Army fans got an early Christmas present as the Black Knights rolled to a 37 point win over the Minutemen of Massachusetts (UMass) in Amherst. Not only did Army beat the Vegas spread, but they exceeded the largest differential predicted by our most optimistic subscriber. The closest anyone came to predicting the blowout was 41-10 with most predictions much closer to the Vegas line.
Two Good Quarters & Two Poor Quarters
The game was not as one-sided as the score suggests. Army spotted UMass to a 7-point lead after the first possession for each team and didn’t really get the offense in gear until just prior to the start of the second quarter when they started on their streak of 21 points on their next three possessions to take a commanding lead at halftime. UMass actually outgained Army in the first quarter 99 yards to 97 and controlled the ball for 9:01 to Army’s 5:59. Army’s saving grace of the quarter was a fumble recovery by Fabrice Voyne on the Minutemen’s second possession of the game, leading to the short field touchdown for Army’s first score.
Army completely dominated UMass in the second period, with 154 total yards to the Minutemen’s 56, and they reversed the Time of Possession advantage with 9:41 to 5:19 for UMass. Army got some help from a second UMass fumble forced by Max DiDomenico that Cam Jones recovered at the Army 29. But the Army defense held UMass to 0 of 3 on third down attempts in the quarter as well.
The Black Knights’ offense collapsed in the third quarter, allowing UMass to outgain them 69 yards to 23, and UMass, once again, controlled Time of Possession 8:35 to Army’s 6:36. The offense converted just 1 of their 4 third down attempts, but the defense held UMass to just 1 of 3 third-down attempts and came up with a huge goal line stop on fourth and goal at the Army 1 yard line.
It seems as though the Army offense had a preference for even numbered quarters this week as they came alive from the dead third quarter to score 16 points in the fourth. Army totally dominated that final quarter, outgaining UMass 122 to 11 and controlling the ball 10:59 to 4:01. Back-to-back interceptions by freshman DB Jayden Mayes and senior DB D’Andre Tobias highlighted an exceptional performance by the Army defense in the final quarter.
Fresh Faces & Some Old Faces in New Places
The Participation list in the Box Score said that Army had more than 120 players in the game, but we know that was not the case. Pro Football Focus (PFF) listed snaps for 34 Army players on offense and 30 on defense, with several players getting their first, second or third playing opportunities of the season. Sophomore Bryson Dailey made his fourth appearance as a backup QB making the most of his 8 snaps in the final quarter with 79 yards rushing and a TD in 6 attempts. Included in his supporting cast were several players who have seen limited action so far in their careers, including sophomore center Davis Wulf making his second career appearance; sophomore tackle David Hoyt also playing his second career game; junior LS Cole McCutcheon, appearing in his second career game with a couple of snaps at guard; sophomore WR Logan Burks making his first career appearance: freshman WR Liam Fortner playing his third game; and freshman slotback Alexander Noah playing his first career game with 1 carry for 2 yards.
Fullback Cornucopia: We saw 5 fullbacks in the game, although one of them didn’t line up at fullback. Jakobi Buchanan started and played 26 snaps at FB rushing for 46 yards and 2 TDS in 11 attempts. Markel Johnson played 19 snaps and finished third in rushing with 67 yards in 10 attempts. Hayden Reed played 6 snaps with 2 carries for 9 yards. Jarel Dickson played 8 snaps with 2 carries for 3 yards.
The big surprise of the day was that Tyler Riley played 47 snaps, but none of them at fullback as far as we could see. He started and played the entire game at slotback, giving the Black Knights some extra blocking power. He frequently lined up in the slot behind Jordyn Law and Josh Lingenfelter creating a powerful mobile blocking unit, especially when the called play sent Buchanan as lead blocker into that same area of the line. We can’t say for sure what led to this change, but we suspect it was due largely to the limited availability of regular slotbacks, down to 2 in this game. Joe and I were speculating that it could also have something to do with the changes in blocking rules which make cut blocks by slotbacks a less attractive option. At any rate it was fun to watch Riley pushing people around from his slotback position.
The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly
A 37-point margin of victory rates a lot of Good comments, not much Bad, and no real Ugly.
