FINAL SCORE: Wake Forest 70, Army 56

Key stats:

This was the highest combined score for both teams in their storied histories.It was the 2nd time in program history Army surrendered 70 points (Nebraska – 1972)Wake Forest’s 70 points were their 3rd highest total in program history.Wake Forest won the turnover battle 2-0 (more on this later)The two teams combined for 1233 yards of total offense!Army won time of possession 42:43 to 17:17. Typically, that’s a good sign for Army.The bad news is Wake scored so fast it was irrelevant today.

Gentlemen, start your engines!

Years from now, fans at the sold out Michie Stadium will probably say, “We went to a track meet and a football game broke out.” There was so much scoring in this one and so many offensive highlights on both sides (also due to the complete lack of anything resembling a defense by either team) that it will take me a week to write this article if I use the same level of detail I usually do in post-game wrap-ups, so I’ll highlight and bullet point this one.

Wake Forest got out to a 14-7 lead in what would end up being the lowest scoring quarter of the day.

• The Demon Deacons took the opening kickoff and went 63 yards on 8 plays and used 3:04 of clock in what would be one of their slowest scoring drives of the day.The drive was capped by a Christian Turner 3-yard run on a RPO right up the middle for an easy score.

• The Black Knights answered right back behind a healthy Christian Anderson.On Army’s opening play, they went to the air and Anderson completed a 39-yard pass to SB Brandon Walters.Walters was the star of the drive as he made two other nice runs including a 6-yard touchdown run to cap the drive (7 plays, 75 yards, 3:54)

• Wake Forest answered right back with a 5-play, 97-yard drive that took a whole 1:19 off the clock.On 3rd and 6 from the Army 41 with a chance for Army to get off the field, Sam Hartman hit Jacquarii Roberson in stride for a touchdown.

• Army’s next drive was their only 3-and-out of the game, but what was more damaging was Christian Anderson was tackled hard on his right shoulder on a sack and left the game and did not return.

• Army followed with a key (and their only) stop of the day.They turned Wake Forest over on downs after one series to regain possession on their 45.

It is becoming clear both offenses are going to have their way today

• Tyhier Tyler and Jabari Laws split the QB duties in place of Anderson and led a 12-play, 55-yard drive that was capped by a JaKobi Buchanan 3-yard touchdown run to knot the score at 14.

• Sam Hartman and Wake didn’t take long to regain the lead as they went 71 yards in 4 plays and finished with a 54-yard touchdown pass to A.T. Perry.

• Army put together a classic 13-play, 75-yard drive that thankfully kept Sam Hartman on the sidelines for 7:31.The scoring play was a 24-yard touchdown run by Tyhier Tyler.

• Wake Forest wasn’t done with their first half scoring, however.They marched 88 yards in 10 plays and capped the drive with a 13-yard Christian Beal-Smith scoring run to take a 28-21 lead into the locker room.

Despite Army’s struggles on defense, their offense performed admirably in the first half keeping pace with Wake and staying within striking distance. You had the feeling this was going to be a shoot out that might come down to who scores last.

It just gets crazier – 35 points scored by both teams including a sequence in which 21 points were scored in 48 seconds.

• Army opened the second half with a well-executed 6-play, 75-yard drive capped off with a 1-yard JaKobi Buchanan push into the end zone to tie the score at 28.

• Wake Forest wasted almost no time regaining the lead as Hartman hit Roberson for a 75-yard touchdown pass right through the heart of the Army secondary on a slant.

• The Black Knights started the next drive on schedule and looked as though they would tie the score at 35 and “return serve” on Wake.However, the Army offense finally bogged down on 4th & 5 at the Wake Forest 28-yard line.Army attempted a fake field goal and Cade Ballard lined up in shotgun and tried to hit an open receiver on a wheel route down the left sideline.By the time Ballard released the ball, however, the Wake Forest safety had snuck over and intercepted the pass and returned it for a “Pick 6.”In a game like this where no one could seem to get stops, this was probably the key play in the game. For what it’s worth, I liked the call because field goals weren’t going to win this game and the receiver was open for a second.It just wasn’t well executed.

• Army showed they weren’t going to roll over and quit though.On the second play of the ensuing series, FB Anthony Adkins took a Tyhier Tyler handoff and rumbled 71 yards for a quick Army score to get back to 42-35.

• After Wake’ Forest's impressive show of bad defense, Army decided they weren’t going to be outdone. On the very next play from scrimmage, Sam Hartman threw a 75-yard touchdown pass to Ke’Shawn Williams and Wake jumped out to a two-score lead again (49-35).

Death, taxes, and both teams lighting up the scoreboard like a video game

At the end of the 3rd quarter, Jabari Laws and Tyhier Tyler led Army on a very impressive 9-play, 75-yard drive that culminated with a Laws to Isaiah Alston 9-yard touchdown pass on 4th & goal from the 9.In his postgame press conference, Coach Monken called the catch a “ESPN Sports Center highlight reel” catch.Alston grabbed the ball with one hand and managed to get both feet in bounds for the touchdown.The ball was also perfectly placed by Laws.More on this later as well.

• The next scoring drive for Wake was relatively methodical as it took them 8 plays to go 75 yards in 3:10 before Hartman hit Roberson for a 2-yard touchdown pass.

• Army’s offense continued to counter-punch as they went 75 yards in 7 plays and Jabari Laws (who was now taking every snap due to a Tyhier Tyler injury he sustained on a vicious targeting hit by the Wake Forest defense) was now taking all snaps for Army.Laws capped the drive by hitting a wide-open Tyrell Robinson for a 25-yard touchdown pass to get the game back to one score (56-49).

