Not a subscriber to GBK? There’s no better time than now as the Army Black Knights take their 6-5 record for their December 10th head-to-head with their academy rival the Navy Midshipmen, but also gearing up for a bowl game this 2016-17 football campaign.
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In preparation for the upcoming Army-Navy game, GoBlackKnights.com continues our interview of Army Black Knights, to get their perspective and insights on the game.
We wrap up our Q&A series with an interview of the most senior of seniors when it comes to playing against Navy and that is wide receiver turned safety, Xavier Moss. The 6-foot-2, 197 pounder who is from Houston, Texas will be making his fourth start against the Midshipmen this year ... twice as a receiver and twice from his safety spot.
Moss’s Career Stats
2013: Started all 12 games as a plebe and led all receivers with 35 receptions for 463 yards and 1 TD. Accounted for all 5 Army receptions against Navy for 50 yards that year.
2014: Started all 12 games, and finished second behind Edgar Poe in receiving with 6 catches for 62 yards and 2 TDs. Moss had no receptions against Navy.
2015: Asked for an opportunity to try out for safety in spring practice and earned the starting job, while continuing to make cameo appearances as a wide receiver in do-or-die passing situations. Moss’s biggest contribution was in doing what the position-name Safety implies as he used his speed to catch open runners and receivers before they could make it to the end zone. Moss finished third in tackles with 67 and was credited with 6 passes defended and 1 INT. Had 5 tackles and 1 pass breakup vs Navy.
2016: Moss is currently third on team in total tackles with 50 including 2 TFLs. He has 1 INT and 5 pass breakups.
THE INTERVIEW:
GBK: You have one last opportunity to do two things you’ve never done before, win a bowl game and Beat Navy. How do you rate each of these in importance to you, and why?
Moss:
Obviously Navy is the most important right now, and really haven’t been thinking about the bowl game at all.
We’re thinking about Navy and that’s what we are practicing for and working hard for everyday. So, I would say that Navy game is the utmost important thing to us right now. Everybody is talking about it and that’s what we are focused on. We really don’t talk about the bowl game at all ... we have to beat Navy first, so we are excited about that.
GBK: When did you first watch an Army-Navy game, and how much did the game influence your decision to attend West Point?
Moss:
I watched a couple when I was younger, but I didn’t fully understand the importance of it just because I was younger and from Houston, Texas and that’s pretty far from both academies. But, in my senior year I watched it and it was amazing and it influenced me in wanting to be a part of something like that.
So, pretty much my senior year it really clicked to me how big of game it was.
GBK: Navy is ranked in the Top 25. What are the most important things you have to do to beat them this year, and what are you as seniors doing to make that happen?
Moss:
We have to stay disciplined, focus on our individual assignments ... I feel that is the most important thing. But as a senior, making sure that everybody is focused on their assignment and not focused on what everyone else is doing, or what the offense is doing but focusing on what we are doing on the defense individually.
That means do our own job ... our own 1/11th.
GBK: You made a decision prior to your junior football season to request a change of positions from wide receiver to safety. If you had to do it all over again, would you; and what did you learn about yourself as a ball player during that transition that perhaps you didn’t know before?
Moss:
First, I would absolutely do it all over again and second, that’s a tough one ... nothing glaring. But, I would say that you play all around every single play and can’t take any plays off because you never know what’s going to happen.
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