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: Yards and Stripe Service Academy Football, as we were part
of the College careerder and Coast to Coast podcast networking
available on Last Word on Sports. He is Stephen Carney,
I and Price Atkinson and boy, we haven't got a
lot to talk about. Is it was another surprise thrown
in by the Service academies this weekend, one game in particular,
and yeah, you know what game I'm talking about, Steven,
because it caught our eye. Neither one of us picked it.
But Army having the giant killer mentality as they've had
so often over the years, they slay the big giant.
We will talk about that here in just a second,
but first, a big weekend at college football.
Speaker 3: Stephen, we've got to get the Poppy.
Speaker 2: Ons pizza report as we're recording here late on Tuesday evening.
Make me hungry please, Well.
Speaker 4: You know, no pizza today because I was at a
minor league baseball today. I know it's Tuesday, and normally
that means that means pizza, and probably from this point forward,
you're probably going to see pizza. But with a minor
league baseball game, especially in Clearwater. Working with the Clearwater Threshers,
who are the Florida State League affiliate of the Philadelphia
A Phillies, that means Philly cheese steak time. So even better,
my favorite cheese steak in the area Delco's Cheese Steak,
which is they have a store in dun Edon, but
they have a stand inside of Bay Care Ballpark in Clearwater,
and so usually on Tuesdays is what they call Dollar Tuesdays.
So for people coming to the stadium in dollar tickets,
it means dollar beers, it means dollar hot dogs, does
not mean dollar cheese steaks. That means I get normally,
I will spend twelve dollars and I will get a
couple of dollar dogs and a cheese steak to go
with it. And that's what I did here for what
is going to be my final most likely minor league
baseball game of the twenty twenty five season.
Speaker 2: Well, congratulations on a fantastic here. I know I have
spent a lot of baseball since we started back in March.
Speaker 3: At some point I started.
Speaker 4: I started at the very end of February, and I've done.
I've got three more games to do next week at
the big league level, and I think with that I
will be at one hundred and seventy four games this season.
Speaker 2: Wow, that is a lot of baseball.
Speaker 3: It's a lot of baseball.
Speaker 2: That is a whole lot of baseball. We say, congratulations, Steven.
It is now time for you to fully pivot to football. Yeah,
and then you got other duties, but look, it's it
is football time.
Speaker 4: And it was a huge saturday in football all across
the especially when it comes to college football. For me,
the Alma Mater went up to Gainesville and got a
victory over the Gators and got themselves into the AP
top twenty five, which makes me very happy. And then,
of course the Service academies go in two and oh
as you said, as you alluded to earlier, neither of
us picked one of them. But so we both went
one and one this week, but the academies themselves went
to and O and that always will leave me with
a smile on my face when we record yards.
Speaker 2: And stripes, certainly me as well. And let's get into
the first of the two games because Navy playing their
conference opener also uab's conference opener on Saturday, and Navy
outlasting UAB thirty eight to twenty four Navy Marine Corps
Memorial Stadium in a game that featured a couple two
separate second quarter weather delays to be exactly, and took
a little over two hours of games stoppage time before
it was resumed and the victor of the first American
Conference game between the two teams was was stage and
Navy comes out on top thirty eight to twenty four,
the seven hundred and fiftieth win in Navy program history
and the first time the Mids have started the season
two and oh in back to back years since twenty
sixteen in two thou and seventeen. But this was a
close game, stephen going back and forth before, in fact,
both teams scoring on every possession of the first half
until UAB missing a late field goal there in the
end of the first half, and then Navy's defense pitches
a second half shutouts as they ride a big second half,
primarily by the defense keeping UAB out of the end
zone as they get a thirty eight to twenty four win.
Now two and oh one and oh in the American
outlasting I say out lasting, you know, kind of you know,
because they did out last UAB was going to score
for score to have totally yardage was pretty close. Obviously
UAB had trouble running the football. Navy out gaining UAB
two ninety five to ninety two on the ground, but
Jalen Kittna had three hundred yards passing two touchdowns. It
was the three turnovers which was really the big problem
for ua B and why Navy was able to use
that big second half to get their first conference win
of the season.
Speaker 3: Steam.
Speaker 4: Yeah, and all three of those turnovers coming in the
second half for u A B. That's that's huge. You
mentioned that the midship men pitch to shut out. I
was looking at the dr summaries. You look at it,
you know, and those three those three turnovers don't count.
