Army ground attack perfect in snow

WEST POINT, N.Y. -- The history between Fordham and Army football stretches back to 1891, but Saturday's renewal of the series after 62 years was unquestionably one for the ages. About a foot of snow dumped on the field, here in late October.

By halftime, all roads out of West Point were temporarily closed. Some stadium lights conked out midway through the third quarter. But football played on.

That was the downside for Fordham, which never stood much of a chance against Army's rushing attack in this weather and lost, 55-0.

Fordham quarterback Ryan Higgins, a Merrick native, had his worst performance of the season, gaining just 5 yards on 1-for-6 completions, with one interception and two fumbles. But this was never the type of game in which a passing quarterback could easily excel.

"I kept telling everybody it's like Christmas," Army quarterback Max Jenkins said. "How could you not get a little excited? It is what it is, so you might as well go out and embrace it."

Grounds crews struggled to keep lines shoveled and yard markers clear. The few thousand fans who actually showed up dwindled to a few hundred by the second half (the game was officially sold out). Some made snowmen in the stands.

The players, meanwhile, seemed to revel in once-in-a-lifetime conditions, digging out standing places, hopping along the sidelines and sliding for extra yards. After a second-quarter touchdown, Army defensive back Nate Combs was called for unsportsmanlike conduct after diving and sliding headfirst through the end zone.

"I got a little overzealous," Combs sheepishly said after the game. "You'll probably never see me do anything like that again."

Even without starting quarterback Trent Steelman -- out for the first time in 32 games with an ankle injury -- Army (3-5) had no problem putting up points on their senior day.

The Black Knights lead the nation in rushing yards (at nearly 350 yards per game) so a game in such wintry mix was almost made to order. The Black Knights didn't toy around with their passing game. They stayed grounded, pounding the ball forward with coach Rich Ellerson's triple-option trickery, varying up the ball carriers but not the game plan.

"If we could be productive handing the ball off, obviously that was the way to go," Ellerson said. "It was obviously going to be a tough day throwing the ball downfield . . . "I don't think the weather will ever be a problem for that group."

Fordham (1-7) was much more heavily affected by the inclement conditions. Higgins, who threw for 413 yards a week ago in a loss to Lafayette, was ineffective and running back Darryl Whiting of Queens had only 43 yards on 18 carries. The Rams managed just six first downs.

Saturday marked the first time Fordham and Army have met since 1949 -- when the Black Knights were ranked fourth in the nation. On the sideline then for Army was a young assistant coach (and Fordham alum) named Vince Lombardi.