Naval Blockade Grounds Falcons

Sadly for the Falcons, when its offense did not seize the chance to establish a sizable early lead, it provided Navy with an opportunity it was only too happy to take, as the Middies kicked a field goal with four seconds left in the game to post a win Thursday night against Air Force by a, 24-21, score.

NORTH AND SOUTH. Air Force and Navy are teams whose seasons are headed in drastically different directions. While Navy sailed out of Falcon Stadium Thursday night with a spotless 5-0 record and into a two week preparatory period for its October 16th meeting with Notre Dame, Air Force was left to begin an examination of the remainder of its season, which now bears a striking resemblance to a house of cards.

 

A defense unanimously sited as the team's Achilles' Heel through the first four weeks of the season, produced a fumble recovery and an interception early in the first half. AFA's offense didn't score a TD on either of the ensuing drives and the resultant dearth of points enabled the visitors to kick a last minute field goal to escape with the victory.

 

Navy's last victory in Falcon Stadium came in 1996 when PK Tom Vanderhorst booted a field goal in the final minute of play to give the Middies a, 20-17, triumph on that occasion. For AFA fans reticent to abandon optimism and who vigilantly scan the horizon for omens rife with good news, they might recall the Falcons hit the road the following week and won a game in overtime, in South Bend, by exactly the same score. However, postulating that this edition of the Falcons will perform in a similar manner either next week against New Mexico or over the course of the remainder of the 2004 schedule, is an affront to logic.

 

While Air Force managed to take a, 6-0, lead early in the second quarter against Navy, such a small margin was inadequate given the decided edge in performance AFA had demonstrated. The Falcons held the ball for 12:56 seconds of the opening quarter, initiated 30 of the game's first 35 plays and were the beneficiaries of two acts of thievery by its much maligned defense. 

 

STRIKE THREE. Navy QB Aaron Polanco and FB Kyle Eckel led the Middies attack by scoring all 3 of the team's TDs during the game. Fisher DeBerry and his staff must be thrilled at not having to try and contain Eckel any more since they did a horrid job of it for three years. Eckel's career totals versus AFA show 73 carries for 358 yards, a 4.9 yards per carry average and 3 TDs. AFA will bid good riddance to outstanding fullback in the full knowledge that it never once contained him for a entire game.

 

While neither ground attack came close to matching its average for the season, it was AFA's groundless assault which ultimately cost it the game. In a game during which AFA rushed the ball a greater number of times(57), than Navy initiated plays(56), the Falcons' offensive line was unable to open sufficient holes through which AFA backs could run. AFA managed just 182 yards on 57 carries and a paltry 3.19 yards a clip.
 

QB Shaun Carney had a dazzling 17 for 21 night passing, threw for 221 yards and a pair of TDs. He connected with WR Alec Messerall 10 times for 103 yards and WR J.P. Waller for 10 completions, 102 yards and 1 TD. The best passing performance of Carney's budding career went for naught as Navy's defensive line stiffened and then stifled Air Force when the Falcons needed critical short yardage gains to sustain drives.

After taking a, 6-0, lead on a pair of Michael Greenaway FGs by early in the second quarter, Air Force was held without a TD until the 53rd minute of play. Therein lies the tale of this contest. Although AFA thoroughly dominated all aspects of play through the first eighteen minutes of the game its inability to mount a substantial lead returned full force to allow Navy to remain in the contest.

 

QB Aaron Polanco led the Middies on a pair of second quarter scoring drives, which he completed with runs of eighteen and one yards. Navy took a, 14-6, lead into the locker room at halftime.

 

The teams' defenses dominated the third quarter as neither team scored a point. AFA's squad held Navy's offense without a first down. The Falcons didn't do much better as a stretch begun in the first half continuing to the second half saw AFA unable to score on five consecutive possessions.

PIVOTAL. Where AFA's offensive inefficiency was the telling point of the first half, a third and 19 conversion by Navy from deep in its own territory in the opening minutes of the fourth quarter, proved to be the play on which the game turned.  Flushed out of the pocket and scrambling to his right, Polanco threaded a pass through the AFA secondary into the waiting hands of Marco Nelson for a 66 yard completion. Newly energized from its most productive sortie of the evening, Navy finished the scoring drive when Eckel took a pitch in the backfield and scooted three yards for a TD.

 

Carney, replaced for a brief juncture in the third period by Adam Fitch, was reinserted into the lineup in time to lead the Falcons on two TD drives in the fourth quarter. The poised freshman found Darnell Stephens won a 19 yard TD strike and Waller with a 12 yard missile to tie the game at, 21-21, with less than three minutes to play.

Navy returned the ensuing kickoff to its 25 yard line. Polanco broke loose on a thirty-two yard QB draw to help Navy navigate its way into solid field position with a minute and a half to play. Eric Roberts added a 13 yard dash and after that Navy was content to run the ball into the middle of the field to provide PK Geoff Blumenfeld with a favorable angle from which to launch his game winning FG attempt from thirty yards.

 

QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS. In the aftermath of this bitter defeat to a key rival, the AFA coaching staff will be burdened by the need to formulate acceptable responses to a pair of questions over which it must ruminate. First, in a game in which its offense ran 81 plays how is it that the option based attack was held without a TD until the 53rd minute of play? Second, in a game in which its defense had to face Navy's offense for only 55 snaps how did the defense allow 24 points?

 

Yet a third consecutive season has seen the Falcons enter the final seven games of their schedule and begin a critical stretch with a loss. The 2001, 2002 and 2003 campaigns all unwound in the throes of 2-5 finishes.

 

The first and foremost goal Fisher DeBerry sets for each of his teams is capturing the CIC Trophy. That aim has gone by the boards for a second straight autumn. Next in line is earning a conference crown. With a loss last week to Utah that goal while now improbable, is still a mathematical possibility.  Earning a bowl berth and winning a bowl game--the third of DeBerry's annual goals--can only be achieved if Air Force becomes bowl qualified by earning six wins. (Any division 1-A team--such as AFA--may use a victory over a division 1-AA team once every four years toward the process of becoming bowl qualified. Bearing this in mind, Air Force still needs four victories in its final six games to reach that standard.)

 

Home games against recent nemeses New Mexico, San Diego State and CSU don't provide any soft spots in the road. Another home game against former antagonist, BYU--beaten by the Falcons the past two seasons--will be a test. The lone MWC road game remaining to be played comes against an improved and improving Wyoming team.

 

On a regular basis, Air Force teams have played and will continue to play hard under DeBerry. Whether or not the 2004 edition of the Falcons has the ability and athleticism to be competitive in the MWC, capture a league title and bowl bid and victory remains to be seen. Summoning the emotional energy to accomplish any and all of these tasks becomes harder in the face of Thursday night's defeat to Navy.