The missfield goal to start the second half, that doesn't
count as a turnover, and neither does the turnover on
downs to to finish out the game. So you look
at UAB had one, two, three, four, five, six, seven,
excuse me, six possessions in the second half. They were
missed field goal, fumble, lost punt, interception, interception, turnover on downs. So,
and the only thing that I will say is that
two of those drives were relatively long drives.
Speaker 3: The first drive.
Speaker 4: In the second half where they missed the field goal
was an nine play drive it covered forty two yards.
And the second drive of the fourth quarter, the second interception,
was a fourteen play, seventy seven yard drive that ended
up giving the Blazers zero points.
Speaker 3: So while the while, the while.
Speaker 4: The Midshipmen didn't weren't you know, quite so efficient in
the second half themselves. They didn't have those three turnovers,
and who knows what happens your plus three in the
turnover ratio, but you'll win by fourteen points. It tells
you that if this, if this was an even turnover
ratio game, the Blazers probably are either tied, you know,
going into overtime, or they're winning this game in regulation.
Speaker 2: Yeah, and I mentioned miss field goal. I said at
the end of the at the end of the first half.
I meant at the beginning of the second half. My apologies,
So I'm glad you corrected me on that. But both teams,
you know, like I said, they you know, they went
score for score there in the in the in the
first half, and then those turnovers ever so critical in
the second half. Jalen Kittna was pretty darn good, but
Blake Corvath was not baut himself, as he threw six
of eight one hundred and sixty eight yards and a touchdown.
He ran eighteen times for seventy two yards along with
two touchdowns, So another solid workman like day for Blake Corbath,
who just has given who Navy's offense with the ability
to throw the ball. This is just something we have
not seen with any kind of consistency. We've seen games,
but we haven't seen consistent ability to throw the football
and that's what Blake Corvat did last year and that's
what he's doing again this year, which is making them
so so much more even dangerous offensively, because you have
that ability, certainly with a guy with like Eli heiden
Wright coming out of the backfield who can run it
or catch it. But Blake Horvath's arm has given this
Navy offense that other dimension that you just can't I mean,
you just you can't pin your ears back anymore. You know,
they can beat you throwing the ball. Obviously they're going
to do it most of the time running. But what
his arm is an incredible weapon and it's going to
be the gift that keeps on.
Speaker 4: Given four hundred and sixty three yards of total offense
for the midshipment, and as you mentioned, one hundred and
sixty eight of that through the air, so you're looking
at twenty one yards in attempt for Blake Corvat. I
think that's that You're absolutely right. That is a wrinkle
to Brian Newberry's that teams in the American are going
to have to watch out for it this year. It's
not gonna happen. You know, they're not. It's not They're
not going to throw the ball thirty times like UAB
did in this game. You know you're gonna get, but
you're not gonna see, you know, a two pass performance.
You know they're not going to be you know, zero
one or two attempts by Horvath in a game this year.
You're gonna see him throw the ball half a dozen times,
eight times, maybe ten times at the most. I don't
see them, you know, going more than that that. Obviously,
the bread and butter is still going to be the same.
You know, Navy's gonna want to run the football, and
they did so fifty one times. They averaged almost six
yards a rush on the ground. And you need to
do that in order to make that passing, the passing
component work in this game.
Speaker 2: And the other thing is he's not throwing it to
the other team when they do throw it. He's only
thrown four career interceptions Blake Corback in one hundred and
sixty six career attempts, an interception percentage of point zero
two four per attempt, the second best average in school
history behind Keenan Reynolds, who only threw eight picks in
four hundred and sixty two career attempts. So the fact
they're throwing it, you know, he's not throwing it to
the other team very often, only four picks since he
you know his in games that he has played, Blake
corbac under center. So again, Navy thirty eight to twenty
four over UAB. Now let's pivot to the big one, Stephen,
because this was the one that obviously the shocker and
turned a lot of heads. His army goes into the
Little Apple and gets a twenty four to twenty one
come back victory over k State Army. Now one in
one overall obviously redeeming themselves in so many different ways
after that home loss to Tarlatan State as they go
to the Little Apple and get it done, and it
was a second half that was the story in this
one's case, State falls to one and two. The Kate
Hellam Show, the five to ten junior quarterback making his
second career start, accounting for all three Army touchdowns, Steven
rallying the Black Knights from our thirteen to nothing deficit
and a twenty four to twenty one comeback win over
over over fifty thousand fans that were there in the
Little Apple. Excuse me, it was his first career start
and carrying an Army record forty one times. Think about
think about all the times bryceon it was the Bryson
Daily Show last year, he never carried the football forty
one times. Well that's what Hellams did on Saturday, carrying
it to forty one times, one hundred and twenty four
yards and two touchdowns. Also threw it for forty three
yards and a touchdown. But then also we can't we
got to talk about the big second half effort by
Navies or by Army's defense, only giving up five yards rushing.
