WEST POINT – Director of Athletics Kevin Anderson announced Army’s 2009 football schedule on Wednesday, a 12-game slate that features six home games, including three in the month of October.
Four of the 12 teams on Army’s 2009 docket hail from Bowl Championship Series conferences, including a home matchup with New York metropolitan rival Rutgers. The schedule includes one opponent from the Atlantic Coast Conference (Duke), one from the Big 12 Conference (Iowa State), one from the Southeastern Conference (Vanderbilt) and one from the Big East Conference (Rutgers). The Black Knights will also battle three schools from the Mid-American Conference (Eastern Michigan, Ball State and Temple), one from Conference USA (Tulane), one from the Mountain West Conference (Air Force), one from the Sun Belt Conference (North Texas), one Independent (Navy) and one opponent from the Football Championship Subdivision ranks (VMI).
“We are pleased to be in position to announce our 2009 football schedule at this time,” stated Anderson. “Since joining Conference USA back in 1998, we have been unable to announce our schedule this far in advance. The scheduling process for an Independent is very complex and it’s taken a few years to get our future football schedules positioned such that we can announce them. We know that is important to our fans and to many other internal agencies to make our future football schedules public as early as possible. We will continue to work towards releasing them as early as we possibly can.
“We feel very good about the composition of our 2009 football schedule,” he added. “One of our primary goals is to deliver home games in the month of October to our fan base and we will be playing three home games in that timeframe once again in 2009. Though we will be unable to do so every season, playing six home games is also very important and we’re pleased to be able to play six games at Michie Stadium next year.”
Army will open its 2009 campaign with a road date at Eastern Michigan on Labor Day weekend, squaring off against the
Eagles on Sept. 5. The teams have met just once previously, when Eastern Michigan visited West Point in 1992, and are scheduled to face off again this fall at West Point. While the 2009 game is slated to take place at Rynerson Stadium on the campus of Eastern Michigan University, the game may be moved to Ford Field, home of the Detroit Lions.
The Black Knights begin the home portion of their 2009 campaign the following weekend, kicking off a mini two-game homestand with dates against Duke (Sept. 12) and Ball State (Sept. 19). It will also start a five-week stretch of games that will include four games at Miche Stadium.
Army and the Blue Devils have clashed on the gridiron 20 times previously with Duke holding a slim 10-9-1 edge. The squads last met in 1997 with the Blue Devils slipping past Army 20-17 in Durham. Army and Ball State, meanwhile, have battled just once previously, on the day that West Point dedicated its football playing surface in memory of the legendary Earl “Red” Blaik, Sept. 25, 1999. The Black Knights won that game 41-21.
The Black Knights will travel to Ames, Iowa, for the first time in history the following Saturday, facing Iowa State at Jack Trice Stadium. The teams have split their previous two matchups with Iowa State edging Army 28-21 in the teams’ most-recent matchup in 2005.
Army returns to Michie Stadium to begin another mini two-game homestand the following week, hosting Tulane and Vanderbilt on Oct. 3 and Oct. 10, respectively. Tulane holds an 8-6-1 advantage in its all-time series with Army with the Black Knights posting a thrilling 20-17 overtime victory at West Point last October. The teams will square off in the Louisiana Superdome this October.
When the Black Knights host Vanderbilt the following week, it will mark the first time that Army has battled a team from the Southeastern Conference since the Black Knights squared off against Auburn in the 1996 Poulan/Weed Eater Independence Bowl. The Commodores hold a 4-3 series advantage with Army. Vanderbilt registered a 41-10 victory in the teams’ last meeting in 1991.
The Black Knights will pay the first of two visits to Philadelphia’s Lincoln Financial Field, site of the Army-Navy Classic, on Oct. 17 for a date with Temple. Army has captured four of the five previous meetings between the schools, including last year’s 37-21 verdict at West Point. The teams are also slated to open their respective 2008 campaigns at Michie Stadium this Aug. 29.
New York metropolitan foe Rutgers invades West Point on Oct. 24, continuing its long-running rivalry with the Black Knights. Following a three-year layoff, the series resumed this past November and will continue with a game at Rutgers Stadium later this fall. The Black Knights enjoy an 18-16 series advantage in its second-longest running matchup, a pairing that dates back to 1891.
Army will enjoy a week off before making its biannual trek to Colorado Springs, Colo., to face service academy foe Air Force at Falcon Stadium. It will mark the beginning of the Black Knights’ quest for the Commander in Chief’s Trophy.
The Black Knights close out the home portion of their 2009 schedule on Nov. 14 when they take on a second consecutive military opponent, hosting VMI. Army has captured 12 of the 13 previous meetings between the schools, including a 62-7 victory in 2006.
One year after making a pair of trips to the state of Texas (for games against Texas A&M and Rice), Army will journey to the Lone Star State for the only time in 2009 when the Black Knights visit North Texas on Nov. 21. Army has battled the Mean Green twice previously, winning both engagements. The teams last met in 1997 at West Point, with the Black Knights posting a 25-14 victory.
Following a week off for Thanksgiving, Army will conclude the regular season portion of its schedule when it returns to the “City of Brotherly Love” and Lincoln Financial Field for a Dec. 5 clash with Navy. It will mark the 110th edition of the time-honored pairing, the 82nd classic to be played in the city of Philadelphia and the sixth to be played at the ‘Linc.” Navy holds a 52-49-1 lead in the classic matchup.
Full season ticket packages, mini plans and all single game tickets to 2008 Army football home games are currently on sale and can be purchased by phone at 1-877-TIX-ARMY or in person at the Army Ticket Office inside Holleder Center.
2009 ARMY FOOTBALL SCHEDULE
Sept. 5, at Eastern Michigan
Sept. 12, DUKE
Sept. 19, BALL STATE
Sept. 26, at Iowa State
Oct. 3, TULANE
Oct. 10, VANDERBILT
Oct. 17, at Temple
Oct. 24, RUTGERS
Nov. 7, at Air Force
Nov. 14, VMI
Nov. 21, at North Texas
Dec. 5, Navy (Philadelphia, Pa.)
