Preview 2019: Previewing and looking ahead to the Army Black Knights season with what you need to know.
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– What You Need To Know: Offense | Defense
– Top Players | Key Players, Games, Stats
– What Will Happen, Win Total Prediction
– Schedule Analysis
– Army Previews 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | 2015
2018 Record: 11-2 overall
Head Coach: Jeff Monken, 6th year, 35-28
– CFN Preview 2019: All The Team Previews
5. WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT THE ARMY OFFENSE
– You know exactly what’s coming … again. Army doesn’t care about the forward pass – no, this isn’t the year the offense starts to balance things out – and it doesn’t matter. The air attack did what it was supposed to do by hitting the deep ball, leading the nation with a 20-yard-per-catch average. But it’s the ground game and the option that will dominate again after finishing second behind only Georgia Tech.
– Quarterback Kelvin Hopkins is back after leading the team with 1,017 yards and 17 scores, and he can throw just enough to have to worry once in a while about the deep ball. Considering how many shots the Army quarterback takes, sophomores Jabari Laws and Tyler Tyler and junior Christian Anderson need to be ready.
– Losing FB Darnell Woolfolk matters. He was a steady part of the puzzle who powered away for 956 yards and 14 scores, and Andy Davidson is gone, too. However, 6-0, 240-pound Connor Slomka is ready to step in after finishing fourth on the team with 324 yards and five scores – he can pop.
The speed guys are back, too, but they didn’t get a whole lot of work compared to the inside power guy – Hopkins handled things on the outside. Senior Kell Walker is a longtime producer, and junior Artice Hobbs got in a little work last year.
– The Army wide receivers will have seasons that look like great games, but they can block, and they can hit the home run. All of the top targets are back, all of them will average around 20 yards per grabs, and all of them will finish with around five catches for the season.
– Three starters are back up front around 310-pound senior Jaxson Deaton at one guard spot and 290-pound junior Peyton Reeder at the other. There’s good size on the inside, and excellent quickness at tackle – it’ll all work.
NEXT: What You Need To Know About the Defense, Top Players, Keys to the Season, What Will Happen
4. WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT THE ARMY DEFENSE
– There are a whole lot of missing pieces from a defense that finished eighth in the nation – allowing fewer than 300 yards per game – and gave up 18 points an outing. But as long as the offense is controlling the time of possession battle, everything will be just fine.
– The linebackers are the biggest early problem after losing top tackler and pass rusher James Nachtigal and fellow outside pass rushing star Kenneth Brinson. 230-pound sophomore Arik Smith will get the first look on the weakside to try replacing Nachtigal – Smith made four tackles in his limited role – and 240-pound Jeremiah Lowery will get the call at the Rush position.
6-2, 225-pound senior Cole Christiansen is back in the middle after finishing second on the team with 77 tackles, and 255-pound senior Amadeo West is a good-sized option on the strongside.
– The front three isn’t bulky, but there should be a good rotation. 5-11, 280-pound senior Rod Stoddard and 6-4, 275-pound Connor Smith are the size up front on the inside, and the rest of the line is full of linebacker-sized options who can hold up. Again, though, the key is that everyone stays fresh – this is where time of possession matters.
– The secondary gets back three starters including third-leading tackler Elijah Riley at one corner and Jaylon McClinton at safety. There’s good size across the group of defensive backs, and theres’s decent depth – senior Cameron Jones is more than fine in place of James Gibson at one safety job. Now the secondary has to come up with more big plays – picking off just five passes, with two agains Navy – while continuing to be terrific against the run.
NEXT: Top Players, Keys To the Season, What Will Happen
3. TOP ARMY PLAYERS
Best Army Offensive Player
QB Kelvin Hopkins, Sr.
Like all Army quarterbacks, he’s really a running back, but he can throw a little, too. He’ll never be Tom Brady, but as long as he’s able to hit the deep ball a few times a game, he’s doing his job. He only completed 55% of his passes – getting about 60% would be nice – but he’s been an amazing passer compared to recent Knight QBs. But that’s not why you called – he’s the runner who makes the O go.
The 5-10, 205-pounder is tough and can handle the work, running 208 times for 1,017 yards and 17 touchdowns. He keeps the chains moving and keeps the offense in good situations, and now he’s a seasoned veteran.
2. OG Alex Herndon, Sr.
3. FB Connor Slomka, Sr.
4. RB Kell Walker, Sr.
5. OG Peyton Reeder, Jr.
Best Army Defensive Player
LB Cole Christiansen, Sr.
