Trent Steelman might as well have been made of steel Saturday.
The Army quarterback spearheaded an impressive Black Knights rushing attack that put up 381 yards on the ground in their 21-14 victory over Northwestern (2-1) at West Point.
Steelman ran the ball a game-high 28 times for 108 yards and three touchdowns, including two from inside the one-yard line. The six-foot 204-pounder was not only quick on his feet, but also tough to bring down, as he showcased on his 17-yard touchdown run in the first quarter.
“The difference in the game was Trent Steelman,” coach Pat Fitzgerald said. “We had him wrapped up at times and he still was able to fight through for extra yards.”
Steelman was the nucleus of the triple option wishbone offense that kept the Wildcats’ defense on its heels all game. With its ability to set up effective runs both up the middle and on the perimeter, the wishbone offense capitalizes on what the defense gives it by using an extensive process of checking plays at the line. The Black Knights (1-2) used up most of the 40-second play clock to get the right play call and were able to exploit the 3-4 defensive look the Cats showed them.
“That’s the strength of that offense,” senior linebacker Bryce McNaul said. “As soon as we crowd the line of scrimmage and we all stem down right in front of them, that’s when they can attack you just as easily on the perimeter.”
NU’s normally high-octane offense was calmed down significantly by the double-eagle defense Army played. The Cats had only 309 yards on offense in their mere 19 minutes and 41 seconds of possession. In the third quarter, NU ran 15 plays for zero yards, holding the ball for less than six minutes. In crunch time, it got worse for the Cats, as two of their fourth quarter drives totaled just over two and a half minutes.
Knowing the offense needed a “shot in the arm,” Fitzgerald summoned redshirt freshman Trevor Siemian in the fourth quarter and the decision paid immediate dividends. Siemian orchestrated a three-play, 80-yard drive that ended with a 62-yard touchdown pass to senior receiver Jeremy Ebert. Siemian completed all three of his passes on the drive and looked calm and poised in the pocket, something sophomore Kain Colter struggled with in the third quarter.
“I got happy feet and was running too quick,” Colter said. “I should have stayed in the pocket and made throws. I didn’t do that and it ended up killing us in the end.”
Colter had a rough game overall, going 12-for-23 in the air for only 89 yards and running the ball 10 times for 57 yards. He placed the blame squarely on his shoulders after the game, but the inconsistency of the run game also hurt NU. While the Cats averaged more than four yards per carry, they were stuffed quite a bit on first and second downs at the line of scrimmage leading to third and longs, which they could not convert.
NU’s inability to convert on third down played a key role in limiting the length of what few possessions it did have. On the flip side, the Black Knights’ ability to convert crucial third down plays allowed them to stay on the field and keep drives alive. NU was just 3-of-12 on third down, while Army converted three third downs on its opening drive alone, en route to going 7-of-16 on the day.
“We thought if we could convert third downs, we would be able to possess the ball,” Fitzgerald said. “Obviously we did not do that. We had a chance to get off the field on (the first drive of each half) and we didn’t do that.”
The game did not start off ideally for the Cats, as they were forced to punt after stalling inside Black Knights territory. Army responded by marching down the field on an 18-play touchdown drive that ate up nearly nine minutes of clock. The Black Knights converted on four of five third downs and moved the chains on the one fourth down opportunity they encountered with a six-yard run by Steelman on fourth and five.
“Our main goal for this game was to come out strong and make a statement about the attack offense,” Steelman said. “That’s what we did.”
The Cats offense struggled to find its bearings until the middle of the second quarter, when NU went 51 yards on 11 plays to tie the game at a touchdown apiece. Colter was patient in the pocket and completed all three of his throws on the drive including a 14-yard pass to Ebert in the back of the end zone in which Ebert dragged his foot so that he barely landed inbounds. After another strong stand by NU’s defense, Colter used quick mid-range passes to put NU in position to kick a field goal to end the half, but sophomore Jeff Budzien pulled his kick to the left.
Following Ebert’s second touchdown of the game, the Black Knights methodically ran the ball down the Cats’ throats as they advanced the ball down the field. Steelman snuck in for his third rushing touchdown of the game to cap the drive, giving NU 2:49 to tie the game with no timeouts remaining.
The Cats got a break on the kickoff as Black Knights kicker Eric Osteen kicked the ball out of bounds, giving NU the ball on its own 40. However, Siemian could not replicate the magic of his first drive, and on fourth and one at the Army 33, he underthrew Ebert to seal NU’s fate.
