Tag: Army Black Knights

Marcus Freeman: Army is Notre Dame’s ‘Super Bowl’

Freeman thinks this is the Irish’s toughest challenge to date

Notre Dame football has played multiple ranked opponents this fall, including Texas A&M and Louisville, but this weekend might be different than those matchups.

When Irish coach Marcus Freeman met with the media on Monday afternoon, he called Saturday’s game against Army as the team’s “toughest challenge to date.”

He offered multiple reasons such as the Black Knights winning all of their games this fall by double-digits, their win streak of 13 games spanning to last year and that they’re Navy 2.0. Freeman even went as far as saying this is Notre Dame’s “Super Bowl.”

The Irish coach also broached the subject of playing both service academies in the same year: The 100-year anniversary of the Four Horsemen game is why athletic director Pete Bevacqua made the move. It makes perfect sense for Navy and Notre Dame to see each other on the field, especially considering it was also the Shamrock Series game of the 2024 season.

This weekend is turning out to be a huge one for both teams. There will surely be College Football Playoff implications, and, hopefully, the Irish come out on top.

Nov. 9, 2024; South Bend, Indiana; Notre Dame Fighting Irish head coach Marcus Freeman stands with his players for the Notre Dame Alma Mater after defeating the Florida State Seminoles at Notre Dame Stadium. Matt Cashore-Imagn Images

Contact/Follow us @IrishWireND on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Notre Dame news, notes and opinions.

Follow Mike on X: @MikeFChen

Marcus Freeman updates Notre Dame DT Howard Cross III status for Army

Hopefully he’s a go this weekend

While Notre Dame football has a 9-1 record with just two games left in the regular season, it has battled injuries all fall, which makes its record much more impressive.

The Irish will face the Army Black Knights on Saturday evening in what coach [autotag]Marcus Freeman[/autotag] called the “toughest challenge to date.” Unfortunately, it looks like Notre Dame might not have star defensive tackle [autotag]Howard Cross III[/autotag] for the contest.

Freeman listed the senior as questionable after he sat out this past weekend’s win over Virginia. The good news is [autotag]Donovan Hinish[/autotag] has filled in and played very well.

This is the kind of game where if Cross can get on the field, he needs to be out there. Even if he is limited to a certain amount of snaps, he’s a game-changer that will help Notre Dame. Hopefully, Cross heals during the week and we see him against Army.

Notre Dame star DT Howard Cross III’s status for Virginia has been updated
Howard Cross III #56 of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish celebrates his sack with Rylie Mills #99 against the Texas A&M Aggies at Kyle Field on Aug. 31, 2024 in College Station, Texas. Jack Gorman/Getty Images

Contact/Follow us @IrishWireND on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Notre Dame news, notes and opinions.

Follow Mike on X: @MikeFChen

Army eats up 13:54 on 21-play touchdown drive at North Texas

How much time did Army’s 94-yard touchdown drive consume?

North Texas’ punt had Army at the Cadets’ six-yard line after a punt.

There was 10:37 left in the third quarter. The Mean Green never saw the football again in the third quarter.

Army went on a 21-play drive that covered 94 yards and devoured 13:54 bridging the third and fourth quarters.

This was his 20th rushing TD earlier in the game.

The Army march, play by play:

