The Black Knights did about all we could ask through the first maybe 35 minutes of their game at Syracuse this afternoon. They dominated both the line of scrimmage and time-of-possession on offense, forced three-and-outs and an interception on defense, just missed a second interception that probably would have gone for six on the Cuse’s first drive, and they even forced a turnover on downs. Through the first half of the game, the Black Knights put together 149 yards of total offense, including 129 yards rushing on 3.9 yards/carry. That came against one of the very best rushing defenses in all of college football. It netted the Army Team 10 first downs, a perfect conversion rate on 4th downs through three tries, and a 10-3 lead.
Final score. pic.twitter.com/2C206GezKr
— Army Football (@ArmyWP_Football) September 23, 2023
The problem, unfortunately, was that we had to play two halves of football. Once Syracuse adjusted following their failed 4th down conversion to start the 3rd quarter, Army slowly but surely ran out of answers. The inside running lanes that had been open so consistently through the first half all closed up, and the Black Knights could neither find an answer running outside nor complete enough passes down the field to open the middle back up. Part of that owes to the reality that Syracuse defenders matched up successfully one-on-one against Army receivers, and part of it came down to inaccurate passes to receivers that maybe could’ve made something happen in space. We should probably note as well that Syracuse’s pass rush got consistent pressure all game long.
Army held the ball for 23:24 in the first half. After the break, though, the Orange damn-near evened that out. QB Bryson Daily finished 9/21 throwing the ball with 2 a last-stand 80-yard touchdown pass that brought the ‘Cuse starters back into the game. Alas, he also threw 2 desperation picks late in the game. He probably needed to complete something like 5 more downfield passes — mostly early in the 2nd half — in order to keep the ‘Cuse defense honest when it counted. They hit those passes last week and kept UTSA’s defense honest. Missing this week cost them between the tackles.
Daily → Short = TD
— Army Football (@ArmyWP_Football) September 23, 2023
📺 @accnetwork pic.twitter.com/URf77R6z5G
Alas, things got ugly in the early 4th quarter.
We saw a horrid injury to Army DL Andre Miller start the final period, ‘Cuse coming back to immediately score and make it a 16-point game on the very next play, then a couple of bad desperation picks. The Black Knights fought valiantly, but Syracuse slowly put the game away from there.
This was not the finish we were looking for after such an outstanding start. Army never landed that killing blow early, and the Orange hung tough through tough times. They kept the game within reach during the first half and then put the hammer down right when Army needed to do that same thing. There will surely be some things to build coming out of this one for the Army Team, but that was still a tough way to finish after a truly great start.
Top shots from the first half. pic.twitter.com/9E8mQGgMMF
— Army Football (@ArmyWP_Football) September 23, 2023
Looking Forward
Army has a bye this week, thankfully. They’ll need to regroup mentally and emotionally, I’m sure. After that, the Black Knights host Boston College and then Troy, both of whom appear to have rebounded after questionable starts.
Unfortunately, friends, Army is going to need both of those games. Being 2-2 after this four-game stretch is hardly a disaster, but there are still plenty of pitfalls ahead. Games at LSU and a very good-looking Air Force team plus a second FCS game that won’t help for bowl eligibility. The Black Knights will need to find some answers before they hit the field for their upcoming two-game homestand.
The good news is that there’s still plenty of football left to play. However, Army will need to get hot again and make it happen from here on out.
Some pics from the game pic.twitter.com/CVXNJGVN53
— dabus36 (@TwardyMike) September 23, 2023
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