The Tailgate: Army

The Army game always presents a unique set of challenges and serves as an accurate measuring stick for a program.

The 1995 season represented a great coming out party for teams within the Big East.

At Boston College, the mid-decade season was one of the highest-touted teams of the program's newest era. Dan Henning's second season was two years after Glenn Foley led BC to its lofty perch within the top-10, and the preseason No. 22 team in the nation had one of its toughest non-conference schedules since the Big East formed less than a decade earlier. The conference itself was loaded, though no team finished in the national championship hunt, and nearly two dozen players were chosen as part of the following spring's NFL Draft with six players going in the first or second round. BC had two players picked in the first four rounds, including Pete Kendall at No. 21 overall.

All this despite the fact that BC finished below .500 and missed a bowl game.

There are a number of ways to quantify that season, but 1995 didn't totally feel like it was going downhill until a mid-October game against Army. Army was the crossroads prior to a late October matchup against Notre Dame. The Cadets easily could have had three or four wins by the time they entered Alumni Stadium, but a two-point loss to Duke was two weeks before a tie against Rice and a one-point loss to the Fighting Irish. Unlikely to clinch a bowl game, they instead felt like a snakebitten team that was still capable of battering an opponent that teetered on the brink, which is exactly how BC felt when the skies opened during the deluge of rain on October 21. The Army game ripped a hole through how the West Virginia game one week earlier drew the team together, and it left BC searching for answers as the month ended.

"I thought the West Virginia game brought us together," quarterback Matt Hasselbeck said after Army. "You don't measure a team after wins, you measure it after losses. In the past, losses have brought us together, and hopefully that will happen. Adversity looked us in the eye, and we kind of backed down."

BC eventually got its gears moving towards the right direction with a five-win season in 1996, and the 1997 team gained a measure of revenge when it beat Army in the season finale with a 24-20 win at home, but there are lessons within the loss almost 30 years ago. The season felt like it was starting to turn a corner when the Cadets ran through the Eagles, and if anyone takes West Pointers too lightly, they will inevitably make someone pay a tax for that mistake.

With that in mind, the 2023 Eagles head to West Point to play one of the program's oldest opponents. Another soppy, soggy day awaits BC, but this one is on the road. With a win in its back pocket, a team starting to feel its surge move forward now turns its attention to a team that will, like its predecessors, make teams pay a tax for mistakes, and like last week, a big game feel is starting to encircle a matchup between the Eagles and the Black Knights.

Here's what to watch for when BC heads on base at West Point:

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Game Storylines (John J. Pershing Edition)

To get the best out of your men, they must feel that you are their real leader and must know that they can depend upon you.

I'm a big fan of military history, but General Pershing feels like a lost character in the American landscape compared to the lofty ranks later bestowed upon him. He was most famously the commander of the American Expeditionary Forces during the United States' involvement in World War I, and he is one of three generals authorized for promotion to General of the Armies, the highest possible rank within the United States Army.

The other two? George Washington, who was honored as part of the country's bicentennial, and Ulysses Grant, who was authorized in 2022 for his leadership of the Union Army to its victory in the Civil War and his later service as the country's 18th President.

World War I is, in general, overlooked compared to its successor war to end all wars, but Pershing's legacy and influence is widely felt in how he built a modern army capable of training and organizing for overseas battle.

Now that I've cleared my own personal feelings that are clearly uneducated compared to historians and military experts, I'll zero in on exactly where I'm going with this one because I felt like last week really showed how BC succeeds through its trust in the system. The Eagles defeated Virginia, but realistically, they showed how they can defeat teams if they execute with chemistry, fluidity and synergy between their phases - something they struggled to consistently gain in the first month of the season.

"It's about being efficient," said head coach Jeff Hafley. "I think that's about guys getting out there and executing and doing their job. If you look back at the first drive against Louisville, we started fast but stalled on the fourth [down]. To me that's about execution. It's about us going out and blocking the right guy and throwing and catching the football and coaches having a really good plan to try and get the ball into our playmakers' hands early in the game."

