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Athlon Sports
Army Football: 2024 Black Knights Season Preview and Prediction
By Athlon Sports,
2 days ago
The Black Knights’ first season in the American Athletic Conference should be interesting. Their brand of option football found a groove at the end of last season. While concerns about the long-term effectiveness of that strategy are still there, their current personnel have shown that they’re comfortable with that approach. They may not contend for the AAC title, but they may be the top service academy once again.
Prior to last season, Army looked to change things up from its traditional under-center option offense and work in more passing and shotgun formations. It didn’t have the results that head coach Jeff Monken hoped for, and he returned to the more traditional looks in the latter weeks of the season. Army won four straight to finish 6-6, and offensive coordinator Drew Thatcher was replaced by Cody Worley in the offseason.
Thanks to that traditional style, the Black Knights were once again near the top of FBS in terms of time of possession, averaging 32 minutes per game. That typically leaves opposing offenses minimal room for error if they’re only getting about eight possessions or fewer per game.
First-year starting quarterback Bryson Daily made waves throughout the year, finishing as the team’s leading rusher with 901 yards and seven touchdowns on the ground. Daily also threw seven touchdown passes with six interceptions. The senior returns to lead the offense in 2024 with another strong backfield headlined by veteran Tyrell Robinson and talented sophomore Kanye Udoh.
Army quarterback Bryson Daily accounted for more than 1,800 total yards and 14 touchdowns as the leader of Army’s option attack in 2023.
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Previewing Army’s Defense for 2024
Longtime defensive coordinator Nate Woody had the Black Knights’ defense playing its best football in the final four games of the 2023 season. After forcing eight turnovers through the first eight weeks, the Knights generated 11 in those last four contests, including six against Air Force and two against Navy. In that Navy win, linebacker Kalib Fortner was named the MVP after returning a fumble 44 yards for a touchdown. The Tennessee native will be a key contributor again after showing his incredible value last year as a sophomore.
Another leader of the defense will be senior safety Max DiDomenico. Last season, DiDomenico had 53 tackles with two interceptions and a forced fumble, including an interception in the win over Navy that clinched the Commander-In-Chief’s Trophy.
Army head coach Jeff Monken has flipped the script in his program’s biggest rivalry game, winning six of the last eight matchups against Navy including a 17-11 victory in 2023.
Danny Wild&solUSA TODAY Sports
Previewing Army’s Specialists for 2024
In the return game, the sure-handed Robinson is the primary guy, but expect multiple players to once again help out in that aspect. The Army punt team was very solid in 2023 with just one touchback and two blocks on 44 attempts. Junior placekicker Charlie Barnett will see his role increase thanks to the graduation of Cole Talley and Quinn Maretzki.
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