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LIB |
ARMY |
Army rushes for 449 yards, squashes Liberty 38-14
WEST POINT, N.Y. (AP) Army coach Jeff Monken knows his Black Knights are a work in progress. At least, they're headed in the right direction.
Darnell Woolfolk ran for 98 yards and two touchdowns as Army's triple option began to return to form with 449 yards rushing, and the Black Knights beat Bowl Subdivision newcomer Liberty 38-14 on Saturday.
It was the eighth-straight win at Michie Stadium for the Black Knights ( 1-1) and a welcome rebound after a tough season-opening loss at Duke.
''It's good to get a win. It sure feels better than last week,'' Monken said. ''They played hard, physical. We just didn't execute the fundamentals as well as I'd like.''
Calen Holt scored on a 25-yard run and Woolfolk followed with a 26-yard scamper, both coming in the waning moments of the first quarter, and the defense stymied the Flames the entire first half as Army (1-1) built a commanding 17-point lead.
Army's offensive line is a work in progress - the Black Knights lost four starters from last year's 10-win team, with only center Bryce Holland returning. In last week's season-opening loss at Duke, Army rushed for only 168 yards - less than half its average last year when it led the nation in rushing with 362.2 yards a game.
That changed against Liberty.
Army averaged 6.1 yards per carry for the game and ran 22 more plays than the Flames, holding the ball for an impressive 41:30 - keepaway at its best and just what Liberty coach Turner Gill feared.
''It was more disappointing from an offensive perspective,'' Gill said. ''We did not do what we needed to do execution-wise, so it's a little bit disappointing that we didn't play to the level we needed to. I knew it was going to take a whole lot to beat them. They didn't play as well last game, and I knew they were going to have a heck of a game.''
After Kelvin Hopkins Jr. hit Christian Hayes for a 44-yard touchdown early in the third to give Army a 24-0 lead, the Flames finally awoke. Kentory Matthews broke a 50-yard run and Stephen Calvert hit Damian King for a 28-yard TD in a span of just 28 seconds.
Liberty scored again late in the period on Calvert's 28-yard scoring pass to B.J. Farrow, who outdueled a defender in the back left corner of the end zone, but the Flames couldn't keep it going.
''They played good defense,'' Calvert said. ''Whenever we found a weakness to attack, we attacked it and we were moving the ball pretty good. They just played better than us.''
The Black Knights put the game out of reach on Woolfolk's second touchdown early in the fourth. Connor Slomka added a 2-yard score midway through the period.
Army had eight players gain at least 10 yards rushing. Fred Cooper had 81 and Holt finished with 72.
''You face adversity, but you have to just keep pushing through, put our foot on the gas and keep grinding,'' Woolfolk said. ''The offensive line started it. We trust our o-line a lot, which makes it easy. The o-line did a phenomenal job.''
THE TAKEAWAY
Liberty: The Flames have proven they can beat top-tier teams with their win at Baylor last year. Calvert was stellar in last week's 52-10 win over Old Dominion and has an elite receiver in 6-foot-4 Antonio Gandy-Golden, who led the Big South last year with 1,066 yards. Calvert showed signs of the offense's capability but needs to be able to sustain it. Calvert finished 19 of 37 for 307 yards and two TDs with one interception and Matthews finished with 81 yards rushing on nine carries. With Army's Elijah Riley in his face all afternoon, Gandy-Golden was held to just three catches for 33 yards.
''The first half we struggled,'' said Liberty wideout DJ Stubbs, who had one reception for 19 yards after nabbing seven catches for 155 last week against Old Dominion. ''They were very physical.''
Army: The Black Knights showed some muscle on the ground and with an array of backs should be able to keep the ground game churning.
BALL SECURITY
Last year the Black Knights fumbled only seven times in 13 games, losing five. In last week's loss at Duke, they fumbled five times and lost two of them. That prompted Monken to focus hard on ball security during practice leading up to Saturday's game. Players were given bats with boxing gloves taped to the ends, and they swatted teammates carrying balls during agility drills. Army had zero turnovers Saturday and recovered a fumble in the first quarter.