They only gave up forty eight total yards of offense
to ca Case State, and they had the ball twenty
four minutes or twenty six minutes to four minutes as
Army was five to five on fourth down there in
the second half. As it was that come back, I
don't know how much more you can say with what
Helm's did. And then the Army defensive show in the
second half is they're now three to zero all time
against k State, their first win over a Power four
opponent since the win over Missouri in the twenty twenty
one Armed Forces Bowl.
Speaker 4: Wow, it's amazing to see. And how important was the
end of the first half.
Speaker 3: I mean I remember watching this.
Speaker 4: I mean, you're down, you're down two scores, you're down
thirteen to nothing. You're thinking, okay, there's two minutes, two
and a half minutes.
Speaker 3: To go in the first half.
Speaker 4: You know what can you do in two and a
half minutes in order to maybe get a field goal
on the on the board and kind of make it
thirteen to three, knowing that you're gonna get the football
to start the second half. And all that Hellams did
was lead the Black Knights down the field seventy five
yards and doing it in sixteen plays. I couldn't believe.
They made judicious use of the sideline, you know, for
that final drive getting into the end zone as time
expires the first half and instead of it being thirteen
nothing or maybe thirteen three, it's now thirteen to seven
and you're getting the ball to start the second half
with an opportunity for a two for one against the Wildcats.
They weren't able to do it, but they were able
to again, as you mentioned, the defense put on a
real show in the second half, and you know they
they're able to get the Wildcats to go basically.
Speaker 3: Three and out.
Speaker 4: They end up going four and out, and then you
put on another long drive to take the lead in
that third quarter, and then furth quarter was just incredible
because you get a score an on side kick, and
you turn that on sidekick into seven more points and
that's where things come to come to fruition and it's
twenty four to twenty one before you know it.
Speaker 2: Armies first went over a big twelve opponents is two
thousand and six when they defeated Baylor in overtime twenty
seven to twenty four, and the first went over a
power Conference opponent in a true road game since twenty
sixteen when Army went to Winston Salem and defeated wait
foris twenty one to thirteen. I should mention, you know,
Kate Hellm's getting his first career start under center at
quarterback for Army Dwayne Coleman, who has got banged up
at the end of the Charlatan State game. He was
active and dressed for the game. It just they opted
to go with Hellms, and Hellams was doing the job.
The other thing to mention too, you know, defensively, how
about Colin Madison, yea so big in this football game
with five tackles, had three pass breakups, but including the
you know, the interception, an incredible one hand interception with
lesson or right of what one thirty five left in
the game that stopped the driving Kansas State and sealed
the win for Army. And and honestly, moments before that
he broke up a pass in the end zone.
Speaker 3: So I mean, I.
Speaker 2: Think it was just a huge credit steven to Armies
coaching staff for making some key adjustments. And honestly, you know,
I think the Black Knights just simply for digging in
and showing that academy no quid attitude there in second half.
Speaker 4: Absolutely, you can, you can, you can give all the
love to Madison. But you saw number thirty going around there, Madison.
You saw number twenty Casey Larkin flying around the field.
He had six tackles and in the middle the lot.
You know, we talk about linebackers and Thomas had.
Speaker 3: A big day.
Speaker 4: You know, he had nine tackles, including eight solo stops himself.
So those three you heard those three names getting called
out a lot.
Speaker 3: But Addison was just.
Speaker 4: All over the place and a true ballhawk in every
sense of the word. With all of the times that
he was able to break up passes. That was huge
for them, and it's been especially the interception and what.
Speaker 2: A fired up Jeff munkin there after the game as
army rallying for that twenty four to twenty one win
over k State in the Little Apple to get back
to even steven at one in one overall Kansas State
falling to one and two. And this is a Kansas
State team a lot of people thought might win the
Big twelve, that they were picking to win.
Speaker 3: The Big twelve.
Speaker 2: So now Kansas State in a hole, Obviously they've only
played that first conference game against Iowa State, but they're
gonna have to dig out to see if they can
make the College Football Playoff. All right, let's give out
some game ball, Steven. I'm gonna let you fire first,
because we had some outstanding performances on Saturday. Which way
you going with your game ball?
Speaker 3: Yeah?
Speaker 4: I was thinking about going with Army ponter James wagon
Cellar and he had a massive day.
