Offense |
Defense |
Depth Chart
| Further Analysis
The Black Knights don't run a precision option attack like Navy or
Air Force, and it won't get the top recruits needed to ever be a
superpower, but they showed they can jump up and bite teams in the
butt and, at the very least, be very competitive.
While the 2005 season came to a crashing thud with yet another
loss to Navy, Army is still feeding off the energy of the second
half of last season with hopes of a big start in its second year as
an independent.
Head coach: Bobby Ross
3rd season: 6-16
18th year overall: 100-92-2
Returning Lettermen
Off 19, Def 26, ST 3
Lettermen Lost: 22 |
Ten
Best Army Players
1. SS Caleb Campbell, Jr.
2. WR Jeremy Trimble, Jr.
3. LB Barrett Scruggs, Sr.
4. C Pete Bier, Sr.
5. LB Cason Shrode, Sr.
6. P Owen Tolson, Jr.
7. WR Walter Hill, Sr.
8. WR/KR Corey Anderson, Jr.
9. DT Tony Fusco, Jr.
10. LB Charlie Rockwood, Jr. |
|
2006
Schedule
CFN
Prediction: coming |
| 9/2 |
at Arkansas State |
| 9/9 |
Kent State |
| 9/16 |
at Texas A&M |
| 9/23 |
at Baylor |
|
9/30 |
Rice |
| 10/7 |
VMI |
| 10/14 |
at Connecticut |
| 10/21 |
TCU |
| 10/28 |
at Tulane |
| 11/3 |
Air Force |
| 11/18 |
at Notre Dame |
| 12/2 |
vs. Navy |
|
|
2005
Schedule
CFN
Prediction:
3-8
2005 Record:
4-7
Preview
2005 predicted wins
|
| 9/10 |
at Boston College L 44-7 |
| 9/17 |
Baylor L 20-10 |
| 9/24 |
Iowa State L 28-21 |
|
10/1 |
Connecticut L 47-13 |
| 10/8 |
Central Mich
L 14-10 |
| 10/15 |
at TCU L 38-17 |
| 10/22 |
at Akron W 20-0 |
| 11/5 |
at Air Force W 27-24 |
| 11/12 |
Massachusetts
W 34-27 |
| 11/19 |
Arkansas St
W 38-10 |
| 12/3 |
Navy L 42-23 |
|
Unburdened by the shackles of playing in a conference, Army can
schedule more teams its own size and keep improving and gaining
confidence. There's no question Ross can coach, and there's no
denying the heart and intensity the team plays with, but it's going
to be a constant work in progress to keep filling in the holes and
come up with wins.
This year's team has some
fantastic pieces to build around with the potential for its strongest,
most efficient passing attack in years. All five starters return to the
offensive line and everyone is back in the linebacking corps. The
kicking game is sound, the receiving corps could be the strength of the
team, and safety Caleb Campbell will once again be among the nation's
most productive safeties. And then things get interesting.
Long-time starting quarterback Zac Dahman is gone, but things should be
even better with big bomber David Pevoto looking ready to become a top
passer. The running back situation is shaky at best after losing Carlton
Jones and Scott Wesley, there's no proven pass rush, and the cornerbacks
have little to no experience to rely on.
It's still about baby steps for a program that hasn't come up with a
winning season since 1996. Winning four games was a positive move
forward, and now Ross has to fill in the gaps and come up with a few
more wins. It's possible because of ...
The
Schedule: Ah, the life of an independent. Forget about beating teams
like Texas A&M, TCU or Notre Dame unless all the planets align correctly
and a few minor miracles kick in, but there isn't another game on the
slate that's a sure-thing, mark-it-down loss. Sure, games at Baylor and
Connecticut aren't going to be easy and Navy owns the Black Knights over
the last few years, but there are enough games against teams like
Arkansas State, VMI and Kent State to hope for a six-win season.
Best
Offensive Player: Junior WR Jeremy Trimble. The game-breaking
receiver should flourish with Davis Pevoto throwing to him. He's tough
across the middle and is a proven deep threat. The number one offensive
weapon has to get the ball in his hands at least six times a game.
Best
Defensive Player: Junior SS Caleb Campbell. He showed potential as a
freshman linebacker, and then he blew up when he got his shot in the
defensive backfield leading the team in both tackles and interceptions.
He makes plays all over the field and should be in the hunt for
All-America honors.
Key player
to a successful season: Junior QB David Pevoto. He had better be
good. Really, really good. The 6-5, 229-pound passer looks the part and
can make all the throws. If he isn't a star, the offense will go into
the tank with no reliable backups and even fewer reliable runners to get
the ground game going.
The season
will be a success if ... Army wins six games and beats Navy. It'll take at least a big
upset or two and at least a 4-1 home record to get in range. And then
there's the Navy game. It's obviously the big rivalry game, but the
service academies measure themselves by how good they are against each
other; it's a really big deal. Army tagged Air Force last season, and
now it needs to come up with the win it really wants.
Key game:
December 2nd vs. Navy. Army hasn't just lost four straight to its
hated rival, it has been crushed by a score of 176 to 63. That's an
average score of around 44 to 16. While they all might be brothers in
arms, this could start getting nasty on the field if the trend
continues.
2005 Fun
Stats:
- Punt return average: Opponents 10.6 yards per return - Army 6.8 yards
per return
- Time of possession: Army 31:54 - Opponents 28:06
- Sacks: Opponents 22 for 176 yards - Army 13 for 67 yards
The Last Time Army…
…played in a bowl game…1996 (Independence Bowl vs. Auburn)
…missed a bowl game…2005
…pitched a shutout…2005 (Akron)
…was shutout…2003 (TCU)
…scored 50 points…1999 (Louisville)
…went undefeated…1958
…won a conference title…never
…had a 3,000-yard passer…never
…had a 1,000-yard rusher…2005 (Carlton Jones)
…had a 1,000-yard receiver…never
…had a first-round draft choice…1947 (RB Glenn Davis and T Tex Coulter)