No Bryson Daily. No problem for the Army football team in its annual rivalry with Air Force.
On a day that the Black Knights’ heralded senior quarterback was sidelined with what team officials are calling a non-specific injury, No. 21-ranked Army turned to sophomore running back Kanye Udoh, a dominating offensive line and relied on its swarming defense, which accounted for six sacks and three interceptions, to hold off the Falcons, 20-3, before a Michie Stadium sold-out crowd of 30,046.
The victory, Army’s 12th straight over two seasons, moved the Black Knights to 8-0 on the season. It set the stage for a winner-take-all game with Navy, which defeated Air Force earlier in the year, on Dec. 14 at Northwest Stadium in Landover, Md. that will determine whether Army will hold on to the coveted Commander in Chief trophy for a second straight year.
Air Force fell to 1-7 on the year with its seventh straight defeat and has lost to Army four of the last five years, registering just 40 points in that span.
Losing Daily could have been devastating to the Army offense. Behind his Heisman Trophy-like performance this year, which includes 909 rushing yards, 19 rushing touchdowns and seven passing touchdowns, Daily has led Army to the top of the American Athletic Conference standings and among a small number of teams being talked about for inclusion in the national championship tournament.
While rumors started to build over the last few days that Daily could miss the game, it was not until just 90 minutes before gametime that Army officials confirmed that he would not play. Instead, Dewayne Coleman got the start at quarterback and it was clear from the beginning that coaches were going to stay with a conservative and deliberate offensive scheme, especially in the first half to make sure the junior signal caller was comfortable.
Army came out of the halftime locker room with a small 6-3 lead and a much more aggressive mentality. And, it was Udoh and his dominating offense line that made the difference. He ran for career-high 158 yards on 22 carries, most of them in the second half. His 12-yard touchdown run five minutes into the third quarter gave Army a 13-3 lead. Udoh iced the game with his ninth rushing touchdown of the season, a 25-yard run with less than two minutes left in the game.
“I talked to Bryson throughout the week, just letting him know that we got his back as a brotherhood,” said Udoh. “Having the season that he’s having and not being able to play in his last game against Air Force, I can only imagine how he’s feeling. So, I just wanted to reach out and let him know that we got his back and we are here to support him. We’re going to perform and get this done for him. I felt like I had a responsibility to kind of fill the shoes, so to speak, of Bryson and go out and play my best game.”
As usual, Udoh was quick to credit his offensive line for creating holes that he said anyone could have found a way through. He was also fast to point out the role that Coleman played in the game. “One thing I want to say about (Coleman), just to highlight him and talk about him not being nervous,” Udoh said. “Bryson Daily goes down, a Heisman candidate right and D-Cole did not flinch at all. He wasn’t nervous and instilled that confidence in all of us and led us to victory today. I just want to congratulate him.”
This game was no walk in the park for the Black Knights. Air Force managed to mount several drives into Army territory but had only three plays in the Army red zone. Army had three interceptions in the fourth quarter (Casey Larkin, Jayden Mayes and Max DiDomenico) to thwart any Falcon comeback.
