Friends, we’re still in mid-October, and your Army Black Knights have already gotten bowl eligible. Indeed, Army has gotten off to its fastest start since 1996, and even the national media has noticed. We’re not even halfway through the season, and already this one feels like it might be special. Some of the stuff we’re now hearing from the national media would have sounded completely insane just four weeks ago.
We’re loving it as fans, but inside the locker room, they ought to have a different view. They face a tough and talented if inconsistent team this week in the East Carolina Pirates.
Make no mistake. This Pirates team is monumentally better than any opponent Army has faced so far this season. They’ve caught some tough breaks — many of their own making — but they are still just a handful of plays from being 5-1. In many ways, they now find themselves where Army was at this point last year. Last year’s Army Team went on to knock-off then-undefeated, world-beating Air Force at about this time in the season, too.
This ECU team could be a problem. Indeed, if the Black Knights don’t stay focused this Saturday and play their very best football, it most definitely will be.
AFF’s Keys to Victory against ECU
Though this is a game that Army most definitely should win, we’re hardly expecting an easy victory. Thus, in thinking about this week’s Keys to Victory, we tried to think about what made us nervous heading into Saturday.
Felt good to be back home.
— Army Football (@ArmyWP_Football) October 16, 2024
Game 6 Victory Reel 🎥 pic.twitter.com/dChWrT7tmq
Dominate Up Front
ECU’s biggest, best threat comes from its rushing defense. These guys have been on the field a lot this season, especially given the Pirates’ hurry-up offensive scheme, and yet, they’ve still mostly played very well for four full quarters. We saw this most poignantly in their home loss to App. State. The Mountaineers held the ball for every bit of forty minutes, and they stayed committed to the run throughout the contest, and yet ECU absolutely stonewalled the Mountaineers’ rushing attack throughout that game.
With this in mind, we should not expect Army’s offense to wear these guys down. That stays true regardless of how time-of-possession goes. Instead, we need to see the Black Knights O-Line take control of this game from the very start.
Friends, this won’t be a war of attrition; it will be a test of strength.
Army’s offensive line has played at a very high level all season. They have arguably the best group in the entire country with some of the highest rated players in all of college football. The Black Knights need those guys to fight and win from the very start. That is how Army wins this game. They don’t win by chipping away at ECU until Army has the advantage. Army wins by beating the Pirates one play at a time, starting with the first play from scrimmage.
Pressure the Quarterback
ECU’s offense has been inconsistent this season, but when they’re at their best, they run the ball to set up chunk passing plays down the field. This starts with QB Jake Garcia, who has gone 109/181 passing for 1,426 yards (60.2%) with 8 touchdown passes. The problem with that is that he’s also thrown 12 interceptions and taken 12 sacks. That is quite a lot on both counts in a little more than five games’ worth of work. Backup QB Katin Houser, a transfer from Michigan State, has been even more erratic, having completed just 45.2% of his passes with a pick and two sacks in extended action against Charlotte.
Army’s defense needs to make this work!
Garcia has taken at least two sacks in every FBS game the Pirates have played this season save Charlotte. Against Charlotte, the ECU coaching staff pulled him in favor of Houser, and then Houser took those two sacks.
Both of these guys are good players who sometimes get put into bad situations. When that happens, chaos ensues. Army’s defense must keep this streak going and get in the quarterback’s face, regardless of which quarterback comes out with ECU’s starters. The Black Knights must therefore stop the run and then either blitz or stunt to get guys free rushing into the backfield.
Take Advantage of Mistakes
As noted, ECU runs a super-hurry-up offense. They want to snap the ball every 12 to 15 seconds in order to prevent substitutions and create mismatches and/or defensive mistakes. Unfortunately, this scheme has created at least as many mistakes for the Pirates offense as it has for Pirates’ opponents.
When this offense is on, it’s unstoppable. However, it’s not always on. Instead, these quarterbacks have thrown a little more than two interceptions/game all season long. That was as true against FCS Norfolk State as it was against UTSA and Charlotte.
This offensive scheme will put pressure on Army’s defense. They’re gonna stress the Black Knights’ starters, forcing them to stay on the field for extended periods. The flipside of that, though, will be the opportunities created from all that hurry-up. If Army can take advantage of those opportunities and get a few takeaways, they will win this game. If they can’t, we’re in for a “cardiac cadets” style shootout against a very talented opponent.
Tune Out the Noise
The hype around Army Football has become very real this season. That’s great for the program but tough on the players’ focus. It’s not at all easy to be your best self when folks constantly tell you how great you are.
If the Black Knights can tune that noise out and play their best football this weekend, they ought to win this game. Maybe they even win comfortably, though that might not be the way to bet this week.
However. The team has a bye coming up next week, followed by Air Force. Notre Dame and North Texas loom on the horizon, and oh by the way, Navy is also undefeated. That plus talk of an undefeated season might make it tough to focus.
Army needs to focus on the here and now. This is not a trap game. ECU has a good football team. They are a serious opponent. That is why the Black Knights need to stay locked in and play their best football. Nothing in this contest will come easy.
Final thoughts
Friends, we’ve got a sold out game for a ranked Army Team at Michie Stadium. We haven’t seen this since 1960! Though the weather promises to be a bit chilly early, the game itself should see plenty of sun and temp’s in the 70s.
We’re living good. Enjoy it!
"We've got a bunch of tough guys that are playing really hard and executing pretty well..
— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) October 16, 2024
I can't say enough about the leadership in our locker room and I'm so impressed with this senior class" ~ @CoachJeffMonken #PMSLive pic.twitter.com/kqWlXOV8Zf
Remember, no one goes to an Army game to watch. We go to PARTICIPATE. Get loud, and help your team force some ECU mistakes. You do your part, and they’ll do theirs.
We’ll see you out there.
Go Army! Beat East Carolina!!!
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