Sunday, September 13th, 2020... and where is our beloved Army football team? Well Army is the only team in the country 2-0 out of the six teams having played two games and only 42 of the 77 teams scheduled to play football in the FBS this fall have played at least one game. As for me I say well done Army team, you have proven toughness, discipline, and I feel pride for how my Army team has represented and shown that they deserve the #25 ranking in the Coaches Poll, and the #22 ranking in the AP Poll. (Granted, not all teams have played so far, but what the heck, bring them all on with this Army team...)! 😁

There are lots of reasons for how Army has played so far in this weird 2020 Covid season. (1) They have kept it like any normal season of football, and (2) Coach Monken along with Academy administration have kept their hats on straight and kept focused on health as well as "preparation". I wanted to highlight some aspects of both the offense and the defense to shine the spotlight on an overall outstanding opening for football at West Point in this 2020 season:

1. Offense has been really solid as evidenced by the following which are Army's blueprint for success:

• The triple option is absolutely on track by scoring on eleven of fifteen possessions not counting ending two halfs with the ball. 79 points or 39.5 per game is awesome.
• Army leads the nation with 388 yards per game rushing, and with ten rushing TDs compared to the next team with only four....and a 6.1 yards per carry average. TOP 36:08 ave per game.
• Fourteen different players have carries and Army has lost just eleven yards in two games. Nine runners have at least 47 yards, 11 have at least one run of 10+ yards, and 9 have at least 7 carries each.
• The offense has nineteen rushes of 10 yards or more and all three pass completions were for 10, 18, and 29 yards.
• Their 3rd down conversion rate is 71.3% and are 80% on fourth downs. No sacks against us, and the Red Zone conversions are 6-6 ... all for TDs.
• Field goals are officially 1-1 of 40 yards, but there was another 44 yarder taken off for a penalty which Army converted into a TD.
• The CBS announcers were gushing with how many knock down or pancake blocks the O-Line has had...way in excess of any normal team's blocking. I'd say the MOB is back with a vengeance.

2. How about the Defense (How about that Defense??) Awesome and then some...welcome Coach Woody and his band of newcomer defensive staff:

• Army has allowed one score for seven points in two games, a 3rd down conversion rate of 33.3%, and just one score for three Red Zone opponent prossessions.
• Army has four sacks, "SIX" takeaways (3 fumbles from four caused, 3 interceptions) and two others (an INT plus a Fumble for a TD) were taken back on a penalty and official review reversal, and did get one one Defensive interception returned for a TD.
• At this point in time, Army has the fifth overall Defense giving up just 56 yards rushing and 136 yards passing per game to go along with an average of 3.5 points per game against two FBS teams. BYU is third because they played Navy...lol.
• Almost 30% of opponent rush attempts end up as a loss and opponents have managed just 5/44 rush attempts of over 10 yards. Only 5/48 pass attempts were caught for a 10+ yard gain.
• OK.. lets toss into this that Special Teams have a blocked FG, and a nicely blocked punt called back on a penalty.

I could care less if there are naysayers who want to downplay our opponents. These are FBS opponents, and they are expected to have a decent record by year's end. Anybody hearing anyone downplaying Oklahoma's thrashing of Missouri State yesterday (an FCS team)? IMHO ... MTS & ULM had the unfortunate scheduling to catch Army in their openers. I do regret BYU unfortunately postponing our game next Saturday, because from the beginning I have said this would be an Army victory.
Here's to hoping Mike Buddie's tweet finds an opponent for Saturday, because I am ready for some more Army football.

Go Army...beat 'em all.
Beat Navy and Air Force most of all !!

Love how the team has played so far. I was really looking forward to the showdown with BYU but that's been postponed. Still a big game coming against Cincy in 2 weeks.

The good news is that I just finished a Zoom interview with Cole, as he and the Chargers just completed their final day of pre-season camp.

The bad news is that there were technical difficulties with the interview, so we are hoping to get Cole back this afternoon/evening for take No. 2, so you folks can hear what he has to say about his quest for a spot with the Chargers.

Just to put things into perspective, the Black Knights have outscored its first two opponents this season, 79-7.

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Army checks in at #25 in the Coach’s Poll. AP Poll drops in less than 10 minutes.

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THE GAME

Location: West Point, New York

Game Time: 1:30pm EST, Saturday, September 12th

GBK Cover-It-Live Opens: Saturday (9/5) @ 1:15 pm EST (however anyone can chime in at anytime prior to and of course during the game)

TV: CBS Sports Network

Ben Holden (play-by-play), Ross Tucker (color analyst) & Tina Cervasio (sideline reporter)

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You can enter the LIVE CHAT through either of our two message boards (which is where the LIVE chat will take place)...

