Army gets near-miracle win over Mean Green

Army Black Knights 2009 ... Head Coach: Rich Ellerson

2009 Schedule
2009 Record: 5-6

9/5 at Eastern Mich W 27-14
9/12 Duke L 35-19
9/19 Ball State W 24-17
9/26 at Iowa State L 31-10
10/3 Tulane L 17-16
10/10 Vanderbilt W 16-13 OT
10/17 at Temple L 27-13
10/23 Rutgers L 27-10
10/31 OPEN DATE
11/7 at Air Force L 35-7
11/14 VMI W 22-17
11/21 at North Texas W 17-13
11/28 OPEN DATE
12/5 OPEN DATE
12/12 Navy

2008 Schedule
CFN Prediction: 1-11
2008 Record: 3-9

8/29 Temple L 35-7
9/6 New Hampshire L 28-10
9/13 OPEN DATE
9/20 Akron L 22-3
9/27 at Texas A&M L 21-17
10/4 at Tulane W 44-13
10/11 Eastern Mich W 17-13
10/18 at Buffalo L 27-24 OT
10/25 Louisiana Tech W 14-7
11/1 Air Force L 16-7
11/8 at Rice L 38-31
11/15 OPEN DATE
11/22 at Rutgers L 30-3
11/29 OPEN DATE
12/6 Navy (in Phil.) L 34-0

Army Black Knights

Nov. 21
Army 17 … at North Texas 13
North Texas was going for a late field goal and some padding, but it was blocked and Army took advantage. Trent Steelman scored the game winner from two yards out in the final two minutes, while the other Army scores came on a nine-yard Patrick Mealy run and 38-yard Alex Carlton field goal. UNT outgained Army 447 yards to 287, but turned the ball over five times. Lance Dunbar ran for a 68-yard score for the Mean green.
Player of the Game: Army QB Trent Steelman completed 7-of-15 passes for 87 yards and ran 23 times for 132 yards and a score
North Texas: Passing: Riley Dodge, 31-41, 225 yds, 1 TD, 3 INT
Rushing: Lance Dunbar, 13-132, 1 TD, Receiving: Darius Carey, 9-67
Army: Passing: Trent Steelman, 7-15, 87 yds
Rushing: Trent Steelman, 23-132, 1 TD, Receiving: Ali Villanueva, 5-77
What It All Means: It might not have been pretty, Army was the only team to not have a field day against the horrendous North Texas defense, but Trent Steelman came through in the clutch to keep bowl hopes alive. No matter what happens against Navy, this can now be considered a strong first season under Rich Ellerson with five wins and a good stepping stone for the future. There wasn’t a win over a team that’s any good, but that can change if the running game can somehow keep up with the Midshipmen. It’s going to take a minor miracle to get the win, and it’s going to take five takeaways like the D got against UNT. 

Nov. 14
at Army 22 … VMI 17
Army got a seven-yard touchdown catch from Ali Villanueva and a 17-yard Patrick Mealy touchdown run, but the defense had to hold on late. The Knights lost four fumbles, with the last one giving VMI a shot late, but the final drive stalled at the Army 20. The Keydets outgained Army 328 yards to 186 on the ground and got a 44-yard Howard Abegesah touchdown run in the fourth for a 17-16 lead before the Knights answered with Mealy’s score. VMI committed ten penalties to Army’s three.
Player of the Game: Army RB Patrick Mealy ran 16 times for 136 yards and a touchdown, and he caught a pass for 29 yards.
VMI: Passing: Cameron Jones, 2-6, 19 yds, 1 TD
Rushing: Howard Abegesah, 24-111, 1 TD, Receiving: Tim Maypray, 1-13, 1 TD
Army: Passing: Trent Steelman, 11-14, 174 yds, 1 TD
Rushing: Patrick Mealy, 16-136, 1 TD, Receiving: Ali Villanueva, 7-119, 1 TD
What It All Means: VMI outarmied, Army with a strong ground game and fewer turnovers, but the Knights came through with the defensive stop they needed late to hold on for the win. The passing game worked for one of the first times all season long, with Trent Steelman completing 11-of-14 passes, but the ground game only managed 186 yards. That’s not a good sign with Navy coming up in a few weeks. Up next is North Texas, and a win over the Mean Green would set up a chance to go bowling with a win over the Midshipmen.

