Philadelphia, PA (Sports Network) -
ARMY - After notching a big win over Air Force the previous weekend, the Black
Knights found themselves back in the loss column following Saturday's 28-7
outcome at 22nd-ranked Rutgers. Army had success running its triple-option
offense, rushing for 281 yards on the nation's fourth-ranked rushing defense,
but was plagued by turnovers and missed opportunities throughout. Trent
Steelman rushed for 102 yards and a touchdown on 26 carries, Larry Dixon ran
six times for 81 yards and Raymond Maples finished with 58 yards on 13
touches. The Black Knights moved the ball down the field for most of the day,
but the Scarlet Knights got enormous play out of their defense and special
teams when they needed it most, blocking two field goals and recovering three
fumbles all inside Rutgers' territory. Army scored its only points on its
first possession of the game. After converting on third down five times and
once on fourth down, Army used up nearly seven minutes on a 16-play opening
drive which Steelman capped with a 1-yard touchdown rush. However, the offense
was not able to replicate that success over the rest of the game.
BYU - Coming off a bye, the Cougars steamrolled Idaho, 52-13, to become bowl
eligible for the eighth year in a row. Riley Nelson completed 19-of-31 passes
for 236 yards and three touchdowns in the victory. Cody Hoffman was a dynamic
target for Nelson as he made nine receptions for 108 yards and three
touchdowns, which tied his career-high. Jamaal Williams rushed the ball 10
times for a game-high 104 yards and two scores. The Cougars' defensive unit
made a big time impact by forcing five total turnovers and scoring on a fumble
return. In addition, they held the Vandals to a mere 2.7 yards per rush as a
team. BYU took control early as it opened up the contest with 21 unanswered
points, and Idaho was simply unable to match that scoring pace. BYU racked up
537 yards of total offense in the contest, while Idaho managed just 273 yards.
BYU hits the road for its final two games of the regular season: at San Jose
State this week and then at New Mexico State the following weekend.
NAVY - The Midshipmen saw their win streak halted at five games as they
suffered a 41-31 setback at Troy over the weekend. Perhaps still relishing in
becoming bowl eligible a week earlier, they either did not have or did not
execute a successful gameplan against Troy backup quarterback Deon Anthony,
who threw for one touchdown and ran for two more scores. In addition, Trojans
starter Corey Robinson carved up Navy's defense for 322 yards and a TD on 25-
of-28 accuracy. For Navy, Keenan Reynolds rushed for 128 yards and three
touchdowns while adding 159 yards through the air on 8-of-15 passing. Gee Gee
Greene also topped the century mark on the ground with 150 rushing yards and a
touchdown. However, Troy scored the game's first three touchdowns and never
looked back. The Trojans went on to gain 597 yards of offense and 32 first
downs on the afternoon. They also converted 8-of-12 third downs to keep the
chains moving and keep Navy's option attack off the field. Navy will look to
rebound on Saturday afternoon against Texas State, which is the team's final
contest before the annual Army-Navy game.
NOTRE DAME - The Fighting Irish kept their perfect record intact following
Saturday's 21-6 win at Boston College. With top-ranked Alabama losing to Texas
A&M, Notre Dame moved up a spot to No. 3 in the latest BCS standings. At 10-0,
ND is off to its best start since 1993. Everett Golson threw for two
touchdowns and ran for another against the Eagles. The freshman signal-caller
completed 16-of-24 passes for 200 yards and added 39 yards on 11 carries. Theo
Riddick ran 18 times for 104 yard and caught six passes for 67 more. Following
the game, head coach Brian Kelly said he was very pleased with the youngster's
execution in the red zone, something that he continues to develop with
experience, will make the Irish even more dangerous. The defense shut the door
on BC's ground game, holding the Eagles to 53 combined rushing yards on 23
carries (2.3 ypc). Linebacker Manti Te'o continued his Heisman candidacy with
a fourth-quarter interception to seal the outcome. It was his sixth pick of
the year, a school-record for a linebacker.
The Sports Network