W10 Academy Highlights Army Hosts Air Force, Navy at Cincinnati

Air Force Faces Army in Second CIC Trophy Contest;

Navy Looks to Rebound in Visit to Cincinnati

by John Chuhran



White Plains, N.Y., November 2 -- The second of three games to determine possession of the Commander-In-Chief's Trophy highlights this week's military academy football schedule. For any player at the academies, the two games against their military rivals are the highlights of their seasons. Air Force travels to West Point hoping to avenge last year's home loss to Army. Since Air Force defeated Navy 35-7 on Oct. 6, Saturday's game will determine who keeps the massive silver sculpture for 2019. If Air Force wins, it will get to display the trophy throughout 2019. If Army wins, the trophy will stay at West Point since even a loss in the Army-Navy game on Dec. 8 would leave each academy with one win in 2018 and, under the rules for awarding the CIC Trophy, a three-way tie would mean that the previous season's winner retains the award for the next season. Navy, looking to recover from a 44-22 loss to Notre Dame last Saturday in San Diego, travels to Cincinnati. Sons of the American Legion Radio previews both games.



AIR FORCE (3-5) @ ARMY (6-2), Sat, Nov 3, 12 p.m. ET (TV: CBS Sports Network)



Army earned bowl eligibility last week with a 37-22 at Eastern Michigan and the Black Knights look to be near top form. Junior Quarterback Kelvin Hopkins returned to the lineup after resting a lingering hip injury for week and he delivered a solid effort (rushing for 100 yards on 22 carries, completing 7-of-8 passes for 126 yards and two touchdowns). Senior fullback Darnell Woolfolk (89 yards rushing) and Andy Davidson (45 yards) balanced the Black Knights running attack, which is averaging 314.6 yards per game to rank second in the nation. John Abercrombie drilled three field goals -- his career high for a single college game. Cole Christiansen led Army with 6 tackles and a sack and James Nachitgal and James Gibson both logged five tackles as the Army defense failed to allow the Eagles to get a first down in the opening 30 minutes. But there were concerns: three Army drives stalled inside the 10 yard line in the first half, forcing the field goals; and a failure to quickly adjust to Eastern Michigan changes early after intermission allowed the hosts to narrow the Army lead to 16-14. But Head Coach Jeff Monken was able to settle down his players, who returned to the clock-chewing, grind-it-out ground attack that enabled the Black Knights to build up the margin of victory. Air Force presents a different challenge since the Falcons practice a triple-option attack that is similar to, but more pass-oriented than, the Army offensive scheme.



Time of possession will likely be a factor in determining the eventual winner. Army leads the nation with a staggering 40:02 average time of possession after controlling the ball for a season-high 45:42 last week. Air Force controls the ball for an average of 34:36 per game to rank sixth in the country.



Air Force slipped to 3-5 last week with a 48-38 home loss to Boise State. Junior quarterback Isaiah Sanders was effective (rushing for 97 yards and a touchdown on 28 carries, completing 10-of-15 passes for 210 yards and two touchdowns) for the second straight week and appears to have solidified his hold on the position. Seven different receivers, led by Senior wide receiver Andrew Smith with three catches for 57 yards and his first career TD, pulled in his passes. Junior RB Joseph Saucier recorded a career-long 51-yard reception to set up a touchdown and threw the first pass of his career, which resulted in a 32-yard touchdown. The Falcons logged 443 total offensive yards (201 on the ground, 242 in the air) last week. The defense was led by Junior DB Jeremy Fejedelem, who had 13 tackles for the second consecutive game. Senior DB Ross Connors added a career-high seven tackles.



NAVY (2-6) at Cincinnati (7-1), Sat, Nov 3, 3:30 p.m. ET (TV: ESPNU - Internet only)



Navy is coming off its fifth straight as the Midshipmen struggle to find a consistently effective quarterback. Garret Lewis has been the primary signal caller for the last three games, but success has been elusive; against the No. 3 ranked Fighting Irish, he completed just 4 of 11 passes for 52 yards and an interception and on the ground he gained only 13 yards on 11 carries. Zach Abey, who started at quarterback most of last year, usually comes in on short-yardage situations and his lone attempted pass against Notre Dame was incomplete. Malcolm Perry has returned to slotback and ran for 133 yards -- his second highest total for the year -- on just 12 carries. Replacing Nelson Smith who was injured early in the game, Senior fullback Mike Martin added 56 yards on 10 carries. Navy ranks third in the nation with an average of 307.3 rushing yards per game. The defense was led by linebacker Taylor Heflin (13 tackles, 2 for loss), safety Sean Williams (11 tackles and a forced fumble), and Hudson Sullivan (6 tackles).



The Bearcats are led by running back Michael Warren II (863 yards and 12 touchdowns on 163 carries) and a stingy defense that has given up the sixth-fewest first downs in the country. Quarterback Desmond Ridder is also a running threat (371 yards and four TDs on 101 carries) and he is coming off his best passing game (completing 33-of-50 attempts for 352 yards with two TDs and two interceptions against SMU). Kahlil Lewis, who had 12 catches for 174 yards and two TDs against SMU, leads the Bearcats in receiving with 31 catches (343 yards and three TDs for the year). Perry Young leads the defense (41 tackles) Along with Bryan Wright (39 tackles, three sacks). James Wiggins had an 86-yard interception (his second of the year) against SMU and returned it for a touchdown.

(-SAL Radio-)