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There’s been a lot of talk about Army football’s new offense featuring the shotgun formation and more passing, but the Gun Option still has running the ball as the chief basis for success.
Aside from 18 pass attempts, the Black Knights featured a run game that gained 254 yards, chewed up more than 44 minutes of clock and broke the will of Texas San Antonio with six fourth-down conversions (plus one by penalty).
Army (2-1) scored on its first six possessions, which was just enough to hold off a late surge by the two-time defending Conference USA champion Roadrunners for a 37-29 victory before 27,138 in the Alamodome.
The win marked the first time Army has won as an underdog as much as eight points in head coach Jeff Monken’s 10 seasons. Army beat 7-point favorite Temple in the 2016 opener.
The Army coaching staff sent an early message, posting four fourth-down conversions in the first quarter alone.
Running back Hayden Reed said West Point cadets are mentally and physically tough, perhaps more so than the average college student, so it’s a matter of will.
“We’ve got a chip on our shoulders,’’ Reed said. “So we lined up, we dominated and we got it.’’
Reed had 107 yards on 20 carries and durable quarterback and Texas native Bryson Daily picked up 100 yards on 24 carries, including a 3-yard score with 6:45 to play for insurance room that was ultimately needed. Jakobi Buchanan bulled over from 10 yards out for his 26th career touchdown, tying him with Heisman winner Don Blanchard for No. 8 on Army’s all-time list.
The Black Knights even stunned the Roadrunners with back-to-back long pass plays in the third quarter: Markel Johnson connected with Isaiah Alston on a 55-yard halfback option, and then Daily found a wide-open Noah Short (in his first collegiate start) for a 25-yard score. Elapsed time: 48…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/armys-reliance-run-game-doesnt-053259125.html?src=rss
Author : Times Herald-Record
Publish date : 2023-09-16 05:32:59
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