The Other Side of the Wall: Army
Troy has only played one game this far northeast before. In 1994, the 7th-ranked Trojans beat UConn in Connecticut 31-21.
It was the second week of the season, Skip Holtz’s second game as head coach and the Huskies’ first night game in five years. Don’t ask me why.
The rest of Troy’s northeast games are a minefield of losses, especially in Virginia. Troy’s only other wins were at Marshall, Akron, Cincinnati and Eastern Kentucky.
So in the 30 years since Troy’s last visit to New England, the Trojans aren’t the most successful on the road.
What does that mean for the 2023 Trojans though?
| Team | Army |
|---|---|
| Time, Network | 2:30 pm, CBS Sports Network |
| Current Record | 2-3 |
| Troy’s Record | 1-0 |
| Last Matchup | W, 10-9 |
| Preseason Conf. Rank | N/A |
| FPI Rank | 90 |
| FPI Win% (Troy) | 56.9% |
| Spread | Troy -4.5 |
The Trojans and the Knights have recent beef, with last year’s close victory still fresh on everyone’s minds. But this Army team is a bit different than last year.
Last year the Knights started he season 1-4, turning it around to salvage a 6-6 record. This year the team is at least one step ahead, with close losses to Boston College and ULM, and a weirdly convincing win over UTSA.
But how does this season feel for the fans? For more on Army’s season, I reached out to the Omar-Rashon Borja at Redshirt Sports.
What does the warning label for this team say?
Warning: Steer clear of a 260-lb fullback on 3rd and short.
He’s not even joking. Dude is a menace.
What Taylor Swift song title best describes the Knights’ expectations? Why?
Blank Space. With the new offense, I am not sure anyone knew what to expect. It is also the only Taylor Swift song I love.
It’s a good choice though.
In one word, describe the UTSA win. Why that word?
Rejuvenating. The ULM loss was discouraging, especially due to how stagnant the offense looked. Beating UTSA was an injection of hope this fanbase needed, even if we beat them without Frank Harris. It showed that this team could be a year away with the new offense.
In one word, describe the Syracuse loss. Why that word?
Glum. This was hard to pick, because I did not think we would win that one, but it still hurt since we had not played them since 1996 or beaten them since 1986. Kind of reminds me of us coming within one score of Penn State in 2015 after having not played them since I think 1981.
Crazy how two different games can tell you two totally different stories about the same team.
Which Avenger is most like Coach Monken?
It’s gotta be Captain America. That’s the only right answer, right? Head coach of the Army football team. A close second would be the Hulk with some of the anger he’s unleashed at officials over the years.
This is the first time this answer is literal. Everyone else says “oh he runs a tight ship” or “he’s focused on the details.” Nah, Steve Rogers comes from the Army.
What are three names on defense Troy fans should pay attention to? Why?
Leo Lowin. Lowin fits the bill of a classic hard-nosed Army linebacker. He had 100 tackles on defense for us last year and is the quarterback of the defense. As long as I’ve been an Army fan, they have always had strong middle linebacker play, from Stephen Anderson to Steve Erzinger to Cole Christiansen.
Quindrelin Hammonds is a great defensive back. He intercepted a pass against Boston College and he has plenty of experience in arguably Army’s best defensive unit.
Austin Hill At 6’1 255, he may be one of the smallest D-linemen in America but he has great technique. He had 41 tackles and two forced fumbles last year.
When Army snaps the ball, what is most likely to happen?
A 21st century adaptation of the triple option.
What chicken joint is most associated with the team, college, fanbase or city? If not chicken, BBQ?
I may get some hate for this, but Park Restaurant comes to kind. They had the best chicken tenders in Highland Falls (the town outside of the gates of West Point). On post, Grant Hall always had chicken tenders to go to lift Cadets’ spirits on a long weeknight.
What’s one question you have for us about Troy, if you have one (we’ll answer in the article)?
Have you enjoyed having us on the schedule and would you want to keep us on the non-conference schedule?
