After opening its season with a loss to UL Monroe, Army will travel back to Louisiana to face its toughest opponent of the season on Saturday: the No. 19 LSU Tigers. 

LSU will experience Army’s new offense instituted in 2023. The Black Knights dropped their long-used flexbone triple-option offense after NCAA rules made blocking below the waist illegal and incorporated a shotgun option offense.

Despite being 2-4, this Army team is stacked with talent on both sides of the ball. Here’s a dive into some of its key players. 

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Offensive players:

Bryson Daily

Daily is a versatile quarterback with 412 rushing yards and 712 passing yards. Because Army uses an option offense, he has to be quick on his feet and know when to keep the ball, give it to the dive option or pitch it to the second running back.

With three rushing touchdowns and six passing touchdowns, Daily will be a threat to the LSU defense in multiple ways. 

Hayden Reed 

Among Army’s skillful running back corps, Reed is one of its most reliable with 47 carries, second to Daily, and 195 rushing yards. He also has 20 receiving yards and should be covered by LSU’s defense on quick screen passes. 

The Black Knights run game created big plays this season. While Reed is electric on outside runs and breaking through the line of scrimmage, any running back in the backfield can carry the ball, making this offensive style different and surprising for Army’s opponents. 

Noah Short

This wide receiver leads Army with catches with 15 and has 223 passing yards. He’s second to wide receiver Isaiah Alston in total yards and average yards per game.

However, Alston has been out with an ankle injury since the Syracuse game in Week 4, which is why he only has nine receptions. These two wide receivers are main targets for Daily, and with Army’s new offense, the passing game is continuing to increase. 

Kanye Udoh 

Listed as another starting running back for the Black Knights, Udoh is third in carries with 181 yards. He ran 18 times for a career-high 124 yards against Troy.

Out of all Army running backs with 10 carries or more, Udoh averages the most yards with 5.6 yards per rush, making him an explosive threat from the backfield. 

Defensive players:

Leo Lowin

At middle linebacker, Lowin leads the team with 43 tackles. He’s an all-around player with the ability to stop runs and create pass disruptions. As the Black Knights’ top defender, the LSU offensive line must adapt and stop Lowin from being a threat, ensuring the protection of Jayden Daniels and LSU’s running backs. 

In 2022, Lowin had 100 tackles, five for loss and two interceptions. He had a career-high 16 tackles against Navy last season and was named player of the game, as voted on by the Philadelphia Sports Writers Association. 

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Jimmy Ciarlo

This outside linebacker has been a defensive powerhouse in Army’s first six games and already has three sacks and 27 tackles. Ciarlo is aggressive when coming around the outside while forcing his way past the offensive line.

Disrupting Ciarlo’s timing on a play before he can get to Daniels in the pocket will be key for the Tiger’s offense on Saturday. 
Cameron Jones

Jones is a versatile defensive back and well-rounded when it comes to creating pass breakups and tackles. He has two pass deflections and one interception. Jones has the most solo tackles for the Black Knights with 19. 

Against the Syracuse Orange, Jones caused a three-and-out with a pass breakup, and then on Syracuse’s next drive he had an interception.

Being able to read the defense is Jones’ specialty, and he’s quick to keep receivers covered or even blitz on some plays. He knows how to get into the right place at the right time. 

Quindrelin Hammonds

At strong safety, Hammonds effectively stops runs and passes. This season, he has 29 tackles, which places him third in that Army category.

Hammonds also has one interception and two breakups. Against Boston College in Week 6, he recorded his first career interception and had a career-high 11 tackles.