Speaker 3: But no, No, it's gonna be Colin Madison.
Speaker 4: I mean he was the he was the defensive player
of the week in the conference for a reason, as
we mentioned, five tackles, all solo, three passes defense, and
of course the interception that sealed the victory.
Speaker 3: So yes, absolutely Colin Madison.
Speaker 2: All Right, well, I'm gonna go with Army quarterback junior
Kate Hellms from Tumbule, Texas because in his first career start,
so I mentioned Dwayne Coleman banged up, dressed but didn't
play and Hellam's the Kate Hellam Show. Will he relinquish
this job? You never want to see a guy lose
it to an injury. But I tell you for the
way he played coming in against Tarleton there at the end,
and obviously the show he put on there in the
Little Apple, It's going to be hard, I think for
maybe Dwyane Coleman to wrestle this thing away. But I
thought the poise Hellam showed, you know, leading Army down
the field they were trailing thirteen to nothing at the time,
helped lead them down the field a sixteen play, seventy
five yard touchdown drive through with three huge third down
conversion and just massive, massive, So I thought, Hellam's, you know,
having that command of this offense and being able to
do what he did running forty one stinking times. Man
as a quarterback, that's a lot of hits you're taking.
And what I think is just crazy is just all
the all the moments that Bryson Daily had last year
where it literally was the Bryson Daily Show almost every
single week, throwing, running, you know, the whole nine yards.
He never carried the football forty one times, but that's
what Kate Hellams did. So he's gonna get my game ball, Steven.
Speaker 4: I guess you could say he had a helms of
a performance.
Speaker 3: I like it. I like it well played.
Speaker 4: I'm waiting, I'm waiting for the T shirts to start
coming out.
Speaker 2: Look, Army fans, you heard it right there. Let Steven
Carney get it teed.
Speaker 3: Up for you.
Speaker 2: That's what you come to the Yards and Stripes for.
As we were part of the College Gridar and Coast
to Coast podcast network, available at last Word on sports
dot Com, Steven, we got a lot more to do.
We got two games to preview this coming weekend. We
our Travis Manion Foundation Honor Roll segment. We obviously have
nine to eleven certainly just a couple of days away,
so a lot more to do here, including our picks,
which we'll do at the end of this episode. The
first tell our friends what else they can find at
the College Gridiron Coast to Coast podcast Network, because there
is something for every college football fan.
Speaker 4: Absolutely, and there's plenty going on this week when it
comes to college football. Obviously on the East Coast, We've
got this week in the ACC those guys definitely talking
about Florida State and of course Clemson's big comeback win
over Troy, so definitely check that out. The Big Ten
paradigm going on with Noah Drury. They are definitely talking
about all things going on with the Big ten.
Speaker 3: Of course we've got us. We've got Yards and Stripes, Pig.
Speaker 4: Skin and Burt End's talking Texas and Arch Manning and
his rebound in his second game as quarterback of the
Texas Longhorns. Later on this week, we've got the Big
twelve sec breakdown with Tyler Jones and of course get
off my pylon talking West Coast college football. They are
all over Oregon and what they did to Oklahoma State
this past weekend. I don't know if you saw Mike
Gundy last week, Christ talked about why he felt they
shouldn't have he and Oklahoma State. You shouldn't have to
face Oregon. They've got too much nil money. You know
that's not fair. Well, Dan Lanning went, you want to
see not fair?
Speaker 3: Watch this?
Speaker 4: How about how does sixty nine to three sound as
they did this week? And that is all over Get
off my pylon this week.
Speaker 2: There is something I'm telling you, there's something for everybody,
including Yards and Stripe, Service, Academy, football, Army, Navy. That
is what we do, and that's what we're gonna do
when we come back, because we're gonna talk about Army
in or excuse me, Navy in air force and Action
this week, and Army is going to be the one
that's gotten the week off. So we're going to get
into those two football games here when we come back
on Yards, just right your home for Service Academy Football.
Speaker 4: This episode of Yards and Stripes is sponsored in part
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Speaker 1: The latest with Navy, Army and Air Force on Yards
and Stripes Service Academy Football.
Speaker 2: Continue on here on Yards and Stripe see Stephen Carnei
on Pryce Atkinson Army, Navy and Air Force Service Academy
Football is what we got for you football fans, and
what we got for you. It's got a big doubleheader
on Saturday, the first one both nights. They're both night games.
With the first one, it's gonna be a little road
test in the American Conference. Navy hitting the road for
the very first time this season, heading to Tulsa to
take on one in one Tulsa Navy two and OH
obviously one to OH in the American This will be
Tulsa's conference opener there for the Hurricane, as they will
be taking on Tulsa at Skelly Field at H. A.
