2013-14 Football Previews – (Independant) – Black Knights
For all the talk of an increased focus on the passing game, it’s safe to expect the Army Black Knights to continue to rely heavily on the nation’s most productive running game.
2013 Preview: Army Black Knights
Coach: Rich Ellerson
2012 Record: 2-10
Army gambling odds from BetOnline to win BCS: (Field) +20000
Army Team Page – Player Stats – Roster – 2013 Schedule – >
Head coach Rich Ellerson brought a ton of promise to the program, starting with a trip to a bowl game just a few years ago, but a disappointing 2012 leaves plenty of questions that need to be answered.
All the good that has come out of the ground game has been negated by woeful play on defense and special teams, and the passing game hasn’t been any better.
It’s unreasonable to expect Army to start throwing the ball all over the field, but do expect an uptick in pass attempts as part of what will likely be a slew of changes this upcoming season. Some good young receivers have been brought in and they will likely be put to use from the get-go.
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Chevaughn Lawrence is a talented receiver who can be a huge boon to the team’s vertical passing game, but quarterback A.J. Schurr will have to be a lot better throwing the ball to make use of him
With all that being said, the team did finish first in rushing and last in passing a year ago and that could be the case once again, even if they do have one of the best receiving corps they’ve had in a long while. Senior running back Raymond Maples will carry the offense, at least between the 20s. He eclipsed the 100-yard mark in four of the team’s first five games last season, and they’ll need him to get off to another hot start.
With a couple 1,000-yard seasons already under his belt, a third is a virtual lock.
As for the defense, a bad unit from a year ago could be just as bad this season. Just about every starter in the secondary from a year ago is gone, and the team has been forced to re-shuffle all over the field. Last year’s leading tackler, Geoffery Bacon, moves from middle linebacker to free safety to help the depleted secondary.
The only other defensive bright spot in 2012 may have been Lamar Johnson-Harris who could be someone to build around going forward.
If the secondary is to be any better this season, the team will need to find a way to put pressure on the opposing quarterback. The team was able to generate five sacks in their game against Boston College, but only 10 others the rest of the season, with three of those coming against Stony Brook. [soliloquy id=”82219″]
If opposing quarterbacks are given unlimited time in the pocket it won’t matter who’s lining up in the secondary.
What the unit’s front seven lacks in size it makes up for with athleticism and quickness, and they’ll need to make better use of that this season. If they can get into the backfield, that could force opposing quarterbacks to make some mistakes, which could help improve on the seven interceptions the team forced last season.
2013-14 Army Football Prediction: 4-8
All those bye weeks down the stretch mean little time off early in the season. They’ll play eight consecutive games to start the season before getting a break.
11 is the number that will be in the heads of every Army player and coach this season. Namely, 11 straight losses to the Navy Midshipmen. They came awful close to reversing the trend a year ago, but couldn’t seal the deal. There are bye weeks littered throughout the final month of the season with the Navy game in mind. A successful season comes down to winning that final game. It could also be crucial in deciding whether or not the team goes bowling.
2013 Army Schedule
8/31 Morgan State
9/7 at Ball State
9/14 Stanford
9/21 Wake Forest
9/28 Louisiana Tech (in Dallas)
10/5 at Boston College
10/12 Eastern Michigan
10/19 at Temple
11/2 at Air Force
11/9 Western Kentucky
11/30 at Hawaii
12/14 Navy (in Philadelphia)
