A look at the schools that are overlooked by the ESPNs of the world.


Friday, November 2, 2012

Independent News and Notes


Army:
WEST POINT — The battle was in its early stages, and The General was not pleased.
It was the second quarter and the Army football team was losing 14-0 to Kent State. The General, a gray-haired man wearing an Army replica jersey, was sitting one row behind our group of three first-time visitors to Michie Stadum, home of the U.S. Military Academy's Black Knights.
He had a commanding voice and much football wisdom to share. Even from our spot near the upper-deck railing, it seemed likely some of his words were reaching the Army sideline.
As the first half ticked by, he directed most of his words to the Army offense, which was making little headway against a Kent State defense led by a linebacker with Troy Polamalu hair. The General made his displeasure plain but remained respectful.

Brigham Young:
PROVO — While attending West Coast Conference basketball media day festivities Monday in Los Angeles, BYU athletic director Tom Holmoe had football on his mind.
Of course, football is never far from his mind.
Holmoe enjoyed chatting with the league's basketball coaches and other administrators at the event, but he is dealing with recent setbacks involving the 2013 football schedule.
"It's not even done," Holmoe told the Deseret News at the WCC meetings. "I've been working on games today."
Two contests that the Cougars were planning on for next season, including one that was already contracted, have fallen through recently, he said.
"I see teams that schedule games for 2020 and 2021. I'm like, 'Oh my goodness, would that be nice?' I've got to get the 2013 schedule done."

Navy:
Navy football fans can begin booking their trips to San Francisco, or at the very least start comparing air fares and hotel rates. After a one-year hiatus, the Midshipmen are headed back to the postseason.
Navy will play in the Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl, being held Dec. 29 at AT&T Park — home of the World Series champion San Francisco Giants. That prospect was basically assured by an impressive four-game winning streak that has improved the team’s record to 5-3.
Of course, Navy coaches, with their “take one game at a time” mantra, will not like me saying this. The Midshipmen still need to win one more game to become bowl-eligible, and you can bet head coach Ken Niumatalolo is going to squash any talk of the postseason until that happens.
Trust me, there is more than one win left on Navy’s schedule. Truth be told, the Mids could very easily sweep their final four games to finish the regular season 9-3. That is certainly a strong prospect if the team plays as well as it did during the month of October.
Navy’s last four wins have all come against quality opponents. Air Force and East Carolina are both one win away from becoming bowl-eligible. Central Michigan and Indiana may not have great records, but both possessed the type of high-powered offenses that have given Navy fits over the years.

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