There's no real way around how BC needs that to happen in this week's game. Army holds the second-best running attack but still has a passing attack that averages the most yards per completion by quarterback Bryson Daily. Wide receiver Isaiah Alston leads all FBS receivers with nearly 30 yards per catch. The Black Knights average 35 minutes of possession per game and dominated UTSA earlier this year to the tune of 44-plus minutes of offense. The Army offense started the year by going 13-for-13 on fourth downs, and it's still the only overall team with less than 10 penalties committed combined on the entire season.

Making any mistakes in this game is a disaster waiting to happen because Army can hold onto the ball for an eternity. Getting off the field on third down, capitalizing on offensive drives, sustaining pressure, converting field goals and tilting the field with punts…everything matters on Saturday.

If you know how to shoot and are quite ready to shoot, the chances are that you won't have to shoot.

Army's triple option isn't the same flexbone formation of years past, but defenses have to play with the same respect for the team's ability to slice through aggressive schemes digging into the ground. As is the case in most games against the academies, the threat of triple option should be enough to force the BC defense to play its front seven in more of a straight horizontal line at the line of scrimmage in an attempt to box the cadets into the pocket - a complete difference from last week's aggression against Virginia.

"You have to figure out what you want to do schematically," Hafley said, "and whether or not you want to go and play three-down or four-down [linemen] and what coverages you want to run. Then you have to show a lot of different looks within your rules and within your scheme that have to hold up. You have to get as many hats to the ball as you can, and you have to be very disciplined. When you have an offense like this, you have to have great eyes."

Army is an incredibly opportunistic club, and the offense is more than just an option pony capable of messing with a defense's mind. The Black Knights average around 70 plays per game and have sent 16 drives into an opponent's red zone. Thirteen of those produced points, of which nine were touchdowns, to which opponents are barely converting at a 60 percent rate in comparison.

"They'll trick you with their eyes and get you going somewhere that you shouldn't be going," Hafley said, "and then you have to tackle well because they'll try to make you play in space while at the same time trying to run downhill at you. So we spent a lot of time on the run game this week, and we made sure the [defensive backs] know they have to stay focused on the pass because that's where they get different."

We shall remain American and go into battle with Old Glory over our heads.

West Point is a sacred space to the American historical landscape. George Washington once called it the most strategic location to the fledgling country - right before Benedict Arnold offered to surrender West Point to the British, at least - and it remains an active-duty installation with garrisons assigned to support the United States Military Academy. The grounds themselves are gorgeous, and October at West Point is a beautiful opportunity to watch fall foliage creep along the Hudson River.

I've been exposed to West Point for the better part of 20 years in the media, but I'm always in awe of the discipline and endurance required to graduate from the academy. It has a special purpose, and only those associated or affiliated with the USMA understand the true nature of that assignment. Attending the academy is more of a calling than a choice, and the military itself is an ultimate version of service to the protection of liberty and freedom. Even as the world seems divided against itself, the United States Army stands on honor, code, and country, and we could use a little more of that these days.

I get emotional writing about it, and I know my wife's family is an army family through its blood. Her grandfather served in Korea, and her cousin enlisted during the late 2000s. I have friends from high school who went to West Point, and I've spoken with coaches who sat in the chairs and recruited student-athletes to a military lifestyle. My paternal grandfather was a reservist, and my mother's father fought in Eastern Europe during World War II. I have uncles and cousins who served their respective country, and the idea of defending a homeland - warts and all - is something they take seriously.

Army-Navy is at Gillette Stadium this year, and I think about the statement usually reserved for that game for when BC heads to Michie Stadium. It's the only game where the ones playing in it are willing to die for the ones watching it.

I love seeing BC play Army. I can't wait for the next chapter.

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Question Box

What's different about Army's option offense?

Let's break it down one last time. The flexbone has the two wing backs playing outside the tight end positions, and motion sends one of them across the formation for either an option run or a blocking assignment. Since they can't cut block anymore, the flexbone is basically obsolete.

