College Football, Service Academy Style
posted by Scott Hood on Sunday, November 18, 2007
Then there are the smaller schools in Div. I-AA (please don’t call it the Football Championship Subdivision) and Div. II and III that toil in obscurity.
Finally, we have the service academies.
I had the privilege of spending my Saturday afternoon on the campus of the scenic United States Naval Academy in Annapolis, MD.
After 11 weeks of watching USC battle both conference and nonconference foes in mostly mammoth stadiums holding upwards of 108,000 fans, coming here to see Navy play football offers quite a contrast.
In fact, I would contend I enjoy the experience very much.
OK, here goes - I love Navy football.
Why? Because sitting in the stands and watching a game at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium offers a unique experience for someone like myself accustomed to the weekly wars in the hyper-competitive SEC.
It also provides me with a rare opportunity to sit in the stands rater than the climate controlled environments of most SEC press boxes.
Saturday marked my fourth trip to this tradition-rich place, and I seem to enjoy it more and more every time.
Of course, I know “Navy” is a four-letter word to some older Gamecocks fans. And yes, Saturday marked the 23rd anniversary of the infamous 38-21 loss to the Midshipmen that kept the 1984 squad from contending for the national championship.
Don’t get me wrong. I love SEC football, as well. I enjoy covering games in raucous stadiums filled with thousands upon thousands of pom-pom waving fans dressed out in their school colors.
But it’s the calmness and serenity I enjoy most when I come to Annapolis.
First of all, the stadium is tiny compared to most of the ones you’ll find the SEC. It barely seats 35,000. The only stadium that compares to it is Vanderbilt. The best word to describe it is cozy.
But there’s something else you’ll notice. The atmosphere surrounding the game is nearly 180 degrees from a SEC game, especially one involving rivals.
Yes, there’s plenty of pomp and circumstance. The ‘March On of the Brigade of Midshipmen” onto the field before the game is one of my favorite 15 minutes every year. Just seeing that is worth the journey.
In my four trips here, I’ve yet to see the fans of the opposing team not stand and applaud while the ‘March On’ is going on. Even they’re impressed.
Also, there’s little or no profanity. There’s absolutely no taunting. There’s no flipping the bird to fans of the opposing team as they walk to their seats.
In short, it’s a respectful place. Just as important, it’s place of honor. You won’t find the names of accomplished football players anywhere inside the stadium. Instead, you see the names of famous military battles everywhere.
Normandy. Iwo Jima, Desert Storm. And a whole lot more.
The win-or-else mentality isn’t pervasive here when it comes to football. Why? Because winning college football games isn’t a top priority.
Sure, Navy wants to beat its opponent, and the players go all out for 60 minutes to make sure that happens. But, at the end of the day, the true mission of the Naval Academy is to create outstanding military leaders of young men and women.
Winning a football game pales in comparison to that ultimate and far-reaching objective. None of Navy’s players arrived in Annapolis with aspirations of enjoying a long career in the NFL. That what makes the Midshipmen different.
For the Navy seniors, the December 1 game against Army at M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore will likely be the final football game of consequence in their lives.
Watching Saturday’s game, I realized Navy’s seniors would within a few months be shipped out to various ports of call throughout the known world, defending our nation to the best of their ability.
And putting their own lives at risk to do it.
Freedom, as they say, isn’t free.
Attending a Navy game also provides an opportunity to watch the triple option offense executed with precision. Despite only a handful of throws, Navy rang up 35 points against North Illinois. Last week, the Midshipmen scored over 70 points in a road victory over North Texas.
By the way, the answer to your question is yes. The people at Navy are still celebrating that triple OT victory over Notre Dame two weeks ago in South Bend, snapping a 43-game losing streak to the Fighting Irish.
There's nothing fancy about Navy’s offense. They run it and run it and run it. It’s good ol’ fashioned option football. It can get tedious sometimes when it appears Navy is running the same play over and over, but it sure is effective.
Head coach Paul Johnson does a great job of sticking with what Navy does best offensively, and essentially dares the opponent’s defense to stop it. There are whispers Nebraska might come after him in order to establish a return to ‘Nebraska football.’
If the Cornhuskers do get him, they’ll be getting a great coach.
When the time comes for Johnson to depart for bigger and better things, I’m sure he’ll exit with the two words you often hear around Annapolis – Beat Army.
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College football can be divided into any number of groups. There are the ‘big-time’ schools like South Carolina that play week after week on national television and generate millions of dollars in revenue from tickets and merchandising alone.
