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ARMY |
TXSA |
Army rebounds to upend Texas-San Antonio, 31-13
SAN ANTONIO (AP) Army moved on quickly from an emotional loss, even if the sting of failing to pull off a monumental upset still lingers.
The Black Knights set several milestones on offense in rolling past the Texas-San Antonio Roadrunners 31-13 Saturday at the Alamodome.
Army's triple-option offense continued to confound after nearly upsetting then seventh-ranked Michigan on Sept. 7 before falling 24-21 in double overtime in Ann Arbor, Mich.
Senior defensive back Elijah Riley said the Black Knights moved on from that loss, but not everyone was able to forget so easily.
''I'm glad they forgot about it right away,'' Army coach Jeff Monkey said. ''I didn't forget about that; I don't know if I'll ever forget about that. So, good for them. Losses like that are going to linger. They're hard, they are hard to overcome. When you've got the No. 7 team beat in their stadium, it's going to linger and it's hard to come back from.''
Monken admitted he was worried about a letdown, but he shouldn't have.
Aiding Army's recovery was a late switch at quarterback against UTSA. Jabari Laws started in place of an injured Kevin Hokins Jr. and the Black Knights responded with their most prolific output of the season.
Army (2-1) generated season-highs in total yards with 358 and rushing yards with 340 against UTSA (1-2).
''We knew what to expect from this team, but it's very hard to emulate that,'' Roadrunners coach Frank Wilson said of the triple-option offense. ''So, even when we practiced it, it probably was not at the speed that it was today.''
Laws' first collegiate play resulted in a 35-yard run to open the game. The Black Knights would score 53 seconds into the game, driving 75 yards on three plays capped by Kell Walker's 26-yard rushing touchdown.
It was the fastest opening score in Monken's 10-year career.
Laws finished with 137 yards rushing and a touchdown on 23 carries, becoming Army's first player to eclipse 100 yards rushing this season.
''It was definitely awesome,'' Laws said. ''All my teammates, they rallied behind me and I really appreciate them. I really couldn't have done it without them.''
UTSA's initial touchdown came on a two-yard dive by quarterback Lowell Narcisse. The Roadrunners scored after converting on fourth-and-eight at the Black Knights' 33-yard line.
UTSA was held to 51 yards rushing and lost two fumbles.
THE TAKEAWAY
Army: The Black Knights continue to thrive under Monken. Army has won three straight bowl games and closed last season with 13 straight victories. The offense continues to dazzle but the defense is limiting opponents to 281 yards per game this season and 11.3 points in regulation.
UTSA: Frank Wilson is off to another slow start in his fourth season in charge of the Roadrunners. UTSA is 1-2 despite returning 15 starters from last season's team that opened 0-3.
NEVER SEEN
Army's triple-option offense is rare, which makes it tough to game plan for. Most teams will not spend a lot of time preparing for an offense they only see once, opting instead to adjust after a week's preparation.
Well, planning for an opposing defense is just as difficult for the Black Knights for the same reasons.
''The defensive front that we faced, we didn't practice that one time this week,'' Monken said. ''Based on (the Roadrunners') experience as a staff, in being other places, we tried to practice against the defenses that we thought they might run based on what they had done against this offense prior. That's all you can do, you can't practice every play against every defense in a week, it's impossible. It was the second week in a row that's been the case.''
Making matters more difficult was the fact Laws was making his first collegiate start. Monken said Army's offensive staff gave Laws checks and adjusted during timeouts and between series based on what they saw from UTSA. It resulted in a lopsided win.
REMAIN CALM, ALL IS WELL
UTSA enters its conference schedule with a losing record for the third time in four seasons, but the Roadrunners are still optimistic about qualifying for a bowl game.
''You can go 0-3 and still win the conference,'' Jarrod Carter-McLin said. ''And that was our goal at the end of the day. Our goal is to win a conference championship, go to a bowl game. Everything we want, everything we're trying to get to, is still right in front of us.''
The Roadrunners lone bowl game in eight seasons came in 2016 after an 0-3 start. UTSA finished that season 6-7 and also won six games the following season to qualify for a bowl but were not invited to one.
