Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, September 26, 1993 TAG: 9309260188
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: E1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: Jack Bogaczyk
DATELINE: WEST POINT, N.Y. LENGTH: Medium
However, in one of the truly glorious settings from which to send a pigskin postcard, the difference in the 12th VMI-Army battle was not military might on artificial turf. The classic stadium has been the site of more memorable battles to be sure.
"I thought we had an excellent opportunity, coming up here, to win," said VMI head coach Jim Shuck, who spent six years as an assistant on Michie's opposite sideline.
Shuck was right. Any chance that it might have become a military classic - like the Keydets' 1981 visit here, their only victory in the series - ended with VMI fumbling opportunities to give its defense a needed break.
On that trip to the U.S. Military Academy 12 years ago, VMI stole Army's mule, then got the Keydets' goat in a stunning 14-7 upset, unquestionably one of the greatest victories in VMI history.
This time, the difference between the teams was less than Army's 25-pound average per man up front. In the Cadets' 31-9 triumph, the dueling cannons provided the most explosiveness, unless you count the rival corps stealing flags and human-costume mascot heads from each other.
On and off the field, Army simply had more ammunition. And has VMI ever lost a fumble and its head - or that of Moe, its kangaroo - on the same series?
The sun-bathed game produced about what you'd expect from two teams with Wishbone offenses - lots of runs, some big hits and several errors.
Smart bombs? They throw hand grenades at these schools more often than they pass. The precision required to be successful in the Wishbone wasn't seen by a crowd of 32,441, either. As Shuck pointed out, VMI's two costly first-half fumbles came on a center snap and a simple "give" play in the Wishbone.
In Shuck's second return to the picturesque setting he left after six years as an assistant to take on what arguably is the biggest challenge in Division I football, his team did as much to beat itself as it has too many frustrating times in his five years at the Lexington school.
The scoreboard difference was deceiving, as Army had only one punishing drive. That's also another way of saying the difference between success in Division I-A football and defeat in I-AA isn't always as wide as the Hudson River.
What separates the Cadets and Keydets are their positions in college football. Army is a I-A independent that schedules itself to succeed. VMI plays in the Southern Conference, the nation's toughest I-AA league, where the Keydets' struggle becomes greater each year.
Besides VMI, Army's schedule includes two other I-AA foes in Colgate and Lafayette, two Mid-American Conference teams in Akron and Western Michigan and the opponent that consumes these grounds.
The words "Beat Navy" are stencilled on every post exterior support post at Michie. As one Army bomber delivered Saturday, "We may not run a tailback, but we don't have a Tailhook, either."
Ouch! What Army does have is a tough fullback in Akili King, but against the Keydets, the nation's leading rusher had 3 yards fewer than his VMI counterpart, Lord Botetourt High School's Chris Meacham.
How good is Army? In the Southern Conference, the Cadets likely would be a .500 team at best. That's why VMI, which doesn't get many opportunities to win in a game that could have been so meaningful, couldn't afford to leave its defense on the field for 37 minutes. VMI's offense has converted only 33 percent (16 of 48) of its third-down situations in an 0-3 start to another very long season.
"The only difference is that I think Army is a tough, disciplined team," Shuck said. "We're not a disciplined team, obviously, if we make mistakes the way we did. Athletically, we matched up with them."
That's precisely why VMI needs to play more games like this against realistic opponents, particularly one it perceives as a rival because of the military trappings.
The Keydets haven't beaten a I-A team since I-AA was carved away from the big-timers a decade ago. The second-last of those was the victory here in 1981. The last was a 6-0 triumph at Virginia Tech to end the same season and the Hokies' Hall of Fame Bowl bid.
VMI was paid a $95,000 guarantee to make a trip it won't take again until 1998. Opportunities to beat a I-A opponent aren't many. The Keydets have lost the last 11 of those, in a decade, by a combined score of 459-82.
The Keydets have no I-A foe next season, then visit Vanderbilt, Maryland, Navy and Army - one annually - from 1995-98.
The guarantee may not be as great in those military missions, but as VMI learned in a ground war Saturday, there are battles it can win.
by CNB