BLOCKING PROBLEMS
Monken lamented the new NCAA rules regarding blocking during his weekly press conference and was concerned about their potential effect on his option attack. It didn't take long to prove the fifth-year coach right. Army had a 41-yard touchdown run in the first quarter by Hopkins nullified by an illegal block, one of three chop blocks assessed against the Black Knights in the first half. Hopkins also had a 27-yard run deep into Liberty territory nullified late in the second quarter.
TARGETING
Liberty redshirt freshman punter Aidan Alves was ejected for targeting on a helmet-to-helmet hit after a 22-yard punt return by Army's Mike Reynolds. Liberty's Austin Lewis also was ejected for targeting in the fourth quarter.
UP NEXT
Liberty hosts Norfolk State next Saturday night.
Army hosts Hawaii next Saturday.
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Team Stats | ||
---|---|---|
1st Downs | 21 | 28 |
Rushing | 5 | 24 |
Passing | 14 | 2 |
Penalty | 2 | 2 |
3rd Down Conv | 5-12 | 6-14 |
4th Down Conv | 0-1 | 2-2 |
Total Net Yards | 402 | 506 |
Total Plays | 60 | 82 |
Avg Gain | 6.7 | 6.2 |
Net Yards Rushing | 110 | 449 |
Rush Attempts | 23 | 74 |
Avg Rush Yards | 4.8 | 6.1 |
Yards Passing | 307 | 61 |
Comp. - Att. | 19-37 | 2-8 |
Yards Per Pass | 7.9 | 7.1 |
Penalties - Yards | 4-27 | 7-100 |
Touchdowns | 2 | 5 |
Rushing TDs | 0 | 4 |
Passing TDs | 2 | 1 |
Other | 0 | 0 |
Turnovers | 3 | 0 |
Fumbles - Lost | 2-2 | 0-0 |
Int. Thrown | 1 | 0 |
Punts - Avg | 6-30.7 | 6-36.8 |
Return Yards | 43 | 22 |
Punts - Returns | 1-5 | 1-22 |
Kickoffs - Returns | 2-38 | 0-0 |
Int. - Returns | 0-0 | 1-0 |
Safeties | 0 | 0 |
|
Passing | CP/ATT | YDS | TD | INT |
S. Calvert
12 QB
|
S. Calvert | 19/37 | 307 | 2 | 1 |
Rushing | ATT | YDS | TD | LG |
K. Matthews
9 RB
|
K. Matthews | 9 | 81 | 0 | 50 | ||||||||||||||||||||
P. Pickett
25 RB
|
P. Pickett | 8 | 46 | 0 | 12 | ||||||||||||||||||||
Da. King
7 WR
|
Da. King | 2 | 6 | 0 | 3 | ||||||||||||||||||||
F. Hickson
23 RB
|
F. Hickson | 1 | 4 | 0 | 4 | ||||||||||||||||||||
K. Shaa
2 WR
|
K. Shaa | 1 | -12 | 0 | -12 | ||||||||||||||||||||
S. Calvert
12 QB
|
S. Calvert | 2 | -15 | 0 | -5 |
Receiving | TAR | REC | YDS | TD | LG |
Da. King
7 WR
|
Da. King | 0 | 8 | 172 | 1 | 66 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
