Speaker 1: Need to get your football fixed on all things Army,
Navy and Air Force. This is Yards and Stripes Service
Academy Football. Now here are your hosts, Pryce Atkinson and
Steve Carney.
Speaker 2: Reached Championship Week here on Yards and Stripes your home
for Service Academy Football. He is Steve Carney and I
am Price Atkinson, and we are Yards and Stripes Service
Academy Football. That would be Army, that would be Navy,
and that obviously yes third times a charm that would
be Air Force. And we're just excited you're tuning in
with us again this week. As I mentioned, it is
championship week and Army the Black Knights, they have a chance, Stephen,
to do something that they have never done before, and
that is when a conference championship by playing against Tulane
on Friday night in the extreme cold up there in
West Point. We're gonna talk all about it here in
just a little bit, but we've got three games to recap.
We had a great week because all three of our
teams had a clean sweep. We've got our Travis Manning
foundation on a roll segment. We got some picks to make,
and we've got a lot of postseason accolades that are
rolling in as well as the final set of college
football playoff rankings. They are on tap to be delivered
on Sundays, so we'll kind of see how this playoff
shakes out. Well, one thing we can tell you really quickly,
real fast, before we get the Steve Carney Poppy's pizza
report tonight, Army did check in at number twenty four
and the latest college football playoff rankings released last night,
which that would have been Tuesday, and they are twenty
four and the Ape Pole and twenty three in the
Coaches Bowl after getting the win over UTSA last weekend. First, Steven,
how the hell are you? Did you have a great Thanksgiving?
I'm sure you're now pivoted fully from the dressing, the
stuffing the turkey back to a delicious meat lover Bobby
on pizza tonight. But tell us make us all hungry,
tell us what the succulent toppings are on that that
piece of pie tonight.
Speaker 3: Yeah. The first off, happy Thanksgiving to you Price and
and to your lovely bride and your family up there
in South Carolina.
Speaker 4: I hope it was a good one for you, as
it certainly was for me.
Speaker 3: Uh, as for pizza this week, let me tell you
how delicious the pizza has been this week. I did
not uh bring my wife, make my wife go get
uh Papa Yan's today because we had pizza yesterday at
at at Emily Arena as we were was we were
doing USF basketball. Nothing for me goes better with college
basketball than a big old pie split like four ways
between four very hungry people. Uh and uh and some
nice soft drinks to go down with it, because you
know we're working uh so uh there'll be no beer
with the pizza this tide. But uh, but we had
we got like these these big like New York style
or as I call them, regular pizza uh slices from
a place close to close to campus. Uh you know,
you know those slices that are so big you got
to use two paper plates to hold them.
Speaker 4: Oh god, yeah, they're the they're the best. I love them.
Speaker 2: Uh.
Speaker 3: We there's a place right by campus that that does
the that does the slice.
Speaker 4: And it's the best, it really is.
Speaker 3: So uh definitely definitely enjoyed the pizza on Tuesday doing
a USFU basketball and I'm sure that my wife was like, look,
if you want pizza, tonight, you're gonna have to like
go get some like Totino's pizza rolls or something like
that and make it yourself, because I don't want to
see another pizza in this out come on.
Speaker 2: Emily can't do pizza every night of the week.
Speaker 4: Not every night of the week now, No, no, no.
Speaker 3: Nope, she she had uh uh look at me price.
Speaker 4: Of course I can do pizza every night of the week.
Speaker 3: Uh, you know, uh, thankfully, we have a little Asian
place called the Eastern Kitchen right by right by the
crib that that we definitely like a little Eastern fusion.
So they've got Chinese, they've got tie, they've got Japanese,
just a really great, uh little place. So I got
myself a nice, a nice bowl with some with some
baked chicken in it and some rice and some broccoli
and some sweet corn because you know, I've had so
much from you know, turkey and stuffing and mashed potatoes
and sweet potato casserole and corn castrole that my sister
in law makes, which is just chef's kiss delicious. You know,
we have, you know, had all the get ups and
then go to pizza. Uh, you know, you don't want
me being five hundred pounds. Uh, you know, hosting this,
hosting the showing the price. You know, we're already you know,
stretching the limits of the resolution on my webcam. And
it could only get worse from here.
Speaker 2: Well, I got two things that I'm gonna I'm gonna
just throw out there. From from that, uh that pontification
about food and in your general weight loss program or
lack thereof or lack their off I was gonna say
is number one, you might have the best crib location
in all of Tampa because with the Poppys it's closed.
You've got this Asian fusion joint that's near you. And
then you've got that wing place that you rubbed in
my face a couple of weeks ago when you literally
go steps.
Speaker 4: I've got your door, I've got I've got.
Speaker 3: A Caribbean Uh, I've got a Caribbean joint. Like directly
across the street, I've got a Cuban place right, you know,
a couple of blocks down, I've got taco places. Uh,
you know a couple of blocks the other way. It's
it is like this is like the perfect spot for
food if you if you live in the Tampa Bay
region is Saint Petersburg because there's food everywhere and it's
all good.
Speaker 2: The other thing I was gonna throw out there is
I was going to tell you the same kind of thing.
