Vern Evans
The Army Black Knights football team must continue its record-setting season to keep its historic run alive as they head into the game that matters most — its 125th annual rivalry matchup against Navy.
The game between the U.S. Naval Academy and U.S. Military Academy at West Point kicks off Saturday at 3 p.m. ET at Northwest Stadium in Landover, Maryland. CBS will broadcast the game.
The Black Knights are currently 11-1, out of contention for the College Football Playoffs, but headed to play Marshall University at the Independence Bowl on Dec. 28.
But that game must wait.
Army hasn’t lost to Navy in three years. A loss to Navy after a season that only saw the cadets drop a single game to College Football Playoff No. 5-ranked Notre Dame University seems unthinkable.
The victor will take home the coveted Commander-in-Chief Trophy, awarded to the winner of the annual rivalry game.
College football experts have ranked Army with the No. 1 rushing offense in the country and the No. 11 defense.
But cadets know they can’t take Navy for granted, regardless of records or statistics.
As Army hopes to continue its historic run, here are some key players to watch Saturday.
Bryson Daily, No. 13
Daily has tied the national lead with rushing touchdowns while running Army’s noteworthy triple option offense. The quarterback has rushed for 1,480 yards and thrown 877 yards in passing this season.
The senior finished with a 123.3 passer rating in the 2023 season, but improved to a 183.4 rating this season, according to university data.
In Army’s game against the University of Texas at San Antonio, Daily threw for a season high 190 passing yards and one touchdown. But the fleet-footed cadet also ran for 147 yards and two touchdowns, showcasing his dual-threat abilities.
Daily, who was named American Athletic Conference player of the year and most valuable player in the conference championship against Tulane, delivered four touchdowns in the team’s 35-14 victory over Tulane in Army’s first season in the AAC.
For part of the season, football experts had the Abernathy, Texas-native on a short list of potential Heisman Trophy candidates; however, Daily was not included in the finalists list announced Monday.
Max DiDomenico, No. 6
The senior safety racked up 50 of his 142 career tackles this past season, with DiDomenico notching 35 of those tackles on his own. He’s also grabbed two interceptions so far.
He was named to the All-AAC preseason second team in August along with teammate offensive lineman Jordyn Law.
The Schertz, Texas-native had no college football scholarship offers when Army football head coach Jeff Monken called him his high school senior year, DiDomencio told a local San Antonio, Texas Fox News affiliate.
But just a few years later, in the 2023 matchup against Navy, DiDomenico intercepted Navy quarterback Tai Lavatai early in the game before the Midshipmen could score.
Teammates voted for him team captain heading into this season.
He has certainly led on defense.
DiDomencio tallied nine tackles in the Black Knights’ victory over the University of North Texas in November. He grabbed at least five tackles in three other games, including a 49-14 loss to Notre Dame.
Kanye Udoh, No. 6
The sophomore running back busted out 1,064 yards and 10 touchdowns in the regular season.
The Mays Landing, New Jersey-native had 165 carries during the regular season, averaging 6.4 yards per carry.
Udoh ran for 158 yards in both the regular season game against the Air Force Academy and the AAC championship game against Tulane.
His longest run of the season came in the Tulane game as well, where he ripped a 72-yard gain for the Black Knights.
In only his second season, Udoh nearly doubled his yardage from 524 yards in the 2023 season to 1,064 so far this year. Those yards came on only an additional 65 carries. He lugged the pigskin 99 times last season.
But Udoh’s scoring performance ratcheted up big time between his first two seasons: The freshman running back got a single touchdown his first season — this year he’s tallied ten.
Kalib Fortner, No. 53
The junior linebacker was named to the All-AAC preseason third team in August. And Fortner lived up to the accolades this year.
The Knoxville, Tennessee-native hit 61 tackles this year. More than half were solo feats.
In three games this season, Fortner rocked eight tackles each against Lehigh University, Tulsa University and University of North Texas. Army won all three.
But the Notre Dame Fighting Irish held the pervasive linebacker to only three tackles, all assisted.
Fortner, like DiDomenico, also stood out in last year’s game against Navy when he forced a fumble that he then recovered for a touchdown as the Black Knights marched to a 17-11 victory.
Todd South has written about crime, courts, government and the military for multiple publications since 2004 and was named a 2014 Pulitzer finalist for a co-written project on witness intimidation. Todd is a Marine veteran of the Iraq War.
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