Army Football: 3 takeaways from thrilling victory over Air Force in finale
By Dante Pryor
Army football has won the Commander-in-Chief Trophy for the third time in four years. What did we learn from the Black Knights’ thrilling win?
Service academy football simultaneously proves that football can be more than a game and just a game. In one of the great three-team rivalries in college football, the Army Black Knights win the Commander-In-Chief Trophy for the third time in four years with a hard-fought 10-3 victory against the Air Force Falcons this afternoon at Michie Stadium.
This season was the first time in Academy history the Black Knights have won three times in four years. A 3-0 game at the half, the Falcons, took a 7-3 lead going into the fourth quarter. As the Falcons were driving down the field for what would have been a game-clinching touchdown, Army cornerback Cameron Jones intercepted Air Force quarterback Haaziq Daniels in the endzone.
The Black Knights proceeded to march the ball down the field on a 16-play, 80-yard drive with Jakobi Buchanan punching the ball in on 4th and goal to win the game. On the ensuing drive, Daniels threw his third interception of the game on a tipped pass that clinched the game and the Commander-in-Chiefs trophy for the Black Knights.
The Air Force Falcons honored the “Red Tails” of the Tuskegee Airmen with their uniforms this afternoon. This game marked the end of a tumultuous season. The Black Knights play in the Independence Bowl on Dec. 26 after a nine-win campaign.
Here are three takeaways from today’s game.
3. Overcoming injuries
The Army came into this game short-handed with 50 players unable to dress for the game. The Black Knights have played five quarterbacks and three fullbacks this season because of injury. In this game, Tyhier Tyler started and was injured. Christian Anderson came in and played well, running for 85 yards.
Starting fullback Sandon McCoy was injured in this game as well. Jakobi Buchanan played the rest of the way for the Black Knights, who leaned on their defense for the second week in a row to bring the Commander-In-Chief Trophy back to West Point.
Despite playing short-handed, the Black Knights found a way to win.