2013 Army Spring Football Analysis

Army Black Knights 2013 ... Head Coach: Rich Ellerson

Army Black Knights

2013 Schedule
8/31 Morgan State
9/7 at Ball State
9/14 Stanford
9/21 Wake Forest
9/28 at Louisiana Tech
10/5 at Boston College
10/12 Eastern Michigan
10/19 at Temple
10/26 OPEN DATE
11/2 at Air Force
11/9 WKU
11/16 OPEN DATE
11/23 OPEN DATE
11/30 at Hawaii
12/7 OPEN DATE
12/14 Navy (in Phil.)

Why To Be Excited The Knights were experienced last year, and this year they’re full of veterans again who should be ready to finally start moving forward. Eight starters return to a defense that sputtered, struggled and was gouged throughout the season until the Navy game. The entire defensive front returns and the underclassmen in the secondary last year are back to try to improve after getting beaten on a regular basis. Enough of the key parts of the offensive puzzle are back to be fine, with running back Raymond Maples almost certain to be a 100-yard per game producer.

Why To Be Grouchy There’s a long, long way to go before the team can be consistent. There’s still no size on the defensive front and the defensive backs have to prove they can actually play. Heart-and-soul quarterback Trent Steelman is finally done, and now it’ll be a battle between A.J. Schurr and Angel Santiago to see who can handle the workload to direct the triple option attack. The offense is all about timing and precision, which is always good for a place like Army, but the left side of the line needs to be replaces with tackle Derek Bisgard and guard Frank Allen done. Also gone are kicker Eric Osteen and punter Chris Boldt.

What Needs Working On First and foremost, the defensive line has to be better. The passing game needs to be more efficient after failing to hit on anything deep and finishing with just three touchdown passes and 797 yards on the year, but that’s a function of the offensive style. The undersized defense is the bigger issue after generating a pathetic 15 sacks – and with just five coming against Boston College – and not getting to quarterbacks to push them on a regular basis. The problems showed in a secondary that had to come up with plays against passers who got all day to throw, picking off just seven passes with three of those coming against Air Force.

Team Concerns For 2013: The Knights have to keep working on coming up with some sort of a passing game. Of course, the Knights are all about the running game, but the passing attack - the worst in the nation last season - at least has to be more efficient. If you're going to run like Army does, you have to be able to hit the home run once in a while. On the flip side, the defense has to prevent the big play after getting bombed on time and again. It starts with a pass rush that did absolutely nothing with just 13 sacks on the year. The run defense wasn't a prize, either, allowing 232 yards per game.

The 2013 Class Is Heavy On ... Defensive linemen. The Knights have a decent quarterback recruit in Kado Brown, and there are plenty of running backs and receivers for the offense to work with. Offensive guard Patrick Joseph is the team's top recruit and might be needed sooner than later, and there are plenty of linebackers are bring brought in to add more speed and athleticism to the position. The talent, though, should be on the defensive line with ends Andrew McLean and Caleb Newman each good enough to have played at bigger schools. The each need to turn into pass rushers, and next year, the coaching staff has to find more bulk for the interior.

2012 CFN Recruiting Ranking: 120. That Class Was Heavy On ... Is head coach Rich Ellerson doing anything to help the woeful passing game? He’s getting a few receiver prospects, but the class will mostly revolve around a defense that needs bigger and better bodies up front. Defensive tackle will be a big key to the class, while the secondary get an influx of prospects with the idea to become faster and more athletic in the back seven as soon as possible.