By Saturday morning, I was completely ready to pivot away
from all the Thanksgiving feast and festivities. Not that I
don't enjoy. I love Feast week, but I couldn't do
another you know, leftover ham turkey. I had to go
get me a sub for my angles. I like, I
just had to go get me a sub to go
with Delicious for college. Yeah, I mean, I just I
had to. I had to break away. I had to
say enough, wasn't it.
Speaker 3: So the problem with there being publics by my by
my work is that during road games, you know, at
home games for the lightning, they they they cater you know,
we've got like the media meal and stuff like that,
so so I can so I usually eat the media
meal for those games, but on road games, I still
have to go to amily arena, but there's nobody there.
Speaker 4: So across the street from the arena.
Speaker 3: Is a giant high rise apartment slash condo building and
at the in the on the first floor is a
grocery store. I'm great set up great publics there, and
they of course have subs. I saw I be getting
their holiday sub for the last month, which is Turkey. Yeah,
and you know cranberry relish and bacon and grey are
cheese and it's just delicious.
Speaker 4: It is delicious though.
Speaker 2: Yeah, public subs are great. I will tell you it's
price sacrilegious to say that I do like Ingle subs
better because I know that public subs are raged. They're good.
I just I don't like the bread so chewy. I
like the bread really soft, and that's what Ingles does.
It's it's just it's all in the bread. To me,
it's all in the bread. So I love Jimmy John's.
But I'm not going to get into a of sub debate,
a HOGI debate, I mean, because I know we could
really go off the rails and just do subs all night.
Because I haven't eaten dinner and forgot to eat dinner.
With so many things, I don't want to make myself
like starving as I get bed here as soon as
we're done. But let's plow ahead, Stephen, shall we? Because
it was a big weekend. The dust has now settled,
it will be too lane that Army this Friday night
for the American Athletic Conference Championship. Before we talk about that,
let's go in chronological order, because we did have Black Friday.
If we had a Black Friday affair, Navy in East
Carolina and the Naval Academy finishing the AAC portion of
their schedule, Stephen with a big thirty four to twenty
win at East Carolina in Greenville, North Carolina. Navy now
eight and three, six and two East Carolina. They dropped
the seven and five five and three in the American
A nip and tuck game step until the fourth quarter
when things really kind of seemed to explode offensively and
the Pirates, you know they had a four game winning
Street Well, it's no longer there because Braxton Woodson filling
in at quarterback for the injured Braxton Horrbath. He accounted
for three fourth quarter touchdowns as Navy went on to
the thirty four to twenty win and now finishing in
a tie for third place in the American Woodson, making
his second career start under centersty outstanding day twelve to nineteen,
throwing the football won sixty five in a touchdown while
he ran fifteen times for one to twenty five and
two touchdowns. You know, the mids rolling up almost three
hundred yards rushing. Heiden Reich adds eighty two. Just a
great way for the Naval Academy to go into the
bye weekend as they now are getting ready to face
those Army Black Knights, who obviously Army will not have
the benefit of that bye week. No, they certainly long
and this was a huge, a huge win for Navy.
And yeah, as you mentioned, you know, the first the
first half was well boring, to be honest. You had,
you know, the one score coming after a Navy turnover, unfortunately,
and really the defense, you know, it was it was
deep in their own territory. So the defense, you know,
I think did a good job of limiting the damage
to just the field goal at that point. But this
was really just kind of a kick fest.
Speaker 3: You know, We're getting to see a lot of Riley
Rifman until late the third quarter and then it turned
into Rocky and Apollo Creed where there was no defense
being played played. The Pirates and the midshipmen just kind
of stood there in the middle of the ring and
just took swings at each other. I mean, you look
at it from about a three and a half minute
mark of a third quarter touchdown, you know, Navy had.
The Navy drives were touchdown, touchdown, touchdown, touchdown, and then
end of the game.
Speaker 4: Then the last five drives of.
Speaker 3: The game, and really the only difference was that East
Carolina had one drive that they were limited to a
field goal and in one drive i've was an interception,
so it was. But they had touchdowns up and down
that fourth quarter as well.
Speaker 4: It was a wild state of the pairs and really
turned on a dime.
Speaker 3: It seemed like at that point the defenses on both
sides really kind of ran out of gas. They played
so hard for the first you know, forty minutes or so,
and all of a sudden it was like, okay, this
is all we got and let's hope that the offenses
can take it from here. And thankfully for Navy, you know,
but with Braxton Woodson and for Blake Corvath, they were
able to do so.
Speaker 2: Yeah, Navy was shut out at the half. It was
thinking about this. It was three to nothing half and
a half, and then Navy gets on the board with
just under seven minutes left in the third quarter, so
three points scored and basically the first what thirty eight
minutes of the game and change, and then the final
twenty two minutes you have a total of fifty one
point scored. I mean it's insane. I mean it was
it literally was an offensive explosion. But you know, Woodson
really was kind of the I don't want to say
the guy that saved the day, but with Blake Corbath
out with the injury, you know, putting forward a performance
like that, and like I said this, you know, just
his second career starting to go for one twenty five
and two touchdowns and you know, let's not let's not
you know, not mentioned there the Navy defense because Rayon
Lane he had nine tackles, all of which were solo.
