As we wrote in our preview, we expected the Army Black Knights to rush to victory. They did so with ease, and that Independence Bowl win for Army set a program record. The 2024 season marks the first time in program history that Army won twelve games.
Independence Bowl Win for Army Sets Program Record
In a world of ever-changing rules to accommodate a new structure for player freedom and player compensation, the military academies face unique challenges. Their players are not as free to transfer. Their players cannot earn NIL compensation due to ethics rules applicable uniquely to the service academies. For better or worse, then, the academies are stuck with the old rules. In some ways, their success this season as a whole bucks the trend enveloping college football and might suggest that allowing players to gel as a team and develop over a course of several years offers unique competitive advantages that the transfer portal and the mercenary system cannot replicate.
Regardless the ingredients, the sausage has been made. With the Independence Bowl win for Army, the program set a program record for the most wins in a single season with twelve. Predictably, they dominated on the ground to get there.
Let’s talk first about Bryson Daily. Ultimately, he finished sixth in Heisman voting. While not enough to get an invite to the award ceremony, the achievement itself remains as stellar as his season. Despite missing the game against Air Force, Daily finished the regular season with over 1,500 rushing yards and 29 touchdowns. The first mark led the AAC, and the second mark led the nation. Paving the way for the Army rushing attack, he also averaged just shy of five-and-a-half yards per carry. Despite not throwing the ball much, Daily added about 950 yards through the air and nine more touchdowns.
In the Independence Bowl, Daily added 65 passing yards, 127 rushing yards, and 3 rushing touchdowns. This bring his totals for the season up to 1,007 passing yards, 1,659 rushing yards, 32 rushing touchdowns, and 9 passing touchdowns. Those numbers are certainly worth celebrating on their own, particularly as Daily set the FBS record for single-season touchdowns by a quarterback.
Army Jumps Out to Big Lead Early
Based on the way Army plays, getting behind early often guarantees the outcome. In the Independence Bowl, the script played out just that way. Army took a 14-0 lead by the end of the first quarter and never looked back. By the end of the half, in fact, Army extended that lead to a 21-3 margin. For a team that runs the ball 60 times a game and controls the clock as well as Army does under Jeff Monken, that lead was simply insurmountable. As they have done so often under Monken, the Black Knights controlled the game from start to finish.
Now, we can say that Army got the benefit of a replacement team. After all, Louisiana Tech was not supposed to be here; Marshall was. After their substantial losses to the transfer portal, however, Marshall withdrew from the game, leaving Army to face the 5-7 Bulldogs. That said, Monken celebrated his senior leadership for responding to adversity as well as they have, not just overcoming the loss to Navy a couple of weeks ago but also in overcoming two straight seasons at 6-6 the last two years. Monken said his players “responded from a very emotional and difficult loss two weeks ago with a great effort.”
That effort led to 321 rushing yards in their 27-7 victory over the Bulldogs. The Black Knights’ defense also held Louisiana Tech to just 49 rushing yards on 22 attempts for a stifling two yards per carry. It is certainly safe to say Army controlled the trenches. With that, the Independence Bowl win for Army closes out a phenomenal 2024 campaign for the Black Knights and its seniors.
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