Chapman Stadium. Navy a thirteen and a half point favorite
over under his fifty three and a half and a
kickoff at eight o'clock Eastern Standard time. This one can
be seen on ESPN plus, a series that Navy leads
all time eight to two, including a fifty three to
twenty one win in the last meeting between these two teams,
which came in Annapolis on October two thousand and two,
in the Mids defeating the Hurricane twenty to seventeen in
their last trip to Tulsa that was back in twenty
twenty one. As Navy has now won five consecutive games
going back to last year, the fourth longest active winning
streak the country, which also Air Force is one of
the teams that has done the same thing as of
right now. Tulsa coming off a win over Abilene Christian
in the season opener before losing a heartbreaker to New
Mexico State last weekend twenty one to fourteen. But the
Mids on the road at Tulsa steven if anything tells
us these have been high scoring affairs.
Speaker 4: Yeah, it's it's one thing to lose on the road,
you know, like like Tulsa did last week in Las Cruse's.
Speaker 3: You know that that can happen to anybody.
Speaker 4: Now, let's bear in mind New Mexico State not the
greatest team. You know, they play in a in a
much lower tier Division one FBS conference conference USA usually
which is in years past has been ruled by liberty,
but obviously liberty the claims not quite so so strong
this year. But uh, you know you're gonna be playing
uh at home. You've got you've got Navy coming in.
Navy obviously riding very high. Everybody thinks that that Navy
is going to be able to handle Tulsa pretty easily.
Speaker 3: I think that the one thing that you have to
watch out for.
Speaker 4: If your Navy is they've they've got a They've got
a pretty interesting uh way. I I I really think
that Tulsa can throw the football. Uh you know, I
think that there it's going to be a big test
once again for Navy secondary and and will they be
able to come up with some of the some of
the big plays that maybe they didn't get against you
a B at home. I think that they're gonna have
to show up a little better than they did this
past week against the Blazers if they want to make
sure that they are able to come home with I
think they will. Uh and And that's why not to
kind of spoil my prediction, but I really do think
that Tulsa has a much better chance this week of
maybe pulling the upset than you ab did last week.
Speaker 2: Yeah, the Golden Hurricane with forty seven transfers.
Speaker 3: On their roster, it's a lot.
Speaker 2: That's a whole lot. And I think one of the things,
one of the key stats you know to look back
for Navy is it actually dates back to last year.
The Navy offense twenty seven for twenty seven in the
red zone in games played at home, twenty four touchdowns,
three field goals. But that's just big to go in
and convert. And they you know, I don't have it
right in front of me, their numbers in the red
zone on the road, but they're also very very good.
But that's getting it done when you get into that
scoring territory inside the twenty and that I remember it
was a big talking point we had with Navy last year.
That does take into account obviously last year and this year,
but Blake hor doing the job and maybe taking care
of the football too, especially at the critical times as
they are getting ready to take on Tulsa on the
road there again eight o'clock Eastern standards time kickoff on
ESPN plus maybe a thirteen and a half point favor
over under is fifty three.
Speaker 3: Yeah.
Speaker 4: The other thing to think about with when it comes
to Navy is if Horvath and company can do what
they what they did.
Speaker 3: You know, if you're if you're running the football.
Speaker 4: Now, I'm not saying you have to put up seventy
rushes like Army did uh in the in their win
over a Case State, but if you can, if you
can run the ball between fifty five and sixty times, uh,
and you're gonna limit the amount of passing that that
Horvat does. That that also helps that secondary that I
was talking about because it keeps them off the field, yep.
And it keeps the Tulsa offense off the field all right.
Speaker 2: After the week off Air Force, they're getting back at it.
They're going to be taking on Utah State in low
in Utah on Saturday night. Air Force had the week
off last week. After they get the win over Bucknell
and the opener, they're one to oh Utah State one
in one oh to one in the Mountain West. But
Air Force in Utah State, meeting for the thirteenth time
overall twelfth time is conference foes. The Falcons leading the
overall series UH seven to five and six and five
in conference games. Air Force is five and two at home,
but just two and three at Utah State. Air Force
for those scoring at home and Mountain West openers, they're
fourteen and twelve going back to nineteen ninety nine, six
and six on the road during that time. But as
I mentioned, like Navy, Air Force currently riding at five
game winning street dating back to last season, which is
the fourth longest streak in the nation.
