Go Navy!
This years hunt for the Commander-in-Chief's Trophy began last night in Colorado Springs, CO. The United States Naval Academy faced the United States Air Force Academy in the first game of the round robin tournament between the service academies. This game was viewed as critcal because; Westpoint is rebuilding their progam. Navy is the current holder of the 175 pound trophy while Air Force hopes to regain the title.
There was a buzz around Annapolis before the game. I ran a few errands after work, and many people were wearing Navy gear. Obviously, I did not attend the academy nor did I want too. I do have a few friends who graduated, and it is only 2 miles from my house. We can walk to the Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium and plan to for a few games. Needless to say, I was excited for the game.
Navy kicked the game off to Air Force who looked impressive in their first drive. Shaun Carney, the AF true freshman quarterback, performed extremely well. He had a few great throws and lead the offense through an 8-minute drive. Fortunatley, they only scored three points.
On the heels of a few turnovers, Navy turned the game around in the second quarter. Navy's QB, Aaron Polanco, commanded this quarter. He lead Navy on two drives in which he scored two touchdowns. Below is a photo from his 18 yard touchdown run.
image courtesy of Associated Press
The third quarter was nerve racking. Air Force held Navy to six three and outs. The score was still 14-6 Navy going into the 4th. I had a feeling that the Air Force was not going to give up easily. Again, Carney lead his team to the tie with a touchdown pass to Darnell Stephens. Then he ran in the two point conversion to tie the game. Not to be outdone, Polanco converted a 66-yard pass to Marco Nelson. Then, Philadelphia native, Kyle Eckel bulldozed a 3 yard run into the endzone for the lead. In a quick response, Carney threw a touchdown with 2:21 left to play in the game. Navy got the ball back with the game tied and about two minutes to go.
What a great game! Navy had a chance to win the game in the final minutes to start the season 5-0, and they would be in the lead for the Commander-in-Chief's Trophy! There was only one problem, Geoff Blumenfeld. Navy's field goal kicker was 0-4 on the season. Polanco got his team with in range, and the AF tried to freeze Blumenfeld with multiple timeouts. These tactics didn't phase him. He even put his past failure out of mine and nailed the 30-yarder for the win! What a great time to make his first field goal of the season. The midshipmen that had mad the trip went crazy. The sidelines cleared and most of Falcon Stadium was quite.
This was a great win for Navy. Coach, Paul Johnson, has done a tremendous job with the team over the past few years. Hopefully, the winning ways will continue throughout the season. Maybe we can even beat Notre Dame next week. Who knows. I do know, Annapolis is proud of their team.
Comments
That was a really good game to watch...if you weren't tuned into the Presidential debate...that HB/FB for Navy is from South Philly and is one tough runner to bring down. Good game...glad to see the wrap up on your site Simeon.