UP NEXT
Army: Welcomes Morgan State to Michie Stadium next Saturday. The Black Knights throttled the Bears 60-3 in their previous matchup, Nov. 19, 2016, at West Point, N.Y.
UTSA: Opens Conference USA by traveling to North Texas Saturday. The Roadrunners are 3-3 against the Mean Green but have lost two straight, including a 24-21 loss Nov. 24, 2018, at the Alamodome.
Copyright 2019 by STATS LLC and Associated Press. Any commercial use or distribution without the express written consent of STATS LLC and Associated Press is strictly prohibited.
Team Stats | ||
---|---|---|
1st Downs | 22 | 13 |
Rushing | 21 | 3 |
Passing | 0 | 10 |
Penalty | 1 | 0 |
3rd Down Conv | 5-9 | 5-13 |
4th Down Conv | 0-0 | 2-2 |
Total Net Yards | 352 | 242 |
Total Plays | 57 | 61 |
Avg Gain | 6.2 | 4.0 |
Net Yards Rushing | 340 | 51 |
Rush Attempts | 55 | 27 |
Avg Rush Yards | 6.2 | 1.9 |
Yards Passing | 18 | 209 |
Comp. - Att. | 2-2 | 24-33 |
Yards Per Pass | 6.0 | 5.8 |
Penalties - Yards | 5-30 | 7-54 |
Touchdowns | 4 | 2 |
Rushing TDs | 4 | 2 |
Passing TDs | 0 | 0 |
Other | 0 | 0 |
Turnovers | 2 | 3 |
Fumbles - Lost | 3-2 | 3-2 |
Int. Thrown | 0 | 1 |
Punts - Avg | 3-43.3 | 5-42.6 |
Return Yards | 6 | 103 |
Punts - Returns | 1-6 | 1-3 |
Kickoffs - Returns | 0-0 | 3-100 |
Int. - Returns | 1-0 | 0-0 |
Safeties | 0 | 0 |
|
Passing | CP/ATT | YDS | TD | INT |
J. Laws
1 QB
|
J. Laws | 2/2 | 18 | 0 | 0 |
Rushing | ATT | YDS | TD | LG |
J. Laws
1 QB
|
J. Laws | 23 | 137 | 1 | 41 | ||||||||||||||||||||
K. Walker
5 RB
|
K. Walker | 5 | 80 | 2 | 26 | ||||||||||||||||||||
C. Slomka
25 RB
|
C. Slomka | 17 | 59 | 1 | 12 | ||||||||||||||||||||
A. Hobbs IV
32 RB
|
A. Hobbs IV | 7 | 54 | 0 | 17 | ||||||||||||||||||||
S. McCoy
3 RB
|
S. McCoy | 2 | 12 | 0 | 11 |
Receiving | TAR | REC | YDS | TD | LG |
C. Harrison
88 WR
|
C. Harrison | 0 | 1 | 12 | 0 | 12 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
K. Cline
82 WR
|
K. Cline | 0 | 1 | 6 | 0 | 6 |
Defense | T-A | SACK | INT |
C. Christiansen
54 LB
|
C. Christiansen | 8-1 | 1.0 | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||
K. Bonsu
97 DL
|
K. Bonsu | 5-1 | 0.0 | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||
C. Cunningham Jr.
22 DB
|
C. Cunningham Jr. | 5-0 | 0.0 | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||
M. Morrison
2 DB
|
M. Morrison | 4-1 | 0.0 | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||
E. Riley
23 DB
|
E. Riley | 4-0 | 1.0 | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||
C. Jones
20 DB
|
C. Jones | 4-0 | 0.0 | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||
J. Bourdeau
8 DB
|
J. Bourdeau | 3-0 | 0.0 | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||
A. West
52 LB
|
A. West | 3-2 | 0.0 | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||
C. Jones
27 DB
|
C. Jones | 3-0 | 0.0 | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||
J. Covington
57 DL
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J. Covington | 2-1 | 1.0 | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||
J. Moore
28 DB
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J. Moore | 2-2 | 0.0 | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||
S. McCoy
3 RB
|
S. McCoy | 1-0 | 0.0 | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||
A. Smith
53 LB
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A. Smith | 1-2 | 0.5 | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||
C. John
6 DB
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C. John | 1-0 | 0.0 | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||
J. Lowery
43 LB
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J. Lowery | 1-1 | 1.0 | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||
E. Patterson
55 DL
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E. Patterson | 1-0 | 0.0 | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||
J. Ellington
18 DL
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J. Ellington | 0-1 | 0.5 | 0 |
