Behind enemy lines: previewing the Heart of Dallas Bowl and Army vs. North Texas part two

[Skipper]

Editor’s note: The North Texas Daily went behind enemy lines with Army football beat writer Sal Interdonato of the Times Herald-Record for an inside look at the Black Knights, along with previewing and predicting Tuesday’s bowl game.

What is one thing you are interested to see in this rematch?

Sal Interdonato: The play of Army’s defense. The Black Knights are ranked fourth in the country in total defense and were embarrassed by North Texas in the second half of a 35-18 loss on Oct. 22. Jeffery Wilson sliced through the defense for 157 yards and three touchdowns after halftime. Army is coming off a Navy win where it held the Midshipmen, one of the nation’s top rushing teams to 112 yards, to about 200 yards below its average.

Reece Waddell (Managing Sports Editor, North Texas Daily): North Texas’ offense. Last time these teams played, the Mean Green had a healthy Mason Fine and Jeffery Wilson. Fine, who became the first true freshman in nearly a decade to start at quarterback for North Texas, sprained his A/C joint in their loss to Western Kentucky and is not expected to play much, if at all. Wilson had minor knee surgery before the WKU game as well, but played in the season finale against UTEP and has practiced all throughout December. North Texas also had wide receiver Terian Goree and backup running back Willy Ivery when they beat the Black Knights back in October. Unfortunately, Goree has since been kicked off the team and transferred, and Ivery was ruled academically ineligible. If they’re going to have a chance at winning, the Mean Green are going to have to score with a banged up and somewhat depleted offense.

Clay Massey (Senior sports writer, North Texas Daily):  I’m very interested to see if Army can hold onto the football. If the Black Knights do that, they should have a much better day than the first time when these two teams met. Army turned the ball over seven times while the Mean Green only gave the rock up once. It is not completely out of the question for the Black Knights to do this again, as they did turn the ball over four times in a 21-17 win over a ranked Navy squad. That said, it will be tough for North Texas to beat Army again, especially if they don’t win the turnover battle. 

Who is one player to watch on Army?

SI: Quarterback Ahmad Bradshaw’s game and leadership has grown since the North Texas loss. He’s led Army to wins over Wake Forest and Navy. North Texas forced Army into passing situations in their first meeting and Bradshaw was picked off on four of his 21 attempts. If Bradshaw and Army run the triple option effectively, Bradshaw will not be forced to pass and will throw more high-percentage passes.

RW: I’ll double down on Bradshaw as well. He is the motor behind Army’s triple option offense. When he plays well, so do the Black Knights. When he has a bad game, well, just look at their October loss to North Texas. Bradshaw finished 7-of-21 for 101 yards and four interceptions. The Mean Green defense flustered him once. Can they do it again?

CM: In the triple option system it all start and ends with the man under center. Bradshaw is absolutely essential to Army’s success. Bradshaw and the Black Knights rarely throw the ball. It is simply not part of their scheme. In the loss to North Texas, Bradshaw threw a career-high 21 passes. If the Mean Green let him get settled and run his offense, uh oh. If the Mean Green force him to throw, North Texas will be hoisting its second Heart of Dallas Bowl trophy.

 

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