The 6-2, 225-pounder might not be all that big from his spot in the middle, but he’s got great range, can get behind the line, and will get in on everything. He came up with 77 tackles with a sack and 12 tackles for loss, continuing to be a steady force who can be a volume tackler when things are funneled his way. As the veteran leader of the defense – and a rebuilding linebacking corps – it’ll be his job to do even more to hold up.
2. CB Elijah Riley, Sr.
3. S Jaylon McClinton, Sr.
4. LB Arik Smith, Jr.
5. DT Rod Stoddard, Sr.
NEXT: Keys to the Season, Prediction & What Will Happen
2. KEYS TO THE SEASON
Biggest Key To The Army Offense
Keep on hitting the deep passes. No, Army isn’t going to throw more than 100 times this season if everything goes according to plan – it only threw it 98 times last year – but Kelvin Hopkins is a good enough passer to be used even more. Army quarterbacks weren’t able to connect on half of their throws since 2010, and Hopkins competed 55% of his passes.
Keep doing that.
Army led the nation in yards per completion averaging over 20 yards per pass, with the goal being to connect on a few deep balls per game to take advantage of everyone who loads up against the ground game. Hopkins can do that.
Biggest Key To The Army Defense
Don’t give up a slew of rushing yards. No one’s going to outgain the Knights on the ground unless something strange happens, but even a decent day from the opposing rushing attack is a problem.
The 2017 defense was able to survive and thrive even when other teams were hitting the big plays on the ground. But last year, all of the puzzle pieces worked just fine except for the losses to Duke and Oklahoma. Granted, that’s Duke and Oklahoma – two of the better teams on the schedule – and they happened to have the two of the three best running games of the season against the Army D.
The Blue Devils and Sooners only ran for 184 yards and 190, respectively, and they were two of the three teams to average more than five yards per carry. The other team was Colgate, which ran for 188 yards averaging 6.7 yards per carry, and it gave Army a few issues. No one else hit the five yard mark, and only Liberty averaged more than four.
Key Player To A Successful Season
LB Arik Smith, Soph.
All James Nachtigal did was make 200 tackles over the last two seasons as the heart-and-soul playmaker from his weakside linebacking position. Now he’s gone, and it’s up to the 6-0, 230-pound Smith to step in and take over and become a top tackler. Army is great at preparing young players to step in right away and produce, and now it’s up to Smith to be a 100-tackle star of the D.
Key Game To The Army Season
Tulane, Oct. 5
This will be the game when we know whether or not this Army team has the potential to be the killer it was last season. If all goes according to plan, the Knights should beat Rice, UTSA and Morgan State to start the season, and they’ll likely lose to Michigan.
After getting a week off, dealing with a good, sound Tulane team is a must win against a team good enough to hold up against the Knight O – the Green Wave coaching staff knows option offenses. With three of the next four games on the road, taking care of home is a must.
– Army Schedule Breakdown & Analysis
2018 Army Fun Stats
– Sacks: Army 26 for 174 yards – Opponents 3 for 23 yards
– 4th Down Conversions: Army 31-of-36 (86%) – Opponents 15-of-30 (50%)
– Time of Possession: Army 38:33 – Opponents 21:27
NEXT: What Will Happen
1. ARMY WIN TOTAL PREDICTION: WHAT’S GOING TO HAPPEN
The machine is going to keep on rolling.
It might not be the dominant all-around force of a team that last year’s was, but that doesn’t mean the offense won’t keep ripping through the mediocre defenses on the slate, and it doesn’t mean the D can’t quickly fill in the open spots and rock again.
The developed depth isn’t quite there at quarterback, the loss of some key fullbacks will matter, and there are just enough departures on the defensive front seven to be a problem. But head coach Jeff Monken has everything working, and he has the systems in place to do it all again.
Set The Regular Season Win Total At … 10
There isn’t a team on the schedule that Army can’t beat, and that includes Michigan. However, figure in a road loss in Ann Arbor, and factor in two misfires at some point.
But that’s a total guess.
If the 2019 team is the 2018 version, it’s 12-1 and rips through the slate with machine-like efficiency. Tulane is going to be dangerous, going to Air Force and Hawaii are going to be a potential problem, and Navy should be vastly improved.
Now take a step back for a second … a ten-win season at Army would be a big disappointment?
That’s where we’re at now under Monken. It’s a fun, ruthlessly efficient team.
Enjoy.
– What You Need To Know: Offense | Defense
– Top Players | Key Players, Games, Stats
– Schedule Analysis
