Army Aims For Win Over UTSA Saturday
By John ChuhranCaMMVets Media
West Point, N.Y. – At West Point, there is no time to dwell on the past, though there is time to analyze it and use it to improve for the future.
The Black Knights (9-1, 7-0 in the American Athletic Conference) were utterly dominated by Notre Dame last Saturday night, falling 49-14 at Yankee Stadium. With the loss, Army fell from No. 18 to No. 25 in the Associated Press NCAA College Football rankings. More importantly, the Army loss combined with a win by AAC rival Tulane (9-2, 7-0) to help the Green Wave rise from No.18 to No.20.
“I’m proud of our guys and their effort all the way through [the Notre Dame game],” said Army Head Coach Jeff Monken. “There wasn't one long face on the sideline. Our guys continued to battle and continued to compete through the entire game. I know that's not much for the end result, but I'm very happy with the fight in our team and the culture that this team has – it just that kept those guys going all the way through. It's hard not to be discouraged when you're going through something like that, but the fight and the toughness and the effort remained.
“Hopefully, that'll carry us through this week. We get another outstanding football team – they’ve won three games in a row beat an outstanding Memphis team that was ranked in the top 25, beating North Texas who we saw a few weeks ago – an excellent team, and just beat Temple very handily. They're a good team and playing very well right now.”
Though no one at Army likes to pay attention to the rankings during the season, the change in the positions means that Army no longer controls its own destiny in determining who hosts the AAC Championship Game December 6 (8 PM kickoff on ABC TV). If the Green Wave to loses to visiting Memphis (9-2, 5-2) on Thanksgiving day (6:30 PM kickoff on ESPN) and Army defeats the visiting University of Texas at San Antonio (6-5, 4-3) this Saturday (12 noon kickoff on CBS Sports Network), Army would host the title game, but both results must occur to stage an extra game at Michie Stadium. So, a lot of eyes at West Point will be watching TV while enjoying Thanksgiving dinner.
Army Head coach Jeff Monken knows that he cannot control what other teams do, so he is focusing on making sure that Army plays its best and comes away with a win over the Roadrunners. All attention is on preparing for the upcoming opponent – UTSA.
The mediocre UTSA record is deceptive because it took a while for all the pieces to work together. Recently, the visitors have become anything but a pushover. The Roadrunners current three-game winning streak began with a 44-36 win over Memphis on November 2; that win helped knock the Tigers (ranked No. 25 before the loss) out of contention for the AAC title game. UTSA has topped 500 yards of total offense in each of its last two wins (over home-state rival North Texas and Temple), and gained more than 300 yards rushing in the process – the first time in school history that the team has turned the trick in back-to-back games.
In last week’s triumph over Temple, UTSA rushed for 309 yards, Robert Henry Jr. paced the ground attack with 178 yards (seventh highest in a single game in UTSA history) and two touchdowns on 16 carries. The senior running back averaged 11.1 yards per attempt and broke through for single gain of 88 yards (the second-longest run in the UTSA record book).Quarterback Owen McCown completed 20 of 27 passes for 220 yards and a TD and also demonstrated his running ability with a 75-yard TD dash in the first half. Chris Carpenter also made history, as the senior from Jacksonville, FL returned a kickoff 97 yards for a touchdown, equaling his 97-yard kickoff return TD against Texas Southern two years ago that still sits as the longest in program history. The two hottest players on defense for the Roadrunners are Jimmori Robinson, who set single-game school records for sacks (4) and tackles for loss (5.5) a week ago against the Owls, and Zah Frazier, who has grabbed two interceptions in both of the last two games; he has nabbed a pair of opponents pass attempts three times this season. Senior inside linebacker Martavius French is the heart of the UTSA defense with 68 total tackles — 20 more than the next-closest player — 13.5 tackles-for- loss (second on the squad), a sack, three pass breakups and a trio of quarterback hurries. In its most recent win, UTSA set a new school record for tackles-for-loss (16). UTSA also pushed its streak of consecutive games with both a sack and takeaway to 21.
By John ChuhranCaMMVets Media
West Point, N.Y. – At West Point, there is no time to dwell on the past, though there is time to analyze it and use it to improve for the future.
The Black Knights (9-1, 7-0 in the American Athletic Conference) were utterly dominated by Notre Dame last Saturday night, falling 49-14 at Yankee Stadium. With the loss, Army fell from No. 18 to No. 25 in the Associated Press NCAA College Football rankings. More importantly, the Army loss combined with a win by AAC rival Tulane (9-2, 7-0) to help the Green Wave rise from No.18 to No.20.
“I’m proud of our guys and their effort all the way through [the Notre Dame game],” said Army Head Coach Jeff Monken. “There wasn't one long face on the sideline. Our guys continued to battle and continued to compete through the entire game. I know that's not much for the end result, but I'm very happy with the fight in our team and the culture that this team has – it just that kept those guys going all the way through. It's hard not to be discouraged when you're going through something like that, but the fight and the toughness and the effort remained.
“Hopefully, that'll carry us through this week. We get another outstanding football team – they’ve won three games in a row beat an outstanding Memphis team that was ranked in the top 25, beating North Texas who we saw a few weeks ago – an excellent team, and just beat Temple very handily. They're a good team and playing very well right now.”
