ESPN predicts Army will edge Hawai’i

Rich Ellerson faces his old college on Saturday. (Danny Wild for USMA)

ESPN.com has predicted another Army win this Saturday.

ESPN’s Andrea Adelson said ball control will be the difference in the cadets holding off a Hawai’i team that gave USC a tough battle last weekend:

Army 31, Hawaii 30. I agonized over this one. The Black Knights won at Eastern Michigan 31-27 last week, but needed a last-second drive to win against one of the worst teams in 2009. They haven’t scored 30 points in back-to-back games since 2004. They haven’t started 2-0 since 1996. The only way Army can hang with Hawaii is to play ball control, and the Warriors gave up 246 yards rushing to USC.

OK, so not the most enthusiastic victory prediction, but a win nonetheless, plus she predicts Air Force will lose.

And Hawai’i? This is just bizarre — the team, which obviously flew a tremendous distance to the east coast, arrived yesterday and held a practice…. in the parking lot behind their Park Ridge, N.J. hotel. Not kidding. Some players didn’t even have on shoes when they began the drills.

Linebacker Steve Erzinger has returned to practice following an injury in Michigan last weekend. (Danny Wild for USMA)

“Obviously, it’s going to be more humid and hot at 12 o’clock Saturday,” said UH associate head coach Rich Miano. (Acutally, weather.com has kickoff pegged at 78 and sunny, which is similar to last year’s Ball State game conditions/perfect). “But it feels like you’re in football country. You drive by the new stadium where the Jets and Giants play. You realize we’re here to play Army.”

Then Miano really showed some love:

“You couldn’t ask for a better college venue.”

Also of note, Saturday’s noon kickoff at Michie (it’s exciting just to write that phrase) will be 6 a.m. back in Hawai’i, so that’s another thing working against a team that struggled to contain USC’s running game last week. Now, they’ll be groggy, half a world away and facing Jared Hassin’s touchdown parade. Hawai’i quarterback Bryant Moniz is also another question mark — with the team relying on it’s passing game, the QB will need to bounce back from a big hit he suffered last weekend. Coach Greg McMackin said he’s expected to play.

Of note…

Hassin was named Independent Player Of The Week (my photo). “If I would have envisioned a perfect game, it would have resembled Saturday in a lot of ways,” Hassin told the Times Herald-Record following his three-TD effort at EMU. “It was just a really exciting game to be a part of.” … a win Saturday would put Army two games above the .500 mark since ending the 1996 campaign 10-2… Steve Erzinger and Sean Westphal are reportedly somewhat healthy entering the home opener.

Predictions for Saturday?

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* This blog does not reflect the views of MLB.com, USMA or anyone other than Danny Wild, it is simply a means of showcasing some of Danny’s continuously-growing photography and writing portfolio. Thanks!

ESPN predicts Army will edge Hawai’i

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