Army: Things at West Point cannot get any bleaker than they already are. Army has suffered twelve consecutive losing seasons. Even worse than that, the last time they beat Navy was in 2001. The brass at West Point decided that they had enough and brought in former Cal Poly coach Rich Ellerson to try and turn things around. Ellerson is a Dick Tomey disciple and was one of the architects of Arizona’s stifling “Desert Swarm” defense from 1992-1995. Ellerson was instrumental in turning around a stagnant Cal Poly program by implementing the triple-option offense. Ellerson is brining the same offense with him to West Point. Payam Saadat and Chris Smeland will be responsible for the defense and their new double-eagle flex formation, which is the same defense used by the stingy Arizona Wildcat defense.
Personnel changes were made on defense since quickness and speed is crucial in the flex formation system. A bright spot on the defensive side of the ball is senior defensive tackle Victor Ugenyi. Ugenyi was moved from defensive end and put on the inside to take advantage of his size and agility. The defense also features a couple of converted quarterbacks who have been moved to the secondary. Chip Bowden returns as quarterback which is assuring for Ellerson. Bowden is athletic and quick enough to run the triple-option offense. He does need to work on his throwing game. Another wrinke that emerged from spring drills is having 6’10 283lb. converted left tackle Ali Villanueva line up at WRs. What started out as an experiment ended up becoming a permanent move. Coaches like Villanueva’s size and his ability to block downfield. As with any option offense, blocking by the wide receiver is critical if the play is to succeed. Army may not win more than 3 games this season but they are showing that they are trying to get back on the right track. The Ellerson hire was a good move and if he can have half of the success he had at Cal Poly, Army will be just fine.
