Army Black Knights Preview 2022: Season Prediction, Breakdown, Key Games, Players
Army Black Knights Preview 2022: Previewing, predicting, and looking ahead to the Army season with what you need to know and keys to the season.
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Army Black Knights Preview
Head Coach: Jeff Monken, 9th year, 58-43
14th year overall, 96-59, 2021 Preview
2021 Record: Overall: 9-4
Keys To The Season | Season Prediction, What Will Happen
Army Top 10 Players | Army Schedule & Analysis
Army Black Knights Preview 2022
There was a time not all that long ago when Army was really, really struggling.
It was having a rough time when head coach Jeff Monken took over in 2014, and he didn’t exactly set the world on fire with a 6-18 start. There’s been one blip over the last six seasons – going 5-8 in 2019 – but the systems are working, the team is coming off one of its strongest bowl wins ever – beating Missouri in the Armed Forces – and …
This might be Monken’s best team yet.
Army won 21 games in in two years – 2017-2018 – but the combination of parts returning along with a manageable schedule should be enough to set the expectations through the roof.
And that includes beating Navy.
Army Black Knights Preview 2022: Offense
Like always, Army will run and run some more. The triple-option sprinkled in a little bit more for the passing game at times – it stunned Wake Forest and Air Force through the air for a stretch – but this was the second-least productive passing game in college football and it should be close to that again.
That’s because the ground attack will push for over 280 yards per game – 300 isn’t asking for the world – as the team dominates the time of possession battle, keeps the mistakes to a minimum, and plays like the Army offense normally does.
The leader of the fun is Tyhier Tyler, a 5-8, 183-pound speed-quarterback who led the team in rushing in 2020 and now takes over with veteran Christian Anderson done. The heavy lifting will be done by veteran slotback Tyree Robinson and thundering 260-pound fullback Jakobi Buchanan. Throw 255-pound Tyson Riley into the mix, and the power will be there to go along with the speed. Again, it’ll be the Army offense. There will be lots of running.
For what it’s worth, the Black Knights have their top – and, really, only – receiver. Isaiah Alston led the team with 22 catches for 449 yards averaging over 20 yards per grab. Robinson was second on the team with 12 catches. As always, Army won’t throw, but when it does, big things will happen.
The skill parts are set, but the O line needs a little tweaking. It’ll be fine with a wee bit of time – it’s always a Next Man Up situation – but one tackle is set with veteran Jordyn Law a good, big blocker on the left side, and most importantly, 290-pound center Connor Bishop returns. Everything else will work itself out.
Army Black Knights Preview 2022: Defense
Yeah, the Army defense has been great, but it also catches a big break by only having to work a few minutes a game. That’s obviously a wee bit of an exaggeration, but the offense holds the ball for so long – especially late – that the D is on the field for less than 25 minutes. It should be good on its own this year no matter what, starting with …
Andre Carter. Army has a legitimate NFL pass rushing prospect on the outside with 6-7, 260-pound size and non-stop motor. Defenses have to figure him out, but he’s not alone in a strong linebacking corps. The front three gets the ends back, but loses Nolan Cockrill on the nose. There’s size to rotate in the middle.
Almost everyone of note is back in the secondary. There might not a slew of big play performers, but this group can tackle – Marquel Broughton was second on the team with 80 stops – and seven of the eight picks from the secondary return. It’ll get hit hard by the good passing games on the slate, but there aren’t a ton of those to worry about.
Keys To The Season | Season Prediction, What Will Happen
Army Top 10 Players | Army Schedule & Analysis
Army Black Knights: Keys To The Season, Top Game, Top Transfer, Fun Stats NEXT
Army Black Knights: Keys To The Season, Top Game, Top Transfer, Fun Stats
Army Black Knights: Key To The 2022 Offense
Make the throws
The running game will be the running game, only better. The line will come together, and all of the parts in the backfield will be great. However, can Tyhier Tyler hit his passes? Army failed to hit half of its throws for two years, but all that changed last season.
Jabari Laws was hardly Aaron Rodgers, but he conceded on 79% of his passes averaging close to 13 yards per throw. There was a drop-off to Christian Anderson – he only hit 49% of his passes – but he made them count. Tyler will run well, and he connected on his one throw each of three games – but he missed on all four against Ball State.
As long as Tyler – or whoever is throwing it – can make that one deep shot per game, all will be fine.
Army Black Knights: Key To The 2022 Defense
Hold up in the red zone
The Army defense will be better, and it did a whole lot of good things last year, but teams scored too easily after going on decent marches.
The Black Knights allowed teams to score 94% of the time in the red zone with 71% of the scores coming on touchdowns. In 2020, the D allowed teams to score just 65% of the time in the red zone and gave up touchdowns less than half of the time.
Army Black Knights: Key Player To The 2022 Season
C Connor Bishop, Sr.
QB Tyhier Tyler has to hold up and be great – he has to be the one who makes it all go – but the line needs its quarterback to be great and lead the way.
Bishop missed a few games early last year and everything was fine, but now he’s the veteran who allows the rest of the parts up front to fill in. As long as he’s great – and healthy – there doesn’t need to be any shuffling.
Army Black Knights: Key Transfer
P Billy Boehlke, Jr.
No, he’s not a transfer – the transfer portal doesn’t mean a whole lot to the Army program – but he might be the most important new starter in the mix as the season goes on.
Former punter Zach Harding averaged over 44 yards per kick last season, was fantastic over the last three years, and turned into enough of a weapon to get a look from the New York Jets. Someone has to step into the voice and be a field-flipper – field position means so much to Army.
Army Key Game To The 2022 Season
at Coastal Carolina, Sept. 3
Of course the showdown with Navy makes the season, but this Army team might – forgive the blasphemy – is good enough to think even bigger than that. There’s a date at Wake Forest, and there’s the opener on the road at Coastal Carolina.
Beat the Chanticleers, and the Black Knights will likely be favored the rest of the way against everyone but the Demon Deacons and possible Air Force.
Army Black Knights: 2021 Fun Stats
– Sacks: Army 30 for 179 yards – Opponents 7 for 50 yards
– 2nd Quarter Scoring: Army 156 – Opponents 67
– Rushing TDs: Army 46 – Opponents 19
Offense. Defense Breakdown | Season Prediction, What Will Happen
Army Top 10 Players | Army Schedule & Analysis
Army Black Knights Season Prediction, What Will Happen NEXT
Army Black Knights Season Prediction, What Will Happen
This isn’t a dig, but it’s still Army, not Alabama.
For all the amazing things the team has done under head coach Jeff Monken, and for all the production from the running game, there are still times when the whole thing doesn’t really work.
How does a team good enough to hold up against Wisconsin in a slugfest one week, and get into a 70-56 shootout with Wake Forest the week after, fall flat against Ball State and lose to – all rivalry stuff aside – Navy.
For a team that’s as consistent as it gets in style and substance, it wasn’t all that consistent.
That’s a way-long way of saying that the schedule is about as light and breezy as it gets, but Army can’t take anything for granted.
Set The Army Black Knights Regular Season Win Total At … 9
The quarterback play has to be solid, and the offensive line has to prove it can play at a high level again, but that’s nitpicking.
The O will be great and the D will be solid, but the special teams will be a big concern. As long as the running game it its normal self, the Black Knights should be able to get to nine wins with a shot at even more if there aren’t any Ball State-like misfires of last year.
Offense. Defense Breakdown | Keys To The Season
Army Top 10 Players | Army Schedule & Analysis