Then there are the smaller schools in Div. I-AA (please don’t call it the Football Championship Subdivision) and Div. II and III that toil in obscurity.
Finally, we have the service academies.
I had the privilege of spending my Saturday afternoon on the campus of the scenic United States Naval Academy in Annapolis, MD.
After 11 weeks of watching USC battle both conference and nonconference foes in mostly mammoth stadiums holding upwards of 108,000 fans, coming here to see Navy play football offers quite a contrast.
In fact, I would contend I enjoy the experience very much.
OK, here goes - I love Navy football.
Why? Because sitting in the stands and watching a game at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium offers a unique experience for someone like myself accustomed to the weekly wars in the hyper-competitive SEC.
It also provides me with a rare opportunity to sit in the stands rater than the climate controlled environments of most SEC press boxes.
Saturday marked my fourth trip to this tradition-rich place, and I seem to enjoy it more and more every time.
Of course, I know “Navy” is a four-letter word to some older Gamecocks fans. And yes, Saturday marked the 23rd anniversary of the infamous 38-21 loss to the Midshipmen that kept the 1984 squad from contending for the national championship.
Don’t get me wrong. I love SEC football, as well. I enjoy covering games in raucous stadiums filled with thousands upon thousands of pom-pom waving fans dressed out in their school colors.
But it’s the calmness and serenity I enjoy most when I come to Annapolis.
First of all, the stadium is tiny compared to most of the ones you’ll find the SEC. It barely seats 35,000. The only stadium that compares to it is Vanderbilt. The best word to describe it is cozy.
But there’s something else you’ll notice. The atmosphere surrounding the game is nearly 180 degrees from a SEC game, especially one involving rivals.
Yes, there’s plenty of pomp and circumstance. The ‘March On of the Brigade of Midshipmen” onto the field before the game is one of my favorite 15 minutes every year. Just seeing that is worth the journey.
In my four trips here, I’ve yet to see the fans of the opposing team not stand and applaud while the ‘March On’ is going on. Even they’re impressed.
Also, there’s little or no profanity. There’s absolutely no taunting. There’s no flipping the bird to fans of the opposing team as they walk to their seats.
In short, it’s a respectful place. Just as important, it’s place of honor. You won’t find the names of accomplished football players anywhere inside the stadium. Instead, you see the names of famous military battles everywhere.
Normandy. Iwo Jima, Desert Storm. And a whole lot more.
The win-or-else mentality isn’t pervasive here when it comes to football. Why? Because winning college football games isn’t a top priority.
Sure, Navy wants to beat its opponent, and the players go all out for 60 minutes to make sure that happens. But, at the end of the day, the true mission of the Naval Academy is to create outstanding military leaders of young men and women.
Winning a football game pales in comparison to that ultimate and far-reaching objective. None of Navy’s players arrived in Annapolis with aspirations of enjoying a long career in the NFL. That what makes the Midshipmen different.
For the Navy seniors, the December 1 game against Army at M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore will likely be the final football game of consequence in their lives.
Watching Saturday’s game, I realized Navy’s seniors would within a few months be shipped out to various ports of call throughout the known world, defending our nation to the best of their ability.
And putting their own lives at risk to do it.
Freedom, as they say, isn’t free.
Attending a Navy game also provides an opportunity to watch the triple option offense executed with precision. Despite only a handful of throws, Navy rang up 35 points against North Illinois. Last week, the Midshipmen scored over 70 points in a road victory over North Texas.
By the way, the answer to your question is yes. The people at Navy are still celebrating that triple OT victory over Notre Dame two weeks ago in South Bend, snapping a 43-game losing streak to the Fighting Irish.
There's nothing fancy about Navy’s offense. They run it and run it and run it. It’s good ol’ fashioned option football. It can get tedious sometimes when it appears Navy is running the same play over and over, but it sure is effective.
Head coach Paul Johnson does a great job of sticking with what Navy does best offensively, and essentially dares the opponent’s defense to stop it. There are whispers Nebraska might come after him in order to establish a return to ‘Nebraska football.’
If the Cornhuskers do get him, they’ll be getting a great coach.
When the time comes for Johnson to depart for bigger and better things, I’m sure he’ll exit with the two words you often hear around Annapolis – Beat Army.
- Permalink, Discuss, Blog Home
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Scott Hood. Since February of 2005, Scott has covered the South Carolina football, men's basketball and baseball programs for GamecockCentral. He may be reached by email at scottblog(at)gamecockcentral.com. Replace (at) with @.