And then it was Kyle Jacob he had seven tackles,
he had one tackle for a loss, and he had
a pick. So, you know, big day for Navy obviously,
just you know, giving up the three points there in
the first half and then limiting East Carolina that really
had that offense reveed up you know until until Saturday.
So a big win for Navy. You know it's you
know eight and three, you know, gonna go to a
really good bowl game. Bowl projections are all over the place.
I've basically seen Navy anywhere from the you know, the
Armed Lackeyed Martin Armed Forces Bowl or staying at home
and playing right there in Annapolis in the Military Bowl.
Pretty sure it's gonna be one of those two. I
think we'll all be really really surprised if it's not
one of those two bowls for Navy.
Speaker 3: Yeah, I would think it's probably going to be the
Armed Forces Bowl. And and we're we're gonna know more
on Sunday when when everything gets determined. Uh, you know,
but I would I would say the Armed Forces Bowl
makes more sense only because you would think that the
NC double A wouldn't want maybe in a in a
bowl game in their home stadium.
Speaker 2: That's the only thing done it before. They've done it
several times before, I know so.
Speaker 3: But but you know, most people had uh they had
them go into the Hawaii Bowl as well. That was
one of the one of the games that they were
they were looking at. But uh, that will be my
alma mater instead. The University of South Florida playing former
Navy head coach Kenyo Motololo and santas A state backame.
Speaker 4: That'll be a fun matchup.
Speaker 2: Well, let's move on, let's move to the next game,
because the Black Knights are the toast of the town
as we get ready for Army to host Tulane this
Friday night. But let's take a step back, because they
needed to beat Texas San Antonio, and they did on
Friday afternoon twenty nine to twenty nine to twenty four
at Mikey Stadium at West Point and just I think
two words that we've said all year, and it basically
kind of encapsulates this game. Stephen Rice and Daily once
again just outstanding as Army won its tenth game for
the fourth time in program history and the third time
in Jeff Munkins eleven years. The Black Knights still perfect
at home. They're going to try and keep that home
record perfect again on Friday night against Tulane, but winning
the right to host the American Athletic Conference Championship game
over at UTSA who has lost all six games on
the road. But this becomes this comes after Memphis took
down New Tulane on Thanksgiving evening, so that basically set
it all up. All Army had to do was get
get this dub and it was there, and it was
Daily leading the way again ten of seventeen, throwing the
football for one to ninety one touchdown through the air,
then twenty seven carries one forty seven on the ground,
steven two touchdowns, Daily tying the AAC single season record
for touchdowns with twenty five. Just another marvelous, marvelous performance
by Bryson Daily.
Speaker 4: Yeah.
Speaker 3: Absolutely, you had a had a fantastic day both on
the ground and on and through the air. Again, a
reason why I'll be disappointed not seeing him sitting there
or being mentioned when it comes to Heisman. You know,
obviously you know Travis Hunter of Colorado, Ashton Genet Boise State.
You know, most most folks think it's going to be
one of those two, and most people think it's actually
gonna be Hunter.
Speaker 4: But you know, you look at what they were able
to do in this game.
Speaker 3: You know, you start in the first half after a
fumble by the road Runners with you know, fifteen seconds
playing a tie game. You know, they get the ball
around midfield and they're able to get down inside the
twenty and set up for a short field goal for
Treger not to give them the lead going into halftime,
which turned out to be a pretty big deal because
the Roadrunners came out at the start of the second
half and went down and scored a touchdown at that point.
So I really do think that, you know, it's things
like that when you have a you know, when you
have a leader like like Bryce and Daily going all right,
I know there's only fifteen seconds. A lot of teams
just have knelt on the ball and said, screw it,
we're tied going into the half. We know, we know
we're not getting the ball to start the second half,
but at least we're tied going into the break.
Speaker 4: And he went, no, no, no, We're gonna go down.
Speaker 3: We're gonna get some We're gonna get some more points
because it's gonna take every single point in order to
win this game. And you know, they they did a
really really good job of that when when the when
the Chips were down, Bryson Dally was able to get
them to where they needed to be.
Speaker 2: And like you said, Utsa, they come out the road
Runners and score. They take it to eleven plays, seventy
five yards and four forty seven to start the third
quarter to take the lead. They go down the field
and you know, every point you mentioned counted. And while
it was just a field goal, it was a fourteen play,
seventy yard drive that took almost nine minutes off the
clock that they had. An Army had to settle for three,
but still it was a big three that pulled them
within one because they turned things over to the defense there,
you know, basically in the fourth quarter and said, look, boys,
go to work. And that's what Army did is they
only gave up that that touchdown with nine minutes left
when they were up twenty nine to seventeen. And so
you know, once again the you know, the Army defense,
you know, standing tall, once again rising to the challenge,
Caleb Portner and Chance Keith combining to stop Brandon high
on uh stop him short on fourth and one from
the Utsa's sixteen on the first play of the fourth quarter.
Just some big plays they're all throughout the fourth quarter
and that may have been the biggest one.