The Good
Plus 4 in Turnovers: This stat ranks at the very top of our list of good things that happened in the game. This is a continuation of a trend that we observed in the last game, when Army enjoyed a +2 margin in turnovers, and it appears to reflect an increased effort on the part of the defense to create takeaways. In addition to the two reserve DBs, Tobias and Mayes making the most of their limited playing opportunities by registering interceptions, we’ve noticed Army tacklers going for the strip more often the past couple of games, and Cam Jones has become a ball hawk on loose bells. This could be an important factor in the upcoming game with Navy.
The Catch: I will be the first to agree with Joe Iacono’s assessment of Isaiah Alston’s one-handed reception as the most athletic plays he has seen from an Army player. Edgar Poe made a few spectacular receptions in his day, but Alston’s one-handed grab takes the cake.
Another Goal Line Stand: Once again, the Black Knights' defense rose to the occasion on a first-and-goal situation in the third period. Army was enjoying a 28-7 lead when Isaiah Morris pushed UMass receiver George Johnson out of bounds on the 1-yard line to set the stage for the goal line stand. On first and goal, Kwabena Bonsu and Cam O’Gara combined to stop Gino Campioti for no gain at the 1-yard line. On second down, Andre Carter dropped Campioti for a 2-yard loss, setting up third and goal at the 3. Morris and O’Gara combined to stop Kay'Ron Adams at the 2 bringing up a 4th and goal, and Olson’s pass fell incomplete to turn the ball over to Army on downs.
Red Zone Offense: In contrast to UMass’s limited success, the Army offense scored touchdowns on 4 of their 5 trips to the Red Zone and kicked a successful field goal on their 5th Red Zone trip.
One Penalty for 5 Yards: We’ll admit that we were not happy to see Lingenfelter called for another false start penalty in the first quarter, but since it was the only Army penalty of the game, we were quite happy with the penalty situation in the game.
The Bad
Third Quarter Offense: After building a dominant lead in the second quarter of the game, the offense went into hybernation after halftime and didn’t wake up until the fourth quarter. A three-and-out on the first possession of the second half set the tone for the rest of the quarter. The second possession showed the problems of relying on the passing attack. After a loss of yardage on first down brought up a second and 11, Jemel Jones threw back-to-back incompletions to force a punt. The third possession started at the Army 2 and did well to reach the 18 before having to punt it away again. Jones recovered his own fumble on second down in the series, but the muff put Army off schedule. Fumbles don’t have to be turnovers to have a major negative effect.
The Ugly
Nothing stands out as ugly in this game.
Notable Performances
Offense
Offensive MVP:
Joe’s Pick: QB Tyhier Tyler - 3 rushing TDs; 101 yards on 11 carries; 2/2 passing for 67 yards; and maybe most importantly took care of the ball - 0 turnovers.
A.M.’s Pick: Tyhier Tyler and his 3 TDs and over 100 yards in the 1st half is my offensive MVP.
Gordon’s Pick: Can’t argue with my colleagues on this one. Tyler was the dominant player of the first half. Tyler was a perfect 2 for 2 passing for an Efficiency Rating of 389.8.
TE Josh Lingenfelter’s 44-yard reception was the longest of his career. He now has 4 career receptions with an average of 34 yards per catch.
Bryson Dailey’s 79 yards rushing was a new career high and the touchdown was his second.
Top PFF Rating on Offense: Pro Football Focus seems to agree with our MVP choice giving Tyler their highest rating of the game with a 92.1.
Defense
Defensive MVP:
Joe’s Pick: While it was a solid defensive team effort across the board for Army, only surrendering the TD on the opening drive, no one really stands out. Plenty of players had a good game. Give it to the entire unit.
A.M.’s Pick: Hard to pick out one player because the stats were spread out amongst the unit. However, I thought Isaiah Morris stepped in, didn't get us beat in the passing game and gave the defense five tackles at the corner position.
Gordon’s Pick: Isaiah Morris came up with a couple of big stops to prevent the touchdown UMass threatened in the third quarter as described earlier. He hasn’t had much recognition this season and probably played the best game of his career on Saturday.
Senior DB D’Andre Tobias had his second career interception and his second in two games.
Freshman DB Jaydan Mayes logged his first career interception in the fourth quarter.
Senior Chris Frey recorded his first career sack for a loss of nine in the first quarter
Freshman DL Bailey Meek made his college debut and registered 2 tackles including an assist on a TFL.
Top PFF Rating on Defense: DB Jayden Mayes earned the highest rating on defense from Pro Football Focus with a 90.8. Apparently interceptions are the key to good ratings from PFF as Tobias was ranked second with an 87.0
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