B. Farrow
82 WR
|
B. Farrow | 0 | 2 | 49 | 1 | 28 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
A. Gandy-Golden
11 WR
|
A. Gandy-Golden | 0 | 3 | 33 | 0 | 21 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
K. Matthews
9 RB
|
K. Matthews | 0 | 2 | 21 | 0 | 12 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
D. Stubbs
5 WR
|
D. Stubbs | 0 | 1 | 19 | 0 | 19 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
F. Ogbeifun
18 TE
|
F. Ogbeifun | 0 | 2 | 19 | 0 | 13 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
K. Shaa
2 WR
|
K. Shaa | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
P. Pickett
25 RB
|
P. Pickett | 0 | 1 | -6 | 0 | -6 |
Defense | T-A | SACK | INT |
Kicking | FG | LG | XP | PTS |
A. Peart
41 P
|
A. Peart | 0/0 | 0 | 2/2 | 2 |
Punting | NO | AVG | IN20 | LG |
Kickoff Returns | NO | AVG | LG | TD |
F. Hickson
23 RB
|
F. Hickson | 2 | 19.0 | 22 | 0 |
Punt Returns | NO | AVG | LG | TD |
B. Farrow 82 WR
|
B. Farrow | 1 | 5.0 | 5 | 0 |
Passing | CP/ATT | YDS | TD | INT |
K. Hopkins Jr.
8 QB
|
K. Hopkins Jr. | 2/7 | 61 | 1 | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
L. Langdon
9 QB
|
L. Langdon | 0/1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Rushing | ATT | YDS | TD | LG |
D. Woolfolk
33 RB
|
D. Woolfolk | 17 | 98 | 2 | 26 | ||||||||||||||||||||
F. Cooper
1 RB
|
F. Cooper | 10 | 81 | 0 | 18 | ||||||||||||||||||||
C. Holt
22 RB
|
C. Holt | 6 | 72 | 1 | 25 | ||||||||||||||||||||
C. Slomka
25 RB
|
C. Slomka | 12 | 71 | 1 | 22 | ||||||||||||||||||||
K. Hopkins Jr.
8 QB
|
K. Hopkins Jr. | 12 | 59 | 0 | 18 | ||||||||||||||||||||
K. Walker
5 RB
|
K. Walker | 7 | 32 | 0 | 8 | ||||||||||||||||||||
A. Davidson
40 RB
|
A. Davidson | 4 | 18 | 0 | 7 | ||||||||||||||||||||
A. Hobbs IV
32 RB
|
A. Hobbs IV | 4 | 16 | 0 | 6 | ||||||||||||||||||||
L. Langdon
9 QB
|
L. Langdon | 2 | 2 | 0 | 5 |
Receiving | TAR | REC | YDS | TD | LG |
C. Hayes
86 WR
|
C. Hayes | 0 | 1 | 44 | 1 | 44 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
K. Walker
5 RB
|
K. Walker | 0 | 1 | 17 | 0 | 17 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
G. Coates
6 WR
|
G. Coates | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
K. Cline
82 WR
|
K. Cline | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Defense | T-A | SACK | INT |
C. Skyers
13 DB
|
C. Skyers | 1-0 | 0.0 | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||
R. Wright
77 DL
|
R. Wright | 1-0 | 1.0 | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||
J. McClinton
7 DB
|
J. McClinton | 1-0 | 0.0 | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||
J. Gibson
2 DB
|
J. Gibson | 1-0 | 1.0 | 0 |
Kicking | FG | LG | XP | PTS |
L. Salyers
1 K
|
L. Salyers | 1/1 | 42 | 5/5 | 8 |
Punting | NO | AVG | IN20 | LG |
Z. Potter
17 P
|
Z. Potter | 4 | 34.0 | 3 | 39 | ||||||||||||||||||||
N. Schrage
38 K
|
N. Schrage | 2 | 42.5 | 0 | 50 |
Kickoff Returns | NO | AVG | LG | TD |
Punt Returns | NO | AVG | LG | TD |
M. Reynolds 10 DB
|
M. Reynolds | 1 | 22.0 | 22 | 0 |
Result | Play |