Speaker 3: Yeah, and you look at it there, Okay, we've got
you know, going for going for it on fourth down
at that point of the game and that location, you know,
it can be kind of head scratching, but you know,
Army's defense holds they're on fourth and you know, about
two feet and then they go down. They take the
short field, put it in the end zone and they
get a pick there from by Colin Matheson. On the
next drive and they go another short field. They're inside
of the fifty. They get a huge run from Noah's
short at that point and then Delly puts it in
the end zone again.
Speaker 4: I mean that was fourteen play. That was fourteen points in.
Speaker 3: The span of about five or six minutes of game time,
and that proved to be the biggest point.
Speaker 4: And so credit to the Black Knights defense on that.
Speaker 2: Yeah, Army now ten and one overall, eight and oh.
They finished the American regular season utsa seven and five,
four and four in the American Just a fantastic season
by Jeff munkin getting this thing turned around. Honestly, Brian
Newberry as well, because they were down on their luck
as well. And one team that wasn't down on their
luck last year but has been this season, steven Less
pivot to our last one is air Force, because boy, oh,
what could have been for air Force The Falcons. They
go on the road to San Diego State win their
fourth straight game of the season, to close, while San
Diego State loses their sixth straight in the twenty twenty
four campaign. Thirty one to twenty is air Force knocks
off San Diego State. Air Force finishing the twenty twenty
four season at five and seven, just a win short
of Bowl eligibility, third three and four in the Mountain West,
while San Diego State, as I mentioned, losers of six
in a row to end the season, they finished three
and nine, two and five in the Mountain West and
Dylan Carson a big game on the ground with one
twenty five and two touchdowns in Quentin Hayes. Once again,
I think we see who Air Force is quarterback of
the future, Quin Hayes completing only one pass, but it
was a big one. It was a touchdown to Kate
Harris seventy six yards. He also ran for a score.
You know, just it's just obviously a little bit too late.
But as we talked about last week in the week before,
you know, you want to see Air Force string together
that momentum and certainly string together get a victory to
end the twenty twenty four campaign, you know, not getting
ball eligible, especially after all a couple of outstanding seasons
at Troy Calhoun's team has had. I know, it's it's
disappointing you don't send the seniors out to the postseason.
But if you're looking ahead to next year, a lot
of momentum that you can build off the way they finished.
Speaker 3: Yeah, and then and they came very very close. I mean,
you think about it, if Hawaii doesn't beat New Mexico,
that now you have the eighty three six win teams
for eighty two spots. So I mean you came within
just a couple of teams losing a couple of games
throughout the year. You know, Air Forces has got one
of the highest UH numbers that they need for you
know when it comes to UH when they look at
the CPI, when when they're looking at when they don't
have enough six win teams to fill these Bowl games
that you know, if there were if there were seventy
nine or eighty teams, you know that that were bull
eligible and you would think Air Force would probably be
one of those one or two teams that would get in.
Speaker 4: Soir CPI is so high.
Speaker 3: So they came really really close, which is an incredible
bit of credit to Troy Calhouning Company because of how
how poorly they started. But as we've said, now, for
the last four weeks they figured out who they were.
They you know, the last month air Forces looked like
Air Force. You know, they're running the football two hundred
and seventy six yards on the ground. They ran the
ball fifty two times, they only had fifty four offensive plays.
Speaker 4: So I mean they did. They did an incredible.
Speaker 3: Job over the last month, being able to dominate the
time of possession, being able to make sure that they
are the ones that are keeping the ball on the ground,
and and most importantly, not turning the ball over. Is
when you're when you're when you're m O is running
the football. Any sort of turnovers that leads to short fields,
that leads to points for your opponent, it's gonna lead
to some some big problems. And they haven't had that
over the last month.
Speaker 2: Yeah, you know, it's hard to look back on some
what if moments, you know, but there were a lot
of close games there where, you know, during that seven
game losing streak where they weren't blowouts, it was you know,
basically two touchdowns or less, you know, kind of spreads.
Speaker 3: And so yeah, I mean it was a it was
a one score to to Colorado State at home, was
one score to Fresno State. Uh, you know, it was
uh you know, you know, you look at some of
these early games. You know, it's ten points to to
the Titans. Uh, you know, it's a couple of touchdowns
to Wyoming, it's a couple of touchdowns to Mexico. But really,
you know, you look at it, eight points to Colorado
State and ten points to San Jose State, and they're
and they're going bowling.
Speaker 2: Yeah, it just took too long to get that that
offense jump started. You know, you know, they went what
was it, I think what thirty five points roughly in
the four losses to begin that seven game losing streak,
and you know they've up it for thirty seven in
the last to New Mexico, which made it five straight,
but then it was back to just thirteen points, three points.
They didn't find any kind of offensive footing, and it
was largely because of Quentin Hayes. You know, they did
play musical chairs at quarterback for most of the season,
Bouchet and Jackson and then finally finding that quint Hayes
is going to be the guy. So barring anything crazy
with transfer, portal and him deciding is a what a
sophomore to get the heck out of Dodgs. That's their
guy moving forward. But just like loves not liking love
seeing air Force finishing strong with the thirty one to
twenty win over San Diego State, a team that had
had their number. Now it seems like oh air Force
might have their number the last couple of seasons. Steven,
as Air Force once again finishes the twenty twenty four
season five and seven, three and four in the Mountain West,
game ball time, we got to give one of our
last game balls of the season. Is we're barreling down
the home stretch, Steven, who's gonna get yours this week?