Army Black KnightsTouchdown
21 plays, 94 yards, 13:54
ARMY
14
UNT
3
2nd & Goal at UNT 2
(11:44 – 4th) Bryson Daily run for 2 yds for a TD (Trey Gronotte KICK)
1st & Goal at UNT 3
(12:12 – 4th) Bryson Daily run for 1 yd to the UNT 2
3rd & 1 at UNT 6
(12:51 – 4th) Bryson Daily run for 3 yds to the UNT 3 for a 1ST down
2nd & 4 at UNT 9
(13:32 – 4th) Kanye Udoh run for 3 yds to the UNT 6
1st & 10 at UNT 15
(14:18 – 4th) Bryson Daily run for 6 yds to the UNT 9
3rd & 3 at UNT 19
(14:59 – 4th) Bryson Daily run for 4 yds to the UNT 15 for a 1ST down
(0:00 – 3rd) End of 3rd Quarter
2nd & 13 at UNT 29
(0:34 – 3rd) Noah Short run for 10 yds to the UNT 19
1st & 20 at UNT 36
(1:14 – 3rd) Miles Stewart run for 7 yds to the UNT 29
1st & 10 at UNT 26
(1:43 – 3rd) UDOH, Kanye rush to the right for a gain of 4 yards to the UNT22 (WESLOSKI, Ethan), clock 01:40. PENALTY ARMY Holding on FINUCANE, Connor enforced 10 yards from the UNT26 to the UNT36 [NHSG]. NO PLAY (replay the down).
4th & 4 at UNT 30
(2:25 – 3rd) Noah Short run for 4 yds to the UNT 26 for a 1ST down
4th & 4 at UNT 30
(2:26 – 3rd) Timeout Army, clock 02:26
3rd & 5 at UNT 31
(3:03 – 3rd) Bryson Daily run for 1 yd to the UNT 30
2nd & 8 at UNT 34
(3:51 – 3rd) Bryson Daily run for 3 yds to the UNT 31
1st & 10 at UNT 36
(4:35 – 3rd) Bryson Daily run for 2 yds to the UNT 34
1st & 10 at ARMY 47
(4:56 – 3rd) Bryson Daily run for 17 yds to the UNT 36 for a 1ST down
2nd & 2 at ARMY 39
(5:36 – 3rd) Kanye Udoh run for 8 yds to the ARMY 47 for a 1ST down
1st & 10 at ARMY 31
(6:22 – 3rd) Noah Short run for 8 yds to the ARMY 39
3rd & 5 at ARMY 24
(7:04 – 3rd) Bryson Daily pass complete to Noah Short for 7 yds to the ARMY 31 for a 1ST down
2nd & 7 at ARMY 22
(7:47 – 3rd) Bryson Daily run for 2 yds to the ARMY 24
1st & 10 at ARMY 19
(8:31 – 3rd) Kanye Udoh run for 3 yds to the ARMY 22
3rd & 2 at ARMY 14
(9:12 – 3rd) Bryson Daily run for 5 yds to the ARMY 19 for a 1ST down
2nd & 5 at ARMY 11
(9:53 – 3rd) Kanye Udoh run for 3 yds to the ARMY 14
1st & 10 at ARMY 6
(10:37 – 3rd) Bryson Daily run for 5 yds to the ARMY 11

Spencer Hubbard makes 3-pointer against Army for his first points of the 2024-25 season

The most popular player on the Duke basketball roster notched his first bucket of the 2024-25 season on Friday night.

The Cameron Crazies’ favorite player scored his first points of the 2024-25 season on Friday night.

In the closing minutes of Duke’s 100-58 victory over the Army Black Knights, 5-foot-8 guard [autotag]Spencer Hubbard[/autotag] checked into the game. Now a fourth-year member of the roster, Hubbard tallied an assist when he set up freshman teammate Isaiah Evans for a 3-pointer, but he got on the board himself with less than a minute to play.

Hubbard got some space on the perimeter thanks to a screen from teammate Neal Begovich and let a 3-pointer of his own fly, burying it for the second-to-last basket of the game.

Hubbard entered the 2024-25 season with seven career points, six of which came last year. He made his first 3-pointer in a February game against Louisville, and he played five minutes between Duke’s first two NCAA Tournament games against Vermont and James Madison.

His assist to Evans was the third of his career, and he’s also snagged five rebounds in 17 appearances.

How many points did Cooper Flagg score against the Army Black Knights?

Here’s how Duke freshman phenom Cooper Flagg performed against Army.

[autotag]Cooper Flagg[/autotag] is already making a habit of impressive dunks through the first two Duke basketball games of his career.

Junior guard Tyrese Proctor lobbed a ball up to Flagg for an alley-oop dunk early in the first half of Friday’s game against Army, a highlight-reel play that came just days after his one-handed hammer against Maine in the season opener.

Despite a slow offensive start for the Blue Devils as a whole, Flagg notched 13 points and 10 rebounds before the end of the opening half against the Black Knights. The top-ranked freshman looks like a complete player despite being just 17 years old, averaging 4.0 assists, 2.5 steals, and 1.5 blocks to open his debut season, and fellow first-year forward Kon Knueppel is the only Duke player with more points through two games.

