When it comes to athletics at the three major military institutions, nothing is more important than the Commander-in-Chief trophy. The three team competition has been a part of the football history for the three schools since 1972. The trophy was the vision of Air Force General George B. Simler, the school's athletic director during that time, as a way to ensure that the Air Force Falcons would play the Army Black Knights and Navy Midshipmen every year. The Falcons won the trophy in 2014 by defeating Navy 30-21 and Army 23-6. It was the 19th time the Falcons had won the trophy, the most of the three schools. Navy has won the trophy 14 times and Army six times. What will it take in each matchup for the Falcons to win the trophy for the 20th time?
Air Force at Navy - October 3rd
Like most years, on paper this game appears to be the key match-up in who wins the 2015 trophy. Navy will be looking to the leadership of four year starting quarterback Keenan Reynolds in its attempt to take the trophy it won in 2012 and 2013 back to Annapolis. Reynolds, who has 64 career rushing touchdowns, will have a solid fullback behind him in Chris Swain. Swain, a 245 lb. brute, finished 2014 with 693 yards as he shared the position in 2014 with Noah Copeland. Swain will be relied on to pound out the tough yards this season behind an offensive line that will have to be rebuilt with three new starters this season.
Defensively, the Midshipmen will have to retool as several major losses from last year's team must be filled. The secondary will be the strength of the team as they return cornerbacks Brendon Clements and Quincy Adams to pair with strong safety Kwazel Bertrand for an experienced group. The Falcons, with junior quarterback Nate Romine and wide receivers Jalen Robinette and Garrett Brown, figure to pass the ball more this season and test the experienced Midshipmen. Air Force's running game with Jacobi Owens will test the front seven of Navy as they look to replace three of their four linebackers with only Daniel Gonzales back with any experience.
An interesting side note to this matchup will be seeing how Navy joining the American Athletic Conference will affect the way they prepare for this game. While the Falcons will be coming off a bye before the Navy game, the Midshipmen will have played two conference opponents in the weeks prior to the Air Force battle. Navy opens AAC play versus East Carolina in week two of the season, and the week before they face Air Force, the Middies will have a game at Connecticut. While Air Force and Army will always be prime targets for Navy, league play is important to players and coaches when jockeying for bowl positioning. Air Force has spent many years in a conference and should have a decided advantage this year in balancing out league versus rivalry games and the amount of focus needed to be successful in both.
Army at Air Force - November 7th
Army's youth and inexperience this upcoming season puts them on paper behind Air Force and Army for contention to capture the Commander-in-Chief trophy, but the Black Knights will battle to the very end and can look forward to a bright future under second year Head Coach Jeff Monken. Monken is building a strong foundation through recruiting and the Army prep school to bring the program back on track to not only capture the Commander-in-Chief trophy but to break the cycle of not going to a bowl game since 1996. Army's youth movement will make 2015 a possibly difficult haul with a brighter future ahead.
Army will be looking to senior-to-be quarterback A.J. Schurr to recover from his injured shoulder that made him miss spring practice and lead the way for the Black Knights in 2015. Schurr is the leading rushing returner from last year's team that ran for over 3,000 yards. Schurr will be pushed by Ahmad Bradshaw who took a good portion of the snaps during spring ball. The triple option will need a strong quarterback at the helm while trying to find a replacement for Larry Dixon at fullback. Dixon was a load in 2014, and Army is currently looking at senior Matt Giachinta and junior Aaron Kemper to carry the weight. The backfield will be aided by the return of right tackle Justin Gilbert who missed 2014 with an ACL tear. A young offensive line will look to Gilbert for stability and leadership.
The defense will have a very new and younger look. Several changes were made during spring practice to try and build a new and improved defense. Anchoring the defense in 2015 will be last seasons leading tackler Jeremy Timpf and cornerbacks Josh Jenkins and Chris Carnegie. Carnegie missed spring practice due to an injury but should return to give the Black Knights two experienced and talented cornerbacks.