... Non-Premium (CLICK HERE - Army Black Knights Football) or Premium (CLICK HERE - The 12th Knight) door!


With that being said, “Who’s Got Their Game Face On?... Because It Is Showtime the Black Knights are attempting to 2-0 on the season.” See you back here at 1:15pm EST on Saturday (if not sooner) and even if you are taking in the game LIVE from Michie Stadium (West Point), you can still jump on either of the COVER-IT-LIVE Threads (The 12th Knight or Army Black Knights Football Message Boards).


THIS IS LIVE & COMMENTS ON THIS THREAD AND RELATIVE TO PRE-GAME CHATTER ... WELL, IT CAN START ANYTIME (FROM NOW - END OF THE GAME).

NEEDLESS TO SAY, WE HOPE TO SEE EVERYONE HERE WITH YOUR GAME FACE ON.

WE WELCOME ALL COMMENTS THAT FALL WITHIN GUIDELINES OF BEING RESPECTABLE.

Note: That the most active fan participation with The LIVE Chat is on the 12th Knight premium message board. In addition, there will be minimum moderation of these threads, although GBK Recruiting Analyst A.M. Allan will be peeking in from time to time throughout the contest.

Why The 12th Knight Premium Message Board?

The odds makers in Nevada opened with Army West Point as a 16 point favorite next Saturday.

Most of us are still sky high after yesterday’s game, surprised at such a line, think the over/under is at 58.

Take a few days to clear our heads, and make our educated guesses.

THE GAME

Location: West Point, New York

Game Time: 1:30pm EST, Saturday, September 12th

GBK Cover-It-Live Opens: Saturday (9/5) @ 1:15 pm EST (however anyone can chime in at anytime prior to and of course during the game)

TV: CBS Sports Network

Ben Holden (play-by-play), Ross Tucker (color analyst) & Tina Cervasio (sideline reporter)

Login to view embedded media

You can enter the LIVE CHAT through either of our two message boards (which is where the LIVE chat will take place)...

... Non-Premium (CLICK HERE - Army Black Knights Football) or Premium (CLICK HERE - The 12th Knight) door!


With that being said, “Who’s Got Their Game Face On?... Because It Is Showtime the Black Knights are attempting to go 2-0.” See you back here at 1:15pm EST on Saturday (if not sooner) and even if you are taking in the game LIVE from Michie Stadium (West Point), you can still jump on either of the COVER-IT-LIVE Threads (The 12th Knight or Army Black Knights Football Message Boards).


THIS IS LIVE & COMMENTS ON THIS THREAD AND RELATIVE TO PRE-GAME CHATTER ... WELL, IT CAN START ANYTIME (FROM NOW - END OF THE GAME).

NEEDLESS TO SAY, WE HOPE TO SEE EVERYONE HERE WITH YOUR GAME FACE ON.

WE WELCOME ALL COMMENTS THAT FALL WITHIN GUIDELINES OF BEING RESPECTABLE.

Note: That the most active fan participation with The LIVE Chat is on the 12th Knight premium message board. In addition, there will be minimum moderation of these threads, although GBK Recruiting Analyst A.M. Allan will be peeking in from time to time throughout the contest.

Why The 12th Knight Premium Message Board?

Two future Army 2020 foes are squaring off in Annapolis. Navy is down early 14-0 and their defense looks slow and full of holes. The Navy O line looks quite small compared to the BYU D line. It could be a long night for the squids.

When does Army announce who is not playing in that week's game? How is it announced? If GBK is a press recipient of that announcement, can it post it here right away?

Gives the Black Knights defense some love after the shutout win on Saturday.

Looking at the front page for the FutureCast players, it appears that GBK is projecting LB Kemari Copeland to become a Black Knight. A.M. how is that coming along?

Y’all ready for some football? I really enjoyed watching HS and even Austin Peay’s shotgun version of the flexbone SAT night.
If you aren’t absolutely jacked about next Saturday after the last 6 months, you might need to turn in your Army fan card.
I think I saw where the “Young Black Knights” as I am calling them this year are 5.5 point favorites in the home opener. I have 0 idea what to expect with this team, but somebody in Vegas knows something.

Army wins their home opener 35-31.

Former Associate Athletic Director. I’d never heard of the guy, has anyone else heard/seen this?