Army football coach Jeff Monken on Black-and-Gold scrimmage: "It was fun"
WEST POINT – It was the last play on the last day of spring practice.
Army’s Gold team had fought valiantly to have an opportunity to win the annual Black and Gold scrimmage. A goal-line stand was followed by a field-goal block by Josiah Banks, preserving a slim 14-10 lead by the Black squad. Dewayne Coleman stepped in behind center, determined to show his chops.
Over the ensuing three-and-a-half minutes, Coleman drove the Gold team 89 yards of the needed 90. A time-out was called, and Gold “head coach” Mike Viti suggested a bootleg play for the go-ahead score.
Coleman is not ashamed to admit that he’s “not the fastest or quickest guy.’’ So in the huddle, the rising junior changed the call.
“I was like, ‘Let’s run it in with A.J.,’ and A.J. took it on in there,’’ Coleman said.
There was a time not too long ago when A.J. Williams’ spot on the team was in question. Recruited as a fullback, his journey – with Army’s transitioning offenses – took him to tight end, then to linebacker and then a return to the backfield. “I wasn’t sure if he was going to ever really be able to contribute to the team,’’ head coach Jeff Monken said.
But Army has streamlined its triple option offense from 2022 and its shotgun offense from 2023, taking the best plays from each concept and marrying them into one for 2024.
Like a handful of others, the fullbacks are back at their natural spots and Williams has thrived.
On the final drive alone, Williams had carries of 22, 7, 5, 3 and 2 yards – the last 1 proved easy as he followed a line surge off the right side, busting into the end zone with 13 seconds left, giving the Gold squad a 17-14 victory before a nice turnout on a cool evening at Michie Stadium.
“He’s had a good spring, and not just running the football … doing other things too,’’ Monken said of Williams. “So, I’m happy for him. He’s a great kid. He cares so much about this team.’’
A week earlier, Monken was none too pleased with his team’s performance in the final controlled scrimmage. Three outings later, Monken was generally happy with what he saw on the final night of spring ball. The next time the Black Knights take the field will be preseason camp in August, ahead of the home opener – on another Friday night – against Lehigh on Aug. 30.
“It was fun,’’ Monken said. “It was just as we hoped it would be: guys played hard, some guys made some really good plays.’’
The most significant revelation to fans who had not seen the team since last December’s win over Navy was a melding of two most recent offensive schemes. All five quarterbacks who played Friday took snaps under center and four of them also from the shotgun formation. Unofficially, Army ran 72 percent of plays (87) under center and 28 percent (34) from the shotgun.
Incumbent quarterback Bryson Daily, a rising senior, directed the Black team on a seven-play, 65-yard opening scoring drive. The final two plays were a 23-yard diving catch by tight end Toby Thompson and a 15-yard diving TD grab by Noah Short, barely three minutes into the contest. Daily would guide three more full series, netting 7 yards, 61 yards (ahead of a failed field goal) and 11 yards. He was 4-for-5 passing for 55 yards.
Coleman had a good spring practice in 2023, finishing strong in the Black-Gold game, but fell down to fourth on the QB depth chart, seeing only a handful of snaps over three games. With the departure of Champ Harris and Markel Johnson, Coleman’s stock is up again in the battle for the No. 2 spot – Monken is assured Daily will remain No. 1 headed into the debut season in The American Athletic Conference.
Coleman guided six drives for Gold, accounting for 285 total yards. His third series was a quick one, hitting Lloyd Benson III wide open down the middle on the second play for a 61-yard score. Before the final series, Coleman also led two drives that resulted in one field goal and one miss. He was 11-for-15 passing for 148 yards.
Notes: Rising sophomore Cale Hellums directed five series for Black, missing two plays after a knee-to-knee collision. For Gold, rising sophomore Mitch Bolden had two third-quarter series, netting only 13 yards, a sack and one pass completion. Rising junior Zach Mundell had one second-quarter series, for 9 yards and a sack.
X / Twitter: @KenMcMillanTHR
This article originally appeared on Times Herald-Record: Army football closes spring practice with Black and Gold game
