The greatest novels are the ones where the author takes the reader on a journey where the lesson is clear, but only visible in retrospect. Think of all the great science fiction stories where man, in his attempt to do the right thing, ends up concocting his own defeat. The journeys of self-discovery where the protagonist thinks he's fighting against a villain for 300 pages, but in reality his own greatest enemy is himself. The tales where our hero writes his own demise.
That's essentially what Army did to North Texas on Saturday, at least on one drive.
The Black Knights have become one of the stars of this season by layering an explosive passing attack on top of the all-consuming maw that is their running game, which as of this writing as Army at 9-0 and ranked in the College Football Playoff poll.
New and Improved Army didn't make the trip to Denton on Saturday. Bryson Daily returned to the lineup after missing last week's Air Force win with an undisclosed injury and went 2-of-4 through the air for just 15 yards while tossing his first interception of the year.
But that was okay. Old Army was plenty enough.
On Army's fifth possession of the game, the Black Knights ran 21 plays, marched 94 yards, and ate 13 minutes and 54 seconds off the clock.
Read the play-by-play and weep at this machine-like efficiency:
1. 5-yard run
2. 3-yard run
3. 5-yard run
4. 3-yard run
5. 2-yard run
6. 7-yard completion
7. 8-yard run
8. 8-yard run
9. 17-yard run
10. 2-yard run
11. 3-yard run
12. 1-yard run
13. 4-yard run
14. 10-yard holding penalty (no play)
15. 7-yard run
16. 10-yard run
17. 4-yard run
18. 6-yard run
19. 3-yard run
20. 3-yard run
21. 1-yard run
22. 2-yard touchdown run
In fighting for victory, the North Texas defense authored its own defeat. The Mean Green had Army in a 3rd-and-2 (at their own 14), 3rd-and-5 (at their own 24), 3rd-and-5, 4th-and-4, 1st-and-20, 2nd-and-13, 3rd-and-3, and 3rd-and-1, but failed to push the Black Knights off the field on all eight occasions -- and, like a mouse chasing a piece of cheese, charged right into the lion's jaws.
Only when Daily plunged in for a 2-yard score was the devastation Army wrought upon North Texas fully apparent. When the drive began, there was 10:37 to play in the third quarter of a 7-3 game; when it ended, 11:44 remained in a 14-3 contest. The UNT defense would've been better off letting Daily run right up the gut for 94 yards rather than play what happened, which was play just good enough defense to allow Army to kill an entire quarter of the game doing exactly what Army does best.
Like a great novel, Army took viewers on a lengthy journey that ended up back where it started. Because the Black Knights used nearly an entire quarter to traverse the length of the field, Army gained 94 yards on the box score but scored six yards away from where the drive started.
According to ESPN's Win Probability calculator, Army's chances jumped from 69 percent to 90 percent from the drive's beginning to its end
ICYMI: Our 21-play, 94-yard drive that chewed up 13:54 and resulted in a 14-3 lead. pic.twitter.com/Jsx87soIIz
— Army Football (@ArmyWP_Football) November 10, 2024
While Daily completed only two passes, he lorded over the game with his legs. The Army quarterback amassed 36 carries for 153 yards and two touchdowns, while as a team the Black Knights rushed 64 times for 293 yards. In the first half, Army mustered a nearly-as-impressive drive in which they managed to consume 10:50 in a drive that only moved the ball 46 yards.
For the game, Army registered 41:45 of possession time, which limited North Texas to just 18 rushing attempts for the game. Chandler Morris, among the nation's leading passers entering Saturday, was just 24-of-37 for 214 yards and two interceptions in the game, which finished with a 14-3 final.
Winners of a national-best 14 straight, Army will take next week off before facing No. 10 Notre Dame on Nov. 23 at Yankee Stadium (7 p.m. ET, NBC). While the Black Knights' offense has slowed down of late, scoring just 34 points combined in their last two games after averaging 40.4 in their first seven, slowing down isn't always a bad thing if it can kill nearly a full quarter and the opponent's will in the process.