2015 record: 2-10
Head coach: Jeff Monken (3rd season)
The Black Knights went home with a 35-21 victory against Duke the last time they visited Durham in 2010, but the two programs have gone in opposite directions since then.
Army has not made a bowl game since 2010 and reached a low point last year with a 2-10 record, including a 44-3 loss to the Blue Devils in West Point, N.Y. The Black Knights’ triple option offense fumbled seven times in that game, completed just two passes and threw one interception. Army struggled to hold onto the ball all season, losing 13 of its 38 fumbles and committing 22 turnovers, 11 more than its defense forced.
Eleven different Black Knights rushed for at least 100 yards last season, led by quarterback Ahmad Bradshaw with 616 yards. Bradshaw returns this season, but Army will have to replace its two other top threats on the ground. Quarterback A.J. Schurr—who led the team with seven rushing touchdowns—graduated, and starting running back Aaron Kemper was dismissed from the team in July. Third-year head coach Jeff Monken spent more than a decade as a running backs coach at three different schools and has his work cut out for him to orchestrate an effective rushing attack this year.
The passing game is not a focal point of the Black Knights’ offense, but Army returns its best wide receiver in Edgar Allen Poe. The 6-foot-4 senior caught six of the team’s 10 touchdown passes last year—the most touchdown catches by a Black Knight receiver since 2007.
Army returns its two leading tacklers from a defense that allowed 27.8 points per game last year, and defensive back Brandon Jackson is also back after finishing with three interceptions as a freshman.
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