Philadelphia, PA (Sports Network) - With the Saturday spotlight all to
themselves, the 113th edition of the historic matchup between the Army Black
Knights and the Midshipmen of Navy is once again set to be played in
Philadelphia at Lincoln Financial Field.
All of the pomp and circumstance that goes along with this monumental event is
why it deserves its own day this year, even if the Black Knights will still
finish with a losing record and Navy has already made postseason plans that do
not hinge on the outcome of this meeting.
Nevertheless, there is still something to be decided this year with the
Commander-In-Chief's Trophy still up for grabs. Awarded annually to the winner
of the football competition among the three major Service Academies (Army,
Navy and Air Force), the trophy needs to find a new home this season after
having been claimed by the Falcons the last two years.
Air Force has already lost to both of these squads, so this will be the game
to decide it all which means either the Midshipmen will be taking it back down
to Annapolis for the 13th time since the award began in 1972, or Army will
celebrate for just the seventh time and the first since 1996.
Heading into this weekend, Navy, which has already accepted an invitation to
play against Arizona State in the 2012 Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl in San
Francisco later this month, won six of the last seven games on the schedule,
including a 21-10 victory over Texas State in the most recent outing on Nov.
17.
Meanwhile, Army's road through the 2012 campaign has been anything but smooth,
the program winning a total of just two games against Boston College and Air
Force. The Knights suffered one of their toughest losses in the most recent
outing, a lopsided 63-32 setback versus the Temple Owls at home on Nov. 17,
marking the unit's second straight setback and the fifth in the last six
contests.
"I don't think it's the way you want to finish any game," Army quarterback
Trent Steelman said of the loss to Temple. "At the same time, we have one
more. We can still go out on the right note and finish the season the right
way."
The relationship on the football field between the two Academies dates back to
1890 when the Midshipmen posted a 24-0 victory over Army in the very first
meeting. Navy owns a 56-49-7 advantage in the all-time series thanks to a
current 10-game run over the Black Knights.
Last year the event was held at FedExField in Landover, Maryland for the first
time as Navy scored in every quarter, but needed a pair of field goals by Jon
Teague in the fourth to break a 21-21 tie and provide the Midshipmen with the
six-point cushion they needed in the 27-21 final.
Both teams ran for just under 300 yards in the 2011 contest and combined for a
mere 90 yards passing on just five completed attempts. This year figures to
have similar numbers on both sides as Army ranks first in the nation in
rushing (369.8 ypg) and Navy is sixth (285.5 ypg) on the ground, with the
squads ranked 120th and 117th, respectively, in passing.
Even though the Navy passing game is far from attack mode on a regular basis,
quarterback Keenan Reynolds has still managed to keep most opponents on their
toes when he lines up under center. Responsible for nine rushing touchdowns in
the last seven games, Reynolds also tossed TDs in four straight outings, a
total of eight during the stretch which means he is more than capable of
finding holes in the Army defense.
Senior Brandon Turner gives Reynolds his top option down the field, with the
receiver having turned his 19 catches into 248 yards and three touchdowns.
Coming out of the backfield, Gee Gee Greene transformed his 14 receptions into
a team-high 280 yards and another couple of scores as well and that's sure to
be a comfort to Reynolds who still gets a bit anxious before he takes the
field each week.
"I'm pretty sure I'll be nervous before the game starts, but you know, once
the first play goes its just football again," said Reynolds.
Also taking some of the pressure off Reynolds will be Noah Copeland who has
carried the ball more than anyone else on the team, his 130 attempts leading
to 592 yards and four TDs.
On the defensive side, Keegan Wetzel has garnered plenty of attention from the
opposition due to his 13.5 tackles for loss and six sacks, both of which pace
the program. Matt Warrick, second on the unit in total stops with 73, also
registered three interceptions on the season, but with both of these teams
operating almost exclusively on the ground, that sort of effort might not come
into play this weekend.
In fact, Steelman has attempted a total of only 85 passes through 11 games,
completing 45.9 percent of those for 619 yards and one score. Steelman has two
interceptions in 2012, but odds are he'll try and feed his running backs and
take the ball down the field with his legs before he resorts to putting it in
the air.
The signal-caller ranks first on the team in rushing with 1,152 yards and has
scored 16 touchdowns, giving him a total of 44 for his career which sets the
new school record that was once held by 1946 Heisman Trophy winner Glenn
Davis. The highest-scoring Army quarterback in history, Steelman is also first
in the record books among signal-callers with regard to career rushing yards
(3,224) and rushing attempts (735).
If and when Steelman gets tired of calling his own number, Raymond Maples is
capable of carrying the load after producing 1,059 yards and averaging 5.4
yards per carry. Larry Dixon, gaining better than six yards per attempt
himself, has landed in the end zone six times as well.
But while the rushing attack for the Black Knights is clearly their favored
approach, the squad has had just as much trouble slowing down the competition
which has opted to run the ball. Opponents have averaged 5.7 yards per carry
and have recorded 33 rushing scores which is two more than Army through 11
games.
Despite missing a pair of games, Nate Combs is clearly a force to be reckoned
with on defense for the Knights, his 12.0 TFLs and 6.0 sacks leading the unit,
while also pacing the group with three recovered fumbles and two forced
fumbles. In on seemingly every hit this season has been Geoffrey Bacon with
his 122 stops, 39 more than his closest teammate.
"This is a great game, a great venue, but at the end of the day, it's still a
football game," Army head coach Rich Ellerson notes. "The outcome will be
determined by the same things that determine every football game."
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