Nov. 7
at Air Force 35 … Army 7
After a sluggish start, with the offense failing to get in the end zone in the first half and the only points coming on a 88-yard punt return by Anthony Wright, Air Force blew up in the second half with 28 unanswered points on Asher Clark touchdown runs from 36 and eight yards out, a Tim Jefferson two-yard run, and a 73-yard touchdown catch from Kevin Fogler. Army’s only score came in the first quarter on a 42-yard Trent Steelman run, but the offense would only gain 194 yards the rest of the way.
Player of the Game: Air Force RB Jared Tew ran 25 times for 102 yards.
Army: Passing: Reginald Williams, 2-4, 27 yds
Rushing: Trent Steelman, 18-102, 1 TD, Receiving: Davyd Brooks, 1-20
Air Force: Passing: Tim Jefferson, 4-7, 131 yds, 1 TD
Rushing: Jared Tew, 25-102, Receiving: Kevin Fogler, 3-129, 1 TD 
What It All Means: The offense has hit a wall. It hasn’t scored more than 16 points since mid-September (six games) and the passing offense continues to be non-existent. The defense is playing well, it kept Air Force under 300 yards of offense and Stephen Anderson made 16 tackles, but without any help from the offense, it’s too tough a burden to carry. The next two games have to be slam dunks against VMI and a trip to North Texas, and Army will be in a position to get bowl eligible with a win over Navy. That’s easier said than done for a team that can’t score.

Oct. 23
Rutgers 27 … at Army 10
Joe Martinek ran for two short scores from four and six yards out and the Rutgers defense forced three fumbles and allowed just a 17-yard Lonnie Liggins touchdown run in the third quarter after a 41-yard Army field goal early in the first. Along with the turnovers, with two fumbles in the third quarter, disaster struck the Army special teams as Rutgers’ Steve Beauharnais blocked a punt and returned it for an 11-yard score at the end of the first quarter for a 17-3 lead.
Player of the Game: Rutgers RB Joe Martinek ran 25 times for 139 yards and two scores
Army: Passing: Trent Steelman, 2-6, 16 yds
Rushing: Kinsley Ehie, 8-56, Receiving: Malcolm Brown, 1-21
Rutgers: Passing: Tom Savage, 10-20, 164 yds
Rushing: Joe Martinek, 25-139, 2 TD, Receiving: Tim Brown, 4-101
What It All Means: If Army isn’t going to have any passing game whatsoever, with an inefficient attack completing just 2-of-9 passes for 16 yards, the running game has to be more effective and there can’t be any mistakes. There was only one penalty, but the three turnovers was a killer and the running game didn’t do enough to control the game. Army has to have a whopper of an advantage in time of possession, and it only held on to the ball for 27:20 against Rutgers. On the plus side, the aggressive defense is making lots of good plays in the backfield and should give Air Force a rough time next week. 

Oct. 17
at Temple 27 … Army 13
Temple’s defense came up with a big fourth down stop and had an interception helped out by replay to give the program its fourth win in a row. Bernard Pierce ran for a one-yard score and Jason Harper caught a 37-yard scoring pass to give Temple an early lead, but two Alex Carlton field goals and a four-yard Ali Villanueva touchdown catch tied it going into the fourth. Vaughn Charlton connected with Steve Maneri for a six-yard score and Kee-ayre Griffin ran for a one-yard touchdown to put the game away.
Player of the Game: Temple RB Bernard Pierce ran 11 times for 65 yards and a score
Army: Passing: Trent Steelman, 5-5, 56 yds, 1 TD
Rushing: Trent Steelman, 19-67, Receiving: Ali Villanueva, 4-62, 1 TD
Temple: Passing: Vaughn Charlton, 8-14, 115 yds, 2 TD, 1 INT
Rushing: Bernard Pierce, 11-65, 1 TD, Receiving: Jason Harper, 2-42, 1 TD 
What It All Means: Army is supposed to get two feet in two downs running the ball, didn’t and ended up losing to Temple because the running game didn’t work well enough. Throw in the 14 penalties for 100 yards, and it was a very un-Army-like game. No running game and a lack of discipline isn’t going to work for the Knights, even against teams like Temple, and now a bowl game might be tough to get with Rutgers up next followed up by three road games in the final four. The offense can’t be this mediocre and it can’t struggle this much to put points on the board.

