Worthy of Attention
Ask yourself, where was I (you not me) in the years of 2015, 1996, 1945, and 1960? Not all of you can vouch where you were those last two years, but play along. Here is the significance of those years.
Navy football last started 4-0 in 2015.
Army football last started 6-0 in 1996.
Army and Navy were last ranked together in the top 25 in 1945.
Army and Navy were last undefeated and ranked at the same time in 1960.
Fast forward back to now where this years Navy squad is 5-0, Army is 6-0, and they were just both ranked in the top 25 for the first time this season. Army slides in at 23, one ahead of defending champs Michigan, and Navy brings up the rear at 25. They are doing this with a limited talent pool of players, no transfers, no NIL enticement as these players are employees of the federal government, and they are both running variations of the Triple Option offense which is mostly reserved for youth football. The service academies are playing just as well as any powerhouse team and because they aren’t major programs, we aren’t talking about them.
What is the Triple Option?
The Triple Option is a run heavy offense where they line up in the flex bone formation, a under center quarterback with a fullback right behind him. As you can probably guess by the name, there are normally three options. A handoff to the fullback (we know how much I love that), some sort of a pitch, or a run with the quarterback. Yes, there are pass plays and play action fakes but they are usually few and far between. There are some new rules now about cut blocking (low blocking) downfield, which is a big part of that offense and gaining yards.
That is led to some modifications in the attack. More shotgun snaps as opposed to under center, QB power runs, and there has been more passing. More often than not, this type of offense is reserved for beginners, junior varsity teams, an occasional high school team, and the service academies. The only other college program in recent memory that used this offense was Georgia Tech, where they set a record of winning 43 games while passing for under 100 yards. For those curious, yes Air Force does run the same type of scheme but they are not nearly as successful right now as they sit at 1-5.
Recent Body of Work
Both teams are coming off games where they destroyed their opponents, with respect to Air Force and Alabama Birmingham. Army quarterback Bryson Daily threw for 102 yards including a 50-yard touchdown and also ran for 136 yards and five touchdowns against the Blazers of UAB, who are led by former NFL quarterback Trent Dilfer. The Black Knights after that beat down are now heavily favored in their upcoming game against Eastern Carolina. You can watch them on ESPN2 on Saturday at noon and I highly recommend you check it out. My DVR is set. Army is always leading college football in time of possession, and this year it helps that they are averaging over 360 yards rushing per game, the best in college football. They won 44-10.
The Midshipmen of Navy beat Air Force 34-7. Quarterback Blake Horvath also threw for over 100 yards and ran for 115 and two touchdowns. Navy always has a vocal point on their offense. A few years ago it was Malcom Perry who was electric at quarterback. Now it just might be Eli Heidenreich. He ran for 100 yards and caught five balls for 101 yards. He averaged 20.2 yards per catch. The coolest play of the entire game was a pitch play to fullback Alex Tecza who got the edge and beat everybody for one of his two touchdowns.
Big Picture
If this keeps up and they continue to roll like this, it makes their upcoming annual matchup in December even more exciting. These men give everything they have in that game because for some, it will be the last time they touch that field. It’s not a fireworks passing offense like we see in the NFL. But it’s physical passionate play and it always makes for a great game. I’ve seen Army hockey and volleyball play live and like these football players, they are smart, disciplined, and will not make mistakes. They are always ready. We’ll talk more about this when we get closer, and the uniforms for that game are the best you’ve ever seen. If they are in the mix in their conference or win, one or both of them could get a spot in the 12 team playoff and if they get in, they have a shot to make some noise.
Service academy players do sometimes get drafted by the NFL and they are given an opportunity to play if they choose to. In the 60s, it was Roger Staubach who won the Heisman playing quarterback for Navy and served in Vietnam before playing fulltime for the Cowboys. Recently three Air Force players were drafted in different years. Austin Cutting was drafted by the Vikings in 2019 as a long snapper in the seventh round. Defensive tackle Jordan Jackson was taken in round six by the Saints in 2022, and in the 2024 class defensive back Trey Taylor was taken by the Raiders in the seventh round. The most relevant Army player to see NFL action was Army Ranger Alejandro Villanueva, who was “too big” to play receiver at Army so they moved him to the offensive line. He went on to have a great career. The most notable modern day example is Joe Cardona who is still the Patriots long snapper after being taken in the fifth round in 2015 out of the Naval Academy, and he has won two super bowls with the team.