After last week, I don’t think any of us knew quite what to expect from this Army Team. Sure, the offense looked good against an FCS opponent that won two games last year, and the defense played great in the Red Zone, giving up just 7 points.
In a vacuum, that looks great.
But how would this Army Team do against a real team? And in particular, against a team defense that held a major Big 10 powerhouse to just 16 points last week?
Friends, your Army Black Knights looked good this week. They looked very good.
Army ran for every bit of 405 yards on a whopping 7 yards/carry against a good defense that came well-prepared to stop the Midline Triple-Option. Army also played terrific team defense, frustrating FAU QB Cam Fancher and forcing him to play a disciplined game from inside the pocket. They made plays down the field and held strong against the run. And they did all of that in 92°+ heat with blazing sun and plenty of humidity — wearing all black uniforms! — on a day when it got hot enough that the FAU fanbase all but decided to just sit this one out.
We saw an impressive performance today. As we said, FAU’s defense came in with the Midline Option well-scouted. They bottled up the Fullback, forced Army QB Bryson Daily to pitch, and then chased the pitchman down in the backfield repeatedly. FAU’s defense actually played pretty well up to a point, but they didn’t get much help from their offense when it mattered.
Still, rather than just keep trying with something that wasn’t working, Army OC Cody Worley adjusted, shifting from the Midline plays to the Rocket Toss and Speed Option in order to get the ball outside, alongside a healthy dose of the Quarterback Counter. The Black Knights put virtually none of that on tape last week, and as a result, SB Noah Short ran wild. Short finished with 11 carries for a whopping 160 yards. That kind of success could only help open the middle back up, first for Daily running either counter or off-tackle and eventually for FBs Hayden Reed and Kanye Udoh, who finished with 21 carries collectively for 107 yards.
BOOM 💥
— Army Football (@ArmyWP_Football) September 7, 2024
Kanye Udoh scores his 3rd TD of the year! pic.twitter.com/DhnpA6HTAT
On defense, we saw a similar story. The Bad Boys bottled up the run, holding FAU running backs to 12 carries for 32 yards (2.6 yards/carry). They gave up plenty of quick outs to the sidelines, but they stayed disciplined in their rush lanes, keeping Fancher contained and forcing him to distribute the ball within the structure of his offensive system. TV commentary noted that Fancher looked like he was struggling to read the defense from within the pocket, and though he made a few nice throws, he had absolutely no success throwing down the field. He finished 25/37 passing for 193 yards, a touchdown, and a deep interception thrown straight into double coverage. He played his best in the second quarter, but as a whole, executing disciplined drives within structure is just not his particular strength. Army came well prepared to counter his best stuff, thereby forcing him repeatedly into uncomfortable positions.
This proved decisive.
In the end, the day’s heat and humidity probably worked for Army as much as it worked against them. The balance of the game remained very much up in the air until the 3rd quarter, when S Max DiDomenico intercepted that deep Fancher pass at the Army 4-yard-line. The Black Knights then mounted a 15-play, 96-yard drive that lasted more than 10 minutes and all but melted FAU’s defense in the blistering sun. By this point, the Black Knights offense had hit its stride, going for at least 5 yards on every carry no matter where it went. Even a handful of crazy penalties couldn’t stop them.
DiDomenico says 🚫 with the INT.
— Army Football (@ArmyWP_Football) September 7, 2024
📺 @CBSSportsNet pic.twitter.com/kCO88GcqvX
Army drove all the way down to the FAU 16 before a questionable penalty on a low block pushed them back to 2nd-and-20. Despite a pair of heroic runs from Daily, Army’s special team set up for a 33-yard field goal from the FAU 23. But they ran a fake, sending Firstie Holder Matthew Rhodes just outside a defender charging in for the block, and Rhodes took it all the way to the house! That made the score 24-7 with less than 14 minutes to play in the game, and whatever else might have happened, FAU’s defense had been well and truly cooked for the day.
Amazing game, friends. This was a total team victory. Offense, defense, and special teams all overcame challenges, all fought and won where it mattered, and all came through in the clutch. We still saw some mistakes, and indeed, this team still has plenty upon which it can improve. However, this game was not close, and that’s incredible considering that this team has not yet played its best ball — not by a longshot.
IT'S A FAKE 🤩 📺 @CBSSportsNet pic.twitter.com/SbUmXvOVNK
— Army Football (@ArmyWP_Football) September 7, 2024
Looking Forward
Army has a bye this week. They will then host Rice at Michie Stadium coming off a night road game at Houston. That ought to be a winnable game, but it is by no means a game that anyone should take for granted.
Rice returned an awful lot of players from last season and brought talented QB E.J. Warner over from Temple to lead their offense. That didn’t go particularly well in Week 1 against Sam Houston State, but this next Owls team has all the pieces it needs. They should get themselves together at some point pretty soon. And then they might be dangerous.
We’ll see you out there.
Go Army! Beat Rice!!!
Cover image via @ArmyWP_Football.
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