Here’s a breakdown of Flagg’s Friday performance as he prepares for three ranked opponents in his next four games.

Cooper Flagg points scored vs. Army:

Flagg finished Friday’s game against the Black Knights with 13 points, the third-most on the team. All of his scoring came in the opening 16 minutes as he dealt with some second-half cramping for the second straight game, but he did log his first career double-double with 11 rebounds.

He also tallied three assists, three blocks, and two steals. He made five of his 10 shots from the floor and two of his four 3-point attempts.

Did Duke win?

The Blue Devils beat Army 100-58 thanks to a 27-5 run late in the first half sparked by both of Flagg’s 3-pointers.

Cooper Flagg’s next game:

The Duke Blue Devils will return to the court on Tuesday in Atlanta for a ranked game against the Kentucky Wildcats.

Duke basketball overcomes slow shooting start in home victory over Army

The Duke Blue Devils struggled from long range early on Friday, but a monster night from freshman Cooper Flagg helped them put Army away.

The Duke basketball fans in attendance at Cameron Indoor Stadium probably felt like the Blue Devils couldn’t make anything to start Friday’s game against Army, but seemingly in the blink of an eye, [autotag]Cooper Flagg[/autotag] and his team opened up a massive lead late in the first half once the shots started to fall.

Duke got off to a slower start against Maine in Monday’s season opener, only leading by 11 points at the midway mark, and it was much of the same for the first 10 minutes on Friday.

The Blue Devils made just one of their first 11 3-point attempts despite most of them coming with plenty of space. Junior guard Tyrese Proctor missed multiple shots from the corner on one possession, and sharpshooters like Kon Knueppel and Mason Gillis found iron instead of nylon on routine looks.

However, while the perimeter offense took some time to settle in, Flagg got going downhill before the end of the first half. Proctor found him for an alley-oop on a transition possession in the opening minutes, and he made two 3-pointers with another 3-point play in a five-minute span later on in the half.

Those nine points, part of Flagg’s 13 on the night, sparked a run that took all the drama out of the room. After the Black Knights remained within one point at the 14:00 mark of the first half, the Blue Devils scored 27 of the next 32 points to make it a 36-13 game with four minutes until the intermission.

Flagg finished with 11 rebounds as well, and if not for some second-half cramping (for the second straight game) that limited him to 25 minutes on the court, he could have stocked some monster numbers.

The Duke defense, like Flagg, showed up from the opening bell. The Black Knights could only score 20 points in the first half after making six of their 28 shots from the floor, including two of their 15 3-point attempts. A few breakdowns gave Army more open looks after the break, but the visitors still only finished with 58 points for the game.

True to form with a team as talented as the Blue Devils, the shooting improved as the game continued. Duke buried 16 of their final 27 3-point attempts with eight combined makes from Knueppel and Proctor. Freshman center Khaman Maluach notched his first career double-double with 11 points and 14 rebounds, and Knueppel led the team in scoring for the second straight game with 15.

Duke shot 67.7% from the floor for the second half, and six different players scored at least 10 points for the second straight game en route to the 100-58 final margin

The Blue Devils now get the weekend to prepare for the Kentucky Wildcats. That ranked matchup takes place in Atlanta on Tuesday night.

Army improves to 8-0 by toppling Air Force

Army wins its 12th in a r ow

It wasn’t pretty. Games between service academies usually aren’t.

However, Army is 8-0 after downing Air Force, 20-3 on Saturday.

The win was Army’s 12th straight overall. The last time the Cadets won that many straight was 1949-50 when they won 17 in a row.

The Cadets were without starting quarterback Bryson Daily (undisclosed injury/illness)

Before getting too excited. opponents of the Black Knights came into Saturday with a winning percentage of .340. That will drop because Air Force is 1-7 after the loss.

CBS Sports bowl projections have the Blue Devils facing a service academy

According to the updated college football bowl projections from CBS Sports, Duke would face one of the service academies in the postseason.

With five wins through the first six games of the season, the Duke Blue Devils look like a shoo-in for the college football postseason. The only question that remains, seemingly, is which city they’ll play a bowl game in.

