Army quarterback Bryson Daily honored as top offensive player in American Athletic again

Bryson Daily has the support of the Corps. Now it’s up to the college football writers.

Daily was serenated with chants of “Heisman” by his fellow cadets at West Point’s Michie Stadium on Saturday because of the impact he’s had on the 6-0 Black Knights .

And as if his impressive statistics aren’t enough to put him in the talk for college football’s most prestigious award, then it’s plays that he put forth in a 44-10 win over Alabama Birmingham .

The game was barely a minute old when Daily called his own number after the Blazers put Army in tremendous field position following a failed fourth-down conversion. With the ball at the UAB 29, Daily headed left and put a stiff-arm to the facemask of would-be defender OC Brothers – making him a social media video star – and utilizing a late block by Liam Fortner for the score just 82 seconds into the contest.

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“I didn’t hear them,’’ Daily said of the chants, “but I love the support of the Corps. They’ve been awesome cheering for us this season.’’

But Daily was hardly done.

He totaled 12 runs in all, posting 136 yards and a career-high four scores. He also followed up a 5-for-5 passing effort at Tulsa to complete three throws, with two long receptions to his classmate and friend Casey Reynolds, including a thrilling 50-yard scoring strike down the middle.

Daily was named the American Athletic Conference offensive player of the week for the second time in a row and gained recognition with his third nomination to the Davey O’Brien Great 8 list

Daily acknowledged it’s “a good feeling’’ to have his name bandied about for the Heisman.

“It’s just a testament to how good our offensive line and how good everybody’s playing right now, just allowing a player like me to have the success I’ve gotten to have. It tells you how good the guys are around me.’’

Army is the top rushing team in the nation at 369.8 yards per game, 74 yards ahead of runner-up Navy. The 6.87 yards per carry trails only Boise State (7.69) and sits ahead of Kansas State, Navy and Notre Dame.

Daily’s favorite scoring run was his second. From the 13, Daily followed a block by running back Kanye Udoh and had momentum to slip through two defenders at the 5, diving into the end zone for a 20-3 lead in the first quarter.

The idea of Army quarterbacks getting the bulk of carries in the long-established option offense is not new at West Point but Daily is become extremely efficient. Following a 78-yard (with two touchdowns) effort against Lehigh, Daily has followed with 117 at Florida Atlantic; 145 against Rice (3 TD); 152 at Temple (3 TD); 110 at Tulsa (2 TD); and, 136 vs. UAB (4 TD). He has 738 yards on 107 carries and 14 scores. He is averaging 6.9 yards per carry.

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Nationally, Daily leads all quarterbacks and ranks third in rushing touchdowns with 14 (three ahead of Alabama’s Jalen Milroe) and third in scoring with 84 points. He ranks seventh in rushing yards (trailing six running backs) and leads QB runner-up Blake Horvath of Navy by 173 yards.

Army hosts East Carolina in a noon start on Saturday, featured on ESPN2.

kmcmillan@th-record.com

X / Twitter: @KenMcMillanTHR

This article originally appeared on Times Herald-Record: Army quarterback Bryson Daily honored as top offensive player in American Athletic again