Speaker 4: Stephen, absolutely, and if you're air Force, you're gonna have
to basically contend with you. They've got a very experienced
quarter back, you know, much like you know what what
you would normally see with a with a service academy.
You know, Bryson Barnes is a fifth year senior from Milford, Utah.
Not the biggest arm that you that you could see,
but he is usually very good in protecting the football.
He's he's been, you know, the last couple of years,
very very good and making sure that he's not throwing
the ball to the other team. And so even even
against you know, their their game against Texas A and M,
you know, fifteen of thirty you know, only one hundred
and sixty nine yards, but he threw two touchdowns, did
not throw and it has not thrown an interception yet
this year. The one thing that that betrays Barnes and
the one thing that I think is good for the
Falcons is they have a very porous offensive line ding baggies.
They have allowed twelve sacks or ready this year, which
is just an.
Speaker 3: Incredible two games in two games.
Speaker 4: He has Barnes has been sacked six times in each
game that they have played this year, six against UTEP
in the win, six against Texas A and M in
the loss. I think that means big things for the
Falcons front defensive line. And I really do think that
it's going to be easy to get pressure on Barnes
and maybe you can allow him to make a mistake.
Speaker 2: Now I mentioned this is the misspoke. This is the
conference opener for Utah States. They opened with a win
over UTEP and then went to Texas A and M
and lost in College Station forty four to twenty two.
I think I can go probably guess where most of
those sacks came from, Steven that it was last weekend
against the Aggies. But nonetheless Air Force having the.
Speaker 3: Week sixty six amazingly enough, that's incredible.
Speaker 2: Yeah, that's still incredible to give up twelve sacks in
two games.
Speaker 4: Twelve twelve sacks in two games, and I'm I'm trying
to pull up the what the what what it looked
like last week against against Texas Texas A and m Oh,
look at this, mister.
Speaker 3: Cash is Howell not not a surprise he had three
of them? Wow?
Speaker 2: Well, this one's gonna be a nine to forty five
Eastern Standard time kickoff from Logan Steven on Fox Sports one.
Air Force a four and a half point favorite. Over
under is fifty and a half. We'll pick this game
here in a little bit. This is a tough one
at least for me to pick, especially you know, with
Air Force going on the road with their conference opener.
But they had the weekend off to prepare for it
last week, So what that might how might that translator
play into it.
Speaker 3: We'll see.
Speaker 2: I just think it's it's a really tough game to pick,
but we will pick them here coming up soon Army. Also,
they're off this weekend before home game next weekend against
North Texas. So don't forget Army fans. We hadn't forgot
about you just obviously. You guys are off and we'll
talk much more about you all next week, getting ready.
Speaker 3: For the Mean Green.
Speaker 2: All right, we got our Travis Minion Foundation Honorall segment.
We got a few news notes to pass along to you,
and we have hits to do, Stephen, which we will
do in the final segment when we come back. We
got our Travismani Foundation Honorall Segment on tap, and we'll
be right 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 Mannion 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 in the Yards and Stripes, Price Atkinson. Here
now time for our Travismanian Foundation Honorable Segment, Mare, honor
and remember a fallen hero one that is given the
ultimate sacrifice. And this month you can be part of
the solution to veterans suicide. Since September the eleventh, two
thousand and one, more than four times as many service
members and veterans have died by suicide that were killed
in combat. Today, you can keep the men and women
who have worn our country's uniform from becoming a statistic.
Your gift provides a post service lifeline before they ever
reach a crisis point. You can go to Travismannan dot
org to give and it will be your donation will
be doubled thanks to TIFF Investment Management. During Suicide Prevention Month,
again Travismannon dot org and this month on our TMF Honorrole,
We're going to honor remember Lance Corporal Brian A. Medina.
Remember the United States Marine Corps Lance Corporal Medina gave
the ultimate sacrifice on November the twelve, two thousand and four,
as a result of enemy action the Al Anbar province
of Iraq. He was just twenty years old. Native of Woodbridge, Virginia,
Lance Corporal Medina was assigned to the first Battalion, third
Marine Regiment, third Marine Division, out of the Marine Corps
Air Base in Hawaii. Lance Corporal Medina joined the Marines
in August of two thousand and two and was deployed
to Iraq in September of four. He had survived by
his parents Gregory Medina, Lolita Converse, his sister Jennifer, brothers
Patrick and Andrew, and stepsister Stephanie. One of his fellow Marines,
Lance Corporal Michael Erdman said of his fallen comrade, quote,
to me, he was the kind of person that legends
were made of. End quote. The Travis Mannen Foundation provided
a challenge grant to Marines Nick Collier, Nathan Noble, Ross Graves,
Matt Dixon, and Jordan Maser, empowering them to hike Appalachian
Trail in honor of Lance Corporal Brian Medina and other
fallen heroes through the mental and physical challenge of a
hike the men honor the lives of the fall and
shared in the camaraderie of the United States Marine Corps.
