The final CIC Trophy game is set for Dec. 19.
It stands 30 inches tall with a silver, three-sided, pyramid-like center section atop a black, circular base, and weighs 170 pounds. On top of this prize sit three silver footballs, each above the crest of one of America’s three military academies and 20 small plaques that are engraved (or will be in the future) to honor the annual winner of the award.
It is the Commander-In-Chief’s (CIC) Trophy, first awarded in 1972, and it is every bit the equal of such iconic symbols of sports excellence as the Vince Lombardi Trophy, the Stanley Cup, the Borg Warner Trophy and the Ryder Cup. Possession of the CIC trophy in 2021 will go to the winner of Saturday’s Army-Air Force game (noon Eastern time kickoff; TV coverage on the CBS Sports Network) at West Point’s Michie Stadium.
In 2019, Navy beat both Air Force and Army to earn the rights to display the trophy this year. In the 48 years of the CIC Trophy, the Falcons have won the trophy 20 times, Navy 16 times and Army on eight occasions. The trophy has been shared four different years.
Army (8-2) comes into the game with confidence after topping Navy 15-0 last Saturday. It was the first shutout victory by the Black Knights over Navy since 1969 and it will be remembered for The Stand, the amazing defensive effort that prevented Navy from scoring a touchdown on four consecutive running plays that started two yards or less from the Army goal line.
On the day, the Army defense held Navy to just four first downs and 117 total offensive yards. Linebackers Jon Rattigan (71 tackles, including 22 solo; two interceptions and two fumble recoveries), Arik Smith (66 tackles and 3.5 quarterback sacks), safety Cedric Cunningham (59 tackles, two quarterback sacks and one interception) and defensive end Amadeo West (tied with Cunningham for a team-high nine tackles against Navy) are the foundation of the Army defense.
The Black Knights offense, which entered the Army-Navy game averaging 296.7 rushing yards per game (third best in the nation), struggled against the midshipmen, gaining just 134 yards on the ground and 28 yards in the air. But they did control time of possession (35:16).
Sophomore quarterback Tyhier Tyler led the Black Knights with 96 yards on 26 carries, but the most successful of eight different running backs gained just 13 yards. Army will need more offensive production and to control the clock if it expects to win against the Falcons. Running backs Tyrell Robinson (55 rushes for 392 yards) and Jakobi Buchanan (90 rushes for 388 yards), and quarterbacks Tyler (90 rushes for 476 yards) and Christian Anderson (72 rushes for 316 yards) are players to watch on offense.
Air Force (3-2) is looking to gain some national recognition.
The Falcons are a member of the Mountain West Conference, which originally canceled its season only to reverse that decision in late October. The Falcons defeated Navy 40-7 on Oct. 3. The game against Army, originally scheduled for Nov. 7, was postponed when a COVID-19 outbreak arose in Colorado Springs. Finding a common opening in the schedules was not easy, but eventually the final CIC Trophy game was set for Dec. 19 – the first time that the Air Force-Army game was the final game of the CIC series. An Air Force win would help gain the Falcons additional publicity and possibly help them get a berth in a postseason bowl game. All teams are eligible this year because COVID-19 caused most teams to play abbreviated schedules.
Though Army has played and won five more games this season, Air Force should be a formidable opponent. In 54 prior meetings, the Falcons have won 37 times to Army’s 16 with one tie. The two teams are averaging almost the same amount of points per game (29.0 for Army; 27.8 for Air Force). The two teams are also almost even in third down conversions (48 percent for Air Force to Army’s 45) and fourth down conversions (73 percent for Air Force compared to Army’s 71), and in average time of possession (34:29 for Air Force to 33:51 for Army).
Air Force leads Army in average running yards per game (336 to 280.4) and average passing yards per game (79 to 48). Army has a more stringent defense, allowing 272.1 yards per game, compared with 306 for Air Force.
Air Force is coming off a 35-7 win over Utah State. The potent Falcons offense is led by sophomore quarterback Haaziq Daniels who had his best college game last time out – 7-for-9 passing (including a 49-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Ben Peterson) for 127 yards, and seven rushes for 47 yards (including a career-long 37-yard sprint for another touchdown). Wide receiver Daniel Morris pulled in a career-high three passes for 35 yards. Senior tailback Kadin Remsberg returned after missing two games and gained a season-high 107 yards and a touchdown on 11 carries, rising to 16th on the all-time Air Force rushing list with 1,770 yards.
Defensively, safety Ethan Erickson and linebackers Will Trawick and Mathew Malloy led Air Force with six tackles each, while linebacker Demani Hansford grabbed his first career interception.
Add the fact that the last two matchups between Air Force and Army have been nail biters (the Falcons won 17-13 at Colorado Springs in 2019, the Black Knights won 17-14 at West Point in 2018), and there is every reason to expect that this year’s game will be decided by less than a touchdown. With heavy snow predicted Wednesday and Thursday in New York, the blanket of cold should keep passing even lower than normal. That would tend to favor the stronger defense, so look for Army to squeak out another win and claim its ninth CIC trophy.
- News