First, the good stuff. The defense played better against a speedy offensive team then they have for several years. They negated WF's size and were able to make stops in the offensive backfield as well as generating a decent pass rush. Wake played very conservatively with backup QB Brett Hodges at the controls, relying on the run in the first half. Army did well, allowing only one defensive TD in the first half and tossing a shutout on the second half. The defensive effort should have earned the Cadets a W.
The problem is and will probably remain an offense that simply can't score. Over the last couple years, Army generally has one decent drive per game. Their dink and dunk offense requires drives of 7 to 14 plays, something the Black Knights are just not capable of doing during the course of an entire game. Some decent things actually happened in the 1st half, with Army picking up 200 yards and showing good run blocking and decent pass protection. The offense actually had some of the "wrinkles" talked about by the coaches since day 1.
The second half was a disaster. Army gained 56 yards, with Carson Williams 4-13 passing in the half. Wake's pressure forced Williams to frequently leave the pocket, forcing many throwaways that had folks on the sideline and in the stands on their toes. For the game, Army gained possession 3 times inside Wake's 42 and was only able to muster 3 points.
A couple questions:
Why not put Williams in the shotgun ? Seems like he would have more time to make his reads. He clearly did not see Aaron Curry on his interception TD.
Why is it Army's opponents always seem to convert mistakes into TD's ? In addition to the interception, Owen Tolson's low punt was returned by Kenny Moore, who was gone as soon as he touched the ball. This has been going on for a while.
Next up, Boston College. The hits just keep on coming.
Game Note: Wake Forest and USMA share the same tune for their alma maters. The tune comes from a German song composed in the 1820's. The words to the Wake song were written in the 1890's while USMA's was written in 1911. Unusual to say the least to hear both bands play the same tune after the game.