In its place is this funky hybrid option shotgun that draws inspiration from the Air Raid offense and other pieces of fast-paced offenses. It's going to look different, and I don't think anyone in the country runs something quite like it.

How does Army combat BC's team speed?

I've talked A LOT about the Army offense this week, but it's worth noting how BC blew Virginia off the ball with its cumulative speed and agility. The Eagles played to their strengths in the power run game, but the explosiveness of the offense bubbled under the ability to pass the football with lightning clarity and precision.

The Army defense surrenders just under 200 yards per game, but the average pass attempt is more intermediate with some catch-and-run. There's about a three-yard difference between the attempt and catch, which should mean that the pass game can move the sticks against the defense. This is a little different from the boom-or-bust passing attack that's within the Army playbook, since it hasn't really appeared like the Black Knights are willing to try the short passes to extend drives over a deep ball downfield.

Seriously, more rain?

Yep. It's going to rain. The weekend washouts continue. More on that right…about…

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Meteorology 101

…now.

I remember one summer when it rained on literally every single one of my days off from work. I had to work over the weekend to earn time-and-a-half in the retail industry, so my days off were typically weekdays when daily life slowed to a crawl. I had the freedom to go hit a bucket of balls or jump into the batting cage, and the beach was always an option. Except it rained. A lot.

It rained every time I had a day off. Tuesday in early July? Rain. Drought across the middle of August? Oh yeah, it's going to break up on your day off. Seven straight days of sunshine and warmth? Let's finally end it with the perfectly placed weather system that barreled through the Boston area.

I'm already over the heat. It's October, and it shouldn't hit 85 degrees at any point during any day. But the fact that it rains every single weekend? I'm totally done with it.

Also what's going on with another hurricane impacting New England this weekend? One per season is enough for us. We don't need a second one to barrel up the Atlantic Ocean and hit us with some of its outer bands or even kick up the surf.

Anyways, it's going to rain this weekend everywhere from Boston to New Jersey. The forecast predicts precipitation at West Point. Pack your poncho if you're heading to the game.

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BC-Army X Factor

Boston College's Pass Game

I feel like talking about the Army offense is a little cliche, so after spending the past four days analyzing the differences between flexbone and shotgun options, I'm going in a completely different direction by thinking the game rests on the effectiveness of Thomas Castellanos and the Boston College passing game.

We always have to assume that Army is going to control the game flow with its option, and it's going to be very difficult for BC to own time of possession against an offense built around eating an entire quarter with one drive. It therefore makes too much sense for BC to really need its offense to capitalize on its chunk plays and newfound explosiveness against a defense that operates under the radar compared to its more well-known offense.

Springing those plays then requires BC to utilize its receivers to their maximum potential, and as last week showed against Virginia, it also means the receivers need to hold their own against defenders even when they don't have the football.

"All of our wide receivers better block," Jeff Hafley said this week. "That's really important to me, and I think it's a sign of good, tough teams when your guys on the perimeter are blocking and tackling on a particular play."

Last week's game really broke open when Lewis Bond sprinted into the end zone for a 35-yard, uncontested touchdown, but he gained credit for a play where fellow receiver Joe Griffin blocked two defenders out of their coverage. He gained his first assignment, but because the second defender overcommitted to the space in front of Bond, he also gained the second block and sprung Bond into no man's land for the score.

"Joe had a guy pressed man-to-man," Hafley said, "and sometimes when you get cracked, if the defense is playing man, it's hard to replace the crack. In that play, Joe had a guy heads-up, and he was going to block the guy inside. But Joe also went on an angle that looked like a slant and blocked the slot defender. That brought Lewis' defender, so the guy who was covering Joe basically blocked himself and Joe took two guys while Lewis slipped outside. Joe should get credit for the touchdown because he blocked two people. It was really good play design by the staff, and both Lewis and Joe did their jobs."

Understanding how the blocks attack a defense opens opportunities both on the perimeter and in the downfield areas, and their utilization is one of the best ways to counteract triple option offenses. Teams with bigger deficits have to pass, and if the Eagles can use some of those big, explosive plays to create separation from Army, the triple option will render itself moot by the deficit on the scoreboard.

