Black Knights’ triple option means 0-2 start for Owls

Defense gives up 348 yards rushing; offense continues its struggles

WEST POINT, N.Y. — When Army walked off the field last December after another loss to archrival Navy, the Black Knights had their fifth doubledigit-loss season since the turn of the century. When Army walked off the field on Saturday, it almost seemed the past was prologue.

Andy Davidson rushed for 107 yards and three touchdowns, the Army defense created two more turnovers, and the Black Knights beat Rice 31-14 for their second straight win to open the season. Army already has matched its win total from last year as third-year coach Jeff Monken’s system has begun to show signs of success.

“I am proud of our team. I am proud of our players, our coaching staff and the effort they put in to give ourselves a chance today to win.” Monken said.

It had been 70 games since Army (2-0) won two in a row, and it’s the first time the Black Knights have started a season with two straight wins since 1996.

“It feels great. I don’t even know how to describe it,” Army quarterback Ahmad Bradshaw said. “It’s a great feeling to know we’ve done something that hasn’t been done in a while.”

The Army offense finished with 348 yards rushing as its triple option continued to perform at a high level — it has not had a turnover in either game, the first time that’s happened in three years.

Rice (0-2), which opened the season with a 46-14 loss at Western Kentucky, continued to falter offensively.

After striking early — Tyler Stehling hit tight end Connor Cella for a 64-yard touchdown on Rice’s third play from scrimmage — the Owls struggled the rest of the game. Subtract that long gain, and Rice managed just 98 yards on 23 plays in the first half and fell behind by two touchdowns.

“It was an extremely tough loss; we came here and expected to win,” Rice coach David Bailiff said.

Rice broke through a second time midway through the third quarter after pinning Army deep in its own territory.

A 26-yard punt by Army’s Nick Schrage gave the Owls the ball at the Army 37, and Austin Walter burst up the middle for a touchdown on the next play to narrow the deficit to 21-14.

Unfazed, the Black Knights marched back down the field after the ensuing kickoff and scored again on a 22-yard run by Davidson.

Davidson later capped an eight-play, 75-yard drive with a 3-yard scoring run.

“Army is a good team,” Cella said. “They came to play and we didn’t. Offensively, we did not have a good week of practice and you could see it on the field.”