After Action — The military and the sports world

Army football readies for guest role in Yale Bowl's centennial celebration

By Kevin Lilley on September 25, 2014 Army, Football, Uncategorized

If your idea of college football history is watching an ESPN special on the Miami Hurricanes of the 1980s or enjoying the occasional Dish Network commercial, sit this post out. The iconic Yale Bowl, which hosted the nation’s greatest college football teams years before the NFL existed, is celebrating its centennial this season, and the Army Black Knights — which also boast plenty of black-and-white photos in their media guide — will pay a visit Saturday, continuing a football series that’s even older than the stadium. Here’s a half-dozen ways the Bulldogs and Black Knights have been linked over the…

VIDEO: Army linebacker's flop fails to stop clock in loss to Wake Forest

By Kevin Lilley on September 22, 2014 Army, Football, Uncategorized

With less than a minute to play in Saturday’s game at Wake Forest, and with his team down by a field goal, senior Army linebacker Stephen Ricciardi may have gotten a bit desperate. First the video, then some background: [HTML1] The setup: The Black Knights led 21-14 going into the fourth quarter at Wake, but two late scoring drives gave the home team a 24-21 edge, and an Army fumble gave Wake the ball back with about four minutes to play. Army called its last timeout with 2:34 left, stopping the clock before a critical 3rd-and-8. But Wake Forest picked…

Academy-NFL roster update: Garland, McNary make cut

By Kevin Lilley on September 3, 2014 Air Force, Army, Football, Navy, nfl, Uncategorized

If you’re a service-academy football fan who doesn’t keep up with the pro game, or even if you just decided to spend your Labor Day doing something other than refreshing the NFL.com practice-squad page over and over, here’s a brief recap of where some academy standouts found themselves as NFL teams trimmed down to the 53-man roster limit: Ben Garland (Air Force): The former standout defensive lineman for the Falcons made the Denver Broncos roster, but not on defense. Garland, who was promoted to captain in the Colorado Air National Guard in May, switched to offensive guard last year. He first…

Notre Dame head coach stands up for Navy rivalry in ESPN schedule poll

By Kevin Lilley on August 8, 2014 Football, Navy, Uncategorized

When he’s not busy riding a horse to training camp, Notre Dame head coach Brian Kelly is entering heavy preparations for the 2014 college football season. That prep involves chalk talks, two-a-day workouts and, naturally, talking to ESPN reporters. Regardless of what Navy fans think of Kelly, or the Fighting Irish, or horses, they should be pleased with a response he gave to a recent ESPN poll, asking coaches of the so-called “Power Five” schools about scheduling preferences. A quick primer: The Power Five consists of teams in the Atlantic Coast, Big Ten, Big 12, Southeastern and Pacific-12 football conferences…

5 quick hits for your 2014 service academy football schedule (plus the schedule*)

By Kevin Lilley on July 21, 2014 Air Force, Army, Army-Air Force Game, Army-Navy game, Football, Navy, Uncategorized

Aside from the typical midseason TV-directed time changes (more on them later), the 2014 service academy slate is just about set. And as sweltering summer temperatures signal the beginning of full-pad practices and traditional preseason speculation, here’s a few things for the more-than-casual academy football fan to take notice of: 1. A normal Saturday slate. Aside from a trio of games in late November, including two on the day after Thanksgiving, every service academy game will be played during a time typically reserved for college football. Last year, Air Force alone played four non-Saturday games. 2. Mids going big time:…

How Army-Navy fits into the College Football Playoff (spoiler: It doesn't)

By Kevin Lilley on July 15, 2014 Army, Army-Navy game, Football, Navy

Could a team lose the Commander in Chief’s Trophy and win that shiny trophy on the right in the same year? Yes, it could. But wagering on it might be a bad idea. The College Football Playoff begins this season, with four teams from the NCAA’s top tier selected to face off in a single-elimination tournament to crown a champion. It’s a history-making innovation … unless you count the postseason for nearly every other team sporting event on the planet. Regardless, the group said Monday that it will make its semifinalist selections public on Dec. 7, live on ESPN before…

Coach at center of Vikings' mess flew Navy helicopters

By Kevin Lilley on January 6, 2014 Football, Navy, nfl, Uncategorized

In about a week, Minnesota Vikings special teams coach Mike Priefer has gone from seeing his name on a watch list for NFL head-coaching jobs published by a newspaper of note to seeing it on the wrong end of what could be career-killing allegations. Priefer, a Naval Academy grad who reportedly flew helicopters as part of SEAL missions in the early 1990s, stands accused by former Vikings punter Chris Kluwe of “using homophobic language in my presence” in a response to Kluwe’s outspoken support of gay rights — outspokenness that, the punter says, cost him his job last May. Kluwe…

Photos: Navy Tops Army 34-7

By Mike Morones on December 14, 2013 Army-Navy game

Final: Navy 34, Army 7

By Kevin Lilley on December 14, 2013 Army, Army-Navy game, Football, Navy, Uncategorized

A winter wonderland became a frigid mess. A defensive struggle became a rout. A packed stadium became a ghost town long before the final gun. And an 11-game win streak became a dirty dozen. Behind three touchdown runs from quarterback Keenan Reynolds — the first tying the NCAA single-season record for QBs at 27, the last setting a new record at 29 — the Navy Midshipmen used a punishing ground game to hand the Army Black Knights a 34-7 loss Saturday at Philadelphia’s Lincoln Financial Field. Navy hasn’t lost to Army since 2001 and now leads the all-time series 58-49-7.…

Army-Navy update: Black Knights avoid shutout, but Navy answers (w/game photos)

By Kevin Lilley on December 14, 2013 Army, Army-Navy game, Football, Navy, Uncategorized

Army quarterback Angel Santiago didn’t start the game, but he’s hoping to create an improbable finish. The junior hit freshman Xavier Moss with a 29-yard strike about midway through the third quarter, then followed it with a 4-yard scoring run to give the Black Knights life. Navy answered with a clock-eating 11-play drive and a 34-yard Nick Sloan field goal to make it 20-7 at the end of three quarters. If Santiago and Army continue to put the ball in the air, Navy may need some more heroics from freshman cornerback Brendon Clements, who has already forced a fumble and…