Army coach Jeff Monken rattled off nearly two dozen names of Black Knight players who could make a difference this season during a press conference on Tuesday, just days before Army opens its 2023 campaign at Louisiana-Monroe on Saturday evening.
He talked about experience at the offensive line, the defensive backfield, running back and amongst his large crew of returning linebackers. He also discussed new players, including some freshmen, who might play key roles in Saturday’s game and beyond this season.
But, he quickly added that it will all come down to how well each player, individually and collectively, will perform that will determine how well the Black Knights will do against what Monken calls his most difficult schedule in 10 years of leading the Army team.
“I want and expect to win every game,” he said. “I like this team a lot and this is a very good team of football players. But, you do not know what you have until you play a game.”
With three Power Five teams – LSU, Syracuse and Boston College – on the slate along with Troy, Coastal Carolina and a highly-respected Air Force team, Monken is well aware that the Black Knights, who finished 6-6 last year, need to start the season on the right foot when they visit the Warhawks of Louisiana-Monroe on Saturday, starting at 7 p.m EDT.
But, there are a lot of questions that need to be addressed in the first game. Paramount is how well will Army’s new shotgun offense, under the leadership of rarely-used 6-foot junior quarterback Bryson Daily, perform.
“There are growing pains with that,” says Monken. “Obviously, it is a new system. Everyone is doing this for the first time. It is fun to watch. It has been exciting for our players and exciting for us and I am looking forward to Saturday night to see how it all comes together.
“We want to run the football effectively and it will look a little different. It will be different structure and different presentation, but still the same philosophy. I am excited about seeing our guys executing after watching them practice all spring and in training camp.”
Then, there is a concern with the weather in Monroe on Saturday with forecasts calling for a
game-time temperature of around 100 degrees. Monken says that the depth of the team – with
eight starters returning on offense and seven on defense, plus a lot of other players who saw
quality playing time last year – will help address that issue.
“We know it is going to be very warm and there is no way to prepare for that unless we can somehow turn the heat up on the practice field, which is impossible,” Monken said. “So, we are going to take our travel squad and expect to play pretty much everyone who goes on the trip in order to be able to keep up with them. There are a lot of challenges to be on the road in the opening game, with a new offensive system against a talented team.”
Then, there is Louisiana-Monroe that Monken is certain is much better than its 4-8 record last year, which included a 48-24 Army win at Michie Stadium.
“We have a lot of guys who have played and that is a positive,” he says. “There is a lot of experience and it is nice to have a good number of guys who are trotting out there for the first snap that have some experience playing for us. We are playing an outstanding and talented team that is very well coached and I have a lot of respect for their head coach (Terry) Bowden and what he has done there. We played them a year ago and I was just impressed with how athletic they were and how well they executed. We expect this to be a fight to the finish.”
Still, Monken has hopes his team will rule the day. “Our guys are very focused on the job at
hand,” he added. “They know what a challenging schedule we have. I like our leadership. The
captains, the seniors and the guys who are stepping up and holding others accountable as they
are accountable to each other. There is a lot of positive energy and spirit to our team. I know
they will play very hard. I hope we play well enough to win.”
able to keep up with them. There are a lot of challenges to be on the road in the opening game,
with a new offensive system against a talented team.”
Then, there is the Louisiana-Monroe team that Monken is certain is much better than its 4-8
record last year, which included a 48-17 loss to Army at Michie Stadium.
“We have a lot of guys who have played and that is a positive,” he says. “There is a lot of
experience and it is nice to have a good number of guys who are trotting out there for the first
snap that have some experience playing for us. We are playing an outstanding and talented
team that is very well coached and I have a lot of respect for their head coach (Terry) Bowden
and what he has done there. We played them a year ago and I was just impressed with how
athletic they were and how well they executed. We expect this to be a fight to the finish.”
Still, Monken has hopes his team will rule the day. “Our guys are very focused on the job at
hand,” he added. “They know what a challenging schedule we have. I like our leadership. The
captains, the seniors and the guys who are stepping up and holding others accountable as they
are accountable to each other. There is a lot of positive energy and spirit to our team. I know
they will play very hard. I hope we play well enough to win.”