Speaker 3: Well, I mean I obviously have to go with with
a little bit of a fill in, and that is
with Braxton Woodson.
Speaker 4: I mean he certainly deserved it. I mean, there were
plenty of.
Speaker 3: Midshipman that deserved game balls, but I will go with Woodson.
You know, as you mentioned, fifteen carries one hundred and
twenty five yards and a couple of touchdowns on the ground.
He was also twelve of nineteen for one hundred and
sixty five yards and a score through the air. You know,
they did a good job of making sure that they
he did a good job of making sure that he
didn't put the ball in the other team's hands. That's
exactly what you want out of your backup quarterback. It
allows Blake Corvath to get a couple of more weeks
to get healthier and be ready for Army Navy in
two weeks.
Speaker 4: So yeah, I'm gonna go with Braxton Woodson.
Speaker 2: All right, I'm gona to go with air Force A
junior running back Dylan Carson, because, as I mentioned, the
junior out of Marysville, Washington had a season high one
twenty five in the win over San Diego State with
two touchdowns. You know, Quinin Hayes is the straw that
stirs the drink, right Steven, We know that, especially when
it comes to a ball controlled, you know, offense like this.
But Dylan Carson, they found something in him over the
last few games, especially the four game winning streak where
he finished the season with three one hundred yard games.
Those three one hundred yard rushing efforts came in their
last four during that winning streak, and the one game
where he didn't hit the hundred yard mark, he was
only three yards short from it. But he did score
five touchdowns on the ground those last four games, So
you really given air Force a one to two punch,
you know, with with Quintin Hayes. So running back to
Dylan Carson gets my game ball, Steven is we don't
have any more to give out this season, Nope, but
we got to give out some more information because we're
about to give you our Travis Manning Foundation Honor Roll
segment where you honor remember a fallen hero. We're gonna
give out some picks as we break down the Tulane
and number twenty four Army American Athletic Conference Championship game.
We got a lot of news and notes to pass
you because the postseason accolades they are flowing in, as
they say, at this point with the regular season about
to come to an end for all our teams. But Steven,
we're part of the last word on Sports podcast Network.
Tell everybody what they can find. Is part of the
last Word on Sports podcast Now.
Speaker 3: At College Gridiron, Coast to Coast, being part of the
last Word on Sports podcast Network here, We've got tons
this week just to give you a taste of what's
already on board. Of course, this week in the ACC,
the guys talk about maybe some coaches on the hot
seat in that conference. And of course what an upset
by Syracuse over Miami knocking the Hurricane out of a
possible ACC championship and maybe a bye in the College
Football Playoff?
Speaker 4: How what is that going.
Speaker 3: To do to their to the ACC's opportunities in the
CFP this year? Of course, Uh, it just needs more
football and coffee talking rivalry week in the SEC. Uh,
you know, with Alabama being a three loss team, could
you know, could they be in the in the College
Football Playoff? Georgia is a three loss team, could be
in the College Football Playoff?
Speaker 4: It is absolutely.
Speaker 3: Wild and Rob Williams and Craig McMichael take a look
at all of that with Casey from message board Geniuses
and of course get off my pylon Matt Zemic looking
at the aftermath of a crazy rivalry week out West
Arizona State and Iowa State in the Big Twelve championship
game as a there's a full breakdown on that. Also,
some talk about Colorado and the diverging paths in the
Big Ten between two California schools, UCLA and USC coming
up later this week. Of course, Florida Football Insiders with
Jason Powers and the Big twelve sec Breakdown, Tyler Jones
and Thomas Bridge is always good stuff there as well.
Speaker 2: All Right, we got a lot more to do our
Travis Mannain Foundation on a roll segment. It's coming up next.
Then we take a look ahead to this weekend. All
coming up on Yards and Stripes. You're home for Service
Academy Football.
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Speaker 5: In two thousand and seven, Reen 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 found and through TMF
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community alongside empowered veterans, families of the fallen, and inspired
civilians at Travismanion dot org.
Speaker 2: All right, as we continue on here on Yards and Stripes,
your home for Service Academy Football, you know we've come
to that point in the show where you honor remember
a fallen hero, one that has given the ultimate sacrifice
for our nation and for our freedoms. We partner with
the Travismannion Foundation once again to highlight these many, many
brave men and women who unfortunately have given that sacrifice
for our nation, and you can find out more online
at Travismanian dot org. You can check out their Fallen
hero section. Just a great way to remember the lives
of so many people that have meant so much to
our nation in our nation's military, that are never forgotten
because in the words of Travis that he spoke himself,
if not Ethan who so so many heroes like this
week's hero from the United States Marine Corps, Javier Ortez Rivera.
