There was a new feel around West Point this spring.

"There's an entirely different attitude this year than there was last year," said quarterback Carson Williams during spring ball. "It's good to see. It's exciting. It gets everybody going. There's a lot more of a team mentality. I think it's going to go a long way."

Will it go all the way to the first winning season since 1996?

That's the question that remains as the Black Knights hit the weight room for the spring and summer.

Two decisions were made that could produce more wins. First, the program softened the schedule, getting out of games with Boston College, Georgia Tech and Tulsa. Then, Stan Brock, about to enter his second season at the Army helm, brought back the option offense.

Removed by Bobby Ross in 2004, the option -- some form of it, at least -- is designed to help a team compete that's built more on guts and guile than on size and speed. Navy, running its triple option, has led the country in rushing three straight years and has been to five straight bowl games. Army hasn't had a sniff of either of those numbers.

Now, the Knights will be able to throw something different at opponents.

"I hope people don't start thinking just because you run the wishbone, now Army is going to win seven or eight games," says Mike Mayweather, Army's all-time leading rusher, who did his running out of that formation. "That's not what it means at all. But you are using an option, which is better for the academies."

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