2011-2012 Football Previews – 2011 Independents I-A Football – Army Black Knights
Until last season’s 7-6 finish, Army hadn’t had a winning season since the 1990s and hasn’t beaten a Top 20 team since 1972.
Independent 2011-12 Football Previews: Army Black Knights
Coach: Rich Ellerson
2010 Record: 7-6
Army Gambling Odds from Sportsbook.com to win BCS: +5000
Army Team Page – Players Stats – Roster – 2011 Schedule –>
Until last season’s 7-6 finish, Army hadn’t had a winning season since the 1990s and hasn’t beaten a Top 20 team since 1972.
Fiddling with the offense over the past ten years has ended in complete misery, so Ellerson has gone back to the spread and it seems to work well. Ellerson ran the scheme with success at Cal Poly, so he is in good shape in West Point.
Army now runs a similar scheme to nemesis Navy, yet the Knights never seem to have personnel quite as well suited as the Middies. There is plenty of experience returning in 2011, however, so Ellerson’s men hope they can make a dent by pulling some upsets.
It doesn’t seem like Army is out of the woods in the grand scheme of things, but Ellerson did lead Army to its first bowl since 1996, so the complaints must be minimal.
Team Strengths
The offense will be funneled through a pair of juniors, QB Trent Steelman and RB Jared Hassin. Hassin surpassed 1,000 rushing yards last season (1,013) and added nine majors to his output. For his part, Steelman chipped in over 700 rush yards and 11 TDs.
True, Steelman didn’t surpass 1,000 pass yards in 2010, but he does what is asked of him.
A cluster of seniors will help the offense in SB Malcolm Brown, and WRs Austin Barr and Davyd Brooks. The offense also has a newcomer in FB Larry Dixon, who goes at 5”10, 225 lbs and has the frame to spell Hassin when necessary.
Defensively, the stars are LB Steve Erzinger and CB Josh Jackson.
Team Weaknesses
Army loses a lot from its defense, including leading tackler Stephen Anderson and five-INT man Donovan Travis. [soliloquy id=”82219″]
It will be a task to make up for that absence of big plays.
Junior DE and returning starter Jarrett Mackey must make his presence felt; he amassed four sacks in 2010 but must boost that number still if the “D” is to make an impact.
The Knights must also replace starting P Jonathan Bulls; junior Chris Boldt has no game experience. Army must also find a new long-snapper.
These types of positions are often overlooked, yet they are impossible to miss when you have inconsistency there.
2011-12 Army Football Prediction: 4-8
Army got lucky in a couple games last season and only have 11 starters returning. If the Knights can somehow reach six wins, they are assured a bowl (the Military Bowl in D.C.) but that might be a tall order for a team that loses so much from the defense.
Army draws Northwestern, Rutgers, Temple and Vanderbilt, an SEC team that may still be smarting after Army beat them in 2009. Army of course also gets the other academies in Air Force and Navy; the Middies have won the last nine straight versus the Knights.
It is clear that the option is the right scheme for Army’s personnel (you don’t need stud recruits to be successful with it) and Ellerson is a master of running this style.
But Army’s lack of talent is quite apparent in many games it plays and I feel that a bowl game would be a highly pleasant surprise for the Black Knights in 2011.
2011 Army Black Knights Schedule
9/3/11 7:00 PM ET @NOILL
9/10/11 12:00 PM ET SDST
9/17/11 3:30 PM ET NWEST
9/24/11 12:00 PM ET @BALST
10/1/11 12:00 PM ET TULNE
10/8/11 12:00 PM ET @MIAOH
10/22/11 12:00 PM ET @VAN
10/29/11 3:30 PM ET FORD
11/5/11 3:30 PM ET @AIRFC
11/12/11 3:30 PM ET RUTG
11/19/11 12:00 PM ET @TEM
12/10/11 2:30 PM ET @NAVY
