RICHARD WALKER / RWALKER@STARBULLETIN.COM
Hawaii's defense smothered Army's Carlton Jones during last night's game at Aloha Stadium.
Future looking brighter
for Black Knights
There's not much that looks good during a winless football season. And after last night's 59-28 loss to Hawaii at Aloha Stadium, the Army football team can only look to the future.
Sophomore running back Carlton Jones has the future looking better, if not brighter for the Black Knights (0-12).
Jones has been one of the few positives for the Army football team this season. He rushed for 83 yards on 16 carries with two touchdowns.
Jones also hauled in a 59-yard pass in the third quarter that made the score a bit more respectable (38-14) after the Warriors opened with a 17-0 lead.
"It was kind of a screen pass and it was a high ball so I had to jump real high and catch it," Jones said. "As soon as I turned around, it just opened up. I just tried to hit the holes as hard as I could. Guys were downfield so I just tried to follow their blocks."
Unfortunately for Army, Jones didn't get going until the second half.
True to previous form, the Black Knights were slow-starting on offense. In 11 previous games, Army has scored in the first half only five times.
Not that they didn't have their chances to get on the board early. The Black Knights came close on one possession in the second quarter with quarterback Zac Dahman marching Army 83 yards. The sophomore completed six straight passes and the Black Knights benefited from a 10-yard Hawaii penalty to arrive at the Hawaii 1.
But Dahman was unable to dive over the melee of players for the score and fumbled the ball. Hawaii's Kealii Aguiar recovered the ball for the touchback.
The Cadets seemed set for another scoreless first half with another Hawaii drive starting with 44 ticks on the clock. But Brian Hill intercepted Hawaii quarterback Tim Chang and ran 79 yards for the score and Army's first points of the game.
It gave Army a breath of fresh air in a stagnant game where the Black Knights struggled to do much right.
"It was kind of like plugging the dike up" Army coach John Mumford said. " We were hoping (the momentum) could be taken into the second half. We made a few adjustments defensively.
"Offensively, we sputtered around a little bit. Then they got going and I was really proud of them. We had great protection for the most part for Zac.
"You have to take the positives back on the plane. You have to refocus on Navy."
A winless season leaves the Black Knights clinging to their season finale with Navy in two weeks as a means of salvaging their season.
Army will be grateful to have a bye week, after playing 11 consecutive games, and going on the road for four of the last five. But the Black Knights won't be returning to West Point whole. Four defensive players had to be helped off the field last night.
Despite the loss, Army earned the respect of at least one Hawaii player.
"They play hard for 60 minutes," O-lineman Uriah Moenoa said. "They're truly America's team."
They're a team that will have much coming back next year.
"We only have 10 seniors on both sides of the ball," Mumford said. "I think Army football is always going to have a great future.
"These kids are not losers. I don't think you can measure these kids by their record. They pour it out every week. I have to do a better job coaching."
