The following quotes have been excerpted from Army head football coach Bobby Ross’ weekly media luncheon, held Tuesday, Nov. 21, 2006, at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia. Quotes from Cameron Craig and Pete Bier are included at the bottom of the release.

Army Head Coach Bobby Ross
(ref.: Army’s struggle with turnovers)
“The biggest problem that we’ve had this season is turnovers. I’ve never had a season in which I’ve had so many turnovers. They’ve happened at the most inopportune times. Against Air Force, we had seven turnovers alone. We had four in a row on first downs. I’d never experienced anything like that in my entire life. We took the opening drive down to the one-foot line. We had a first and goal and we fumbled the ball and they picked it up and ran 99 yards for a score. Turnovers have been a real crushing thing to us as a football team. Physically, we’re better than what we have been, but we need to play better. The turnovers have been the key factor there.”

(ref.: the play of Army’s defense and special teams)
“Defensively, we’ve played a little bit better, although statistically it might not indicate that. We’ve played some pretty good football teams. Our defense has hung in there pretty well for us. Our kicking game has been outstanding. We’ve had a good kicking game, and it has been a weapon for us to some extent. We’re one of the better teams in the country in the return game, and that’s been very good for us. Hopefully, we can come down here and not turn the ball over. If we don’t turn the ball over, we will give ourselves a good chance to win the football game.”

(ref.: Carson Williams playing in his first Army-Navy game)
“He’s been through a couple (of games) already, so it won’t be entirely new to him. Of course, we had the Air Force ball game where we did turn it over, and he started at Notre Dame and played through the first half. I took him out after one series in the second half and put David Pevoto in. We’ll just get him to try and settle down and get into a rhythm offensively.”

(ref.: the struggles of Army’s offense)
“We haven’t run the ball as well as we’ve been able to in the past. We’ve had some trouble in our offensive line, and that’s been a bit of a nemesis to us as well. We are playing a freshman at running back, so we’re a young football team in some positions, and that has some effect on us.”

(ref.: the Navy option offense)
“They know what they’re doing with it and they do it very well. We’re going to have to execute very well and have a good tackling game. I want to make them go a long way with the ball every time. That means that we can’t turn the ball over, and our offense has to move the ball some. Our kicking game has to work for us as well. In the past, we’ve given up big plays to them. We have to try to stop that and keep those out of the game.

(ref.: Navy’s team speed)
“Paul (Johnson) has done an outstanding job with the offense. They have the speed to make it work. Their scat backs are not big, but they can run. They have great speed, and they have great speed on the defensive side of the ball too. Their offense draws so much attention, but their defense runs very well also.”

(ref.: the Army-Navy rivalry)
“It’s a tremendous tradition. I think it is one of the great traditions of college football and football in general. There is nothing like the participation in an Army-Navy game. I don’t know that there’s anything that’s more exciting or more fun, in some respects. Obviously, it’s a lot more fun if you can win it.”

(ref.: Army’s four-game losing streak to Navy)
“We have not been able to get it going. In my two years, we haven’t played as well as I would like for us to play, and that’s on both sides of the ball. Obviously, we want to play well and get the win. Hopefully, we can get that done.”

(ref.: the play of Army TE Tim Dunn)
“Tim has played very well for us at tight end. He’s always been a very good blocker, but now he’s become a pretty significant receiver in our passing game. He’s a very physical player for us. He’s contributed greatly to what we’ve done offensively.”

(ref.: Army’s improvement)
“I think we’re better physically. We haven’t always played as well as I’d like for us to play. I’ve never been through a season like this in all my life. We lead the nation in turnovers. When you do that, it is really hard to win, and we haven’t been able to put a stop to it. .”

(ref.: keys to the game)
“Offensively, they can move the ball. They have a great system in place that they’ve run for years, and they do it better than anybody in the country. They run the ball extremely. They have very good speed; their team speed is good. We’ll match up with them size-wise, but they have very good speed on their team. They are very quick. That’s one of the big things we have to deal with.”

(ref.: talking to the team to get them fired up about the game)
“I would hope that I don’t have to talk to the team about (getting up for this game). I think our biggest problem is that we’re lacking a little bit of confidence because of the losses. We have lost to some good people like Texas A&M, TCU and Notre Dame. The toughest game we had was the Air Force game because we truly expected to win. I think we matched up with them physically better than we had in any year, but we turned the ball over seven times. You just can’t do that.”