Javier was born in Puerto Rico. His family moved to Rochester,
New York as a young child, and he graduated East
High in Rochester and joined the Marine Corps in July
of twenty and twenty three. He was a machine gunner
and deployed multiple times to combat zones in Iraq and Afghanistan,
where he was unfortunately killed in action while conducting combat
operations in the helmmanned Province of Afghanistan during Operation and
Enduring Freedom giving his life. On November sixteenth, two thousand
and ten, he was awarded the Purple Heart Medal the
Bronze Star with Valor Device. Xavier survived by his wife Veronica,
three children, Alyssa, Andrew, and Anthony, his mother, his father,
is brother, sister, and so many other family and friends.
But Javier or teas He Javier or Tease rivera excuse
me was a big Dallas Cowboy fan, living in a
military town where there was a big mix of NFL fans.
Every Sunday during football season, he would wear his Dallas
Cowboys jersey to church and many people would hate on
his team. But one day after church, he randomly told
his wife that when he died, he wanted to hear
he wanted everyone to wear Dallas Cowboy fan attire to
his funeral. So that's what all the haters would have
had to eat their words and could look down from
Heaven and laugh at them. Javier Rivera's memorial service a
church full of hundreds of people, including diehard cowboy fans
and haters, but they did give him his wish wearing
that Dallas cowboy's attire. So we remember marines and heroes
like Javier or Tease Rivera from Puerto Rico, who relocated
with his family to Rochester, New York and gave the
ultimate sacrifice for a nation for freedom. On November the
Sink sixteenth, twenty.
Speaker 6: Ten, Travis Mallon Foundation's 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, coming down the home stretch, You're on Yards
and Stripes. You're over Service Academy Football. I am Price Atkinson.
More importantly, he is Steve McCarney, producer, Extraordinary co host
Jack Ball Trade. He is the MVP of the show folks,
as we now turn our attention to this Friday night,
it is a big time American Athletic Conference championship matchup.
Tulane nine and three heading up to West Point to
take on number twenty four Army ten one an eight
o'clock PM Eastern Standard time kickoff on ABC. Tou Lane
installed is a five point road favorite. Over under in
this one is forty five and a half and something
I mentioned at the outset, Army gonna try and do
something very very rare, and that's when a conference championship
in their first year since entering the conference first trying
to win a first conference championship period. Navy played in
one AAC title game, losing the Temple thirty four to
ten in Annapolis in the two thousand and sixty AAC
title game. Tulane now will be playing in the championship
game for their third straight season. Obviously, this is Army's
first year in the American I mentioned Navy before only
because that's set in the record that another Service Academy
team did play for an American Athletic Conference championship, but
it will be Army's turn. As tou Lane they hosted
this one for what three straight or two straight years
until this season, but the two teams met have met
on the grid iron Stephen three times in the series
that began back in nineteen fifty three, with the Green
Wave holding a thirteen to nine one advantage, and they
have won the last four meetings, the most recent one
of thirty eight to twelve decision into Orleans, but that
was back on twenty and twenty. Steve, let me just
ask you before we get out of the gate here.
You know you're always looking for silver linings in this one.
Dare I say advantage Army? Clearly? We know that this
game is being played at Mikey, but you know the
temperature is expected to be in the potentially mid to low.
You know, twenties win coming off the water there with
Mikey right there. You know next to the water, Army
is six and zero at home this season. I know
two Lane is five and one away from New Orleans,
but Army undefeated at home, and Army just hasn't won
at home. They've crusted their opponent Stephen in West Point,
outscoring the teams that have come to Mikey seventeen to
eighty six on the way to averaging forty six point
two points per game at home. You know, is there
another thing you know to kind of look at too.
Another advantage for Army is, obviously Tulane is coming off
that lost to Memphis on Thursday evening Thanksgiving night, losing
the chance to host, you know, after playing host to
the championship game the last two seasons in New Orleans,
and then you know, maybe the lack of focus is
they've got a head coach. It's being mentioned and John
summerll with some of the openings. I know North Carolina
is one of the ones that you've seen him prominently mentioned.
Could focus be an issue there with a lot of things.
So I bring those things up to say, do I
dare say advantage Black Knights?
Speaker 3: Well, I certainly think that the weather component certainly favors
Army because you know, the kids from New Orleans are
going to be huddled around the heaters on the sideline
for this game. I mean, you mentioned the forecast is
for twenty five degrees at kickoff, with wins of thirteen
miles an hour. That's ay feels like temperature of thirteen degrees.
It's going to be really cold for these kids. Whereas
I think that you know, the Black Knights, they're used
to this. You know, this is for a lot of
these guys, this is not their first rodeo playing in
really cold temperatures. For a lot of the Tulane kids,
it is you know, especially the young ones that have
played the only this season for the Green Wave, because
they really haven't had any really.
Speaker 4: Cold cold games.
Speaker 3: You know, the game at Navy Marine Corps Memorial Stadium
a couple of weeks ago was chilly, but it wasn't cold.
I mean, this is this is, this is going to be,
you know, easily the coldest game that they have to
that they've had to deal with this year. That being said,
Tulane likes to run the football, and that certainly helps
when it comes to, you know, trying to keep your guys,
you know, keep your offense warm, you know, keep your
quarterback in good shape. So I don't think that you know,
I think that that certainly will tilt things towards towards Army.