In the latest bowl projections from CBS Sports, first-year head coach [autotag]Manny Diaz[/autotag] and his players would take on the Army Black Knights in the Independence Bowl, which is scheduled for December 28 in Shreveport, Louisiana.

Army, for its part, has won all five of its games this season, and the Black Knights have done so in dominant fashion. With notable triumphs like a 49-7 blowout of Tulsa and a 42-14 victory over Rice, Army has outscored its opponents by an average of 29 points per game. None of the Black Knights’ opponents have finished with more than 14 points.

Just like the USA TODAY Sports and ESPN projections, the Miami Hurricanes and Clemson Tigers were the only two ACC teams to make the expanded 12-team College Football Playoff.

The undefeated Hurricanes took the No. 3 seed as the conference champion with Clemson, the No. 10 overall seed, taking an at-large bid.

Notre Dame football releases its Shamrock Series jersey’s in an epic video

Sell Like a Champion Today

It was teased yesterday, and on Wednesday Notre Dame football released its [autotag]Shamrock Series[/autotag] uniforms for the 2024 season.

As the Irish have done before, they spoofed a movie, this time being Wolf of Wall Street. The video wasn’t as expansive as previous ones like The Hangover, but what was important was the jersey.

Notre Dame will wear all blue jerseys with gold numbers and accents. You have to give some props to the social media team as well, as the caption reads “Sell Like a Champion Today.”

The Irish will wear these jerseys against Army, in a game that will be played in historic Yankee Stadium.

I’m a big fan of alternate jerseys, and this one checks all the boxes. We all can’t wait to see Notre Dame wearing these on November 23rd.

Here is a closer look at the uniforms.

Contact/Follow us @IrishWireND on X (Formerly Twitter), and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Notre Dame news, notes, and opinions.

Follow Mike on X: @MikeFChen

Duke softball completes doubleheader sweep against Army

Sophomore Aminah Vega went three-for-four at the plate and batted in three runs during Duke’s second win of the day on Saturday.

Stop me if you’ve heard this before, but Duke softball beat Army by a score of 8-0 on Saturday.

The second game of the doubleheader against the Black Knights ended the exact same way as the first one, with the Blue Devils cruising to an eight-run victory.

Junior Ana Gold got the game started with a solo home run in Duke’s second at-bat, her team-leading third of the season and the 32nd home run of her Blue Devils career.

Senior Kelly Torres doubled home another run in the first, but it was sophomore Aminah Vega who truly stole the show at the plate. After a groundout in the first inning, Vega notched her first RBI of the day with a single in the bottom of the third.

The second baseman kept the momentum rolling with another RBI in the following inning, this time a double that brought Claire Davidson around to score. Vega capped off the stellar game with a solo home run in the bottom of the sixth, a walk-off shot that gave the Blue Devils the eighth run they needed to invoke the mercy rule.

Vega’s three-RBI day tied her with Gold and Davidson for the team lead with 14 on the season, and the sophomore is also third on the team in batting average (.433) through the first nine games of the season.

Davidson got some impressive work in herself at the plate against the Black Knights, bringing two teammates home to score with a fourth-inning double that highlighted a two-for-two day at the plate (she was hit by a pitch in her second at-bat).

In the circle, Dani Drogemuller got all six innings of work for the Blue Devils, and with her form on Saturday, there was never any need to consider another option.

Drogemuller retired the first four batters she faced on Saturday, allowing a one-out double in the second inning, and then retired five of the next six batters she faced (one Black Knight reached on an error in the third).

A leadoff single for Army proved to be its last hit of the day as Drogemuller picked through the last three innings with ease. The Illinois native finished the six-inning game with two hits, a walk, and three strikeouts, and the Black Knights never came close to scoring a run.

After allowing three runs in 2.1 innings against Iowa State during the opening weekend, Drogemuller has been on an absolute heater. She’s pitched 11 innings across her last three outings, and she’s surrendered a combined four hits and three walks without a single run over that time frame.

With Vega’s solo shot in the sixth cementing victory, the Blue Devils improved to 8-1 on the young season. Duke plays its fifth and final game of the weekend on Sunday against FIU, whom the Blue Devils beat 6-0 on Friday.