Army 28, Temple 13

[WP76]

Forgive me for posting this on a Sooner board but it's very unusual these days for Army to beat a team that won 10 games last year on the road by 15 points.

The "Long Gray Line" is pretty happy this morning. OU now needs to beat Houston to make this a perfect weekend. When your two favorite teams are Army and OU, "perfect weekends" are hard to come by...and that's not because of the Sooners [sigh].

Hopefully, Army's starting to turn things around and we can beat Navy for the second time this millennium this year.

 

[Soonersincefitty]

You're quite right.
When I saw the score I thought it was a misprint.
Then I decided it was just an anomaly.
Go Army!

 

[WP76]

You're quite right.
When I saw the score I thought it was a misprint.
Then I decided it was just an anomaly.
Go Army!

Thanks, fitty. You're right in that It was probably an anomaly, a fluke, whatever...but I'll take it.

In all seriousness, Army's O-Line dominated the game as the Cadets had over 300 rushing yards and Temple was obviously "gassed" in the fourth quarter. We lost something like seven games by a TD or less last year to include a gut-wrenching four point loss to a senior-laden Navy team that was a 17 point favorite.

Hopefully, Jeff Monken (Army's coach) can take a page from the Stoops timeline. Remember that during Stoops' first year we led in every game but lost four of them because we couldn't finish but won the NC in 2000. Army's not going to be close to NC caliber, of course, but hopefully we can start winning more than we lose and beat our service academy rivals on a much more regular basis.

 

[CTOkie]

Thanks, fitty. You're right in that It was probably an anomaly, a fluke, whatever...but I'll take it.

In all seriousness, Army's O-Line dominated the game as the Cadets had over 300 rushing yards and Temple was obviously "gassed" in the fourth quarter. We lost something like seven games by a TD or less last year to include a gut-wrenching four point loss to a senior-laden Navy team that was a 17 point favorite.

Hopefully, Jeff Monken (Army's coach) can take a page from the Stoops timeline. Remember that during Stoops' first year we led in every game but lost four of them because we couldn't finish but won the NC in 2000. Army's not going to be close to NC caliber, of course, but hopefully we can start winning more than we lose and beat our service academy rivals on a much more regular basis.

Army played a very physical game, especially on the offensive line. Offensive line was very good.
It's one game, but I would hope this can be the start of Army's team becoming competitive. I know that football is not the purpose of West Point, but just to have the program on the same level as Air Force and Navy would make my day.....but I wonder if Army would have to lower its academic standards to do so. Personally, I'd bet good money that the requirements at West Point are above those of the other academies.....unless it's more about having to serve a tour of duty in harm's way.

 

[Soonersincefitty]

Excuse me CT, but didn't Army have glory years, as in national power in the 40s?
I remember a guy named Doaks winning the Heisman?

Edit...I was referencing Doc Blanchard.
My bad.

 

[WP76]

Excuse me CT, but didn't Army have glory years, as in national power in the 40s?
I remember a guy named Doaks winning the Heisman?

Army has three Heisman winners (Davis, Blanchard, and Dawkins) and three NCs (two consensus in 1944 and 1945; one split in 1946).

We were pretty solid in the 1960s as well. I think we only lost two games in 1966 and 1967. We were extended a Sugar Bowl bid in 1967 but turned it down because the Department of the Army didn't think it proper for the Army to be celebrating in New Orleans while men were dying in the rice paddies of Vietnam.

During my time as a cadet our first year was solid--winning record to include wins over Texas A&M in College Station and over Air Force and Navy and the first ever Commander in Chiefs trophy. We were miserable during my last three years as we started a long, slow painful slide in the post-Vietnam era.

Recently, we've been hampered by a number of factors. (1) bad coaching hires (2) the most stringent combined academic/military standards of the three academies. (Every exchange AF cadet and midshipman with whom I've ever spoken over the last 40 plus years echoed that sentiment) and (3) during the post 9-11 era over six times as many West Point grads have been killed in combat as the other academies. Given that those three schools recruit many of the same players, a prospective football player is naturally going to go where his post-graduation likelihood of being killed or maimed is lower.

 

[CTOkie]

Excuse me CT, but didn't Army have glory years, as in national power in the 40s?
I remember a guy named Doaks winning the Heisman?

Edit...I was referencing Doc Blanchard.
My bad.

