Army Black Knights Lose Perfect Season Against Notre Dame in Disappointing Showdown

The Black Knights never found their groove against the Fighting Irish.

Nov 23, 2024; New York, New York, USA; Army Black Knights quarterback Bryson Daily (13) pitches the ball to running back Samari Howard (27) during the second half against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images / Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

Army West Point (9-1) is coming out of their historic matchup against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish (10-1) with a mark on their perfect record. In a highly-anticipated game taking place at Yankee Stadium, both teams had something to prove in this age-old rivalry, but Notre Dame controlled the game from the very start.

After only four minutes of play, Notre Dame had scored their first touchdown of the night with the extra point.

Notre Dame came into this came with the upperhand, holding tight to their all-time winning record of 39-8-4 against the Army. This year, both teams are nationally ranked; Army No. 19, Notre Dame No. 6. Army is also currently sitting at No. 1 in the AAC rankings.

The defensive work of the Army could only do so much against Notre Dame's fired up offense, totaling 462 yards; 189 of those passing and 273 of those rushing. Army's numbers barely held a candle to them, with their total passing yards equalling a mere 26 yards.

Army's first touchdown came from quarterback Bryson Daily, running for four yards into the endzone early in the 2nd quarter. Following this TD and extra point, Army was down 7-14 until Notre Dame's Jeremiyah Love scored on a 14-yard run just two possessions after the Army TD.

With Notre Dame's defense challenging Army's offensive line, Daily was unable complete more than 50% of his passing attempts. Daily also fumbled the ball late in the 2nd quarter, forced by Leonard Moore, to be recovered by Notre Dame's Jack Kiser.

Love's total of 130 yards in seven carries for 3 TDs buried the Army's hopes of a comeback pretty early in the game. The Black Knights only put up their second touchdown in the final seconds of the 4th quarter with a rush of two yards from Daily.

The Army took their 14-49 loss with grace, playing with energy until the very end. This loss for the Black Knights was a tough one, but their two most important games have yet to be played. The Army will play in an AAC matchup against No. 20 Tulane on Dec. 6 and will then move on to their major rivalry against the Navy on Dec. 14.

The Army remains a contender for post-season play, as long as they can remain ranked above Tulane. Notre Dame will most likely move on to become a top five team in the next poll with this win and No. 5 Indiana's loss.