Following a string of five straight losses, the Army Black Knights have now won their last three games to bring their overall record to 5-6 on the season. In their latest victory, Army beat Coastal Carolina on Saturday 28-21.
As the season draws to a close, Army have one more test: archrival Navy on December 9 in Foxborough, Massachusetts. A win secures the Commander-In-Chief's Trophy: the biggest prize the Black Knights play for as a service academy.
After the Coastal Carolina game at Michie Stadium, Army head coach Jeff Monken reflected on his team's mental state after turning the season around in the last three weeks.
"It's tough when you're disappointed and you lose a game or something happens that gets you down in the dumps to kind of get your spirits back up," Monken remarked. "Certainly after you win like we did today and really I thought a good tough hard battle against a good team, everybody's spirits are up. Everybody is going to be excited to come into work tomorrow, come to the meetings, come to lift, come to practice, and I think there's going to be a great energy and spirit with our guys tomorrow. That's what today did for us."
Army opted for an offensive front more similar to the traditional triple-option offense, as opposed to the shotgun-centric system they have adopted this season. The results were largely positive, rushing for 365 yards on 62 attempts with no pass completions. H-Back/Tight End Tyson Riley rushed for 112 yards on 12 carries.
On December 9, Army will be looking for their second win in a row over the Midshipmen. That would put them at 6-6 to end the season. However, in order to play in a bowl game, they would require a waiver from the NCAA since two of their other wins are over FCS teams.
Fans can watch that final regular season game of the college football season on CBS.
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