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Kickoff | (15:00 - 1st) 1-L.Salyers kicks 65 yards from ARM 35 to LIB End Zone. touchback. |
+6 YD | 1 & 10 - LIB 25 (15:00 - 1st) 9-K.Matthews to LIB 31 for 6 yards. |
+7 YD | 2 & 4 - LIB 31 (15:00 - 1st) 9-K.Matthews to LIB 38 for 7 yards. |
+13 YD | 1 & 10 - LIB 38 (14:42 - 1st) 12-S.Calvert complete to 18-F.Ogbeifun. 18-F.Ogbeifun to ARM 49 for 13 yards. |
+6 YD | 1 & 10 - LIB 49 (14:25 - 1st) 12-S.Calvert complete to 18-F.Ogbeifun. 18-F.Ogbeifun to ARM 43 FUMBLES (7-J.McClinton). 7-J.McClinton to ARM 43 for no gain. Team penalty on ARM Illegal low block 15 yards enforced at ARM 43. |
Result | Play |
---|---|
+6 YD | 1 & 10 - ARMY 28 (14:06 - 1st) 33-D.Woolfolk to ARM 34 for 6 yards. |
+5 YD | 2 & 4 - ARMY 34 (14:06 - 1st) 33-D.Woolfolk to ARM 39 for 5 yards. |
+10 YD | 1 & 10 - ARMY 39 (13:43 - 1st) 33-D.Woolfolk to ARM 49 for 10 yards. |
+4 YD | 1 & 10 - ARMY 49 (13:16 - 1st) 33-D.Woolfolk to LIB 47 for 4 yards. |
+6 YD | 2 & 6 - LIB 47 (12:45 - 1st) 40-A.Davidson to LIB 41 for 6 yards. |
+41 YD | 1 & 10 - LIB 41 (12:10 - 1st) 8-K.Hopkins runs 41 yards for a touchdown. Penalty on ARM 32-A.Hobbs Illegal low block 15 yards enforced at LIB 38. |
Sack | 1 & 21 - ARMY 47 (11:36 - 1st) 8-K.Hopkins sacked at ARM 46 for -1 yard (14-S.Ajayi). |
+2 YD | 2 & 23 - ARMY 46 (11:25 - 1st) 5-K.Walker to ARM 48 for 2 yards. |
No Gain | 3 & 20 - ARMY 49 (10:41 - 1st) 8-K.Hopkins incomplete. |
Punt | 4 & 20 - ARMY 49 (10:00 - 1st) 17-Z.Potter punts 33 yards from ARM 49 to LIB 18 fair catch by 82-B.Farrow. |
Result | Play |
---|---|
+9 YD | 1 & 10 - LIB 18 (9:51 - 1st) 25-P.Pickett to LIB 27 for 9 yards. |
+8 YD | 2 & 1 - LIB 27 (9:43 - 1st) 25-P.Pickett to LIB 35 for 8 yards. |
+4 YD | 1 & 10 - LIB 35 (9:43 - 1st) 25-P.Pickett to LIB 39 for 4 yards. |
+13 YD | 2 & 6 - LIB 39 (8:52 - 1st) 12-S.Calvert complete to 7-D.King. 7-D.King to ARM 48 for 13 yards. |
+1 YD | 1 & 10 - ARMY 48 (8:22 - 1st) 25-P.Pickett to ARM 47 for 1 yard. |
No Gain | 2 & 9 - ARMY 47 (8:05 - 1st) 12-S.Calvert incomplete. Intended for 11-A.Gandy-Golden. |
No Gain | 3 & 9 - ARMY 47 (7:40 - 1st) 12-S.Calvert incomplete. Intended for 11-A.Gandy-Golden. |
Punt | 4 & 9 - ARMY 47 (7:35 - 1st) 38-A.Alves punts 28 yards from ARM 47 to ARM 19 fair catch by 10-M.Reynolds. |
Result | Play |
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+3 YD | 1 & 10 - ARMY 19 (7:28 - 1st) 1-F.Cooper to ARM 22 for 3 yards. |
+10 YD | 2 & 7 - ARMY 22 (7:20 - 1st) 8-K.Hopkins to ARM 32 for 10 yards. |
+11 YD | 1 & 10 - ARMY 32 (6:42 - 1st) 33-D.Woolfolk to ARM 43 for 11 yards. |
+3 YD | 1 & 10 - ARMY 43 (6:11 - 1st) 25-C.Slomka to ARM 46 for 3 yards. |
+6 YD | 2 & 7 - ARMY 46 (5:35 - 1st) 8-K.Hopkins to LIB 48 for 6 yards. |
+5 YD | 3 & 1 - LIB 48 (4:54 - 1st) 33-D.Woolfolk to LIB 43 for 5 yards. |
+18 YD | 1 & 10 - LIB 43 (4:18 - 1st) 1-F.Cooper to LIB 25 for 18 yards. |
+25 YD | 1 & 10 - LIB 25 (3:44 - 1st) 22-C.Holt runs 25 yards for a touchdown. |
PAT Good | (3:21 - 1st) 1-L.Salyers extra point is good. |
Result | Play |
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Kickoff |