West Point defensive back Jonathan Lewis celebrates his touchdown after recovering a fumble in the end zone against the Cincinnati Bearcats. The Black Knights' 48-29 win over the Bearcats ended a U.S. Military Academy 19-game football losing streak Oct. 9. Spc. Eric S. Bartelt
Black Knights down Cincinnati Bearcats 48-29; end 19-game losing streak
By Spc. Eric S. Bartelt
October 13, 2004
WEST POINT, N.Y. (Army News Service, Oct. 13, 2004) -- Lusk Reservoir is a picturesque view amid the striking colors of the fall foliage, but nothing was more scenic to Black Knights fans than the sight of an end zone field goal post floating in the waters across from Michie Stadium Oct. 9.
One of the stadium’s goal posts was torn down and thrown into the nearby reservoir by cheering cadets and fans following the Black Knights’ 48-29 victory over the University of Cincinnati. The win ended an academy record 19-game losing streak.
After the emotional victory, a tearful coach Bobby Ross said he was pleased that the team was compensated for its resilience through a tough streak.
“It was kind of overwhelming to be very honest with you,” Ross said. “You have to understand what losing means to a group of kids; I’m just so relieved for them.
“We played hard last week against a good football team and (three) weeks ago we played Houston -- very hard,” Ross added. “You can only keep going to the well so many times. You’ve got to get a reward at some point and it finally came today.”
Ross spoke on the stellar performances his team gave Saturday as they produced 554 yards of total offense and created five turnovers on defense.
“Offensively, we were in synch the whole day, I have to salute the entire offensive line, in particular the two tackles, cadets Joel Glover and Seth Nieman, because they hung in there against some really fine defensive ends and did a heck of a job,” Ross said. “They didn’t give up a sack, which is remarkable.”
Glover had the task of defending Trent Cole, who had 4 1/2 sacks the previous two games, and kept him an arm’s length from quarterback Zac Dahman.
“He’s an outstanding athlete. We did a lot of things in the game plan to keep him off balance all day,” Glover said. “You have to give Coach (Bobby) Ross and (offensive coordinator) Kevin Ross credit for that; they stressed fundamentals all week and I learned his moves from watching film, what he likes, when he bursts up field and I was ready for him today.”
The continuing saga of the dynamic duo running back tandem of junior Carlton Jones and sophomore Tielor Robinson is escalating as they rumbled on the ground for a combined 413 yards and six touchdowns.
Robinson scored five touchdowns, including an academy record 93-yard touchdown reception off a screen pass from Dahman early in the fourth quarter to cement Army’s first win since November 2002, against Tulane.
“(On Robinson) He was fantastic. He’s been playing with a sore shoulder. He’s blocking and doing it all,” Ross said. “With those two guys (Jones and Robinson), if you got a thoroughbred, ride it and those two are playing very well for us -- they’re complete players.”
Robinson has been known as, ‘Mr. Flexible’, on the team for his abilities as a runner, blocker and receiving threat, but he’ll do anything for the team if it means coming out on top -- especially for the seniors.
“Whatever I can do to help the team win I’ll go out and do it. I don’t care if I have to go play defense,” said Robinson, whose grandparents traveled from North Carolina to see the game. “It feels good to know that I did what I could do to help (seniors) Greg (Washington), Joel (Glover), Curt (Daniels) and Aaron (Alexander) get a win. They’re the hardest workers on this team, they tasted victory two years ago at Tulane and they haven’t had it since -- they were really hungry for it.”
The defense received an unexpected jolt from senior defensive back Jonathan Lewis, who lost his starting position after last game -- coming in to recover two fumbles and breaking up an important fourth down pass in the end zone early in the fourth quarter.
Lewis pounced on one of his two fumble recoveries in the end zone at a critical juncture of the game late in the third quarter to give Army a 41-29 lead.
“He’s been through some tough times. He had a tough week a couple weeks ago,” Ross said. “He lost his position and he came back this week and played well. He made big plays and I’m very pleased to see that happen for him.”
Speaking about the touchdown, Lewis said, “I was going through my reads and the ball popped out, then I sprinted to the ball. It felt like I had a million pounds on my shoulders, but it was a great feeling to be able to hustle and get that touchdown and contribute to our win.”
As nearly 4,000 cadets streamed onto the Michie Stadium playing surface to tear down both field goal posts, emotions flowed as easily as every one of Carlton Jones’ 180 rushing yards.
“Some of my best friends in my life are on this team and within the Corps (of Cadets); it’s a close-knit group of people,” Glover said. “To see those guys come up to me after the game and to share that moment out there -- it was awesome.”
Glover said he was also moved by a man who came onto the field who was injured in Iraq and is from the same unit that the offensive lineman wears on his jersey.
“He was a member of the unit patch (the 2nd Armored Cavalry Regiment) that I wear; he said it took him a year to rehab to where he could use his arm again,” Glover said. “I gave him my gloves and he was in tears. He said you don’t know what this means and that you represent the patch really well.
“He told me there’s a lot of people over there (in Iraq and Afghanistan) that we’re playing for and that’s when it hit me that this victory is probably being celebrated around the world.”
The team’s celebration lasted until preparation for the South Florida game began Oct. 11. The Black Knight’s head to Raymond James Stadium in Tampa Bay for a 7 p.m. start Oct. 16.
With the weight of the losing streak lifted from their backs, the Black Knights are now focused on the next task at hand.
“At 3:15 p.m. on Monday, we start(ed) all over again,” linebacker Greg Washington said. “We must forget about the win, that’s under our belts, but we’ve got another mission to accomplish (beating South Florida).”
“It’s a monkey off our backs, but it only means that we’re 1-4,” Ross said.
(Editor’s note: Spc. Eric S. Bartelt is the features editor for the Pointer View newspaper.)
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