FORT BENNING, Ga., (Oct. 28, 2015) -- The Fort Benning Doughboys brought home the annual Doughboy Classic trophy after shutting down the Columbus State University Cougars 21-0 at A.J. McClung Stadium in Columbus Oct. 22.
Fort Benning players arrived early, confident they could recapture the trophy they had lost to CSU in last year's gridiron showdown.
As tailgaters enjoyed the pre-game festivities outside the stadium, feasting on funnel cake and homemade chili from the Fort Benning chili cook-off, Doughboys quarterback Christopher Bryant was getting pumped up on the field with his teammates.
"I expect a good game, a hard fought game," he said. "We prepared really hard for it and hopefully we'll get a win and bring the trophy back to Fort Benning."
Bryant said he had been thinking about the Doughboy Classic since the start of the season.
"I'm ready to get out there and play right now!" Bryant exclaimed, still two hours before the first whistle.
Just before kickoff, the Fort Benning-based Silver Wings parachute team glided into the stadium from a Black Hawk helicopter, delivering the official game ball.
The Army parachutists' flawless performance got the crowd excited and cheering loudly, and the fans' excitement continued throughout the game.
CSU won the toss and elected to receive, but unfortunately for the Cougars their good luck ended there.
Doughboys tight end Patrick Henderson scored the game's first touchdown, and after a successful extra point try, Fort Benning took an early 7-0 lead.
Quarterback Chris Bryant extended Fort Benning's lead as the first quarter ended, and place-kicker Mario Ledzama tacked on the point after to make it 14-0.
A spirited Doughboys defense kept the Cougars at bay throughout the first half highlighted by a Fort Benning interception inside their own 20-yard line five minutes into the second quarter.
Henderson scored his second touchdown of the evening with less than two minutes to go before the break, and Ledzama's kick gave the Doughboys a 21-0 cushion at the half.
Neither team was able to mount a serious scoring threat in the second half while Columbus State's mistakes and turnovers proved to be their ultimate downfall.
As time expired, the Fort Benning Doughboys rushed onto the field to receive the Doughboy Classic trophy, hoisting it above their heads and cheering as they accepted the coveted prize and bragging rights for the next year.
Head coach Jason Gibson said the Doughboy Classic was a great ending to a good season.
"It feels great to win. I'm happy for the guys. This is a tight-knit group of guys and it's just euphoric," he said.
Gibson said the game was all about the Army.
"Foot by foot, yard by yard on the ground, that's the mantra of the Army. That's what they do and that's what we tried to do tonight. Just be hard-nosed and to end up pitching a shut out, that's great," he said.
This was the fourth Doughboy Classic for offensive lineman Kris Covington.
"I knew if we came together as a team, we were going to bring that trophy back," he said. "We had a pretty good season. We lost a lot of games that we should have won, but it all comes down to this game right here. This is what we fought for this year."
Covington said the case that houses the Doughboy Classic trophy had been lonely over the past year.
"But it's full now. That trophy is coming back where it belongs and where it's going to stay," he said.
The Doughboy Classic marked the end of the 2015 season for Fort Benning, and left the Doughboys with a 3-3 record.
"The three games we lost, we lost by less than five points in all three of them. It's been a tight game every game," Gibson said. "We should have won every single game, but there are restrictions on us as far as time allotted to be able to achieve that goal. Our goal, whether we practice one day a week or five days a week is to win every game, but we (finished strong) tonight."
For more photos of the Doughboy Classic, visit www.fortbenningphotos.com.
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