Kicking | FG | LG | XP | PTS |
D. Cooper
45 K
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D. Cooper | 1/1 | 40 | 4/4 | 7 |
Punting | NO | AVG | IN20 | LG |
Z. Potter
17 P
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Z. Potter | 2 | 43.0 | 0 | 51 | ||||||||||||||||||||
Z. Harding
46 P
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Z. Harding | 1 | 44.0 | 0 | 44 |
Kickoff Returns | NO | AVG | LG | TD |
Punt Returns | NO | AVG | LG | TD |
A. Miranda 4 DB
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A. Miranda | 1 | 6.0 | 6 | 0 |
Passing | CP/ATT | YDS | TD | INT |
F. Harris
7 QB
|
F. Harris | 23/31 | 187 | 0 | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
L. Dean
35 P
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L. Dean | 1/1 | 22 | 0 | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
L. Narcisse
10 QB
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L. Narcisse | 0/1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Rushing | ATT | YDS | TD | LG |
S. McCormick
23 RB
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S. McCormick | 5 | 27 | 1 | 11 | ||||||||||||||||||||
D. Boston
24 RB
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D. Boston | 3 | 16 | 0 | 13 | ||||||||||||||||||||
L. Narcisse
10 QB
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L. Narcisse | 2 | 7 | 1 | 5 | ||||||||||||||||||||
B. Brady
22 RB
|
B. Brady | 2 | 4 | 0 | 4 | ||||||||||||||||||||
F. Harris
7 QB
|
F. Harris | 14 | 1 | 0 | 7 | ||||||||||||||||||||
L. Dean
35 P
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L. Dean | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||
S. Jones
2 WR
|
S. Jones | 1 | -4 | 0 | 0 |
Receiving | TAR | REC | YDS | TD | LG |
C. Strickland II
85 TE
|
C. Strickland II | 0 | 4 | 38 | 0 | 19 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
L. Watson
89 TE
|
L. Watson | 0 | 1 | 37 | 0 | 37 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
S. McCormick
23 RB
|
S. McCormick | 0 | 3 | 26 | 0 | 10 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
G. Sharp
87 TE
|
G. Sharp | 0 | 3 | 23 | 0 | 12 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
R. Wisdom
39 S
|
R. Wisdom | 0 | 1 | 22 | 0 | 22 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
B. Moorhead
19 WR
|
B. Moorhead | 0 | 4 | 20 | 0 | 8 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
J. Cephus
80 WR
|
J. Cephus | 0 | 2 | 16 | 0 | 11 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
S. Jones
2 WR
|
S. Jones | 0 | 3 | 13 | 0 | 14 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
B. Brady
22 RB
|
B. Brady | 0 | 1 | 7 | 0 | 7 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
T. Ogle-Kellogg
11 WR
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T. Ogle-Kellogg | 0 | 1 | 6 | 0 | 6 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
D. Boston
24 RB
|
D. Boston | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
Defense | T-A | SACK | INT |
A. Martel
12 LB
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A. Martel | 9-1 | 0.0 | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||
R. Wisdom
39 S
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R. Wisdom | 6-0 | 1.0 | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||
J. Haynes
95 DT
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J. Haynes | 5-1 | 0.0 | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||
B. Baker
99 DT
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B. Baker | 5-2 | 0.0 | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||
S. Harris
6 S
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S. Harris | 4-0 | 0.0 | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||
E. Banks
90 DE
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E. Banks | 4-0 | 0.0 | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||
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