• Wake’ Forest's next scoring drive went 47 yards in 4 plays and was capped off by a Hartman 8-yard keeper on a RPO to give Wake back their two-score lead.

• With time running out and Army needing two scores quick, Jabari Laws and Cade Barnard mishandled a mesh and Army committed another critical turnover against a P5 team down two scores with a chance to come back late.

• Wake capitalized on the Army turnover with a 4-play, 62-yard drive capped off by a 46-yard run by Freshman Justice Ellison to put the game out of reach at 70-49.

• Army and Jabari Laws showed the same fighting spirit they did last week at Wisconsin by scoring another touchdown on a Laws – Alston 39-yard pass in which Alston fought off a defender to score to cut the lead to 70-56.

• After Army recovered an onside kick, they were ruled offsides (on a questionable call in my opinion) and their next onside kick attempt failed. Wake took possession with less than a minute left and lined up in victory formation to end this crazy, crazy game.

• Army Head Coach Jeff Monken

• The Army offense really did light up the scoreboard all day. They clearly had their best, highest scoring performance of the season.

• All 3 quarterbacks were effective and moved the offense.

• Connor Bishop returned at Center and made his presence felt as the offensive line was getting great push all day.

• In a game which saw Tucker Waugh surpass Red Blaik for the most games coached at West Point, his slotbacks had an outstanding game. Walters and Robinson both had touchdowns and they were making great cut blocks to spring guys on the perimeter all game.

• In the post-game presser, I asked Coach Monken if there were any “breakthroughs” on offense today that he thinks they can hang their hat on the rest of the season, and he mentioned Isaiah Alston and his circus catch touchdown. For Coach Monken, a run-first, smash-mouth coach, to mention a WR means something to me. Look for Army to utilize Laws-Alston in tight games the rest of the way to keep defenses honest.

• Along those same lines, Jabari Laws’ passing stats continue to be remarkable for an Army QB. Laws went 9/11 for 140 yards and 3 touchdowns. Those all came late in the game when Wake Forest had to be expecting Army to throw as time was running out and they were trailing. It is clear Laws can spin the ball better than most Army QB’s we have seen. Army will need this dynamic passing combo of Laws-Alston and Laws-Robinson to keep defenses honest down the stretch and keep them from putting 9-10 defenders in the box. If Anderson can go, he can do the same thing.

• This doesn’t take anything away from Tyhier Tyler who probably had a career day commanding the offense. He made some great reads; pitched the ball well; and other than 1 fumble that Army recovered, his ball security was good. He led the team in rushing with 15 carries for 104 yards and a touchdown. Tyler’s toughness is never in question as he continues to come back from brutal hit after brutal hit.

• As a defensive purist, this game was hard for me to watch. I got a little bit nauseated to be honest at the complete lack of anything resembling a defense by either team. I know Wake Forest is the most talented team Army will face all year. I commented on the live chat on GBK that I wouldn’t be surprised if they run the table and make the playoff. I also think Sam Hartman deserves Heisman consideration. That being said, Army had zero ability to stop either the run or the pass. If they don’t stop giving up big plays over the top in the passing game, teams are going to exploit that all day. The defensive staff must figure out how to stop that from happening no matter the speed or size disadvantages Army faces on the back end or it’s going to be a long second half of the season. And both our Academy rivals’ quarterbacks can spin the rock somewhat. Granted, their receivers aren’t on the same planet as Wake Forest’s.

• As bad as the back end of the defense looked, the front 7 were nonexistent. There was 0 pressure on Hartman at all. Wake’s offensive line completely dominated the game and gave Hartman as much time as he wanted back there to run the mesh and the RPO. Again, Army will need to improve in this area especially when they get ready to face Malik Willis and Hugh Freeze’s Liberty squad. They don’t run the same mesh as Wake (no one does), but they can still exploit Army’s pass defense if Army doesn’t figure out how to pressure the quarterback.

• Another disheartening trend on defense seems to be the lack of contain on long runs by our opponents. Wisconsin’s two first half touchdowns came on plays when Army’s OLB’s blew contain and turned guys loose when they bounced the play to the outside. It happened in the season opener against Georgia State. It happened again today on multiple long running plays by Wake. This should be a simple fix that probably should not be happening this late in the season. For a team that harps on fundamentals, I don’t understand how they continue to make this mental error.

• Most importantly in my opinion, Army lost the turnover battle 2-0. Last week against Wisconsin, they gave one away late that was probably the difference in the game. Take away the Pick 6 today on the fake field goal, and this game looks a lot different down the stretch. Army lost the turnover battle to Ball State as well. Army must win the turnover battle to be effective. Against more talented Power 5 teams, that is even more true. Army will never beat a quality P5 team without stealing possessions through turnovers and protecting the ball. These critical late game turnovers (against Oklahoma in 2018, Michigan in 2019, and Wisconsin and Wake this year) are the difference between Army being a legitimate Top 25 team and continuing to fall just short. I don’t know how, but Army will need to figure out how to create more turnovers and protect the ball better going forward in these games against P5 opponents if they want to start winning some of them. They have played well enough to win. They just can’t lose the turnover battle.

While Army fought hard once again, and their players never quit, it was hard to see them lose yet another close, heart breaker to a ranked P5 team…this time at home.

Next up for the Black Knights: Army gets a much-needed bye week to heal before their first CiC game of the season against Air Force in Arlington, TX at Globe Life Field on November 6th.

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