Why Army won't remain undefeated after Notre Dame game
The Army Black Knights have been putting together one of the great seasons in college football, and Jeff Monken's team doesn't care if the service academy's 9-0 start to the season hasn't attracted wall-to-wall national attention.
Monken is not concerned about publicity or outside recognition. However, that will change if the Black Knights can go to Yankee Stadium in the Bronx Saturday and register a monumental upset of Notre Dame.
The Fighting Irish have an 9-1 record after beating Virginia by a 35-14 margin. Notre Dame has won eight games in a row since losing to upstart Northern Illinois in the second week of the season.
When Army and Notre Dame meet at Notre Dame Stadium, the Fighting Irish will have a significant advantage in size and blue chip talent. Additionally, Notre Dame will carry the expectations that come with serving as a huge 16.5-point favorite. None of those factors will force Army to back down.
Army is just the kind of team that can make nearly any overwhelming favorite look bad if it takes the Black Knights lightly. However, since Notre Dame got caught in that trap in its loss to Northern Illinois, it is not likely to happen again.
Notre Dame clearly has an excellent shot at competing in the College Football Playoff. A loss to Army or USC in the regular-season finale could play havoc with that opportunity.
Army will leave it all on the field against Notre Dame
The service academies are known for their smart and efficient play even if they lack the athletic ability, strength and size of the elite college football programs.
Monken follows in the tradition of past service academy coaches, as he would never let his players use that as an excuse before taking the field against one of the top programs.
The Black Knights have been dynamic this year. They are averaging 35.4 points per game and have scored 43 touchdowns in winning 9 straight games. The Black Knights have maintained a strong time of possession advantage this season, holding onto the ball for an average of 34:53 per game.
Army is a sensational running team, having gained 3,014 yards on the ground and averaging 6.2 yards per carry.
While Army is averaging 334.9 yards per game on the ground, they are not a balanced team. The passing attack is quite minimal, as they have just 765 passing yards this season for an average of 85.0 yards per game.
Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman can't allow his team to ignore the Army passing game, but he must prepare for the team's running attack.
Quarterback Bryson Daily is the key to the Army offense. He has gained 1,062 yards on 174 carries and has scored 21 touchdowns. Running back Kanye Udoh has 856 yards and 9 touchdowns while fellow running back Noah Short has 41 carries for 439 yards and 2 scores.
When Daily does throw the ball, he has completed 29 of 51 passes for 644 yards with 7 touchdowns and 1 interception. Casey Reynolds and Short are the team's two leading receivers with 11 catches each, and both men have caught 3 TD passes.
Notre Dame simply has too much to lose by taking Army lightly
Freeman knows that the Fighting Irish have the potential to play deep into the CFP. Their only loss came against one of the weakest teams on their schedule, and he has reminded his team of that failure against Northern Illinois throughout the season.
If Notre Dame can beat Army and USC in the season finale, it will undoubtedly get it's chance to compete in the College Football Playoff.
In addition to the inspiration of knowing what's ahead, the Fighting Irish are loaded with talented players.
Quarterback Riley Leonard has completed 167 of 258 passes for 1,789 yards with 12 touchdowns and 4 interceptions. Leonard has also run the ball 104 times for 641 yards and scored 13 touchdowns.
He has gotten plenty of assistance from running back Jeremiyah Love. He has gained 720 yards on 114 carries and scored 12 touchdowns.
Beaux Collins is Leonard's leading receiver, having caught 30 passes for 390 yards with 2 TDs.
Safety Xavier Watts has had a big year for the Notre Dame defense. He has recorded 38 tackles , 7 passes defensed, a team-leading 4 interceptions along with 1 fumble recovery and 1 forced fumble.
Prediction: Army plays a tough game, but falls short in New York City
The Fighting Irish are likely to receive a major challenge from Army and the game should be close throughout the first half. However, Notre Dame will take care of its responsibilities and earn the victory in The House That Ruth Built in the second half.