You know, with with Navy, we said, you know earlier
this year, you know, they have not beaten a team
that most people believe is better than them. Army is
the same way, they've only played one game this year
against a team that people said is better than them,
Notre Dame, and obviously they lost that game, and they
lost that game handily. Most people believe that Tulane is
a better team than Army. This is Bryson Dally's opportunity
to show them that if they thought that the Green
Wave is better than the Black Knights, they got another
thing coming to them. And I think that Bryson daily.
You know, I always think of, you know, the Last
Dance with Michael Jordan when he's when he's looking at
the iPad and he goes, I took that personally. This
is what this is a game that I think Bryson
Dally is going to say at the end of it.
Speaker 4: I took this personally.
Speaker 3: I wanted this for my for my final game uh
at at Mikey Stadium.
Speaker 4: UH.
Speaker 3: You know, I wanted to go out as a champion,
to be able to hold a championship trophy for the
first time, a conference championship, uh for the first time
in this program's illustrious history.
Speaker 2: Some may say, you know, they're beg to differ that
you know that Army is the better program. Is Tulane
the better program? One thing I do know, Stephen, is
that you know, you got probably two of the best
you know, offenses and defenses, no doubt about it in
the league matching up. I mean, tu Lane was easily
one of the most prolific offenses in the country. You know,
they're lead at AAC and yards per game at four
twenty nine thirty nine point one points per game with
ranked six in the country. You know, the Black Knights
or no slouch at either offensively at three twelve of
yards rushing per game and thirty two points per contest.
But could the defense be the one could I mean points?
Could they be at a premium on Friday night? You
know mentioned if it's windy and we know it's going
to be cold, But these are two also the best
defenses in the entire league.
Speaker 3: Oh absolutely, And you look at something you know, points
certainly could be at a premium, and you know, with
some of the some of the games that both of
these teams have put up this year, that that could
be quite the surprise. I mean you look at a
special and looking just looking at their common opponents, you know,
you look at what Tulane has done with some of
these teams and what Army is done with some of
these teams. You know, Tulane beat Rice twenty four to ten,
Army beat Rice thirty seven to fourteen, Army beat Temple
forty two fourteen, Tulane beat Temple fifty two to six.
You know, Army beat UAB forty four to ten to
a bet u AB seventy one to twenty. So, I
mean there's a lot There's been a lot of points
put up by both of these teams. But I think
the I think the weather is certainly going to put
points out a premium. It's really gonna be good for
defensive players because you're gonna have cold footballs. You're gonna
have You're gonna have players with cold hands, and you're
gonna be able to If you're a defensive player, you're
the first thing that coaches teach you go after the football,
get that football on the ground. So I have a
feeling that you're gonna see a lot of swiping, especially
early in this game. As as the players finally get
accustomed to the colds. I think that that's probably gonna
be big early.
Speaker 2: Yeah, I can't wait. Tulane an Army eight o'clock on
Friday night on ABC again, Tulane is a five point
favorite on the road over under at forty five and
a half. We'll pick this game here, excuse me, Steven
just a second. We'll kind of get we'll give our
scores and what we think and kind of recap last
week as we all three is both of us picked
all three winners, and that's exactly what we got. But
let me just a couple I do want to hit
on a few news and notes because certainly a lot
of the postseason accolades well deserved by all three of
these teams. Clearly we know the Army and Navy are
gonna have a lot more pouring in and that's exactly
the case. When you have a successful season, you do
get recognized. But you know, congratulations Steve to Army head
coach Cheffmunkin being named the AEC Coach of the Year,
and obviously Bryce and Daily no surprise whatsoever, tabbed the
American Athletic Conference Offensive Player of the Year. In all,
twelve Black Knights were recognized by the AAC on the
first team. Of course, Daily, center Brady Small, left guard
Bill Katsigiannis, and then safety Max d Domenico. They were
first teamers on the second team Connor left tackle, Connor
Finnecane right tackle, Lucas Scott right guard, Paalo Generelli, Kanye
Udo the running back, defensive lineman Kyle Lewis, and then
and and Thomas Elo Medozi they were all third team.
And inside linebacker Caleb Portner, he was honorable mentioned all
A a. C. Daily selected by the fans as the
Manning Award Quarterback of the Week last week. And then
certainly Army's offensive line they were named a finalist for
the Joe Moore Award, the top offensive line in college football,
so a big honor for them. And then Army defensive
coordinator Steve Nate Woody named a semi finalist for the
prestigious Broyles Award. And if you know anything about the
Broyles Award, he's given to the top assistant in college football.
So that's a big piece of recognition right there.
Speaker 3: And for some of the other assistant coaches that are
that are mentioned in the Broyles, I mean there's some
really really good nations.
Speaker 4: Yeah.
Speaker 3: I saw Derk Cutter's name in that in that list
as well, So that's a that's a former NFL head
coach that is that is working as an assistant at
his alma mater and a really good offensive mind. So
to be in there with with guys like Dirk Cutter,
that that's a real that's a real uh.
