WEST POINT, N.Y. - Aside from the pregame paratrooper landing on the 50-yard line, who would have expected the Cadets to launch a successful air assault Saturday against Duke?
Army is one of the few remaining stalwarts of the wishbone offense-the grind-it-out power rushing attack that seeks to wear down a team and rack up large rushing numbers while relying mostly on the pass for third-and-long situations.
Army, however, broke that stereotype Saturday as senior quarterback Ronnie McAda finished seven-of-eight for 225 yards and one touchdown. An impeccable commander of Army's option attack, McAda led the team with 88 yards on 20 carries, including two touchdowns. His 313 yards of total offense placed his performance as fourth-best in the school's history.
All of this coming from a program that has an incredible aversion to the passing game.
"McAda is a good passer-not a typical wishbone quarterback," Duke head coach Fred Goldsmith said. "We knew he could throw and we respected that. We had some tremendous mental breakdowns against the passing game, and he executed superbly."
What is most impressive about the Cadets' passing game, however, is that it did not result from a number of long-yardage situations, but was instead masterfully incorporated into Army's game plan from the outset.
"[McAda] runs his team well," junior safety Tawambi Settles said. "But I was more impressed with the play selection of the offensive coordinator because he found some things that we weren't doing well-some kinks-and he was able to exploit them."
How could a Duke defense that had limited offensive juggernaut Florida State to 221 yards of total offense surrender over twice as many yards-529-to an Army squad that is certainly not noted for its offensive prowess?
Which game is the anomaly? Only time will tell, but the Blue Devils' defensive breakdown undoubtedly resulted from their lack of experience as a unit.
"Our kids came to play today, but we weren't mature enough-that's all," Goldsmith said. "We have good players with ability and character, but we're not mature enough right now. We didn't have the discipline you need against this team."
Even game-tested veterans like Settles were victimized by the Army offensive scheme, as he and other defensive backs and linebackers were unable to do anything about what they were experiencing throughout the game.
"I think we were just picking up the wrong read," Settles said. "From what I heard from the safety, they didn't see that back coming. He was coming through the line and made it look like he was blocking, and then he was going out into the flats. We never got the read."
On one level, the breakdown is not all that surprising considering the deceptive nature of the triple-option attack that is inherent to the wishbone.
"When we made even the smallest mistake, they were able to capitalize on it," senior linebacker Billy Granville said. "The quarterback made some really good decisions-he's an experienced leader. There were times when we stopped them, but we definitely weren't consistent."
Despite Army's ground-oriented reputation, the Blue Devils maintained that they were not surprised by the Cadets' use of the air attack.
"It didn't look like it, but we spent 10 practices working on Army," Goldsmith said. "We prepared for exactly what they did.
"I saw today's game in a couple of different scenarios and unfortunately one of them was this possibility. A veteran team with a veteran quarterback could be so precise in their execution that they could hurt us the way they did."
On the flip side, Duke's vaunted passing game failed to match that of Army's. While McAda was having a career day, the quarterback position was ineffective for Duke.
Aside from a dramatic first quarter scramble for a score, junior starter Dave Green was slowed by an injured ankle and proved to be ineffective at moving the Blue Devil offense. He was lifted early in the third quarter in favor of sophomore Matt Rader, who failed to outperform Green statistically, but whose execution of the Duke offense was undoubtedly more precise.
The combination of Green's injury and Rader's performance has stirred up talk of a football coach's most hated media event: a quarterback controversy.
"I felt we moved the ball every time I was in," Rader said. "It's up to the coach, but I feel that I have played well. It's not my decision-of course I'd like to be the starting quarterback, but it is the coach's decision."
Despite credible passing numbers-11-of-20 for 102 yards in a little more than a half-Green was quick to shoulder blame.
"I'm not 100 percent," Green said. "But that is not the reason I didn't perform well."
Army coach Bob Sutton provided an objective perspective on the situation.
"I think Rader is obviously a bigger, more physical kid," Sutton said. "And probably because of the injury Green is playing with, it appeared to me he was more mobile-scrambled a little better and he got them going a little bit. Of course, he was in at a different part of the game... He was in when you may be playing a hair different defensively at that point in time in the game with that lead."
Entering a game midway can sometimes be tough on a quarterback because his teammates may be reluctant to follow their new leader. Rader was fortunate, however, as circumstance proved to be on his side.
"The guys responded really well when I came in," Rader said. "We knew we still had a shot at this game, so I just told them to give me protection and open up some holes when we run the ball and we're going to do this thing."
A constant problem that plagued both quarterbacks, though, was dropped passes. Green's pass to normally sure-handed senior Marc Wilson was dropped in the end zone midway through the second quarter, forcing Duke to settle for a field goal and a 14-10 deficit instead of tying it up.
The momentum swayed again on Rader's first drive at the helm of the Blue Devil offense. On a second-down play, with Army up 28-10, Rader's pass skipped off the hands of sophomore receiver Reco Owens and into the waiting arms of Army defensive back Jerrold Tyquiengco for the interception, killing Duke's drive and its last realistic chance of victory.
It was a day during which the "west-coast" style passing offense of Duke sputtered and Army's complementary passing game exploded. Give Army credit for a great game plan and for solid execution, but the Blue Devils must look inward for the reasons behind their loss.
"We are a young team, but its time to stop making excuses," Rader said.
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