. Remember I remember the United
States Navy one Andrew sharpened Tear from Great Falls, Montana,
who gave the ultimate sacrifice on July the twenty third,
two thousand and nine.
Speaker 4: He was described as.
Speaker 2: An amazing person full of love, curing, generosity, talent life.
He made an impact on many lives will never be forgotten,
and throughout his life he exemplified many strengths such as kindness, humor,
and bravery. When Andrew completed his schooling to be an
aircraft electronics technician, he was offered the chance to go
to Guantanamo Bay, not the place where he could use
his education, but rather a high risk opportunity that he
chose to take because he knew he would be helping
to keep watch over those detain who might ultimately want
to harm his family and his country. So rather than
choosing what it might have been the safer route, he
chose to go to the place where he could keep
his family safe. He always wanted to share what he had.
While station of pensacolat Chriss Time, he took an entire
paycheck and purchase gifts for needy children. It was something
he felt very positive about. Andrew Sharpenteer always wanted to
give his siblings nice gifts, one he could afford. He
was caring, considerate, and helped other people any chance he got.
He enjoyed life, and he always wanted to be silly
and make others laugh. He had a playful sense of humor,
which brought great joy to the lives of his family
and friends. His outlook was positive and he was able
to spread this to others around him. People liked being
around him, gaining him many many friends. So we take
the time to take a step back and remember falling
heroes like Andrew Sharpenteer from Great Falls, Montana that gave
the ultimate sacrifice on July the twenty third, two thousand
and nine. It's important to take this step back from
the games, the results, wins, losses, what happens on the field,
and remember what really matters, and that's our falling heroes
and ones that are serving in combat every single day
and here at home places around the globe to keep
us safe and our freedoms free.
Speaker 6: Travis Mallon Foundation's Nine to eleven Heroes run five kra
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, here we go, wrapping up by this episode
of Yards and Stripes Episode two. Don't forget to follow
us on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, wherever it is you get
your podcast, download, subscribe, listen a new episode coming to
you every single week. Here on Yards and Stripes is
once again we are part of the College Gridiron Coast
to Coast podcast network, available at last word on sports
dot com. Steven, time for some picks here. We both
went to and one last week, even with that Army loss.
But we got two games this week. Let's start with
Navy the one that we talked about first, and we'll
get to Army in k State. Navy hosting UAB the
first American Conference game of the season. Which way are
you gonna go with this one?
Speaker 3: Yeah, I obviously feel and I've said this that I
thought that Navy's first half of their schedule was a
much lighter schedule than the FAC half, and so I
think that this is another game It's gonna be I
think a little more competitive. But I still think that
Navy can handily beat the Blazers, especially this game being
at home.
Speaker 4: I have the Midshipman going to.
Speaker 3: Two and zero with a thirty eight fourteen win over
Trent till firstpunge.
Speaker 2: All right, we're not too far apart. I'm like Navy
as well. I've got Navy thirty five to twenty. I
think they two just overwhelmed UAB pretty early. I have
not been a big fan of Trent will First since
he got to I think there's been a lot more
talking than there has been showing me something on the field.
So we'll be interesting to see what the Blazers and
Trump Bill first team can do in Annapolis on Saturday.
But I like Navy getting a comfortable win to start
the American Conference slate. All right, Army and Kansas State
once again ken stayed a big home favorite in the
Little Apple. This one is seven o'clock kickoff on ESPN.
Any chance whatsoever that Army springs an upset because, as
we all know, this offense is just not something you
see every single week. But I did hear Chris climb
and talking about it a couple of weeks ago on
the radio. You know, like a lot of teams do.
They will spend time on you know, a service academy
preparing for them in the spring if they have them
on their upcoming schedule, which is what Kansas State has done,
and get ready and getting ready for Army. Any chance
the Black Knights, which we know have had a propensity
steven to going into some big time arenas in stadiums
around the country and pulling off shaker or darn near shockers.
Speaker 3: Yeah, they certainly could. I think there they would need.
Uh they've got to win the turnover battle, and they've
got to win it handily.
Speaker 4: I think that.
Speaker 3: They've if they can force the Wildcats to put the
ball on the ground, you know once and if they
get a they get an interception, uh you know one,
you know, a couple of extra turnovers, I think that
that's where things could certainly go Army's way. That being said,
you can't you can't account for that, you know, so,
so obviously I'm taking case State to beat Army. I
have this game at thirty five thirteen, but I could see,
you know, Army, you know Armies, if if Jeff Monkin
has his guys, you know they're going to be prepared.
You you you know that's that's a given. You know,
they're a service academy. Of course, they're going to be
ready to go into a big time college foot environment
like they have in Manhattan. You know, this is a
group that you know doesn't isn't afraid going into Tiger
Stadium and Baton Rouge at night.
Speaker 4: You know, they don't. They don't mind the big stage,
and this is going to be a big stage for them.
Speaker 3: You get it, you get you punch them, you punch
them a wildcat in the mouth early, You get a
turnover early, you get a turnover late. And if Dawson Jones,
can you get over his his yips for his first
game yips? They they could. I think they could actually
pull off the upset. But I don't have them doing
it all.
Speaker 2: Right, I'm like you, I I you know, could happened. Yes, absolutely,
I think this game might play a little bit closer,
just at the very beginning. You know how these teams,
you know, tend to take some time to kind of
get their footing when they're playing against the Service Academy.
But I really do think that that when it's all
said done, Case State's gonna pull away. And you had
thirty five thirteen, I had thirty eight to seventeen. So
we're really pretty close there, Steven, and both are picked.
So we both like Navy, we both like Case State
to win again. Air Force is off this week and
they will be back next weekend. Don't forget that we
will be back again next week. We will be back
all season long, Army, Navy, and air Force. Obviously, if
you've listened to this podcast, you know that's what we
do here on Yards and Stripes. But we are part
of the College Grenard Coast to Coast podcast network. We've
got tons more college football talk all season long on
the podcast network. Steven something for everybody, for any college
football fan, and it's going to be just may not
be the excitement of Week two collectively in college football,
or it might not be the excitement from Week one
in week two, but still, nonetheless, I think we're all
thankful that we got college football back on the tube.
Speaker 3: Oh absolutely, I'm loving the fact that we're going to
have football every Saturday, and now with the NFL starting
up this weekend, you're going to have NFL football on
Sunday as well.
Speaker 4: So I'm excited. I know you're excited.
Speaker 3: I know our listeners are loving the fact that football
is back.
Speaker 2: Absolutely, we will be back next week here on Yards
and Stripes. Enjoy the games we will see, then.
Speaker 1: Join us again next time for Yards and Stripes Service
Academy Football. To get more on all things Service Academy Football,
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