An option offense showed up

Admit it. You went to Kyle Field or strolled to your TV set like an inmate on Death Row about to take the final walk. After the disasters of the first 3 weeks, you figured we ain't seen nuthin' yet. Army entered as a 4 touchdown underdog and you were hoping it wouldn't be worse than that. The game started amd a funny thing happened.

An option offense showed up.

Holy cow, it's possible for the BK's to pitch the ball? You mean Army running backs can turn the corner if things are executed properly and the right reads are made by the QB? Yes and yes.

Chip Bowden proved he's Army's best hope for success this year by showing some footwork and decision making heretofore unseen in the offense. Army kept the ball out of the Aggies' hands and put themselves in a position to win. .

Of course, they also proved why losing teams lose. An almost mind-boggling fumble at the end of the first half scuttled all the good that was done. And then on a 4th and 3 on Army's last drive of course gained 2,999 yards to further drive their fans to the aspirin bottle. But to see some long drives and cohesiveness by the O is a welcome sight. But here are the questions going forward. .

The second half of the aTm game saw an option that actually used the pitch effectively. Will Bowden be able to advance his decision-making process to make the pitch even more viable? After all, both Cadet TD's came on pitch plays. Will the coaching staff finally use some mis-direction and gadget plays to further confuse the defense? With Bowden’s throwing ability open to debate, perhaps some halfback passes could open things up. Maybe having San Diego in a HB spot could make that happen. Saturday saw a A&M defense confused at times. Army will need some big plays going forward to generate more points on these long possessions. .

Let's not forget about a large improvement in the defensive side of the ball. The patty-cake tackling seen in much of first three games was replaced by some slobber-knocking hits, led by the emergence of Steven Anderson. The pass rush is generating some heat on the passer even though it doesn't show up in the sack column. .

This makes Saturday's trip to Tulane an important game. If Army can build on their improvement, their fans have something to look forward to. Hopefully, the horror of the first three games will become a distant memory and the second half of the season will not yield it's third consecutive 6 game losing streak to end the season.