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Around College Football

One of my best friends married an Oklahoma girl who cheered for the Sooners, so I know that the Red River Rivalry is absolutely bananalands to folks attending the Texas State Fair in Dallas this week. The location is halfway between Texas and OU, and a matchup between two nationally-ranked teams is a good, old fashioned way to spend a Saturday afternoon. Both teams are leaving the Big 12 at the end of the year, but there's no way that this game will be anything better than a tradition involving the Big Tex statue, the Cotton Bowl stadium, and memories of the Big 8, the Southwest Conference, and some of old college football at its finest.

Speaking of which, No. 12 OU is playing No. 3 Texas headlines everything at noon. For what it's worth, it overshadows the matchup between No. 23 LSU and No. 21 Missouri, which is also at noon.

It's a return to the national slugfests after last week felt like the volume got turned down a bit (jokes are still allowed about Notre Dame being ranked No. 10 after its only loss to Ohio State with 10 men on the field). No. 1 Georgia is at home against No. 20 Kentucky, and the aforementioned Irish draw the newly-installed, No. 25 Louisville Cardinals in the Bluegrass State.

Those are games between all-ranked opponents, but in the ACC, No. 5 Florida State defends its national championship playoff claims against Virginia Tech, and No. 14 North Carolina draws a pesky Syracuse team at 3:30 p.m. Later, No. 17 Miami hosts Georgia Tech for an 8 p.m. game. Unranked Clemson (feels weird to say, doesn't it?) hosts Wake Forest in the mid-afternoon, and Virginia and North Carolina have a pair of non-conference games against William & Mary and Marshall, respectively.

Other games of note include No. 9 USC's game against Arizona at 10:30 p.m. on the East Coast, and future ACC member Cal hosts No. 15 Oregon State at 10 p.m. on Pac-12 Network. In the mid-afternoon slate, No. 11 Alabama is at Texas A&M, and No. 13 Washington State heads to the Rose Bowl to play UCLA.

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Dan's Non-Sports Observation of the Week

My wife and I tried to use our pizza stone on Thursday for the first time in about 10 years. It was a fun idea for us to try and do something together since working from home occasionally turns our house into a more cozy version of cubicle life, and we both were super excited to roll out the dough and get some sausage, peppers and onions onto the stove before drizzling them onto the pizza. It looked great on the way into the oven, and we were both super excited to slice into it for the first homemade pizza at our house - which we bought seven years ago.

The pizza was very raw.

It was very bad.

I repeat, it was very, very raw and very, very bad.

This was an epic cooking disaster, and I'd rather never speak of it ever again. Again I repeat - it was a DISASTER. The dough never cooked, we never preheated the oven to a hot enough temperature, and I ate a whole slice of raw, doughy pizza because I wanted to check if it was just the first bite or not. It was a terrible idea, and if anyone needs a pizza stone, we're probably selling ours after this debacle.

We wound up going out for lunch. It was awesome. I didn't order pizza.

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Pregame Quote and Prediction

I want an officer for a secret and dangerous mission. I want a West Point football player. -George C. Marshall

I don't love Army as a matchup for any opponent, but I think this game goes a long way to setting an establishing shot for the rest of the season. A win gets BC back to 3-3 on the season and aligns the Eagles with a potential bowl bid if they can continue fighting for momentum. A loss drops them back down to 2-4, which won't feel as good as a .500 record. The loss to NIU aside, the up-and-down first half could crest and explode with a good win over Army, which is a team that won't give anyone an inch and should fight harder and longer than most opponents.

Boston College and Army kick off on Saturday at 12 p.m. from Michie Stadium in West Point, New York. Television coverage is available on national television via CBS Sports Network. Radio broadcast is also available through the BC Learfield IMG Sports Network, which is on local radio in Boston via WEEI 93.7 FM, with satellite options available on SiriusXM channel 99 or 194 with streaming audio available through the Varsity Network.

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Players Mentioned

Lewis Bond

Thomas Castellanos