So can we take this time to remember fallen heroes
like Lance Corporate, Bryan A. Medina, and so many others,
especially in the week of September the eleventh, that we
all pause and remember what happened on that fateful day.
Speaker 6: Travis Mallon foundations nine to eleven Heroes Run five K
race series unites 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 Heroes run
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. Stephen
Carney Price Atkinson's we're talking Army, Navy and Air Force.
A couple of news and notes to pass along to
your Army quarterback Kate Hellums. As we mentioned he got
my game ball at least. Davut O'Brien Great eight nominee
for this week, one of the top quarterbacks in the
country for week two, so Kate Hellum's getting that special honor.
And then obviously Army senior safety Colin Madison, he was
named the Bronco new Kirsky National Defensive Player of the
Week in addition to being named the American Conference Defensive
Player of the Week for his outstanding weekend and game
there in the upset over Kansas State earned an eighty
eight point nine coverage grade from Pro Football Focus, which
was one of the top nationally among defensive backs there
in week two. So congratulations to Colin Madison and Kate
Hellums recognized for their outstanding performances and Steve. Before we
get to our picks real quick, just want to take
a second, obviously nine to eleven. This week the twenty
fifth anniversary, you know, are we stopping pause to mourn
the life and loss that occurred on that fateful day.
And you know, as we've had our Travis Manning Foundation
Honorable segment, they are honoring our fallen heroes, so many
fallen heroes on that tragic and unfortunate day, you know,
in New York City and the Pentagon and then Shanksville, Pennsylvania,
with so many heroes, their stories have been told in
many ways at this point, but still always a difficult
day for our nation that has had many years to heal,
but those memories are still seared, and so many that
were involved in those days.
Speaker 4: Well, it's a scar that will never go away, you know,
as much as you know, time heals wounds, but you
know you will still see every single year, you know.
I think it's one of the most important things that
happens on September eleventh. And I love the you know,
the the news networks still go to the reflection pools
on nine to eleven where they read the names of
everybody that died at the World Trade Center, and they
do the same thing at the Pentagon. And I don't know,
I've never been to the United Flight ninety three memorial
in Shanksville, Pennsylvania. I've I've heard it is a very
sobering memorial as well, and I would I would hope
and you can go through, and I've seen it that
you can go through, and that they have the timeline
of of what happened with United Flight ninety three and
when it crashed into that field outside of in Pennsylvania,
you know, basically outside of Philadelphia, you know, it's I
you know, I was in the military on September eleventh,
two thousand and one, and I remember, you know that
that day will always be part of me and and
something that I will reflect every single year about. And
I think, you know, you know military members now for
their service whenever I see them, but you know, around
this time of the year it becomes very very important.
With obviously the anniversary of September eleventh, and of course
Veterans Day coming up in a couple of months, it's
a very very big part of the year for me
as a veteran.
Speaker 2: Well, i'd say thank you to you for serving two
And I also know that that nine to eleven was
a catalyst for a lot of people, especially young men
and women at the time, obviously recognizing what happened, but
was a catalyst for them to join because they saw
that as an opportunity to make a difference in what
was going on around the world, but also obviously here
at home and serving our nation. So a lot of
those stories that I've read many times over the years,
including some of our fallen heroes that gave the ultimate
sacrifice after September eleventh, two thousand and one, because they
their families mentioned that that fateful Day is one of
the reasons why they did want to serve our nation.
Speaker 3: So I and I look at it.
Speaker 4: You know, those people probably either said or thought that
the same words that Travis Mannion said, if not even
who right, So you know, you you make that that
that decision. And you know, for for a lot of us,
you know, we're we're lucky. We consider ourselves extremely fortunate
that we we got to come home because there are
plenty of people that we all know. You know, I
don't know of anybody that is ever served that doesn't
know of at least somebody that didn't come home.
Speaker 2: Yeah. Absolutely, all right, as we turn the page, Steven
and get ready for Saturday and two games we just
kind of told you about them. I'm gonna go ahead
and tell you I think both these games are gonna
be really close. I think they're going to be too close.
