Takeaways: Army improves to 4-0 with win over Miami (OH)

With a 23-10 win against Miami-Ohio, the Army Black Knights are starting off their season strong with a 4-0 record. Not only did Army football hold the RedHawks to a measly 10 points, but a number of Black Knights combined for over 384 rushing yards. During the afternoon Christian Anderson made just five pass attempts, none of which connected, but the Black Knights didn’t need to deviate from what they do best for Saturday's victory.

Christian Anderson

Yes, usually we save these for overall themes, but Anderson broke off two long rushing touchdowns in this one. The 75-yard run was a career-high for the senior. The pair of scores in the first half was key to Army winning.

Arguably, Anderson’s massive 42-yard run in the third quarter sealed the RedHawks losing fate. After escaping a pair of Miami tacklers, Anderson saw the opportunity to take it to the red zone. The 18-play drive lasted nearly over 10 minutes and ended with a four-yard touchdown thanks to Anthony Adkins at the top of the fourth quarter. Overall, Anderson rushed for 236 yards, ranking at No. 6 for all time in Army football history, but the victory was slightly bittersweet after the senior was taken to the sidelines for an injury.

During an attempted pass, Anderson was hit in the air and come down hard. Head Coach Jeff Monken gave no details of the injury after the game. The quarterback has had a number of injuries in his West Point career but that has yet to stall him from performing when he gets a chance to get on the field.

Preaching, “stopping the run”

It’s a refrain heard by Monken and his players in every interview but that motto has definitely been on display this season. Just in the first half, the RedHawks were forced to punt five times and overall the team was only able to rush for 28 yards — that’s an average of 1.4 on each attempt — in comparison to Army’s 384 yards shared by nine rushers.

The Black Knights also made a number of big plays to dominate the possession battle. In the third quarter, after Miami failed in both red-zone opportunities at their opponent’s one-yard the line, Army managed a 99-yard score, lasting 18 plays. At the 10:51 time stamp, the play took up the second half of the third quarter. During the afternoon, Army was able to hold the ball for nearly 40 minutes and Miami’s offense was clearly no match.

What’s Next: Ball State

When: Oct. 2, 2021 @ 5 pm EST

Where: Scheumann Stadium, Muncie, Ind.

Watch: ESPN+