College football: Emotions boil over at sweltering Army practice
WEST POINT – Four blazing days of sun and humidity at Army preseason camp have some players hot under the collar.
With temperatures again soaring into the 90s, a couple tussles broke out during Saturday’s camp activities, something the coaches and players took care of right away.
“Oh, it happens,’’ said head coach Jeff Monken. “It’s a physical game and emotions run high sometimes. Sometimes guys get into a scuffle. I don’t have much patience for it. It just wastes time so we addressed it. It wasn’t a problem the rest of the day.’’
“We just get competitive,’’ said linebacker Leo Lowin. “It’s the first time we’ve been competing in a long time. It’s hard not to have that competitive edge when you’re out there against the offense. You know, that’s just something that kind of happens in football.
“It’s something that we need to work on and have happen so we don’t waste anybody’s time and keep working on football.’’
Going through drills under intense heat has been difficult.
“It’s definitely been rough,’’ Lowin said. “It’s hard work, it’s good. It’s what we all signed up for. I think in order to best prepare for the first game, that’s what you go to do. I think we’re getting in a lot better shape.’’
Monken said earlier in the week that his freshmen came into camp in varying degrees of shape, some having lost 10-12 pounds during the intense Beast Barracks summer military training, and some actually gained weight. He said the newcomers probably need a little time to get back into football shape.
Regaining trust
Wide receiver Isaiah Alston made some headlines in January when he announced he was headed into the NCAA transfer portal. Within days he reversed his decision.
“I’m very excited to be back on the field in general,’’ Alston said, “especially with the guys that I’ve spent this whole offseason, working hard and training and weight room conditioning, all that stuff.
“I’m just grateful to be back and I’m grateful for them accepting me back on the team. I had to prove to them my loyalty to them and that’s not going to change anymore. I told them this is where I am going to graduate from. I’m just glad to be back.’’
The Carteret, New Jersey, product dazzled with a couple highlight catches as a freshman in 2020 but got hurt. The 6-foot-4 receiver, who would like to play in the NFL some day, made 22 catches in 2021 for an average of 20 yards per catch, giving the run-oriented Black Knights a legitimate deep threat.
Ratings and bowl picks
The Sporting News magazine released its bowl predictions. Since Army already has a bowl tie-in, it’s no wonder the Black Knights were chosen for the Dec. 23 Independence Bowl, with writer Bill Bender predicting a matchup with Central Florida.
Bender also released his coaching rankings, from 1-131. He pegged Monken for No. 65, a drop of eight spots from a year ago, but still two spots ahead of Greg Schiano of Rutgers and Nebraska’s Scott Frost at No. 57. Former Buffalo coach Lance Leipold was No. 59 for his new job at Kansas, a position Monken was rumored to be considered. Furthermore, Air Force coach Troy Calhoun rose from 74 to 67 and Navy’s Ken Niumataolo rose from 75 to 71.
Bender said he looks at a coach’s overall record and at his current school and utilizes a three-year record. Monken has taken Army to five bowl games in his last six seasons, missing only in 2019.
Notes
No decisions of consequence have been made by the coaches regarding personnel, although Monken mentioned earlier in the week that he’d like to have a much better idea of who’s going to make the travel roster for the Sept. 3 opener following next Saturday’s scrimmage. … The team dresses in full pads starting on Tuesday, but Monken said 11-on-11 scrimmaging will be kept to a minimum to protect against injuries.
Twitter: @KenMcMillanTHR
This article originally appeared on Times Herald-Record: Army football: Hot tempers and temperatures at team practice
