This Army Black Knight team is on a historic pace, and would have even made our great grandparents proud
Notre Dame football currently sits with a 9-1 overall record on the season, and is just two victories away from solidifying a spot in the first-ever 12-team college football playoffs. The last two teams that are standing in their way are Army and USC. This Black Knight team presents an interesting obstacle, and are on […]
Notre Dame football currently sits with a 9-1 overall record on the season, and is just two victories away from solidifying a spot in the first-ever 12-team college football playoffs. The last two teams that are standing in their way are Army and USC. This Black Knight team presents an interesting obstacle, and are on pace to be the most complete Army team we have seen in a very, very long time.
The Fighting Irish can’t come into this game and take Army for granted, and judging by how head coach Marcus Freeman has this team focused recently, odds are they won’t. There is no question that Notre Dame should win this game on paper, but this Army team could be their greatest challenge to date.
When you dive into the numbers, this Army team is doing something that this storied program hasn’t done in quite some time. On offense, the unit has been extremely impressive. This Black Knight team is averaging 35.2 points per game, the first time they have been over 30 since 2021 when they averaged 32.8 points per game. They also matched that figure in 2018.
If the season ended today, that point per game total would also be the most since all the way back in 1954, when they exploded for 36.1 points per game. Yes, you read that correctly.
During the 1940s and 1950s, it was the most dominant era of Army football. At that time, they were one of the premier programs in all of college football. In 1944, they set their program record of 56 points per game, which was considerably higher than their second-largest total of 45.8 a year later. Glen Davis and Doc Blanchard were the stars during that stretch, whose names should ring a bell for most.
During that 1944 season, Army finished as the best team in college football. They actually defeated Notre Dame that year 59 to 0.
As good as the offense has been, the defense has been just as impressive for Army. They currently rank second in college football allowing just 10.3 points per game on the season. We have seen a Jeff Monken team have a similar defense recently in 2020, when they allowed just 14.8 points per game. This season’s average would be the best since 1967, when that team allowed just 9.4 points per game.
The Black Knights once again excelled on defense in the 40s and 50s as well under head coach Earl “Red” Blaik, who amassed an overall record of 121-33-10 between the years of 1941-58. During that stretch, Army had ten different seasons where they allowed less than 10 points per game, including a program record 3.9 points per game allowed during that 1944 season.
This 2024 version of the Black Knights is winning an average football game by 24.9 points. That point differential would be the most since 1949, when Coach Blaik’s team averaged 39.3 points per game, and allowed just 7.6 defensively. That’s a differential of 31.7 points per game.
A quick history lesson on the year 1949, when the president of the United States was Harry S. Truman. 75 years ago, the Cold War was still raging on. That year also gave us Billy Joel, Ric Flair, Gregg Popovich, John Riggins, Joe Theismann, and Bruce Springsteen (shoutout to New Jersey).
So needless to say, this might be the most complete Army team we have seen in a very long time. Notre Dame would be a fool to treat this team as just your typical Army team. They are physical, well-coached, and confident coming into this one.
