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Air Force topples Army, 16-7

  • Published
  • By Dan Cosgrove
  • 305th Services Squadron
West Point, N.Y. --  It was a rocky start, to say the least, for sophomore cornerback Reggie Rembert and the Air Force Falcons.

Rembert, while trying to defend a short, pass play on Army's opening possession Nov. 1, slipped and fell face-first to the turf. He picked his head up to see the player he'd intended to tackle - wideout Damion Hunter - scampering down the sidelines.

Rembert's miscue turned what would have been a short gain into a 47-yard-touchdown pass and an early lead for the service-academy rival. But all season Air Force's defense and special teams have swung momentum in its favor, and would do so against the Black Knights - with Rembert leading the charge.

The Falcons shut down Army the rest of the way and got three field goals from kicker Ryan Harrison during a 16-7 victory at Michie Stadium.

"Coming into this game you just didn't think there'd be a whole lot of points scored," Air Force head coach Troy Calhoun said. "If you go back in the history of (the Army-Air Force) series, when both teams have run this offense, they have been very, very low-scoring games. You've got to find a way to win the turnover margin."

The win kept Air Force (7-2, 4-1 Mountain West Conference) on track for bowl eligibility. It also made Navy odds-on favorite to win the Commander-In-Chief's Trophy. The Midshipmen topped the Falcons 33-27 earlier this year, so if they beat Army (3-6) Dec. 6 in Philadelphia, they will win the service-academy, round-robin competition outright and be presented the CIC Trophy by President George W. Bush.

The loss stung particularly for Army's seniors, who were playing their last game at Michie Stadium - one of the most picturesque settings in collegiate football, with its views of fall foliage in the Hudson Valley.

Heading into the contest, the Falcons and Black Knights ranked nationally fourth and eighth in rushing, respectively, and were almost dead even in total defense. So when the teams took the field in front of 37,409 fans, the Black Knights had to feel they had a shot.

They kept the Falcons offense very much in check, but three turnovers and Air Force's stellar special-teams play did them in.

"When it is two, good defenses playing, it is going to come down to field position, and the turnovers hurt us," Army head coach Stan Brock said. "There was nothing we didn't see from (the Falcons) on film. They are just very good at what they do."

Rembert and company began to win the turnover margin on Army's second possession. Air Force senior linebacker Brandon Reeves stripped the ball from fullback Collin Mooney, and Rembert recovered the fumble. The turnover led to a 20-yard field goal from Harrison that cut Army's lead to 7-3.

Air Force's Andre Morris intercepted quarterback Chip Bowden early in the second quarter, stopping one of Army's best drives, but it was Rembert's 35-yard punt return later in the quarter that helped put the Falcons up for good.

"My teammates just blocked and I got by the wall," Rembert said of the return that, combined with a personal-foul penalty, set up the Falcons at the Army 34-yard line. "I don't know what happened on (Army's) touchdown. I just slipped. But you have to have a short memory. You have to overcome adversity in games and keep pushing through. We knew we had a good defense and a good plan, so we kept our confidence and kept driving."

Freshman quarterback Tim Jefferson's 21-yard pass to senior wide receiver Ty Paffett, followed by a one-yard run from Jefferson, put Air Force up 10-7 with 1:30 to go in the half.

It was a lead the Falcons would not surrender.

"It ended up being such a game of field position that you just had to hold your will the whole game," Calhoun said. "The one thing we did not do is relinquish the ball. Anytime you turn the ball over in a game like this, field position-wise that's probably worth about 40 yards."

Harrison added a 29-yard field goal late in the third quarter and a critical 48-yarder with 1:42 left in the game, giving the Falcons a two-score cushion.

Rembert tacked on an interception with 20 seconds left.

"(Harrison's 48-yard kick) put it out of reach," Jefferson said. "I was kind of nervous all game because we really weren't clicking. We didn't find much that worked against their defense. Their offense runs the option so they know how (our offense) works. When (Harrison) made that field goal, I just felt the weight was off my shoulders again."

Harrison is a semifinalist for the Lou Groza Collegiate Place-Kicker Award, given annually to the nation's top kicker. The senior is fifth in the nation in points (82) and tied for first in field goals made. He's hit 19 of 21 field goals, including three in each of his last three games. He's a perfect 25-25 on extra points.

The senior place kicker also contributed in the fourth quarter as the team's punter. On three, consecutive punts, he boomed a 54-yarder that put Army back at its own 21, induced a roughing-the-kicker penalty to keep an Air Force drive going and pinned the Black Knights on their own 7.

"It was a well-fought game and I was glad we could be on the winning end," Harrison said. "Those kind of kicks are what you live for."

With the win, Air Force is 29-13-1 all time against Army. The Falcons have won 11 of their last 12 matchups with the Black Knights. As is tradition, the teams observed each other's school anthem following the game.

"You've just got two phenomenal institutions," said Calhoun, who is 16-6 in nearly two years at the helm of Air Force. "All the guys involved in that game, you've got class men. (The Black Knights) fought their guts out, our kids did, too. Just a good, hard-nosed football game."

The Army game closed out a string of three road games in four weeks for Air Force. The Falcons will host Colorado State and BYU before finishing the season at TCU.

"We'll have to earn and scratch and fight to win the next three," Calhoun said. "And here's what we don't have - the next three games we don't play a single opponent that offered one of our kids a scholarship."