By now, you know the details — the 2011 service academy football season ended with neither a bang nor a whimper, but with a failed two-point conversion. Air Force’s 42-41 loss to Toledo at RFK Stadium may be remembered for a last-minute bobble (if you want the inside scoop on the play, head here for a great breakdown by Frank Schwab of the Colorado Springs Gazette), but there’s more to the game, more to Air Force’s season and more to the bowl itself then a moment of failed trickery. The past: Wednesday’s loss capped the Air Force football career of…
Author Kevin Lilley
In a Military Bowl that started with a scoring explosion, featured a kickoff return for a touchdown, had a handful of fourth-down stands and even more fourth-down conversions, it makes sense to go out on a failed two-point conversion. Before Air Force fans had a chance to exhale after a 33-yard fourth-down touchdown pass from Tim Jefferson to Zack Kauth, the Falcons attempted to turn an almost-guaranteed tie into a victory. Holder David Baskra tried to hit kicker Parker Herrington with a pitch around the left side, but the ball came loose and the Falcons couldn’t find it in the…
Only two touchdowns this quarter, and Air Force’s offense had a hand in both. Toledo’s Jermaine Robinson grabbed a tipped Tim Jefferson pass and ran 37 yards to the end zone, giving the Rockets a 35-28 lead. Air Force rallied on its next drive, going 50 yards in seven plays and capping it off with Mike DeWitt’s second score of the day. DeWitt’s 2-yard plunge over left tackle tied the score at 35. The Rockets stumbled in the usually back-and-forth offensive battle, with Air Force junior linebacker Austin Niklas plucking an Austin Dantin pass off his shoelaces for a key…
We had a fourth-down stand, a fumble recovery and two honest-to-goodness punts in the second quarter, but the offenses are still the story. Air Force opened the second quarter with a 12-play, 79-yard drive that took more than five minutes, even with the no-huddle attack favored by both teams. After five straight up-the-middle runs near the goal line, Falcons quarterback Tim Jefferson pitched wide to Asher Clark for a 1-yard score that tied the game at 21. Toledo followed with a 51-yard strike from Terrance Owens to Bernard Reedy; the duo’s second touchdown of the day made it 28-21. Air…
It took the offenses a few minutes, but once they geared up, the expected Military Bowl shootout took off. Aspiring defensive coordinators, avert your eyes now. After a Toledo missed field goal and a fourth-down “quick kick” by Air Force quarterback Tim Jefferson (for about 15 yards), the Rockets scored 14 points in less than 30 seconds: A 17-yard scoring strike from Terrance Owens to Bernard Reedy was followed by an Air Force fumble on the kickoff, then a 41-yard scoring scamper by Adonis Thomas over left end. Jefferson atoned for his lack of punting prowess on the Falcons’ ensuing…
Stuck at your desk? Home on the couch? Three things you’re missing at RFK Stadium this afternoon as kickoff nears, aside from a picture-perfect parachute jump from the The Ranger Group’s all-veteran parachute team: 1. Brief weather report: Cold. Back to you in the studio. 2. Crowd: Could charitably be described as “late-arriving.” Some areas of the upper deck are caution-taped off, the lower levels are less than half full, and the hottest ticket appears to be the heated VIP/reception tent behind the Air Force end zone. 3. Signage: The traditional sports sponsors (Geico, Wendy’s, FedEx) and event sponsor (Northrop…
It’s your last chance to catch service academy football until September. Whether you’re watching from your couch, from your duty station or from the nosebleed section, here’s what you need to know about tomorrow’s Military Bowl. Toledo (8-4, 7-1 Mid-American Conference) vs. Air Force (7-5, 3-4 Mountain West Conference), Wednesday, 4:30 p.m. Where: RFK Stadium, Washington, D.C. Where else: ESPN (Pam Ward, Dan Hawkins). Also available online at ESPN3.com. A word from our sponsor: The game is presented by Northrop Grumman. A portion of the game’s proceeds benefits the USO; last year, that portion exceeded $100,000, according to the game’s…
Looking for in-depth analysis of Wednesday’s Military Bowl showdown between the Air Force Falcons and the Toledo Rockets? Keep looking. Want a few quick Military Bowl facts to impress fellow college football die-hards on base or in your office as everyone slowly escapes for a long holiday weekend? Now you’re talking: 1. Check the scoreboard lights: RFK Stadium will host two of the nation’s top-20 offenses, with Toledo checking in at No. 8 (493 yards per game) and Air Force at No. 19 (458.83). Toledo’s also eighth in scoring offense, averaging a little more than 42 points a game. Entering…
[youtube]http://youtube.com/watch?v=Mx5bD6jb2CQ[/youtube]The bad news: The video above is the last in a series of CBS Sports-produced “webisodes” on the Army-Navy football rivalry. Highlights include fired-up Navy senior fullback Alexander Teich giving a top-of-his-lungs pregame talk and Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Jon Greenert using some of that salty language the fleet’s made famous (Actual quote: “We want to kick Army’s butt in this game.”) The good news: If you’re tired of three-minute masterpieces, the feature-length “A Game of Honor” is right around the corner. Showtime will air the documentary (CBS has been calling it a “docu-drama”) Wednesday at 10 p.m. Eastern (9…
Yes, the Army-Navy game was a classic, with the outcome in doubt well into the fourth quarter. Navy’s win streak continued, a new stadium was welcomed into the rivalry, and the end zones were left intact for Sunday’s Redskins-Patriots NFL game as part of the Redskins’ military appreciation week, which they apparently forgot to tell anyone about. Instead of looking back, let’s look forward: In nine months, the Midshipmen will be back in the national spotlight, taking on Notre Dame. It’s another storied rivalry, but with a twist: The Irish fans in the stands will be Irish. On Sept. 1,…
