Army coach Jeff Monken made it clear.
There is no looking back for the Army football team as the Black Knights prepare for their three most important games of the season, beginning with a visit from a hot UTSA team Saturday at Michie Stadium.
Calling last Saturday’s 49-14 loss to No. 5 Notre Dame an “extremely physical football game,” Monken said he is confident his team, now ranked 25th in the latest Associated Press poll, has quickly turned its focus to what lies ahead for them. That includes the important showdown with UTSA, which has won three straight games and scored more than 45 points in each of its last four contests.
Going into the last weekend of the regular season, Army and Tulane have both locked up spots in the American Athletic Conference championship game on Dec. 6 with 7-0 league records. A victory over UTSA, coupled with a Tulane loss to Memphis on Thursday night, would allow Army to host the title game, otherwise it is likely the game will be hosted by the Green Wave in New Orleans.
And, the Black Knights still have to play arch-rival Navy in Landover, Md. on Dec. 14 to determine the winner of the Commander in Chief trophy, not to mention a bowl game later in December.
“It is going to take a heck of an effort,” Monken said about taking on the Roadrunners for the fifth time since 2019. “UTSA is playing as well as anybody in our conference right now and they are way more talented as a team than we are.
“We got plenty of motivation to try to win. That is where our heads are right now, not licking our wounds or feeling sorry for ourselves. We are trying to get prepared to win a game. Whatever is done we have put behind us, which is what our team has done so well this year. This is a very mature and professional team. Now, we have to get ready for a great football team that we have had to battle tooth and nail every time we have played.”
UTSA, 6-5 overall and 4-3 in the AAC, is going to be a challenge. Led by quarterback Owen McCown, who has passed for nearly 3000 yards in 11 games, with 23 touchdown passes, the Roadrunners are averaging about 33 points a game. McCown has an amazing array of receivers to pick from, actually 10 different ones who each have at least 10 catches and at least one reception for a touchdown this season. That alone could give the Army secondary problems all game.
Running back Robert Henry has 706 rushing yards and seven touchdowns while his teammate Brandon High has five rushing touchdowns.
There are some dents in the Roadrunners armor. The team has not won any of its five road games this year and is giving up an average of 31.5 points and 381 offensive yards per game.
“We have a lot of guys on our team from the state of Texas,” Monken said. “It is our most well represented state. I think it is exciting for them to play a team from their home state, play a conference game, and we have a chance to finish the regular season conference schedule undefeated, which would be a great accomplishment for our program and this team. So, there is a lot of motivation there.”
Monken noted that some players were “beat up and bruised” during the Notre Dame game with a lot of players still on Sunday feeling the effects of the game on Saturday night.
“There are a couple of guys who won’t practice (Tuesday) but we anticipate they will play on Saturday,” he said. “A couple are questionable right now, but we are hopeful they will be ready for this coming weekend. We did not lose anybody to any serious injuries where they will be out for an extended period of time or rest of the season.”
