Army Black Knights 2018 Football Preview

Army Black Knights 2018 Football Preview

Opening Statement: Jeff Monken did the unthinkable in 2017, as Army won 10 games and beat Navy for the second consecutive season. Monken, at this point, has taken a long dormant Army football program, and has made them relevant once again in an age where doing so at a place like West Point would seem impossible. As we enter 2018, Army has some holes to fill, but winning does not seem to look like it will end anytime soon, as Monken has Army on a track not seen in decades.

Breakdown Offense: Army averaged 30.7 points per game last season on a crushing 362.31 yards rushing per game in the triple option offense. Army was so proficient running the football, that they only averaged 27.8 yards passing per game, and attempted only 5 passes per game on the season.
Ahmad Bradshaw has moved on at QB, and a new trigger man for the triple option must be found. Luke Langdon appears to be that guy out of the spring, but Kelvin Hopkins could push him in fall camp. Langdon appeared in 6 games last fall, running just 8 times for 24 yards. Hopkins appeared in 7 games, and rushed for 40 yards on 7 carries. Neither has seen more than mop up duty.
Darnell Woolfolk is back at the key FB position in the option offense after rushing for 812 yards and 14 scores last season. He averaged 5.17 yards per carry, and is the motor that will make this offense go in 2018. Andrew Davidson rushed for 627 yards last fall at FB, and Calen Holt, who rushed for 214 yards as a reserve, adds depth. Connor Slomka added 216 yards, so the Knights go 4 deep at FB in 2018.
Kell Walker returns as the A-Back after rushing for 629 yards last season. He added 6 scores and averaged 7.31 yards per carry, and is the most explosive back returning. TJ Wisham backs him up, but touched the ball just 2 times last season as a freshman. Jordan Asberry is the B-Back, but rushed for just 115 yards last fall. Artice Hobbs IV is the backup as a sophomore this fall.
Kjetil Kline caught just one pass last season, while Camden Harrison, who also caught one pass last fall, joins him as a starting WR. Quinten Parker and Zach Saum are the starting TEs.
Rick Kurz and Austin Schuffert are projected to start at the OT spots, while Ethan Palelei is projected to start at LG. The RG is open heading into the summer, with Jaxson Deaton projected to be the leader in the competition. Peyton Reeder is the starting C. Jeff Panara provides depth at Tackle, but depth elsewhere is limited on the line.

Breakdown Defense: Army showed major gains on defense last season, as they allowed just 22 points per game. Teams passed for just 176.8 yards per game on them, while they rushed for 172.92 yards per game.
Army will be inexperienced at the DE spot in their 3-4 set this season. Jacob Covington will move into the starting spot as a junior, but has not had much work or production to date, and there is no real depth behind him. Raymond Wright is back at NG this fall, but is more of a traffic mover than a play maker. Rod Stoddard II is the backup there, but did not do much as a freshman last season. Wunmi Oyetuga is the DT, and is the most experienced of the bunch up front. He finished with 3 TFLs a year ago. Edriece Patterson backs him up.
There is a gaping hole at the SAM position as we head into the summer, and the battle will not play out until fall camp concludes. Kenneth Brinson is the start at the RUSH spot, and finished with 38 tackles last season. Cole Christiansen is the starter at WILL, and finished with 84 tackles last season. He added 5 TFLs to the pot as well. James Nachtigal is the starting MIKE, and led the team with 103 tackles last fall, with 8 TFLs, 5 sacks, 3 QB Hurries, and 3 PBUs. The open spot will be trying to replace Alex Aukerman, who finished with 15.5 TFLs last fall before moving on.
The secondary was strong last fall, and should be once again with CB Mike Reynolds returning. Reynolds finished with 7 PBUs last season. Elijah Riley will be stepping up into the other CB spot this fall. Jaylon McClinton and Cameron Jones will be providing depth there. Gibby Gibson is back at BS this fall after finishing with 5 PBUs and 45 tackles last season. Max Regan returns at FS, and finished with 3 PBUs to go with 33 tackles. Justin Thomas, a sophomore, will add some depth at the Safety spots.

Breakdown Special Teams: Senior Nick Schrage averaged 42.88 yards per punt a year ago, but will be taking over duties as the PK as well as we head into summer. He beat out John Abercrombie in spring camp, as well as Michael Leisle, Landon Salyers, and David Cooper. Blake Wilson, who hit just 3/8 FG attempts last season, has moved on. Zach Potter backs him up at Punter.
Kell Walker averaged 20.88 yards per kick return last season, and retains the job. Jordan Asberry left spring ball as his backup. The punt return job is wide open heading into fall camp.

Final Analysis: As long as Monken is the head coach here, things should be OK. I see the possibility that a slight slippage from 10 wins down to around 8 or 9 maybe possible, but Army does have two late season games against lower FCS opponents, and that should help elevate the win total. Beating Navy for a 3rd straight season will also be a huge chore, but Army has their number recently. All things considered, this could be the beginning of a new golden era of Army football, and expectations should be high.