Oct. 10
at Army 16 … Vanderbilt 13 OT
Alex Carlton nailed a 42-yard field goal in overtime after Vanderbilt fumbled away its possession into the end zone. Carlton also connected on field goals from 51 and 23 yards away, and Trent Steelman ran for a two-yard score. Vandy answered the TD run with a kickoff return for a touchdown, but the Commodore offense never got into the end zone settling for two Ryan Fowler field goals. Vandy was burned by three turnovers and 12 penalties.
Player of the Game: Army QB Trent Steelman completed 7-of-16 passes for 47 yards, and he led the team with 97 yards and a touchdown on 25 carries.
Vanderbilt: Passing: Larry Smith, 11-24, 144 yds, 2 INT
Rushing: Warren Norman, 15-62, Receiving: John Cole, 5-56
Army: Passing: Trent Steelman, 7-16, 47 yds
Rushing: Trent Steelman, 25-97, Receiving: Damion Hunter, 5-21
What It All Means: This is how it’s supposed to work. The Army offense is supposed to control the clock, and it did for over 36 minutes, the running game is supposed to have a big advantage, and it did rushing for 222 yards to Vandy’s 160, and the turnover margin was supposed to work Army’s way, and it did 3 to 1. Everything has to be perfect for the Knights to win a game like this, and to beat an SEC team, even if it is Vanderbilt, is immeasurably huge for a struggling program trying to find its way. Could this be the program’s biggest non-Navy win in over a decade? Now they can’t blow the momentum and lose to Temple.

Oct. 3
Tulane 17 … at Army 16
Ross Thevenot, who missed an overtime kick to lose to Army two years ago, nailed a 23-yarder late in the game for a one-point Tulane lead, and Army’s Alex Carlton blew his chance for the win missing a 37-yarder in the final seconds. Carlton had hit three field goals earlier in the game to go along with a one-yard Trent Steelman scoring run, but Tulane got a 15-yard Jeremy Williams scoring grab in the back of the end zone in the second quarter and scored the final ten points of the game helped by a one-yard Andre Anderson score.
Player of the Game: Tulane DB Travis Burks made 12 tackles
Tulane: Passing: Joe Kemp, 14-24, 166 yds, 1 TD
Rushing: Andre Anderson, 17-70, 1 TD, Receiving: Jeremy Williams, 6-108, 1 TD
Army: Passing: Trent Steelman, 3-5, 26 yds, 1 INT
Rushing: Trent Steelman, 20-95, 1 TD, Receiving: Damion Hunter, 3-26 
What It All Means: Alright Army, it’s time to get that fancy running game working. After showing so much promise early on, and even though it’s averaging 231 yards per game, the ground game has to do far more than it was able to do against Tulane. More importantly, the offense has to start finding ways to get into the end zone. There were chances against the Green Wave, but the O had to settle for too many field goals. Against Vanderbilt, the ground game will have to be even sharper, the pitches have to be tighter, and the decision making from Trent Steelman has to be better.

Sept. 26
at Iowa State 31 … Army 10
Alexander Robinson caught a two-yard touchdown pass and ran for a 68-yard touchdown in the second quarter, on the way to a 17-3 lead, and he put the game away in the fourth quarter on a 32-yard scoring play. Army stayed alive in the first half with a five-yard Ali Villanueva touchdown catch with 13 seconds to play, but the offense was shut down in the second half as Robison took over. Austen Arnaud threw two touchdown passes and ran for a 14-yard score for the Cyclones.
Player of the Game: Iowa State RB Alexander Robinson ran 21 times for 127 yards and two touchdowns, and he caught three passes for 51 yards and two scores.
Army: Passing: Trent Steelman, 8-21, 87 yds, 1 TD, 1 INT
Rushing: Patrick Mealy, 8-54, Receiving: Ali Villanueva, 6-77, 1 TD
Iowa State: Passing: Austin Arnaud, 11-20, 175 yds, 2 TD
Rushing: Alexander Robinson, 21-127 yds, 1 TD, Receiving: Marquis Hamilton, 4-76
What It All Means: The one thing that couldn’t happened, happened as QB Trent Steelman got knocked out of the game early, and Chip Bowman couldn’t pick up the slack. The running game was decent, and the there weren’t a slew of mistakes, but the offense didn’t produce in the second half to keep up the pace with the Cyclones. This was a winnable game against a mediocre team, but the offense wasn’t able to produce like it will once all the square pegs start to fit better in the round holes. The passing game still isn’t producing, and while the big yards aren’t going to be there, a few surprise plays here and there would be nice. All the bowl hopes might hinge on next week’s game against Tulane. The Knights can’t give away any home games. 

