Army West Point Black Knights Offensive Stars To Watch Against Tulane

Here are some of the top offensive stars to watch for both the Army West Point Black Knights and the Tulane Green Wave on Friday.

Nov 23, 2024; New York, New York, USA; Army Black Knights running back Kanye Udoh (6) runs with the ball against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish during the first half at Yankee Stadium. / Danny Wild-Imagn Images

Two of the best rushing teams in the country will face each other when the Army West Point Black Knights host the Tulane Green Wave in the American Athletic Conference championship game on Friday.

Kickoff at Michie Stadium is set for 8 p.m. eastern, with the game to be broadcast on ABC.

Army (10-1, 8-0 in American) is No. 1 in rushing offense and the only team in the country rushing for at least 300 yards per game (312.5 ypg) while Tulane (9-3 7-1) is No. 12 at 212.9. Both teams average five yards per carry.

Both teams also average more than 33 minutes per game in time of possession, with Army leading the country at more than 35 minutes per game.

The Black Knights and the Green Wave want to do the same thing. They just do it in different ways.

Here are three offensive players to watch for each team going into Saturday’s contest.

Army West Point

QB Bryson Daily

The newly-crowned AAC offensive player of the year had a season-high passing day against UTSA and the Black Knights needed every bit of it. Daily now has 860 yards passing with eight touchdowns and one interception. Of course, he’s one of the most dynamic rushing quarterbacks in the game, as he has 1,348 yards and 25 touchdowns entering this game.

RB Kanye Udoh

Udoh will probably clear 1,000 yards rushing at some point in the Black Knights’ final three games. He enters this game with 906 yards rushing and nine touchdowns. But he’s had declining rushing numbers each of the last four games and he only had 15 yards rushing against the Roadrunners last week.

WR Casey Reynolds

Of Daily’s 55 completions, Reynolds has caught 16 of them (include running back Noah Short and the pair have combined to catch 31 passes). Reynolds has 409 receiving yards and three touchdowns. Reynolds had one of his biggest games of the year last weekend as he caught four passes for 81 yards.

Tulane Green Wave

QB Darian Mensah

There were no AAC postseason awards for Mensah, but the redshirt freshman — who got the starting job hours before the season opener — has been the perfect quarterback for this offense. He’s thrown for 2,514 yards, with 20 touchdowns and five interceptions. He’s also rushed for 91 yards. His efficiency in the pocket and his ability to avoid mistakes made him invaluable to Tulane.

RB Makhi Hughes

Hughes was an all-conference first-team back for the second straight year and little explanation is required. He has a team-leading 1,306 yards and 15 touchdowns, as he cleared 1,300 rushing yards for the second straight season. If the Green Wave can keep him around two more years he might own the entire rushing record book.

WR Mario Williams

The USC transfer has had a terrific first season in New Orleans. He leads the Green Wave with 48 receptions and 831 yards. He has four touchdowns, which lags behind tight end Alex Bauman, who has six this season But with nearly 18 yards per reception, he’ll be the receiver for the Black Knights defense to keep up with downfield.