(ref.: being a part of the Army-Navy rivalry)
“I think it’s an exciting moment. If you have an ounce of patriotism, you feel proud to be a part of it. I feel like I’m very patriotic. The military has been a big part of my life. I have a son that graduated from the Air Force Academy and another that graduated from the Naval Academy. I have a son-in-law that graduated from the Naval Academy, and I went to a military school myself. It’s very big and important in my life. I’m very proud to be a part of it. I love playing it here in Philadelphia. I think it’s a tremendous environment and a great experience. It’s an experience that will last a lifetime, but let’s try to make it a positive one. There’s nothing like it. I’ve enjoyed it, and I think it’s a great thing for the country. These kids will go out and hit hard throughout the whole football game, but at the end of it they’ll go shake hands with one another and share some things.”

(ref.: mindset heading into third Army-Navy game)
“I’m anxious to play; I’m looking forward to it. I’d really like to win it. It will be tough. Navy is very good; they execute very well. They are a team that has good to very good speed. That’s the thing that we have to curtail. To me, personally, it would mean an awful lot to get that win and walk off that field with a positive feeling. It’s awfully hard to walk off of it having lost.”

(ref.: if beating Navy would salvage the season)
“This is a time when one game can erase a lot of things. Hopefully, that will be the case.”

(ref.: Army’s recruiting)
“I think we’ve done a good job of recruiting. I think we’ve got some good young kids in our program. Defensively, we have a shot at coming back next year with a solid group. We’ve been lacking in speed and quickness, and I think we’ve got that in this group that’s coming back.”

(ref.: the opportunity for the Navy seniors to go out 8-0 against Army and Air Force in their careers)
“It’s something that we’ll talk about, but I think our biggest thing is that we just need to think about winning. We can’t think about what’s there for Navy as much as what’s there for us. We’re not trying to take anything away from them; we’re just trying to win a football game.”

(ref.: Army’s struggles against Navy in recent years)
“We haven’t been able to stop them. They get the big play, and as soon as that happens it kind of takes the wind out of our sails. We have to overcome that mentally. Last year, there were quite a few big plays. We played pretty well through the first quarter, and then the dam broke. I think the real breaker was right before the end of the half when they went about 70 yards in two and a half minutes. Instead of being 14-10, it was 21-10 at halftime.”

Army DE Cameron Craig
(ref.: emotions of the game)
“It’s a great rivalry, great competition. We’re both going to play a tough, hard-fought game. We understand the bigger picture and know that when we leave our respective academies, we will be serving our country. It’s a big part of why we all play the game, to show our support to all the men and women over seas who are sacrificing so much.”

(ref.: slowing down Navy’s option attack)
“Defensively, when you face an option team the key is for each person out there to do his assignment. We have to win 11 small battles on every play in order to stop them.”

(ref.: describing the Army-Navy rivalry)
“It’s a deep rivalry with lots of tradition. To understand the true depth of the rivalry you have to either know someone in the service or someone who has gone to one of the academies. This rivalry is a battle for pride and that’s something you can’t explain until you live it.”

(ref.: atmosphere at West Point leading up to game)
“It’s a pretty intense week. There’s a great atmosphere provided by the Corps. Everyone has their little traditions and rituals for Army-Navy. There are ‘Beat Navy’ signs posted everywhere. Our practices are very intense and everyone is very focused.”

Army C-OG Pete Bier
(ref.: being the underdog versus Navy)
“We’re the underdog in a lot of games, so it doesn’t really bother us too much. For me personally, when I’m the underdog or someone says I can’t do something it drives me that much more to get the job done. A win over Navy would really help the program and end the season on a high note.”

(ref.: solving offensive struggles)
“In terms of the offense, we just need to execute better than we have been. Everyone out there has to focus on what they have to do and not try to win the game by themselves.”

(ref.: importance of the Army-Navy game)
“This game is one of our focal points of our season every year. Coach Ross stresses the importance of our games versus Air Force and Navy. They are our biggest rivals and you can’t over emphasize the importance of this game or the magnitude that it carries.”

(ref.: comparing Army-Navy rivalry to other collegiate rivalries)
“I think its right up there with rivalries like Michigan-Ohio State or Notre Dame-USC. Our games might not carry as much barring on the national rankings, but I think the rivalry itself and the competitiveness is second to none. After the game there’s a ton of mutual respect, but during the game we’re all business.”