Army is marching (2004 Season)

[Eaglesfan27]

(NOTE: Here is a link to the previous season)

http://dynamic2.gamespy.com/~fof/for...threadid=14868


Bob: Coach, thanks for joining us today. You've made a decision about your starting quarterback?

Brian: Yes, this was a very hard decision, but Nick Kelley has played too well in practice not to start him. He has outplayed Reggie in every facet of the game except for scrambling. Nick will be our starter next week.

Bob: Did the fact that you are playing such a good team in Wisconsin, factor into your decision. They have a very good rush, and wouldn't Reggie's mobility serve the team better.

Brian: Actually, I think we are going to have to be able to really air it out. Nick has the best arm we've seen here in quite some time. Of course, we are going to run the ball quite a bit as well to take pressure off of him. Carlton Jones is going to be a factor in our team's success this year. Our offensive line is really beginning to jell, and I think we will have a good balanced attack next week.

Bob: Coach, can you talk to us about any other new recruits who might be starting as true freshman?

Brian: Well, Michael Blackwell is going to get a lot of time as our 3rd wide receiver. We might open in a 3 WR set, so he could technically be starting. Tavares Rivera is such a big powerful tight end, and he will start right away for us.

Bob: How tall is Tavares again coach?

Brian: Between 6'7 and 6'8. He has surprising movement for a big guy as well as good power. Nathan Ellis is also going to start right away at Left Tackle. He has done a great job of protecting our quarterback's in camp. Also, Ben Smalley is kind of small, but he is so fast and tenacious so we are going to start him at defensive end to really turn up our pass rush. Finally, Marcus Rivers is going to start at our left outside line backer position. This kid is a tackling machine in practice and we believe he will sure up our run defense even further.

Bob: Thanks for your time coach.

Brian: It was my pleasure.

Bob: Terry, let's look over Army's schedule.

Terry: Army had an interesting choice of schedule as they start off in week 2 with a very tough game against a highly ranked Wisconsin team who will be charged up by their fans. I think Army is going to have a tough job winning that one. Then, they travel to Cal where they are playing against a very good aerial attack. This will be another tough win for them if they can get it. Then, they will take a week off before opening their conference play against Tulane. I think they really have a good shot against Tulane this year. Next, they will play a tough USF team, but I think Army could control the clock and win this game as well. Their next game will be against TCU and TCU has a lot of firepower, it will take some breaks to help Army win this game.

Bob: Yeah, TCU looks even stronger then last year.

Terry: Yes, they do, and it doesn't get any easier for Army the following week as they have to play Louisville. The following week they will play ECU which should be a winnable game. Then, they play Cincinatti which will be a tossup. After that game, they will play UAB which will be a good matchup. Finally they will close the year against Air Force who should be tough again this year and then Houston who looks to need to rebuild. Of course we cannot forget the annual game against Navy who looks beatable this year.

Bob: So what will you predict for a record at the end of the year?

Terry: Well, this is a tough call, but I would say 5 wins, maybe 6 at the most.

Bob: Well we are out of time for our Army preview show. Please join us next week after Army's game against Wisconsin. Good night football fans.

[Eaglesfan27]

Bob: Well football fans, this was a disappointing loss to Wisconsin 42-28. You could tell the 1st offensive play of the game that things weren't going to go Army's way as Devin Hollins connected with Jonathon Orr for a 79 yard completion to start the game. Things got much worse as after 3 good runs by Carlton Jones, Nick Kelley dropped back for his first pass. Perhaps blinded by the pass rush, he threw his first career pass right to Wisconsin's cornerback Scott Starks. The first quarter was all Wisconsin as they promptly ran the ball 3 times with Dwayne Smith for the easy score. Unfortunately, Nick's next series didn't go much better as he threw an interception after completing 3 short passes. Some argued whether Coach should have pulled him after this disastrous start, but Nick was put out there for a third series where he threw two incompletions and then was sacked injuring his throwing shoulder. Early reports are the shoulder is just strained, but an MRI will be done tomorrow to confirm no further damage. Reggie Nevels came into the game a little cold, but he really heated up in the 2nd half almost bringing Army back from a 28 point deficit. Unfortunately, Wisconsin's running game wore down the Army defense and injured Freshman Marcus Rivers the young outside line backer in the process. However, we really have to applaud Reggie Nevels for his effort today. Here are our statistical leaders, before we talk to Coach.

For Wisconsin, the leading passer was Devin Hollins who threw the ball 11 times with 8 completions for 262 yards with 2 touchdowns and zero interceptions. The leading rusher for Wisconsin was Dwayne Smith with 20 carries for 87 yards and 2 touchdowns. The leading receiver was Jonathon Orr with 3 catches for 177 yards and 2 touchdowns. He really torched the Army secondary early in the game. The leading defenders for Wisconsin were Fontez Sanders, the strong safety, who led the team with 9 tackles including 3 for a loss. And of course, Scott Starks who had one interception and 4 passes defended.

For Army, the passing leader was Reggie Nevels who used his mobility to create problems for Wisconsin today. He completed 20 of 32 passes for 212 yards with 1 touchdown and no interceptions. He also managed to avoid a heavy pass rush for most of the day and was only sacked one time. Carlton Jones was the leader on the ground with 18 carries for 53 yards and two touchdowns. It should be noted Reggie also had one rushing touchdown. The leading receiver was William White who had 9 catches for 91 yards with no touchdowns. The leading defender tonight for Army was Mikel Resnick, the senior right outside linebacker who had 7 tackles, 1 sack, and 1 forced fumble. Now, let's talk to Coach.

Coach, did you ever consider pulling Nick from the game tonight?

Brian: Not, from what I'd seen in the 1st quarter. I would have pulled him in the second quarter possibly if he continued to have recognition problems, but really we just needed to protect him better. I still believe he was the right guy to start, but Reggie did a heck of a job for us tonight.

Bob: Does this mean Reggie will start next week?

Brian: Well, if Nick's shoulder still isn't healthy, then Reggie will start next week.

Bob: What if Nick is healthy, who would start?

Brian: I'm not going to answer that question at this time. I'll wait until they are both healthy to make that decision.

Bob: Coach, what about the injury to Marcus Rivers?

Brian: Unfortunately, the young man got hit hard by a another player during a diving for a loose ball, he is probably going to miss a few games, at least that is what our doctors inform me.

Bob: Any thoughts on next week's opponent?

Brian: Cal has a great passing game, so our secondary is going to have to play much better next week then they did in the 1st quarter of this game.

Bob: Thanks for your time Coach. Our stars of the game are Jonathon Orr and Dwayne Smith of Wisconsin. Please join us again next week for highlights and postgame wrap-up of Army Football. Good night football fans.