text: By DAVID GINSBURG, Associated Press — Dec 2nd, 2005
  Navy's Adam Ballard runs after taking a handoff from quarterback Lamar owens a recent gane. The Midshipmen play Army on Saturday with the coveted Commander-In-Chief's trophy on the line. Matthew S. Gunby | Associated Press
  ANNAPOLIS, Md. The first option in Navy's three-pronged running attack was not the team's initial choice to fill the position.
  Sophomore Adam Ballard took over for injured fullback Matt Hall three weeks ago and will get his second career start Saturday against Army. Although Ballard was used sparingly before his ascension on the depth chart, his presence in the backfield does not represent a sharp drop-off in talent — as evidenced by his 167-yard rushing effort against Temple on Nov. 19.
  Ballard and Hall arrived at summer practice eager to fill the void left by the departure of standout Kyle Eckel, who ran for 179 yards in last year's Army-Navy game. The duel was fairly even before Ballard strained his right hamstring in August and missed a week of workouts.
  By the time he returned, Hall had become a fixture in the offense.
  "I was really upset because I stayed here all summer and really worked hard," said Ballard, who lives in Texas. "I kind of felt it slip away from me, all in one moment."
  He got the starting job in precisely the same fashion. On Hall's first carry against Notre Dame, he tore the ACL and MCL ligaments in his left knee and was lost for the season.
  In stepped Ballard, who didn't exactly get off to a roaring start. He tiptoed through the hole on his first carry, and Navy coach Paul Johnson promptly scolded him on the sideline during the nationally televised game.
  "Yeah, I got a few calls about that," Ballard said. "I've been playing football since I was 8. It wasn't the first time a coach has yelled at me, and it won't be the last."
  Ballard ran for 45 yards and a touchdown in nine carries, then shredded Temple for 200 total yards in a 38-17 victory. Now he's poised to start against Army in a game Navy must win to retain the coveted Commander-In-Chief's trophy.
  "Anytime I get a chance to play, I'm excited," he said. "But this is Army-Navy, and the trophy's on the line. It's not just another game."
  Ballard never expected to be in this position after losing out to Hall, yet he never once lamented his fate.
  "Adam understood. For the most part, his demeanor was fine," fullbacks coach Chris Culton said.
  Next year, if Hall's knee heals properly, the two will go at it again. Hall has never heard of Wally Pipp — who lost his job after being replaced by Lou Gehrig — but he knows it won't be easy to regain the starting role.
  "The way he's playing, who knows?" Hall said with an uneasy grin.
  A year ago, Culton was confident that Eckel would have a huge game against the hated Cadets. He can only hope that the 6-foot-1, 240-pound Ballard can come close to enjoying similar success.
  "The guy we had the past couple years had the makeup. Adam Ballard is a self-motivated individual, but he has never been in that kind of spotlight," Culton said. "Matt Hall was unproven, too. I'm extremely eager to see what happens. You'd think he'd do well, based on what he did in his last game, but you never know."
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