Speaker 4: That's a real high praise.
Speaker 5: Yeah.
Speaker 2: Absolutely uh. For the Naval Academy, they had five defensive
players and a specialist name to the All League team
that that just came out. Junior nose guard Landon Robinson,
senior linebacker Colon Ramos, and safety Rayon Lane the third
they were named first Team All AAC UH, defensive end
Justin Reid, corner Deshaun Peel, and punter Riley Readman named
for the second team, and while the Mids did not
have a player selected to the third team, a senior
tackle Connor McMahon and junior guard Ben Purvis, they were
named Honorable Mention All AAC Braxton Woodson name to the
Davey O'Brien Great Eight for an outstanding week and then
Blake Corbath, a Simili semi finalist for the Comeback Player
of the Year award. For the Falcon Air Force had
senior offensive lineman Alex Moore and junior punter Luke Freer.
They were named second team All Mountain West according to
the vote by Elite the league's coaches. And then they
also had five players that were named Hounible mentioned All
AAC and those included Matthew Dpour, the outstanding placekicker for
the Falcons. So congratulations to all the teams, you know,
having postseason awards and recognition coming in for just an
outstanding twenty twenty four college football season. Thankfully, we got
more to go. We got Army this weekend. Clearly, we
got the Army Navy game coming up next weekend and
then his bowl season as we'll have Army and Navy
both playing in bowls. So we got a lot more
to do, Steven. But more to do here is we're
not going anywhere last week. As I mentioned, we all
picked both you and I. We picked Navy, we picked Army,
we picked air Force in that order to get wins.
We got that two lane and Army just two lane
in there. Can they rave the cold get out in
New Orleans? Can they get bring this thing back home
to the Big Easy again? Or does Army pull off
that rare conference championship something that's never been done at
West Point? But do they get it. Do they get
the job done and being one of those rare teams
in their very first year in a new league to
win a conference championship.
Speaker 3: Yeah, I really do think that Tulane has that opportunity.
They've got a lot of experience of being in this game.
They've got a lot of upperclassmen that have gone to
a number of these games. You know, anybody who's a
junior or higher that came in as a freshman has
been to both of these games, and so I think
they have the opportunity to do so. That being said,
Tulane does not have bryceon Dally and he is the
X factor. So I say that Army is leaving the
field with the championship trophy. In this game, it's gonna
be it's gonna be low scoring. I think we both
believe that it's going to be low scoring. I think
that Army's defense does enough to keep Tlane out of
the end zone though, and so I think it is
going to be Black Knights twenty one, Green Wave nine.
I think they hold into three field goals.
Speaker 2: Wow, that is low scoring. I too, like Army. I
think Army is gonna win. I think because they're at
home I think it's gonna be an incredible atmosphere. I
do far be it for me to say, but you know,
I wish that that stadium renovation may have taken a
year before they started it, because I would love to
see that side packed too.
Speaker 4: Oh my god.
Speaker 2: Yeah. But the fact that you know you're gonna have
a thirty thous a small thirty thousand, you know crowd,
it's just gonna be incredible. It's gonna be cold. I mean,
it's football weather in upstate New York. I think it's
gonna be fun. And I think Army is gonna protect
the home field. And like you said, I think Bryce
and Daily and I think the toughness of the line
of scrimmage by the offensive Army or the Army offensive
line and the Army defensive line. I think those ultimately
are gonna be the difference. And that's why I like
Army to win twenty three to twenty, beating Too Lane
by a field goal. Steve, let's get out of here, man.
We got a big weekend ahead, we got a lot
of the conference championship games. Appreciate all that you do
keeping us straight and keeping us ahead of the game.
On the last word on Sports Podcast Network. Appreciate everybody
for tuning in all season long, for investing their time
with us. I can't think of anybody better to spend
it with you and all our listeners, because it has
been a blast from start to finish. But we're not
done yet. We still got more. Go.
Speaker 3: Absolutely, it's gonna be a it's gonna be a great weekend,
you know, being able to watch this on Friday night
going into what's gonna be a It's gonna be an
awesome weekend here locally. For me, I'm definitely really excited
for this, and then of course America's game, you know,
coming up next week are in a you know, I
think I think it's going to be just a phenomenal
that we get another opportunity to talk Army, Navy and
the pageantry and people. You know, I've had so many
people go come up to me, you know that listen
and they go, I can't believe that you and Price
do an entire hour on a single game, and it's like,
you don't understand. This is the most important game of
the year, yea for you know, so many college football fans,
and I'm really excited for next week's show where we
you know, when we get to talk about hopefully an
Army you know AC Conference championship going into the Army
Navy game.
Speaker 4: It's going to be a blast.
Speaker 2: Yeah, Army Navy previous special. Don't want to miss it
next week as we will break down both teams, the game,
the matchup, everything going on around it as it will
be back in landover Maryland next week, so we will
do that next week here on Yards and Stripes. But
until then, Steven, have a great weekend, enjoy the games.
Everybody can't wait to be with you again for Army
Navy Week next week.
Speaker 1: We'll see then join us again next time for Yards
and Strikes Service Academy Football. To get more on all
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