Football: Army's late bid for victory sails wide right, bow to Troy
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Jeff Monken had no better way to describe Army’s 10-9 loss at Troy on Saturday evening than calling it “a gut punch.’’
The Black Knights couldn’t hold a 9-0 lead and gave up the go-ahead score with just over eight minutes remaining in the game played at Veterans Memorial Stadium in Troy, Alabama.
Army rallied, moving the ball 47 yards in the final two minutes and setting up an expected winning field goal by Quinn Maretzki. The junior, who had pulled an extra-point try in the second quarter for his first career miss, sailed his 41-yard field goal attempt wide right with 15 seconds remaining to send Army (3-6) to its second consecutive setback.
“Nobody feels worse than he does,’’ Monken said of Maretzki.
The loss almost puts an end to Army’s faint bowl hopes – the Black Knights would have to sweep Connecticut, Massachusetts and Navy to reach 6-6 and then get a special exception from the NCAA because only one of Army’s two wins against Football Championship Subdivision schools can count toward that .500 mark.
“It’s very disappointing. We go into every game expecting to win,’’ said Army defensive back Cam Jones. “So obviously when we don’t get the outcome, it’s going to sting a little bit.’’
“We’re going to move forward and keep fighting,’’ Monken said.
Troy (8-2) has won seven in a row and still has an outside shot at a New Year’s Day bowl.
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The Black Knights’ offense chewed up Troy’s stingy run defense to the tune of 196 yards in the first half – quarterback Tyhier Tyler had 106 of them in his return as starter but he also fumbled the ball away twice, the first on a failed center exchange at the Troy 3 yard line. “There is no excuse for that,’’ Tyler said. Monken thought Army should have been up 21-0 or 24-0 but had to settle for a 9-0 halftime lead.
“Our team shouldn’t have been in that position,’’ Tyler said, “(but) I put the ball on the ground twice. As a leader you take responsibility of what happens to the team. … I take fault at that as a leader.’’
Like a week earlier in the 13-7 loss to Air Force, Army’s offense sputtered in the second half: 33 yards on six plays; minus-1 yard on four plays; no yards on three plays; and, 31 yards on four plays before the final series.
“They didn’t show anything different on defense,’’ Tyler said. “First half … we had our way but we just didn’t execute the way we had in the second half.’’
Held to just 40 first-half yards – thanks in large part to Army’s time-consuming offense – it was only a matter of time before Troy’s high-powered offense finally kicked in. After four fruitless series in the first half, quarterback Gunnar Watson started to play at a quicker tempo – something that has confounded Army this season – and drove the Trojans 76 yards, completing six of eight throws, before stalling at the Army 4. Brooks Buce hit a 21-yard field goal to pull within 6-3.
Watson was poised to move the Trojans in front early in the fourth quarter but he got hurried on a rush by Jimmy Ciarlo and threw an interception in the back of the end zone that Jones secured.
Army’s defense continued to give up big chunk plays, including big runs of 21 and 11 yards by Kimani Vidal. The Trojans elected to run a play on fourth-and-goal from the Army 3 and Watson found Tez Johnson in the back left corner of the end zone. Buce’s extra point staked the Trojans to the 10-9 lead.
Notable
Army did not play with injured defensive standouts Leo Lowin and Marquel Broughton. … Tyler started over Jemel Jones, who had done so in the previous three games. Tyler finished with 100 yards on 27 carries. Jones threw two incomplete passes right before Maretzki’s 26-yard field goal at the end of the first half. Jones also took over on Army’s final drive before Maretzki’s miss. … Quendrelin Hammons and Camden O’Gara paced Army with seven tackles apiece. Andre Carter posted one sack. … Troy’s Carlton Martial made 22 tackles, becoming the all-time leading tackler in FBS play. … Army and Troy meet for a second time on Oct. 14, 2023, at Michie Stadium.
Postscript on postseason
Army did not make a bowl in Monken’s first two seasons and then won postseason play in 2016, 2017 and 2018. Army missed a bowl in 2019, lost to West Virginia in the 2020 Liberty Bowl and beat Missouri in the 2021 Armed Forces Bowl.
Twitter: @KenMcMillanTHR
This article originally appeared on Times Herald-Record: Army's bid for final-minute victory at Troy sails wide