Though no one at Army likes to pay attention to the rankings during the season, the change in the positions means that Army no longer controls its own destiny in determining who hosts the AAC Championship Game December 6 (8 PM kickoff on ABC TV). If the Green Wave to loses to visiting Memphis (9-2, 5-2) on Thanksgiving day (6:30 PM kickoff on ESPN) and Army defeats the visiting University of Texas at San Antonio (6-5, 4-3) this Saturday (12 noon kickoff on CBS Sports Network), Army would host the title game, but both results must occur to stage an extra game at Michie Stadium. So, a lot of eyes at West Point will be watching TV while enjoying Thanksgiving dinner.
Army Head coach Jeff Monken knows that he cannot control what other teams do, so he is focusing on making sure that Army plays its best and comes away with a win over the Roadrunners. All attention is on preparing for the upcoming opponent – UTSA.
The mediocre UTSA record is deceptive because it took a while for all the pieces to work together. Recently, the visitors have become anything but a pushover. The Roadrunners current three-game winning streak began with a 44-36 win over Memphis on November 2; that win helped knock the Tigers (ranked No. 25 before the loss) out of contention for the AAC title game. UTSA has topped 500 yards of total offense in each of its last two wins (over home-state rival North Texas and Temple), and gained more than 300 yards rushing in the process – the first time in school history that the team has turned the trick in back-to-back games.
In last week’s triumph over Temple, UTSA rushed for 309 yards, Robert Henry Jr. paced the ground attack with 178 yards (seventh highest in a single game in UTSA history) and two touchdowns on 16 carries. The senior running back averaged 11.1 yards per attempt and broke through for single gain of 88 yards (the second-longest run in the UTSA record book).Quarterback Owen McCown completed 20 of 27 passes for 220 yards and a TD and also demonstrated his running ability with a 75-yard TD dash in the first half. Chris Carpenter also made history, as the senior from Jacksonville, FL returned a kickoff 97 yards for a touchdown, equaling his 97-yard kickoff return TD against Texas Southern two years ago that still sits as the longest in program history. The two hottest players on defense for the Roadrunners are Jimmori Robinson, who set single-game school records for sacks (4) and tackles for loss (5.5) a week ago against the Owls, and Zah Frazier, who has grabbed two interceptions in both of the last two games; he has nabbed a pair of opponents pass attempts three times this season. Senior inside linebacker Martavius French is the heart of the UTSA defense with 68 total tackles — 20 more than the next-closest player — 13.5 tackles-for- loss (second on the squad), a sack, three pass breakups and a trio of quarterback hurries. In its most recent win, UTSA set a new school record for tackles-for-loss (16). UTSA also pushed its streak of consecutive games with both a sack and takeaway to 21.
rmy is averaging 33.1 points and 401.2 yards per game (322.1 on the ground ) while allowing 14.2 points and 292.7 yards per contest. Army also leads the nation in avg. time of possession (35:21), fewest interceptions thrown (1), fewest QB sacks allowed, and Best Red Zone Defense. Bryson Dailey spearheads the top rushing attack in FBS play with 1,201 yards and 23 touchdowns on 213 attempts while also throwing for 670 yards and seven TD on 33-of-59 passing. Kanye Udoh has piled up 891 yards and nine scores on the ground as he looks for his first 1,000-yard rushing season. Casey Reynolds (336 yards) and Noah Short (270) are tied for the Black Knights’ lead in receptions (7 each). Defensively, Andon Thomas paces Army with 65 tackles, while Kalib Fortner has a team-high 7.5 tackles-for-loss.
While winning the game is the priority, Monken also recognizes that Saturday’s game against UTSA is also Senior Day where the senior players and their families are honored for their efforts and contributions to West Point.
“The way this senior class has led our program is as good as any senior class I've ever been a part of,” Monken said. “That leaves a legacy for the guys coming behind them – the juniors and sophomores, and freshman we have in our program now – to watch these guys lead and to watch how they've handled success, how they've handled defeat. Our younger players are learning lessons not only about leadership and football but also leadership in their careers beyond and in their lives beyond. That's an important legacy, not just the success on the field, which we've had a lot this year.
“To be here at this point in the season and still have a chance to play for a conference championship, a CIC (Comander-In-Chief’s) championship and a Bowl championship is pretty fantastic for this group of seniors. So, I’m very proud of them and I love these guys very much. Hopefully, we can play really, really well together one more time here at Michie Stadium.”
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While winning the game is the priority, Monken also recognizes that Saturday’s game against UTSA is also Senior Day where the senior players and their families are honored for their efforts and contributions to West Point.
“The way this senior class has led our program is as good as any senior class I've ever been a part of,” Monken said. “That leaves a legacy for the guys coming behind them – the juniors and sophomores, and freshman we have in our program now – to watch these guys lead and to watch how they've handled success, how they've handled defeat. Our younger players are learning lessons not only about leadership and football but also leadership in their careers beyond and in their lives beyond. That's an important legacy, not just the success on the field, which we've had a lot this year.
“To be here at this point in the season and still have a chance to play for a conference championship, a CIC (Comander-In-Chief’s) championship and a Bowl championship is pretty fantastic for this group of seniors. So, I’m very proud of them and I love these guys very much. Hopefully, we can play really, really well together one more time here at Michie Stadium.”
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