Army Welcomes Elite Playmaker Back to Starting Lineup Against North Texas

The undefeated Black Night get a huge boost on offense against the Mean Green.

Oct 19, 2024; West Point, New York, USA; Army Black Knights quarterback Bryson Daily (13) hands a ball to Army Black Knights running back Kanye Udoh (6) during the second half against the East Carolina Pirates at Michie Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Lucas Boland-Imagn Images / Lucas Boland-Imagn Images

Undefeated and potential College Football Playoff Cinderellas Army have passed every test to this point. The Black Knights are 8-0 and are full-steam ahead aiming for the American Athletic Conference Championship. After missing last week's 20-3 win over Air Force, Heisman Trophy darkhorse Bryson Daily will be back against North Texas.

Sources: Army quarterback Bryson Daily will return against North Texas today and will start for the No. 25 Cadets. Daily missed the team’s win over Air Force last week with an undisclosed injury. https://t.co/huclXuoIz0

— Pete Thamel (@PeteThamel) November 9, 2024

Daily has been elite for the Black Knights to this point in the season. The senior quarterback has amassed 909 yards and leads the AAC with 19 touchdowns on the ground. Those 19 touchdowns are also good for third-most in all of college football.

Through the air, Daily is 27/47 for 629 yards and seven touchdowns.

He missed last week's win over Air Force for an undisclosed reason but returned to practice this week. After being limited for most of the week, Daily was a full participant in yesterday's practice.

It was Dewayne Coleman who led the Black Knights to victory last week with 42 yards off 16 rushes and 48 yards through the air.

In eight wins, the Black Knights have the top rushing offense in the nation with 340.1 yards per game on the ground. They are also scoring at a high rate, checking in with the ninth-best scoring offense with 39.6 points per game. Defensively, Army leads the nation while allowing just 11.2 points per game.

In the first season of being tied to a conference since 2004, Army sits atop the AAC standings. Additionally, Army was slotted in as the 25th-ranked team in the initial College Football Playoff committee rankings. The Black Knights are the second-highest-ranked Group of 5 program after Boise State (12th). In the AP Poll, Army is 18th.

Army is a 5.5-point favorite against the Mean Green and owns a 5-2 mark all-time. North Texas won the most recent matchup in 2017 in a close barnburner, 52-49. Daily's return should give the Black Knights a spark to lock up the program's fifth nine-win season since 2017.