– by Adesina O. Koiki
A Lot of Sports Talk editor-in-chief
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WEST POINT, NEW YORK — Army’s first official crack at winning a conference championship, one that was 134 years in the making, served as just an appetizer given that the main course of the Black Knights season lies in waiting in eight days’ time. The meal that Army quarterback Bryson Daily and his team served up in the prelude to America’s Game was none the less impressive, however.
Daily rushed for four touchdowns as the No. 24 Black Knights were dominant from start to finish in a 35-14 demolition of Tulane in the American Conference Championship Game inside Michie Stadium on Friday night. In its first season in the American, a decision that Army head coach Jeff Monken said would help the team have a chance at making the College Football Playoff, the Black Knights completed a perfect season in conference play and secured just their second 11-win season in program history.
All of this, and Army has yet to play its most important game of the season — its annual matchup against Navy, taking place next Saturday just outside of the nation’s capital in Landover, Maryland.
Until then, a historic first, grabbing hold of a conference championship trophy for the first time, will have to do while dreaming about possessing the Commander-In-Chief’s Trophy once more.
Daily’s four touchdowns on the ground tied the conference championship game record, and his 29 overall tie him with Boise State running back Ashton Jeanty for the FBS lead. Jeanty, who scored on a 75-yard run during the Broncos’ victory over UNLV in the Mountain West Championship Game played simultaneously as the American title game, is a shoo-in to be in New York for the Heisman Trophy presentation as one of the finalists.
Daily, Monken said, shoudl be on that short list as well, despite the fact he and the Black Knights will be busy with their game against the Midshipmen as the Heisman ceremony gets underway.
“I don’t know that there’s anybody in the country that would balk at the idea of the starting quarterback of the Army Black Knights, who’s rushed for 100 yards in a game 10 games in a row on an 11-1 team that just won the conference championship, why doesn’t that guy belong down?” Monken said.
“There’s a lot of great football players in the country but there’s not one who means more to his team than that guy sitting right down there,” Monken added, pointing toward Daily. “And so it’s the MVP of college football. Who’s most valuable to their team? I’d argue there’s not a guy in America more valuable to their team than Bryson Daily.”
*Editor’s note: Above the byline is the photo gallery from Friday evening’s game, with photos taken by ALOST staff photographer Scott Rausenberger. After clicking on a photo to enlarge the picture, press the left and right arrow buttons on either side of the caption to scroll through the rest of the pictures that appear on the first page, Also, click on the numbers and/or arrow appearing immediately below the picture grid to load the next set of photos. There are six pictures in total.
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