Final Thoughts on Army

Editors Note: Sorry for the delay guys, got a new phone and had to reset my two factor authentication so I could log in again ;)

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So.... Huge crowd, nice day, UB getting votes in the polls and then we go and lay the mother of all eggs on the field. So here are the thoughts I had between the end of the game, and me getting my SBNation account fixed

1 - If you HAVE to lay an egg best to do it against Army.

First, I think it’s fair to say Army may be the best team on our schedule. Perhaps Toledo is up there, it’s too soon to tell, but Army has run through a buzzsaw of undefeated teams and is 3-2 with one of those losses being an OT affair to the #5 team in the country. Right now Army winning 9 games is pretty likely, 10 is certainly possible.

Second, we are not going to see another team that remotely resembles Army in any way the rest of this season. While there is not sow film in the hands of our future opponents, none of them runs an offense like Army.

2 - We are still having one of, if not the, best season of UB’s FBS era.

If you told me, back in August, we would be 4-1 with a loss to Army then I would have been over the moon. While this week stopped all the talk about going unbeaten and maybe challenging for an access bowl, it has not diminished the fact UB is still playing like a team capable of winning the east division and a team who might be able to beat anyone in the conference.

It’s not the Army loss that will define this season, it’s how the team responds to it.

3 - Army Runs on everybody!

If you yell “How do you let Army run the ball every time”, then you’re not a very knowledgeable football fan. Part of the challenge of playing the triple option is that the nibble you to death.

As a football fan you’re used to seeing a 2nd and 7 as a good start to a series, against Army it’s just business as usual.

They did it to Hawaii, they did it to Oklahoma, they do it every game and despite every coordinator in the world knowing what’s coming they are still one of the best running teams in the country.

If you want to be upset about the defense, be upset that they lost their composure in the 4th quarter and started to commit stupid infractions.

That worries more far more than Army running the ball.

4 - Yes, our kicking team is that bad

While Adam Mitcheson is the ‘face’ of the place kicking team he is not the only one on the field. I’m not going to apologize for him being woefully bad as an FBS place kicker this year but if you go back and watch the blocked FG that changed the game ask yourself this...

“Where was the line”

The player who blocked the kick sliced through the line almost untouched. Our punt blocking is not a whole lot better.

So I’m not going to hang the kicker out to dry without asking what the line was doing and what are the coaches doing to repair a part of our game that has been monumentally bad for three seasons.

That being said, I stick by what I said in the immediate aftermath of the blocked kick... I will NEVER again question Leipold for going on fourth down deep in enemy territory. Heck three days later I’ll say that he should just go for two every time...