Army West Point Black Knights Three Biggest Keys to Beat Louisiana Tech

The Army West Point Black Knights must do these things to beat the Louisiana Tech Bulldogs in the Independence Bowl.

Dec 14, 2024; Landover, Maryland, USA; Army Black Knights running back Noah Short (15) celebrates a touchdown against the Navy Midshipmen during the first half of the the 125th Army-Navy game at Northwest Stadium. / Danny Wild-Imagn Images

Nothing fills the void of losing to a rival, especially after getting dominated by that rival. But the Army West Point Black Knights will do their best to try and put that behind them in the Independence Bowl on Saturday in Shreveport, La.

The Black Knights (11-2) will face the Louisiana Tech Bulldogs (5-7) at 9:15 p.m. eastern on ESPN.

Army’s 31-13 loss to Navy was a downer for the Black Knights, who have been brilliant all season, with the exception of being dominated by Notre Dame. But, Army has won its first conference title, won 11 games for the second time in program history and seen both head coach Jeff Monken and quarterback Bryson Daily honored nationally.

But a 12-win season? That’s new territory for the Black Knights, and they can make it happen with a win in Shreveport.

So how does Army win this game? Here are three keys to the contest.

Run the Ball

Everyone knows the drill at this point. The Black Knights are the best running team in football. They’re not the only team averaging more than 300 yards per game anymore. Navy took care of that with an exceptional performance. But, Army is averaging 298.9 yards on the ground entering this contest. That’s nearly 40 yards better than Liberty.

During the regular season the Bulldogs were a solid run-stopping outfit, as they allowed just 120.1 yards per game. So the will to slow the Black Knights down is there. But, is there a way, given Army’s complex offense? Will LA Tech be prepared for it? Have the Bulldogs lost too many players in the portal to combat it?

That’s the question. Until the Bulldogs show they can slow down the run game, the Black Knights know what to do.

Defend the Pass

LA Tech coach Sonny Cumbie is from the Air Raid school of offense. He played at Texas Tech under Mike Leach and he’s adopted many of ‘The Pirate’s’ principles in his play-calling and offensive construction. The results just haven’t caught up yet.

He’s found something in freshman quarterback Evan Bullock, who rose midseason to take the starting job and ended up throwing for 1,938 yards, 14 touchdowns and two interceptions.

Army’s pass defense will be busy. LA Tech’s ground game isn’t that effective and the leading rusher in the regular season was Omiri Wiggins, who rushed for just 487 yards.

Cumbie will put this game in Bullock’s hands and the Black Knights secondary must be ready.

Control the Game

Bowl games are tricky for both teams, especially for LA Tech considering it was pressed into service after Marshall dropped out of the game. Army will have had two weeks off and LA Tech has been off a month. How much rust will each team need to shake off?

It’s incumbent on the Black Knights to control the game. They can do that with the running game. Three-and-outs early will hurt Army’s offensive rhythm. The Black Knights, if they win the toss, should take the ball, drive down the field and set the tone from the start.