Army football: Black Knights look to even mark at 2-2
Ken McMillanWEST POINT – There was a desperation of sorts as Army headed into its last football contest with Villanova, winless over two starts. The Black Knights righted the ship with a solid victory but now they must face an opponent in even more desperate straits.
Georgia State visits Michie Stadium on Saturday (noon, CBS Sports Network), winless over four contests. The Panthers are scoring at a healthy pace, averaging nearly 28 points per game, but have allowed an alarming 153 points – only 11 of 131 Division I schools are surrendering more than the 38.25 points per game. Still, Georgia State is playing with nine returning starters on defense.
“We’re playing a very athletic football team,’’ said Army coach Jeff Monken. “We’ve got tremendous respect for them.’’
There was relief among the Army players with the 49-10 win over Villanova on Sept. 17 but the cadets know there is still work to be done.
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“We need to get better,’’ said co-captain Connor Bishop. “It’s just the fundamentals and the little things, just going back to the basics, the everyday stuff. That’s a continuous process that we’re always going to be working on.’’
A huge question mark for Army will be the status of powerful fullback Jakobi Buchanan. He left the game with a left leg injury following a 55-yard run against Villanova and was later spotted on the sideline wearing a leg brace – he did tell a CBS reporter that he was fine. Monken would not elaborate on his status though Buchanan is listed on the two-deep player chart. He has one negative yardage play in his career and 119 yards on 25 carries this season.
Tyson Riley, though hobbled, played very well in Buchanan’s absence, amassing a career-best 158 yards and a score against Villanova. Freshman Hayden Reed (3 carries, 29 yards including 24-yard TD run) saw a lot of time as a blocking back, but there is still concern over depth at that position and other spots.
“We’ve got to continue to build depth, continue to build guys that are trusted to go in there and be able to do their job … across the board,’’ said co-captain Connor Bishop.
How Army will attack the Panthers’ defense remains to be seen. The Black Knights uncharacteristically completed 17 of 26 throws for 446 yards in opening losses to Coastal Carolina and Texas San Antonio, but went all-run (save for one incompletion) against Villanova, gaining 472 yards on 55 carries.
Georgia State is allowing 158.5 yards rushing and 295 through the air over four games. The Panthers have lost to Power 5 teams South Carolina (35-14) and North Carolina (35-28), lost 42-41 to Charlotte and bowed 41-24 to formidable Coastal Carolina.
Quarterback Darren Grainger has completed 53 percent of his throws for 218 yards per game and nine touchdowns – Robert Lewis has five of those TD grabs, Kris Byrd three and Jamari Thrash leads the way with 21 receptions for 95 yards per game. Tucker Gregg has three rushing scores and averages 56 yards per game. Marcus Carroll, Grainger and Jamyest Williams are averaging 42-48 yards per game. The leading tacklers are Jordan Veneziale, Antavious Lane and Jonbrey Hunter, averaging between 7-9 stops per game. The Panthers have five interceptions and seven sacks through four games.
Army (1-2) and Georgia State (0-4) meet for the third time but the first at West Point. GSU prevailed 28-21 in 2019 but Army won its 2021 opener 43-10 in Atlanta.
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Notes: Following its first bye week, Army will play four Saturdays in a row. The Oct. 8 game at Wake Forest will start at 7:30 p.m. and be televised locally on YES Network – the Demon Deacons, with high-powered quarterback Sam Hartman back at the helm, are 4-1 heading into a Saturday game at Florida State.
Twitter: @KenMcMillanTHR