Army West Point Black Knights Must Contain Tulane Rushing Attack

The Army West Point Black Knights must step up in the trenches if they want to take down the Tulane Green Wave.

Nov 23, 2024; New York, New York, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish running back Aneyas Williams (20) scores a rushing touchdown as Army Black Knights defensive back Josiah Banks (25) pursues during the second half at Yankee Stadium. / Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

The Army West Point Black Knights must be better in one particular area against the Tulane Green Wave than they were in the matchup with the Notre Dame Fighting Irish.

In previewing the upcoming American Athletic Conference championship game, Pro Football Focus' Max Chadwick and Dalton Wasserman highlighted the fact that the Black Knights will need to contain the powerful run game of the Green Wave if they hope to make it competitive.

When looking at the recent Army loss to the Fighting Irish, one big stat jumps out. Notre Dame picked up 273 rushing yards on just 29 attempts. That is an absurd 9.4 yards per carry. It is simply unsustainable when trying to stay within striking distance, which the Black Knights were unable to do.

Overall, the Army run defense has been at least solid this season. They have allowed the 11th-fewest rushing yards this season. A large part of that, however, is the fact that they have seen 47 less rushing plays against them than any other school in the country.

The Black Knights allow 3.99 yards per carry this season, which is closer to the middle of the nation. It's not bad, but can be if a team chooses to attack the trenches.

Sophomore defensive end Elo Modozie has been the team's highest-graded run defender this year per PFF. He has logged five tackles for a loss and almost half of his tackles have been stops in the run game. Modozie has also forced the defense's only fumble this year.

He and the rest of the defense will need to figure out what went wrong against the Fighting Irish and how to make sure it doesn't happen again, because Tulane is just about as good at running the ball.

They pick up five yards a carry and 212.9 yards per game thanks to a powerful offensive line and a superstar running back in Makhi Hughes.

Hughes is not only one of the best backs in the conference, but in all of college football.

The redshirt sophomore has picked up 1,306 yards with 5.4 per carry and 15 touchdowns. He doesn't factor much into things as a receiver, but is still dangerous on any play because they hand it to him over 20 times per game.

Big plays were a huge issue against Notre Dame for Army. Hughes is a threat to break off home run plays, but the Green Wave also draw up packages for their backup quarterback. Former Oregon Ducks passer Ty Thompson has 40 rushes this season for 243 yards and six touchdowns.

The Black Knights defensive front will need to bring their A-game during Friday night's AAC championship game.