Army-Navy rivalry needs balance but remains unmatched
- Army-Navy has college football world's attention Saturday.
- Outcome isn't only concern when Black Knights and Midshipmen meet.
- An Army win could help restore competitive balance in the game.
Go Army.
Nothing against Navy, or its goat. But a great rivalry needs to change fortunes every so often, and the last time Army won this game, the current cadets were learning long division in elementary school. Navy owns 10 victories in a row, by an average score of 35-11.
John Paul Jones didn't have a hot streak like that. The caissons have not been rolling along. So I'm hopping on the Black Knights' bandwagon Saturday.
Actually, should it really matter to we civilians who wins the Army-Navy game? No. This is absolutely unique among the classic rivalries: What makes it entirely special is what the participants do in life, not on game day. Saturday is the one moment of the college football season that most reminds us of what sacrifice looks like.
Auburn-Alabama has more animosity. Of course, you could say that if we were comparing a mongoose and a cobra.
Ohio State-Michigan and Oklahoma-Texas have more historical significance in the polls.
Southern California-Notre Dame has more glamour.
Florida State-Miami turns out more NFL draft picks. Then again, Rice-Louisiana Tech probably turns out more NFL draft picks.
But let's see any of those rivalries match this:
There will come a time Saturday, when a Navy tackle is made by a future nuclear submariner, Keegan Wetzel. When an Army pass rush is made by a future member of the infantry, Nate Combs.
When Navy rushing yards will come from a young man named Gee Gee Greene who is headed for surface warfare, and Army yards from a senior named Malcolm Brown, assigned to field artillery.
There are no Bowl Championship Series points at stake Saturday. No Heisman hopes. No agents standing by on their cellphones. On senior day at other places, they introduce the departing players as draft prospects, soon-to-be graduate coaches, promising business interns. Navy introduced its seniors as 18 ensigns and 10 Marine lieutenants.
This is the game these teams don't play against future professional football players. They play against future Navy Seals and future armored troops. They might never learn what Super Bowl Sunday looks like. But they could find out what Afghanistan looks like.
``This is an army at war,'' Black Knights coach Rich Ellerson said. ``That's part of their reality, especially these seniors. When they made that decision to take this challenge on, that was absolutely the situation the nation was looking at. They raised their hand and said, `I'm in.' I think we can all feel good about that.''
Which is why it is easy to root for either team. But especially Army this year. Ten losses in a row to Navy? Somewhere, General Patton can't be happy.
``It's a constant irritant to all of us,'' Ellerson said, and just imagine all the snotty things the West Point folks have to hear in the Pentagon lunch room.
Frankly, my chosen team is a little worrisome.
The Black Knights are 2-9, and they've completed 47 passes all season for 749 yards all season. West Virginia's Geno Smith passed for 659 yards on one day. That puts Army 120th out of 120 in the NCAA passing statistics. Then again, Navy is 117th. Army does its marching on foot, leading the nation in rushing at nearly 370 yards a game.
So we root for Army, but not against Navy. That'd be bad form. There is something that inane talk-show callers, corner-cutting coaches, lost-perspective boosters and bad-behaving players could learn from Army vs. Navy.
It's just a football game.
Maybe it's easier to understand that for people who might have to worry about IEDs by the roadside one day.
``You see that in some of the fierce rivalries around the country,'' Ellerson said. ``You hear the phrase `Hate these guys.' That has no place in a real rivalry.
``(Army-Navy) is a rivalry that's founded on mutual respect. That gives it a chance to elevate the contest and be an example of how rivalries should be done.''
Army needs a win more this time. But it'd be OK if this game still had ties. Who wants to see any of these players leave the field Saturday as losers? Because they aren't.
