:format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/67588807/usa_today_13843563.0.jpg)
We had a Mountain West football game! Navy traveled to Air Force to take on the Falcons in the first contest involving a Mountain West school this fall. While we knew that this was not the same Navy squad we had seen in past seasons, the play of Air Force was a bit of a surprise considering they did not have a single returning starter on defense. Let’s revisit the rivalry game and identify the good, bad, and ugly moments.
The Good:
Haaziq Daniels
We came into the season thinking the loss of Donald Hammond III would be too much for Air Force. Daniels looked like a very capable replacement. He struggled throwing the ball a bit, but he was every bit as effective on the ground (96 yards) as Hammond was. It will be interesting to see if he can keep this up in Mountain West play.
Timothy Jackson/Brad Roberts
We expected big things from TImothy Jackson this year, and his performance (19 carries for 118 yards) was not much of a surprise. But Brad Roberts was a complete beast on the ground finishing the game with 10 carries for 103 yards, averaging more than ten yards per carry.
Air Force Defense
The entire defense deserves the game ball. Balanced tackling and dominating the line of scrimmage allowed the Falcons to come away with the easy victory. Air Force held Navy to 241 total yards and only 2.5 yards per carry, a dominating performance by the Falcon defense.
The Bad:
Navy’s Defense
You would think if any school would be equipped to stop the Falcon rushing attack, it would be Navy. That just wasn’t the case. Air Force had three runners with more than 90 yards, and none of them were named Kaden Remsberg.
The Ugly:
Navy’s Offense
The Navy offense has been absolutely ineffective outside of two quarters against Tulane. The Falcons held them to less than 100 yards on the ground. If any of the service academies are forced to air it out, you know that they are in trouble, and that was the case Saturday evening. The Falcons dominated every aspect of the game.
That’s it for this edition of “The Good, the Bad, the Ugly.” Next week, we resume our season previews by revisiting predictions for the West Division.