Army football: Air Force prevails, grounds Knights run attack

There’s a reason the branches of Army and Air Force fall under the Department of Defense.

Big D was on full display in the second Commanders’ Classic at Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas, on Saturday. The grind-it-out rushing offenses of both Army and Air Force were curtailed somewhat, netting only four scoring drives out of a full 20, and Air Force squeaked out a 13-7 victory, clinching a bowl berth in the process and putting Army’s postseason hopes in do-or-die mode.

“They kicked our butts, bottom line,’’ Army coach Jeff Monken said after his team was held scoreless over the final 36 minutes and to only 18 yards after halftime. “That second half, we couldn’t move the ball on offense. They ran the ball effectively against us on defense. That was the difference in the game.’’

Army’s No. 2 ranked rushing offense, at 334.6 yards per game, was held to a measly 78 on 35 carries, barely over 2 yards a pop. Offensive coordinator Brent Davis said early in the week it was important to “stay on schedule” in the triple-option offense but Army often found itself in untenable, lengthy third-down situations, resulting in 10 failed attempts for first down and seven punts by Billy Boehlke.

“Our defense the last 35 minutes was extraordinary,’’ said Air Force coach Troy Calhoun.

Army (3-5) did seize a 7-3 lead in the second quarter. Senior quarterback Jemel Jones, in his third consecutive start, found a skyward-bound Isaiah Alston on a 24-yard pass and followed with a dump-off pass to Ay’Jaun Marshall that netted 25 of 31 yards after catch, down to the Air Force 10. Three plays later, Jones went up the middle from 3 yards for his sixth rushing touchdown of the season.

“Those were two really good chunk (yardage) plays that helped us get down to the red zone and end up punching it in, so that was big for us,’’ Jones said.

That’s when the horror began for Army’s defense. On the ensuing six possessions, the Black Knights went for 13, minus-4, minus-2, 1, minus-5 and 20 yards, the latter ending with a Camby Goff interception at the Falcon 40 with 19 seconds remaining.

Matthew Dapole hit a 35-yard field goal on Air Force’s third possession of the opening quarter. The Falcons were put in scoring position when fullback Jakobi Buchanan – long Army’s guaranteed short-yardage back – was stopped for no gain and a half-yard shy of first down on the Black Knights’ 37.

Air Force dependable duo of fullback Brad Roberts and quarterback Haziq Daniels went to work to open the third quarter with seven runs, with a 27-yard pass play to David Cormier mixed in. Daniels handled the final 17 yards on a counter play to his right, utilizing a wonderful block by tackle Everett Smalley to fend off Army safety Marquel Broughton and slipping inside a diving ankle bid by Bo Nicolas-Paul. Dapore’s kick made it 10-7 with 9:32 left.

Roberts finished with a career-high 33 carries for 135 yards, going over 1,000 yards in a season for the second time. He’s rushed for 100 yards in a game seven times this season and also last year.

“I thought in the first half we were shooting ourselves in the foot,’’ said Daniels, voted the player of the game. We had some plays that we missed. After halftime, we focused what we could control and moved on from the first half.

Air Force ate up nearly seven minutes on 16 plays on its next drive. Only two tackles by Army’s Andre Carter forced the Falcons into a field goal try and Dapore scored from 26 yards with 12:06 remaining.

Army got a stop but was pinned deep by a Carson Bay punt with 6:13 left. Consecutive penalties hurt and Jones’ third-down pass to Marshall was knocked away by Jayden Goodwin.

Army got the ball back with no timeouts and 1:38 to play. The Black Knights lost valuable time on two short-yardage plays that stayed inbounds. An 8-yard scamper by Jones moved the ball to the Army 44 and then Jones missed Braheam Murphy on a short crossing route. On fourth-and-2, Jones threw toward the left sideline for Marshall but Goff stepped in front for the pick.

Army must win out its final four contests (Troy, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Navy) in order to play in its contracted Independence Bowl. The immediate reaction, though, was losing possession of the Commander-in-Chief’s Trophy for the first time since 2019. Air Force claimed the trophy for the first time since 2016 and 21st overall.

“Playing for that trophy is a source of pride for our academy and for our program, and to have to relinquish that trophy is awfully tough,’’ Monken said. “My hope is that our guys will continue to fight, fight for each other, keep playing. I think they will, I think we got a tremendous culture in our program, a brotherhood. They love each other and they care for each other. They’re not going to turn on each other.’’

Notable

Air Force is 38-18-1 all-time vs. Army … This was only the 10th time during the nine-season Monken era that the Army offense has been held to one touchdown or fewer – Air Force has done that three times (2014, 2015, 2020), the latter a 10-7 Army win. … Technically, quarterback Tyhier Tyler got the start, taking the snap on the game’s first play. He was sent in a number of plays as a slot back and saw part of one series as QB. … Injured All-American end Andre Carter returned to action. He had four solo stops and one assist, and should have been whistled for a kicking penalty when he leg-whipped Daniels. … Broughton led Army with 10 tackles and his second-quarter interception was his sixth. He left the game in the fourth quarter following a head-and-neck collision that left him prone for a while. He did not return to play and was visibly upset. … Leo Lowin had eight tackles and the lone sack.

kmcmillan@th-record.com

Twitter: @KenMcMillanTHR

This article originally appeared on Times Herald-Record: College football: Air Force downs Army in Commanders' Classic