Nip and tuck one score games. We'll pick them here
in a second. First one Navy Tulsa again, that's gonna
be our first one. Saturday, eight o'clock Eastern Standard time,
kickoff there from H. A. Chapman Stadium on ESPN plus
maybe a thirteen and a half point favorite over under
this fifty three and a half. I think it's going
to be much closer than oddmakers think. That's just my opinion.
I'll fire first in this one, and I'm gonna go
with Navy to the tune of thirty one to twenty eight.
That's what I'll say. So I think it'll be a
field goal difference, but I think it will be close,
but Navy will eke it out in the end.
Speaker 3: Yeah, we are both very very close.
Speaker 4: I have Navy eking it out twenty seven twenty four.
I would not be surprised for this to come down
to the foot of the kickers in this game. And
so I yeah, I'm gonna say twenty seven twenty four.
This is going to be a much closer game than
I think a lot of people think it's going to be.
Speaker 3: Yep.
Speaker 2: The American Conference opener for both teams, and much like
in our other game, the Mountain West Conference opener for
both Air Force and Utah State and Logan, Utah Saturday
night at nine to forty five Eastern Standard time on
Fox Sports one. Air Force giving four and a half
over under is fifty and a half, and both Navy
and Air Force riding five game winning streaks going back
to last year. But these conference openers, especially on the road,
are tricky, and I know the Air Force had the
week off and a chance to find ways to exploit
that switch GE's offensive line of Utah State. But I've
just got it, Eke, I've got an eking feeling for
some reason that Utah State is going to pull one
out at home the fight in Bronco Minden Halls getting
a twenty four to twenty three win over Air Force.
Speaker 4: Yeah, I mean, it's it's a beautiful setup to be
and if you're Utah State, you're at home to open
your conference play, you know that this is going to
be a big time game for the Aggis. I think
the one thing that helps air Force in this game
is that the weather is going to.
Speaker 3: Be extremely nice.
Speaker 4: You know, it's supposed to be seventy degrees and you
know a little bit of cloud cover, so it's not
going to be, you know, the heat pouring down on you.
You know, it's not It's not like you're gonna have
the sun bearing down on you in this game. So
I think that having that extra week is going to
help Troy Calhoun and the Falcons, and I think the
Falcons end up taking this game, and I think that
it's gonna I think, like you, it's going to be close.
I just have a feeling that it's gonna be a
little higher scoring than you did. You have twenty four
to twenty three. I actually have forty one thirty eight
this game. I think there's gonna be a lot of points.
I think that that Utah State is going to drop
back and throw a lot in this game, and I
think that's going to give air Force a ton of
time and a ton of opportunities to go after Bryson
Barnes thanks to the Swiss Cheese offensive line. But I
think he's going to get off more passes than they're
going to be able to get to. So I do
think they end up winning this game, but I think
it's going to be I think it's a barn burner.
Speaker 2: Yeah, well, I can say definitively. Now that's the first
game I think you and I have differed on in
three weeks of the college football season, at least in
terms of our pick. So yeah, we will see what happens.
But I do think to me, it was very tough
game to pick. Yeah, could have gone either way. I mean,
I really looked at it both times, and I woke
up a couple of different ways trying to figure out
which way I want to go. I just think I've
just got there's just a gut feeling with Bronkoman and
Hall in that first game. But I do I could
see it being very high scoring, although I've picked something
a little bit lower due to I think just the
quality of the football teams. We've seen these Mountain West
Conference openers time and time again where they're you know,
pushing fifty. Yeah, yeah, exactly. All right, let's go ahead
and get out of here, Steven, as we appreciate all
our listeners for downloading, listening, and subscribing. You do that
on app, podcasts, Spotify, wherever it is you get your podcasts.
As we are part of the College Grid, our Coast
to Coast podcast network, you can also get us at
last Word on sports dot Com. Stephen will be back
to do it again next week. Any final thoughts as
we get out the door.
Speaker 4: Well, I could certainly hope that that we're both coming
back with big smiles.
Speaker 3: Hopefully I'm coming back with a bigger smile and a
two in our record, but that's beside the point.
Speaker 4: But yeah, I think this is a really great week
for college football. If you're a Service Academy football fan,
I think that both of these games are going to
be tremendous.
Speaker 2: I agree with you. Enjoy the games, Enjoy your Saturday,
enjoy your weekend, wherever it is you are, And again
we pause to remember all our fallen heroes on nine
to eleven. It will be a tough day and the
one that we get through together. But we'll be back
next week here on Yards and Stripes, your home for
Service Academy Football.
Speaker 1: Join us again next time for Yards and Strikes Service
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