Army Football: Black Knights Move To 3-0, Obliterate Rice in West Point

Joe Londergan | Sep 21, 2024

Aug 30, 2024; West Point, New York, USA; Army Black Knights quarterback Bryson Daily (13) throws a pass during warmups before the first half against the Lehigh Mountain Hawks at Michie Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Danny Wild-Imagn Images / Danny Wild-Imagn Images

Continuing their first season in the American Athletic Conference, Jeff Monken's Army Black Knights are 3-0 with two wins over conference mates. Their latest victory came Saturday on a beautiful day at Michie Stadium as they grounded the Rice Owls 37-14.

The defense picked off EJ Warner twice and Army quarterback Bryson Daily was responsible for five total touchdowns - three on the ground, five through the air. Here's what else stood out in the dominant day for Army.

Anti-Air Defenses

It's been tough going for EJ Warner since he transferred to Rice from Temple. In this contest, Warner did throw two touchdowns, but they came after the game was out of reach. The Army defense kept him to 28 completions on 43 attempts for 235 yards. As mentioned, the Black Knights picked him off twice, but Warner salvaged some pride late in the game with two second-half touchdown passes. Those interceptions came from Baylor Newsom and Andon Thomas.

Winning The TOP Battle

It likely comes as little surprise that Army was able to run the ball 56 times for 288 yards on Saturday. Daily was the Black Knights' leading rusher with 145 yards on 23 carries.

All four of Army's first half possessions ended in touchdowns. The Black Knights with 19 minutes and 50 seconds more time of possession than their opponents.

"We're going to try to methodically move the ball down the field. We don't get impatient. So they know that there's going to be limited possessions," Monken said postgame. "If we can get a lead, then I think that, one, gives us some confidence, and two, I think that puts some pressure on the other team to feel like they've got to score because of the limited possessions."

Seven In A Row

With seven consecutive wins dating back to last season, the Black Knights are tied for the longest active streak in FBS. They will try to keep it going later this week with a short trip to Philadelphia and a matchup with Temple on Thursday night on ESPN.

---

More Reading Material from On SI

PODCAST: Northern Illinois QB Ethan Hampton Talks Notre Dame Upset & More

Gio Lopez and South Alabama Dominate App State 48-14 in Thursday Sun Belt Clash

PODCAST: What Now For The Pac-12 and Mountain West? Realignment Roundtable