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Army defeated East Carolina 7-0 in the opener

Posted on by Kennedy
Army defeated East Carolina 7-0 in the opener

The army would not be an isolated case in the national polls.

The Black Knights, who reached the top 25 for the first time this season at No. 23 in the AP poll and No. 24 in the coaches' poll, turned heads with voters with a 45-28 victory over East Carolina on a beautiful Saturday afternoon in sold out Michie Stadium.

Army (7-0) has the nation's longest winning streak at 11 games and its four consecutive 40-point games are its best since the 1945 national championship season. At 6-0, Army leads the American Athletic Conference in its first season as a member.

Army senior quarterback Bryson Daily surpassed his career high set last week with a school-record five rushing scores and a passing touchdown. His 19 rushing scores and involvement in 26 total touchdowns are both Army single-season records. He has three consecutive games with 100 passing and 100 rushing yards.

Army football is off to another great start

The Black Knights are the only team in the country to score touchdowns on the first possession of every game. Army scored all but one goal the second time around.

Army scored on its first four possessions against East Carolina. Daily stunned the crowd with a 37-yard play-action completion to Casey Reynolds on the first snap of the game, bringing Army to East Carolina's 29. Four plays later, Daily rolled right and had Tyrell Robinson run a shorter route and his ultimate target, Miles Stewart, ran wide for the 13-yard end zone catch.

Army ran a more traditional long drive that covered 14 plays and 64 yards and culminated with a 32-yard field goal by Trey Gronotte on the first play of the second quarter and a 10-0 lead.

After East Carolina ran three play-and-outs, Daily made another highlight-reel run, turning away from a defender at close range and rolling 17 yards for a touchdown and a 17-0 lead.

Playing deep in its own territory, East Carolina failed on a fourth-down-and-1 call at its own 31. Army immediately made the Pirates pay for their mistake as Daily ran right, strong-armed a defender and dove for the finish 31-yard scoring run and a 24-0 lead midway through the second quarter.

Bryson Daily continues to rewrite Army records

Bryson Daily continues to challenge the Army record books. His 77 passing yards in the first quarter represented the second-most by a Black Knight QB in the last 15 years. Daily led the nation with 14 QB rushing scores and added five more. He finished his career with a career-high 174 yards on 31 carries, completing seven of 10 throws for 147.

The Army maintains its perfection by moving forward and staying ahead

Army was one of nine teams to start the week with a 6-0 record, and the win evens Brigham Young's 7-0 start. Like Indiana, Army hasn't trailed at all this season.

East Carolina's QB change doesn't lead to victory

East Carolina (3-4) has struggled a lot lately, losing four of its last five games. The Pirates had suffered a 55-24 loss to Charlotte two weeks earlier. The Pirates turned to sophomore and Michigan State transfer Katin Houser for his first ECU start. Houser shot exclusively with the shotgun, completing 24 of 38 throws for 282 yards and three scores.

Welcome back, Tyrell Robinson

Senior Tyrell Robinson made his debut in 2024 after battling serious knee injuries the past two seasons. He carried the black flag as Army took the field before the game and was captain of the offensive team. Robinson, who was originally slated to be the backup slot man, was instrumental in two big plays early on as a decoy. In the third quarter, he made a throw to his left and rushed for 23 yards.

Next up is Army football

The Black Knights will get a well-deserved break – it's the usual open week leading up to the Service Academy's annual battle with the Air Force on November 2nd. The Navy defeated the Air Force earlier this month, so the Falcons have already been eliminated from the Commander-in-Chief Trophy.

Contact Ken McMillan at [email protected]. Follow him on X / Twitter @Ken McMillanTHR

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