Doc Blanchard and Glenn Davis in the mid-40's were arguably the greatest one-two punch ever. From what I have read, an academic scandal in the early 1950's knocked Army off its lofty perch. Army had some very good teams since then and in 1988 ( 9-3, losing to Alabama 29-28 in the Sun Bowl) and in 1996 (10-2, losing to Auburn 32-29 in the Independence Bowl)....and its teams have played OU close: winning 21-7 in 1946 (during the Blanchard-Davis era) and losing in 1959, 28-20 and in 1961, losing 14-8 (on Mike McClellan's 75 yard run on a play run without a huddle and which I attended at Yankee Stadium).
Doak Walker played at SMU and won the Heisman in 1948.

 

[CTOkie]

Recently, we've been hampered by a number of factors. (1) bad coaching hires (2) the most stringent combined academic/military standards of the three academies. (Every exchange AF cadet and midshipman with whom I've ever spoken over the last 40 plus years echoed that sentiment) and (3) during the post 9-11 era over six times as many West Point grads have been killed in combat as the other academies. Given that those three schools recruit many of the same players, a prospective football player is naturally going to go where his post-graduation likelihood of being killed or maimed is lower.[/QUOTE]
As I suspected as far as the academic requirements are concerned.....and as far as the dangers where WP grads are stationed.
I spoke to a cadet there several years back and asked I asked him if he thought Army would ever be competitive again (Army was getting mauled by Louisville during this conversation). His reply was "That's not why we're here, sir".

 

[WP76]

Doc Blanchard and Glenn Davis in the mid-40's were arguably the greatest one-two punch ever. From what I have read, an academic scandal in the early 1950's knocked Army off its lofty perch. Army had some very good teams since then and in 1988 ( 9-3, losing to Alabama 29-28 in the Sun Bowl) and in 1996 (10-2, losing to Auburn 32-29 in the Independence Bowl)....and its teams have played OU close: winning 21-7 in 1946 (during the Blanchard-Davis era) and losing in 1959, 28-20 and in 1961, losing 14-8 (on Mike McClellan's 75 yard run on a play run without a huddle and which I attended at Yankee Stadium).
Doak Walker played at SMU and won the Heisman in 1948.

CT, as an Army fan, if you can get a copy of "On Brave Old Army Team" it's a good read about the early 1950's football cheating scandal. I believe several dozen players were kicked out of school--many on some pretty flimsy evidence from what I understand. I also learned that a number of those expelled Army cadets were given full scholarships to Notre Dame, under the condition that they would not play football.

 

[CTOkie]

CT, as an Army fan, if you can get a copy of "On Brave Old Army Team" it's a good read about the early 1950's football cheating scandal. I believe several dozen players were kicked out of school--many on some pretty flimsy evidence from what I understand. I also learned that a number of those expelled Army cadets were given full scholarships to Notre Dame, under the condition that they would not play football.

As a college football fan, it's always been my hope that Army could become, if not a powerhouse, at least a perennial bowl contender like Air Force and Navy.
If anyone here could attend one Army home game in their lifetime, he/she would become an Army fan too.
I saw Army defeat Rice in Rice Stadium in 1958, 14-7....Pete Dawkins, the Heisman winner that year, scored on a long pass reception for the game winner.
I have visited West Point often and have visited the Naval Academy as well. Both are beautiful campuses, but West Point is much more scenic.
WP, interesting info on those expelled cadets being given full scholarships to ND....even though they couldn't play anymore.

 

[Soonersincefitty]

As a college football fan, it's always been my hope that Army could become, if not a powerhouse, at least a perennial bowl contender like Air Force and Navy.
If anyone here could attend one Army home game in their lifetime, he/she would become an Army fan too.
I saw Army defeat Rice in Rice Stadium in 1958, 14-7....Pete Dawkins, the Heisman winner that year, scored on a long pass reception for the game winner.
I have visited West Point often and have visited the Naval Academy as well. Both are beautiful campuses, but West Point is much more scenic.
WP, interesting info on those expelled cadets being given full scholarships to ND....even though they couldn't play anymore.

Not to mention the mint, where all the gold US coins come from.

 

[WP76]

CT, we have got to find a way to link up in a few years when OU plays Army in New York.

 

[Soonersincefitty]

CT, we have got to find a way to link up in a few years when OU plays Army in New York.

Yankee stadium again?

 

[CTOkie]

CT, we have got to find a way to link up in a few years when OU plays Army in New York.

We will.