2008 Army Black Knights Preview

Did you want to get a glimpse of the Black Knights during the spring? Well, you were out of luck. Army was in hiding until the annual Black & Gold game as coach Stan Brock preferred to keep the plan of attack out of the public eye. Literally. Practice was shifted indoors to the year old Foley Athletic Center while the media and fan base could only wonder what was being concocted inside the climate-controlled facility. Much of the secrecy surrounded the offense and whether some new wrinkles will be instituted. There were published reports citing “sources” that the wishbone will be on display at Michie Stadium. 

Two Minute Drill

A Quick Look at the Knights

In recent years there have been rumblings at West Point that the Black Knights should scrap their offense and return to running the option. After all, many point out, Air Force and Navy have done extremely well keeping the ball on the ground the majority of the time, relying on speed and misdirection. With much secrecy surrounding the program in general and the offense in particular during the spring, it will be very interesting to see what Stan Brock and offensive coordinator Tim Walsh unveil when the Cadets host Temple to kick off the season. Perhaps the option will be on display at least in part. One thing is certain: There will be new faces in the huddle as significant starting experience is relatively scarce. Meanwhile, the defense took a couple of hits in the secondary, and now is the time for the likes of linebacker Frank Scappaticci and linemen Victor Ugenyi and Ted Bentler to refine their games and help bring the unit along. One area that is in desperate need of repair after a solid 2007 is special teams, where returning experience is virtually nil. An upside of a squad that suffered many injuries a year ago is that a good number of players took the field.

If the Black Knight faithful had their druthers, when they lay eyes on the 2008 version of Army football, they will witness an outfit that is determined to win more than four games for the first time since 1996. That is something that could happen with a toned-down schedule.

The tide on the banks of the Hudson appeared to turn a bit a season ago when consecutive home victories over Temple and Tulane evened the Cadets’ record at 3–3. But a miserable second half, which included five losses by at least 20 points, leaves Army with a six-game losing skid heading into the new season. With only seven returning starters, the program certainly has its work cut out. Still, optimism reigns at West Point.

“The fans can definitely expect to see a better team, a more unified team,” says junior quarterback Carson Williams. “There’s a different atmosphere this year, a real confident feeling.”

While Brock was tight-lipped about the offense, he was very pleased with how the team prepared and worked during the spring.

“They continued to impress me with their toughness and desire to win, all the things you would expect out of them,” he remarked following the annual Black & Gold game. “I don’t think they shocked me with anything. They continued to impress me with their ability to work hard.”

As has been the case in recent years, putting a winner on the grid will not be an easy chore, especially with the lack of returning starters. Williams will lead an offense void of a returning running back who rushed for as many as 350 yards and a receiver — be it a wideout or tight end — who caught as many as 15 passes. On the other side of the ball, four of the top six tacklers from last season’s squad have departed.

Again, it will not be easy.

Quarterbacks

After making four starts as a freshman in 2006, Williams started the last 10 games of his sophomore campaign and enters the fall atop the depth chart. While he has shown promise, the 6'3" Alabama native can be streaky. Ironing out inconsistencies is paramount to guiding an offense that returns only four starters. “As the season progressed, I feel I got better with my decision-making,” says Williams of ’07. “If I improve on my decision-making, I think that would help me the best. That’s important, especially at the QB position, where a lot of it is more mental than it is physical.” Last year, Williams completed 52.6 percent of his passes for 1,770 yards, the fifth-best single-season total in Army history. He threw for a career high 328 yards and three touchdowns in a 49–39 loss to Tulsa, which won the Conference USA's West title. Sophomore Chip Bowden and plebe Paul McIntosh, Indiana’s Mr. Football from a year ago, could find themselves in the mix behind Williams. 

Running backs

This area looked pretty solid heading into the 2007 season but struggled to find itself thanks in part to a shaky line. Tony Dace finished strong with 104 yards against Navy, yet his total of only 330 yards led a ground game that was 111th in the nation. Dace and fellow senior Wesley McMahand will be counted on to turn the tables. McMahand struggled last year (213 yards on a 2.9 average) after posting solid numbers in 2006 (654, 4.4). Keep an eye on Patrick Mealy, who looked good in three starts as a freshman. Against Georgia Tech, he carried the ball 18 times for 86 yards. “I’m really excited about the things that Patrick Mealy has done,” Brock says. “He’s going to be a really good one.” Junior Ian Smith showed some spark in limited opportunities during the season’s latter stages, and Tony Moore returns to the mix after the junior sat out 2007 due to injury. Moore reached the end zone six times in ’06. “If we can get everybody healthy, we can have a good group of guys that can go out and play hard and do a good job,” Brock says.

