Nov 9, 2024; Denton, Texas, USA; Military Black Knights quarterback Bryson Each day (13) carries the ball throughout warmups earlier than a sport towards the North Texas Imply Inexperienced at DATCU Stadium. Obligatory Credit score: Danny Wild-Imagn Pictures It is not typically that an undefeated staff is listed as an underdog within the again half of November.
Nevertheless, that’s the scenario No. 19 Military finds itself in because it prepares to face No. 6 Notre Dame on Saturday night at Yankee Stadium in New York.
Military coach Jeff Monken stated he understood his staff’s underdog standing. The Black Knights (9-0) have extra gamers from Texas than from some other state, he stated, and 0 of these gamers acquired a scholarship provide to play at North Texas.
Now, examine North Texas with Notre Dame (9-1), a blue-blood program stuffed with four- and five-star recruits. Monken stated it was simple to acknowledge a distinction when it comes to pure expertise.
“It is actually exhausting to win a university soccer sport, and it is exhausting at Military to win a soccer sport,” Monken stated. “So our guys need to embrace the truth that now we have to execute our assignments and fundamentals at a very excessive degree and take a look at to do this higher than anyone else does. …
“We now have to observe and play with absolute exactness as a result of if we do not, we will get embarrassed. That is who we’re. I embrace that. That doesn’t imply we’re void of expertise. We have got proficient gamers on our staff. However extra proficient than Notre Dame, collectively as a soccer staff? No.”
By way of fundamentals, Military has been stellar. The Black Knights are one in every of three undefeated FBS groups remaining, together with No. 1 Oregon and No. 5 Indiana, they usually have the nation’s longest successful streak at 13 video games relationship to final season.
Notre Dame coach Marcus Freeman believes Military’s success was hard-earned.
“I informed the teaching employees, I feel it is our hardest problem thus far,” Freeman stated.
The Combating Irish carry an eight-game successful streak into the prime-time matchup, together with a 35-14 victory towards Virginia final week. They’ve outscored opponents 380-114 this season.
Riley Leonard leads Notre Dame with 1,789 passing yards and 12 touchdowns to associate with 641 dashing yards and 13 scores on the bottom. Jeremiyah Love has 720 dashing yards and 12 scores, and Beaux Collins has 30 catches for 390 yards and two TDs.
Freeman praised his staff for its tenacity, because the Combating Irish haven’t trailed within the second half throughout the streak.
“It is like, is that this play crucial play of the sport?” Freeman stated. “And that is a mindset. Don’t be concerned concerning the rating — do not care what the rating is. You might be up, you would be down, it does not matter. This play is crucial play of the sport, and that takes effort and focus to do, proper?
“It is not pure. It is pure to let up. It is pure to say, ‘OK, this is a rating, it is not that severe. This play does not matter.’ However the guys on the sector need to have a conviction that this play is so essential to get the result that we would like within the sport.”
Military is led by Bryson Each day, who has thrown for 644 yards and 7 touchdowns and has rushed for 1,062 yards and 21 TDs. Kanye Udoh is the next-leading rusher with 856 yards and 9 scores.
Notre Dame holds a 39-8-4 benefit within the all-time sequence towards Military, having received the previous 15 conferences. The groups have met 23 instances at Yankee Stadium, 22 of these on the unique ballpark (1925-29, 1931-46, 1969) and one on the present stadium (2010).
–Discipline Degree Media
