Army must put focus on reaching next level

West Point - Hey, Bobby Ross: Nice win, coach. Drubbing Virginia Military Institute last Saturday — impressive. Who cares if they're an I-AA team. A 62-7 win is impressive no matter what.

You've done a good job in two-plus seasons, resurrecting the once-dead Army football program. But now comes the next challenge: Army football has to take it to another level.

That means no more moral victories. No more playing for the Poinsettia Bowl. The 2006 season is half over and the Black Knights are 3-3. Army fans need to see the next level: A win over Connecticut on Saturday. And a win over Texas Christian University the following weekend. Nobody expects a win over Notre Dame in South Bend next month. But the Black Knights have to march into South Bend, honor Touchdown Jesus and then punch Charlie Weis' boys right in the mouth.

Look, 3-3 isn't bad, considering where this program has been. Now put up consecutive wins this fall, something you guys have not yet done.

You know what we're talking about:

"What I've talked to the team about is a level of consistency where we're not up and down," Ross said. "That level of consistency is, to me, one of the keys."

Added Army quarterback David Pevoto: "We need to come out and prove we can be a consistent team, week-to-week. Before we can say we're a good team, we're going to have to be able to say we're a consistent team."

Only then will Army fans begin to believe that this program has been turned around for real.

Hey, no disrespect to Ross or his players. A 6-6 season would be fine. It would even guarantee a trip to the Poinsettia Bowl in San Diego.

But Bobby Ross is not a Poinsettia Bowl kind of guy. He won a national championship with Georgia Tech and led the San Diego Chargers to the Super Bowl.

If he goes to the Poinsettia Bowl, he'll do his best to win the Poinsettia Bowl. But he wants more than Poinsettias.

He wants a bowl closer to New Year's Eve. A real bowl, played in prime time, on the holiday, not around it.

So, Army, go beat UConn Saturday. Go beat TCU the next week. Punch the Irish right smack in the mouth.

Then Army fans will know this program has been turned around.

Tickets For Army's 2006 Away Football Games

Individual game tickets for Army's five away football contests of 2006, as well as December's Army-Navy battle and the Sept. 16 AT&T Corps Classic featuring the Black Knights and Texas A&M in San Antonio, Texas, will go on sale at the Army Ticket Office on May 1.
As always, prospective buyers may purchase tickets over the phone by dialing 1-877-TIX-ARMY, or via the internet at www.goARMYsports.com.
The allocation of tickets and seat locations within Army's block of tickets at each away game will be determined by applying the Army "A" Club Priority Point System. In addition, Class Seating will be established for each Army road game this season, with the exception of the Notre Dame contest.

Fans may purchase a maximum of eight tickets for games against Arkansas State, Texas A&M, Baylor, Connecticut and Tulane.
Regarding Army's Nov. 18 visit to Notre Dame Stadium, where demand for tickets is expected to be high, the maximum number of tickets than fans may purchase is six. In addition, several special procedures have been established to provide for equitable distribution of Army's ticket allotment to that contest.
Requests for Army-Notre Dame tickets will be accepted at the Army Ticket Office, as well as via the internet, from May 1 through June 15. Soon after the June 15 deadline, all orders will be ranked according to each customer's "A" Club Priority Point System total. Tickets will then be allocated in sequential order, from highest point total down, until the Academy's ticket supply for that game has been exhausted.
Army-Navy tickets will be available for purchase exclusively by Army "A" Club members, as well as 2006 football season ticket holders. The customer's "A" Club giving level, or the number of season tickets purchased for the 2006 campaign, will determine the number of tickets that can be procured.