Jeff Monken: Army approach must stay the same in bid to repeat as American champions
'He holds the distinction of the only coach in the building today to have never lost a conference game in the American … eight-and-oh,'' noted commissioner Tim Pernetti. Add to that a win over Tulane in the championship game, and Army beat nine American foes as part of an historic 12-win season in 2024.
'It was a tremendous story.''
It's a small sample size, with Army having joined the league only last season, but that makes the Black Knights the envy of the 14-team circuit.
It was noted several times on Friday that the American was very competitive last season, with four teams in legitimate contention for a spot in the inaugural College Football Playoff – though eventually left out. Undaunted, the league posted a 6-2 mark during bowl season, earning the Bowl Challenge Cup. Army played its part with a 27-6 win over Louisiana Tech in the Independence Bowl, finishing ranked No. 21 in both the AP and coaches' polls.
'To be in those conversations (for the CFP) was pretty exciting and fantastic for our program and for West Point,'' Monken said. He noted the timing was finally right to make the move from independent status to affiliated play. 'That wouldn't have happened had we not joined the conference and become part of the American. We are very honored and thrilled to be a part of this league, and looking forward to this season.''
Following the trend of other conferences, a media poll was not conducted. With notable personnel losses on the offense, Army is predicted to take a step back, picked for a three-way tie for fourth place by Phil Steele magazine, fourth by Lindy's Sports and ESPN and fifth in Athlon Sports and two prominent betting websites. Navy, Tulane and Memphis have notable top three predictions by the same sources.
'We were able to beat all the teams in the league that we faced and then win the conference championship, which is a great source of pride for our team and for our program,'' Monken said. 'But that's last year, and nobody … is going to give us a head start or any points on the scoreboard when we kick it off because we won the league last year. We're going to have to earn it.''
Monken said the approach remains the same: win every play and focus only on the game at hand – Army hosts Tarleton State in the season opener on Aug. 29.
More: College football TV, radio, web schedules for 2025
'That's our biggest concern right now, is how do we maximize who we can be for that game and how that will prepare us for the next one and the next one and the next one, not look at the entire season and how do we get ourselves to win 12 games and play for a championship,'' Monken said. Following Tarleton, Army travels to Kansas State.
The Black Knights head into Tuesday's first practice of the preseason with an emphasis on discovering what a rebuilt offense can do and how that will affect decisions on how to tweak the triple option attack. Army must replace 2,776 rushing yards and 42 touchdowns by graduated quarterback Bryson Daily and Arizona State transfer running back Kanye Udoh, and replace three players off college football's top offensive line.
'(We have) new faces and guys in new positions,'' Monken said, 'but we've got some important pieces back, and I'm excited about that.''
Monken said senior Dewayne Coleman is the No. 1 quarterback on the depth chart but hinted the spot could be up for grabs. 'There's some good, healthy competition there, and that's kind of exciting going into camp with a quarterback competition,'' he said.
kmcmillan@th-record.com
X / Twitter: @KenMcMillanTHR
Army football 2025 schedule
Friday Aug. 29 – Tarleton State (CBSSN), 6 p.m.
Sept. 6 – at Kansas State (ESPN), 7 p.m.
Sept. 13 – OPEN
Sept. 20 – North Texas* (CBSSN), noon
Thur. Sept. 25 – at East Carolina* (ESPN), 7:30 p.m.
Oct. 4 – at Alabama Birmingham*, TBD (an ESPN network)
Oct. 11 – Charlotte* (CBSSN), noon
Oct. 18 – at Tulane*, TBD (an ESPN network)
Oct. 25 – OPEN
Nov. 1 – at Air Force (CBS), noon ET
Nov. 8 – Temple* (CBSSN), noon
Nov. 15 – OPEN
Nov. 22 – Tulsa* (CBSSN), noon
Fri. Nov. 28 or Sat. Nov. 29 – at Texas San Antonio*, TBD (an ESPN network)
Dec. 5 – OPEN or AAC championship (ABC), 8 p.m.
Dec. 13 – vs. Navy, at Baltimore (CBS), 3 p.m.
This article originally appeared on Times Herald-Record: Army at American Conference Football Media Days
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