Key Stats:
• For the second straight week, Army’s defense failed to stop their opponent on any drive in the 2nd half (unless you count the missed field goal by UTSA at the end of regulation).
• Cade Ballard, Tyhier Tyler, and Tyrell Robinson combined to go 13/18 passing for 304 yards including two long touchdown passes to Robinson and Ay’Juan Marshall. Ballard looked particularly strong in the passing game going 11/15 for 221 yards and a touchdown. The 304 passing yards were the most by an Army team in a single game since 2007.
• Army lost the turnover battle for the second straight week, 2-0.
• Army was held to 179 net yards rushing on 54 attempts for a 3.3 yards/carry average.
• For the second straight week, Army’s opponent ran more plays than Army did. UTSA ran 81 plays to Army’s 72.
• OLB Andre Carter had his first 2 sacks of the season and Army sacked UTSA QB Frank Harris 4 times.
• UTSA’s QB Frank Harris went 32-45 for 359 yards and 3 touchdowns.
Game Summary:
• After both teams came up with big 4th down stops, Army forced UTSA to punt on their next possession. On the first play of the ensuing possession, Tyhier Tyler hit Ay’Juan Marshall in stride to score first for the second straight week and take a 7-0 lead at the end of the 1st quarter.
• Unlike last week in the season opener, Army’s defense started strong with 3 1st half sacks and on UTSA’s next drive after the touchdown, Army held the Roadrunners to a missed field goal to maintain the 7-0 lead.
• Then the mistakes started for Army. B-back Ja’Kobi Buchanan lost his first fumble since his plebe year. Army’s defense stepped up and stopped UTSA’s sudden change of possession resulting in a punt. However, Tyrell Robinson had the punt ricochet off his leg as he tried to avoid it and UTSA recovered on the 1-yard line and punched it in on the next play.
• Army scored on a “more traditional” 7-play, 75-yard drive that ate 3:13 off the clock and gave the Black Knights a 14-7 lead. The Roadrunners answered right back with a 10-play, 75-yard scoring drive of their own. Army got the ball back with 1:29 left in the half. Rather than take a 14-14 score into halftime, Ballard led a no-huddle “air raid” downfield that culminated with a 42-yard pass to Braheam Murphy at the 1-yard line.3 plays later, Buchanan punched it in for a 21-14 Army halftime lead.
• Army took the 2nd half kickoff downfield for a 12-play, 75-yard scoring drive that ended with a Tyler 16-yard scoring run on a QB follow to take a 28-14 lead midway through the 3rd quarter.
• It was at this point when all the momentum swung to the Roadrunners, and they began dominating on both sides of the ball. They scored on a steady 13-play, 84-yard drive to make it 28-21. After 4 Army plays and a punt, UTSA marched 74 yards on 11 plays to tie the game. Army went 3-and-out (again) on their next possession, and this time UTSA needed only 4 plays to go 54 yards to take a 35-28 lead.
• Ballard led another strong passing drive down the field to tie the score at 35 with one minute left after another Buchanan touchdown run.UTSA drove the ball into field goal range but missed a 41-yard field goal and the game went into overtime.
• Army got the ball first heading into the end zone near the Corps. After a few nice first down completions by Ballard to get the ball to the 5-yard line, a false start penalty followed by an errant Ballard option pitch left Army with 2nd and goal from the 12-yard line. They picked up 1 yard on a pass play to Marshall (Ballard was under heavy pressure), and Quinn Maretzki kicked a 28-yard field goal to take a 38-35 lead.
• It took UTSA only 2 plays to drive through the Army defense like a knife through hot butter and Harris hit JT Clark for the winning touchdown, 41-38.
POST-GAME PRESSER WITH HEAD COACH JEFF MONKEN & PLAYERS
Post-Game Interview with Head Coach Jeff Monken
Post-Game Interview with OLB Andre Carter
Post-Game Interview with QB Cade Ballard
Post Game Thoughts
I will start with the positives because honestly, there weren’t many. While UTSA has a solid, competitive football program, we felt like Coastal just outplayed Army. This was game felt like Army “should have” won, but they made too many critical mistakes to beat a good football team like the Roadrunners.
Whoever said Cade Ballard couldn’t run is flat wrong. Ballard put together a number of strong running plays on QB power, QB follow, and midline option that showed he can carry the ball when his number is called, or the option calls for it. He also may have the best arm we have seen on the banks since Kelvin Hopkins. He hit several passes in passing downs when everyone knew Army had to throw the ball and he still put it “on the money.”
Tyhier Tyler is also a competent quarterback who can do certain things well. We still believe the 2-QB approach for this team is the right one for the time being. The defense may need to respect the pass more when Ballard is in the game and the offense may be more versatile with him at the helm.
Defensively, Army played much better in the 1st half. They got some pressure on the elusive Frank Harris, sacked him 4 times, and hurried him many more. Andre Carter got off with 2 sacks of his own and several of the other young players in the front 7 seemed to play better. However, when Harris started getting rid of the ball quicker in the 2nd half, Army’s undermanned defense still had no answers when they were needed most.
The 2 turnovers were crucial in determining the outcome. If Robinson doesn’t muff the punt at the 1, Army probably wins in regulation. Army isn’t good enough to make mistakes like that against quality opponents and still win.
UTSA absolutely sold out to stop the fullback dive and seemed to do a really good job of it. Buchanan had his first fumble and negative yardage play since his plebe year. The offensive line seemed like it took a step back today. Filipowicz played a really good game at Guard with several pancakes, but the rest of the line made a lot of assignment errors according to Coach Monken in the postgame press conference.
This Army team is knocking on the door of being a very good football team. They are doing some great things in spots but haven’t been able to put together a complete game for 4 quarters in their first two outings.
The defense has struggled stopping the run in both contests and has caused 0 turnovers the first two weeks. Offensively, the fullback dive hasn’t been there as easily as it usually is. Defenses are not only loading the box but loading the A gap and B gap to stop the dive play, basically daring Army to beat them with the pass or outside.
To Army’s offense’s credit to this point, the passing game has been good enough to keep them in both games. The problem is the defense has been on the field for over 150 snaps in two games. They typically average around 50-60 snaps/game. This isn’t a winning formula for Jeff Monken or the Black Knights.
Next week, one of the best teams in FCS comes to Michie Stadium and again, if Army is forced to play over 70 snaps on defense; and if they turn the ball over, they could be looking at an 0-3 start. If they can execute their game plan, they can return to their winning ways against Villanova and still have a very successful season.
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