Receivers

Precious little returns among the pass catchers. Jeremy Trimble, the program’s all-time leader in receptions, receiving yards and TD catches, has departed along with Corey Anderson, last season’s second-leading receiver. Also, the leading receiver among tight ends, Justin Larson, graduated. “Any time you lose your No. 1 receiver, it’s going to be a little bit different,” says Williams. “But things are looking good because the guys have really stepped up and the receivers and I worked a lot together in the offseason.” Receiver Mike Wright and tight end Mike Evans return. Wright made three starts a year ago, and his 12 receptions (for 149 yards) lead all returnees. Injuries have plagued Damion Hunter during his career, but he should be ready to go when the curtain rises. Sophomore Jameson Carter was a leading candidate to start opposite Wright. Williams also cites the fine spring work of seniors Tim Horan and Jamison Maehler.

Offensive linemen

This was a problem area in 2007 due in large part to a rash of injuries. There were three different starters at left tackle and nine different starters on the line as a whole. The upside to last season’s seemingly constant shuffling is that a number of players started at least one game. Senior right tackle Mike Lemming is a pillar of sorts in that he started every contest a year ago at the same position, while fellow senior Brandon Cox also started all 12 games, mostly at left guard. With Trey Mirrane graduated, Tyson Quink could take over at center. Mikel Weich started three games at right guard as a plebe, and junior Jason Johnson saw a lot of action at left tackle. Ali Villanueva, a 6'10" junior, is among the upperclassmen providing depth. “We feel we have the opportunity to have as much or more depth than we’ve had during the time I’ve been here all along the offensive line,”?Brock says. “We have kids who have developed to the point that they will be competing for starting jobs.”

Defensive linemen

Tackle Ted Bentler, who saw his first action as a Black Knight after transferring from Iowa, and ends Nick Emmons and Victor Ugenyi combined to make 11 starts and will be heavily counted on to lead a line that took a couple of hits from graduation. Bentler made nine starts and led the defense with three sacks and five passes broken up. “Coach (defensive coordinator John) Mumford challenges us to get better,” says Bentler, “and though we lost some guys on defense, we have a lot of talent and we’ve been working very well together.” Mike Gann could nail down the tackle spot opposite Bentler.

Linebackers

Frank Scappaticci, who was moved from weak side to the middle in the spring, leads all returnees on defense with 89 total tackles, six for a loss. Seemingly always around the ball, he also added a pair of interceptions, forced fumbles and fumble recoveries. Senior John Plumstead, who was strong on special teams, made three starts last season on the strong side. There is some experience on the depth chart as Stephen Anderson and Josh McNary both saw action as freshmen. “We have bodies at the position. Now it’s about who is going to step up,”?Brock says.  “We feel like we have more speed avaliable, but it’s hard to replace experience.”

Defensive backs

All four starters are gone, including safeties Jordan Murray and NFL Draft pick Caleb Campbell, the team’s leading tacklers a year ago. Where to turn? Josh Mitchell, who had three late-season starts due to injury, is the most experienced of the returning defensive backs. Only 5'9", 160, the senior needs to step up after starting four games a season ago and tying Scappaticci with a pair of picks. Jordan Trimble — Jeremy’s brother — saw time at the other corner as a freshman. Senior David Black could emerge at strong safety after playing behind Murray and Campbell. “Jordan is a real good one and got some playing time last year,”?Brock says. “There are some guys who have played, but nobody that we have to go out there and totally depend on. We have some young guys with some ability.”

Specialists

Owen Tolson developed into such a reliable placekicker and punter that he joined Campbell at the NFL Combine. Alas, it is up to seniors Adam DeMarco and Andrew Rinehart to battle for both jobs. The former was 1-of-2 on field goals last season. The latter is a top candidate to take over as punter. There are also question marks as far as the return game, which sparkled with Jeremy Trimble and Anderson. Carlo Sandiego will get a long look, and Hunter has experience returning kicks.

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