Opponent preview: What to know ahead of Army
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Dino Babers has never totaled consecutive 3-0 seasons. Until now.
Following a 35-20 win at Purdue the Orange now return to the JMA Wireless Dome with a chance to start 4-0 for the second year in a row.
Standing in SU’s way is Army, a team that lost its opening game of the season but has responded with back-to-back wins. The two sides haven’t faced off since Bill Clinton was president.
Here’s everything you need to know about Army before it visits on Saturday:
All time series
Syracuse leads 11-10.
Last time they played
In their last matchup, Donovan McNabb was a sophomore quarterback. Rob Konrad was the running back, sporting a now-retired No. 44. Then-No. 19 Syracuse hosted No. 22 Army, who was in the middle of an undefeated season.
The Orange remained in front for the entire matchup, led by McNabb who threw for 285 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions. While the Black Knights rushed for 288 yards, the most Syracuse had allowed all year to that point, they still couldn’t overcome SU.
Late in the game after another Syracuse score, McNabb performed a snap-salute in front of Army’s student section. While many did not notice the salute in SU’s 42-17 win, the picture appeared in the print edition of The Daily Orange the following week.
When McNabb picked up a copy of the paper and saw the picture, he regretted what he had done.
The Black Knight report
In the offseason, Army head coach Jeff Monken, in his 10th year with the program, decided to transition away from their coveted triple option offense to a more standard shotgun offense. For many, the Black Knights and the triple option were synonymous. But after back-to-back nine-win seasons in 2020 and 2021, the Black Knights went 6-6 last season.
“We kind of limped through last season,” Monken told The Athletic. “I just didn’t feel like it was sustainable. And so I felt like we needed to make a change.”
To helm this new shotgun offense is quarterback Bryson Daily. Through three games in 2023, the results have been mixed. During Army’s opening season loss to UL-Monroe, Daily completed under 50% of his passes and threw two picks. But against Delaware State in Week 2, Daily threw three touchdowns.
Army now averages 35 points per game, which ranks 41st in the nation.
Arlo Stone | Digital Design Director
How Syracuse beats Army
While Syracuse’s defense will face a unique, transitioning offense, quarterback Garrett Shrader will take on a top 50 defense. The Black Knights have only allowed 175 passing yards per game. This comes with the caveat that Army’s toughest opponent so far was UTSA in Week 3.
If Shrader and the offense can prove they can pass without tight end Oronde Gadsden II, wide receivers like Damien Alford, Donovan Brown, Isaiah Jones and Umari Hatcher need to be involved. Against Purdue, Alford had the most receiving yards with 70.
To put it simply, Syracuse needs to develop more of a passing game. The defense is capable of shutting down Army but the Orange can’t just rely on the run.
Stat to know: +118.4 run differential
Even with the shift to a shotgun offense, Army still dominates teams with its rushing attack. The Black Knights have averaged 235.7 rushing yards per game and have only allowed 117.3 rushing yards per game, leading to a +118.4 run differential. With additional context, the Black Knights rushing offense (ninth in the nation) makes up for the average run defense (56th).
Daily leads the Black Knights with 228 rushing yards and has 23 more attempts than their starting running back. Under Rocky Long, Syracuse has been very proficient at squashing the run, allowing only 77 yards on the ground per game.
In its Week 3 matchup with Purdue, Syracuse allowed a rushing touchdown to Hudson Card. And with Daily as the leading rusher, expect SU’s linebackers to serve as quarterback spies.
Player to watch: Leo Lowin, No. 31, linebacker
Lowin is in his fourth year with Army and coming off a considerable leap in production during his junior season.
In 2022, Lowin recorded a team-high 100 tackles and also notched three sacks. But he saved his best performance for Navy. On Dec. 10, Lowin made a career-best 16 tackles against the Midshipmen.
This season, Lowin again leads the team in tackles with 20 through three games. Against Delaware State, he forced a fumble and logged a game-high 10 tackles.