Sept. 19
at Army 24 … Ball State 17
Army’s offense struggled, gaining just 265 yards, but the defense forced four turnovers with Donovan Travis picking off two passes taking one 18 yards for the game-winning score with 6:41 to play. Jameson Carter ran for a one-yard score and Ali Villanueva caught a 24-yard touchdown pass for the Knights, but Ball State was able to stay in the game with Kelly Page running for a 15-yard touchdown and throwing a 34-yard scoring pass to Torieal Gibson. But Ball State threw four picks, with Page pitching three of them, making the difference.
Player of the Game: Army LB Stephen Anderson made 15 tackles, with a tackle for loss and half a sack
Ball State: Passing: Kelly Page, 12-24, 154 yds, 1 TD, 3 INT
Rushing: Kelly Page, 4-58, 1 TD, Receiving: Briggs Orsbon, 7-50
Army: Passing: Trent Steelman, 3-7, 58 yds, 1 TD
Rushing: Kingsley Ehie, 15-67, Receiving: Ali Villanueva, 2-46, 1 TD
What It All Means: Army won. That’s all that matters. Forget that the running game couldn’t hang on to eh ball, or that the running game was stuffed for long stretches, or that the passing game was non-existent; the Knights found a way to win. Ball State is one of the nation’s worst teams and it was still a struggle to get the win. To beat Iowa State next week, the running game will have to be far more precise and there has to at least be the threat of a deep pass now and then. However, the defense is doing a good job of being aggressive and it is playing far better than it has over the past several seasons. 

Sept. 12
Duke 35 ... at Army 19
Duke got fourth quarter interception returns for touchdowns from Leon Wright from 51 and 33 yards out, and Sean Renfree came off the bench to throw two touchdown passes for the win. Army had a 10-7 first quarter lead, but the offense sputtered throughout the game and was disastrous late in comeback mode. Trent Steelman started off the scoring with a two-yard touchdown run to give Army an early lead, butt the Knights wouldn't get back into the end zone until the last play of the game on an eight-yard Ali Villanueva catch.
Player of the Game: Duke DB Leon Wright made four tackles with two interceptions for touchdowns
Army: Passing: Carson Williams, 8-18, 91 yds, 1 TD, 2 INT
Rushing:Patrick Mealy, 10-99, Receiving: Ali Villanueva, 4-68, 1 TD
Duke: Passing: Sean Renfree, 7-8, 106 yds, 2 TD
Rushing: Requan Boyette, 21-48 Receiving: Requan Boyette, 2-35
What It All Means: The offense might have been an unstoppable juggernaut against Eastern Michigan, but it made way too many mistakes against Duke with four turnovers and not enough from the running game to keep the chains moving. Yes, Army ran for 266 yards, but the passing game was a disaster and the defense struggled to come up with the stops needed even though it was rested. Holding the ball for 19 minutes in the second half is a must to keep the D fresh, but if the ground game is rolling, there shouldn't be any problems against Ball State next week.

Sept. 5
Army 27 ... at Eastern Michigan 14
Army forced three key turnovers and sacked EMU QB Andy Schmitt six times, while the offense got touchdown runs from ten and five yards out from Kinsley Ehie to pull away in the fourth quarter. The Knights took a 13-0 lead into halftime highlighted by a 12-yard Jameson Carter run, but Eastern Michigan came back with a 20-yard Trey Hunter touchdown pass to pull within six. The Eagles got on the board late on a one-yard Dwayne Priest run, but it was too little, too late.
Player of the Game: Army DE Josh McNary made nine tackles and 2.5 sacks.
Eastern Michigan: Passing: Andy Schmitt, 18-31, 183 yds, 1 TD, 2 INT
Rushing: Dwayne Priest, 19-83, 1 TD, Receiving: Jacory Stone, 8-97
Army: Passing: Trent Steelman, 2-5, 8
Rushing: Patrick Mealy, 5-109, 1 TD, Receiving: Damion Hunter, 2-8
What It All Means: Much has been made about Rich Ellerson's prolific offense coming over from Cal Poly, and the option attack worked perfectly rushing for 300 yards, but it's the aggressive, attacking defense that helped make his former team such a powerhouse. Army was able to get into the EMU backfield early and often with six sacks and nine tackles for loss. This might not be a big defense, but it can move and it looked more than strong enough to bother the weaker teams on the slate like Duke, Ball State, and Tulane coming up. It's just one game, but this really does look like a possible bowl team.