I have, and I would. I think Troy’s military connections make Commander-in-Chief teams fun matchups. Maxwell AFB, Fort Novosel (formerly Rucker) and Pensacola NAS have Troy satellite campuses nearby, and the University works closely with them to provide education for students. Not to mention the “global campuses” that Troy advertises are mostly on US military bases.
So yes, there would be immediate excitement from Troy fans/students because of the veterans and active personnel who took classes at Troy.
Troy is coming off two dominant wins over teams with dual-threat quarterbacks. This offense is kinda similar, from that perspective.
As Omar-Rashon mentioned, West Point has followed its military counterpart and adapted for the times. The triple option they run is now closer to Coastal’s offense, for example, with pistol sets, screen passes and more of an overall spread look.
That said, the heart of the game is still running the ball down your throat and being ruthlessly efficient about it.
Army’s quarterback Bryson Daily leads the team passing and rushing, but as with any option team it has a cabal of guys for different situations.
- Hayden Reed is their go-to back, with 180 yards on 41 carries.
- Ay’Jaun Marshall is their speed threat, averaging 14.8 yards per carry.
- Jacobi Buchanan, at 6’0″ 255 lb. and a 2.9 yard-per-carry average, is their short yardage guy and the warning label from above.
Buchanan is the most “Army football” guy on this list. He’s ruthlessly efficient. He will get the first down.
The Knights will run 50 or more plays, even with the shorter clock. Stopping the run is a given step 1, but forcing them to throw the ball is the more important goal.
Syracuse held Army to just 125 rushing yards in its comeback. Holding West Point under 110 yards passing was sufficient for ULM and Boston College, though.
The efficiency, or I suppose consistency, applies to Army’s failures too. ULM and Syracuse each pulled down two picks, so the Knights are nearly averaging a pick per game.
The Knights have absolutely fumbled the ball at least once per game. ULM and Boston College forced three each, and the Warhawks recovered every one of them.
So to recap: if you can’t stop their run game, force them to throw and force turnovers.
There are two bits of good news. First, this Army offense is about 20% less efficient than last year. It’s only averaging 4.2 yards a carry, when last year it was 5.4.
Also, this Troy defense is better against the run than any team Army has faced this year. It’s held teams to 30 fewer yards than the next team—Syracuse, who beat Army 29-16 after trailing 3-10 at the half.
On the other side of the ball, Army’s defense is giving up 166 rushing yards per game. The teams that beat them all ran for at least 150 yards, and either rushed or passed for more than 200.
Comparing Troy’s run game to Army’s other opponents, I’d say it fits right in.
| Team | Rush YPG | Rank | Rush Yds | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Boston College | 193.7 | 26 | 321 | W |
| ULM | 192.0 | 30 | 207 | W |
| Troy | 179.5 | 42 | TBD | TBD |
| Syracuse | 174.2 | 47 | 158 | W |
| UTSA | 146.4 | 77 | 121 | L |
For a ground-focused team, Army has a strong air defense. It’s only allowing 164.2 yards passing, which is good for No. 10 in the country.
Take away Boston College and ULM’s <100 yard games and that number leaps to 226.0. The record improves to 1-2, though there’s a another correlation there that looks good for Troy.
| Team | Pass YPG | Rank | Pass Yds | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Troy | 264.7 | 43 | TBD | TBD |
| Syracuse | 248.0 | 61 | 245 | W |
| UTSA | 246.2 | 62 | 239 | L |
| Boston College | 200.5 | 100 | 51 | W |
| ULM | 133.0 | 126 | 91 | W |
The takeaway here is that Troy’s passing offense is the strongest Army has seen all year, and the run game is as effective as the teams that have beaten the Knights.
Pair that with the strongest run defense Army has faced all year, and you start wondering if the ACC should actually invite Troy.
My final thought is that Army has led at the half in every game except Boston College, and even that was decided by a single score.
Troy has proven it’s able to make second half adjustments, but if the run game can step up early, this could be a better win than we hoped.
That being said, the weather looks atrocious (cold and wet) so I’m taking the under.
Troy wins, 21-10.
Special thanks to Omar-Rashon. Give him a follow on Twitter.