Nov 9, 2024; Denton, Texas, USA; Military Black Knights quarterback Bryson Each day (13) carries the ball throughout warmups earlier than a sport in opposition to the North Texas Imply Inexperienced at DATCU Stadium. Obligatory Credit score: Danny Wild-Imagn Photos It is not typically that an undefeated group is listed as an underdog within the again half of November.
Nonetheless, 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 mentioned he understood his group’s underdog standing. The Black Knights (9-0) have extra gamers from Texas than from some other state, he mentioned, and nil of these gamers acquired a scholarship supply to play at North Texas.
Now, examine North Texas with Notre Dame (9-1), a blue-blood program full of four- and five-star recruits. Monken mentioned it was simple to acknowledge a distinction when it comes to pure expertise.
“It is actually onerous to win a school soccer sport, and it is onerous at Military to win a soccer sport,” Monken mentioned. “So our guys must embrace the truth that we now have to execute our assignments and fundamentals at a extremely excessive stage and take a look at to try this higher than anyone else does. …
“Now we have to apply 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 gifted gamers on our group. However extra gifted than Notre Dame, collectively as a soccer group? 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, and so they 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 workers, I feel it is our hardest problem up to now,” Freeman mentioned.
The Preventing Irish carry an eight-game successful streak into the prime-time matchup, together with a 35-14 victory in opposition to 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 speeding yards and 13 scores on the bottom. Jeremiyah Love has 720 speeding yards and 12 scores, and Beaux Collins has 30 catches for 390 yards and two TDs.
Freeman praised his group for its tenacity, because the Preventing Irish haven’t trailed within the second half through the streak.
“It is like, is that this play an important play of the sport?” Freeman mentioned. “And that is a mindset. Don’t fret concerning the rating — do not care what the rating is. You could possibly be up, you would be down, it does not matter. This play is an important 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 isn’t that critical. This play does not matter.’ However the guys on the sphere must have a conviction that this play is so vital to get the result that we wish 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 in opposition to Military, having gained the previous 15 conferences. The groups have met 23 instances at Yankee Stadium, 22 of these on the authentic ballpark (1925-29, 1931-46, 1969) and one on the present stadium (2010).
–Discipline Degree Media
