By RON HIGGINS, Journal Sports
BATON ROUGE – Jeff Monken will be in a familiar situation vs. No. 19 LSU in Tiger Stadium tonight at 6:30 that he’s experienced throughout his 10 seasons as Army’s head football coach.
His 2-4 team is completely overmatched physically and athletically by the 5-2 Tigers, who are just one (besides Oregon) of two 130 FBS (Division 1-A) teams to rank in the top 10 nationally in rushing offense and passing offense.
“This is as talented a team as we’ve ever faced since I’ve been here as the coach,” Monken said of LSU. “They don’t have an Achilles heel on either side of the ball. I don’t know what you do defensively against their offense. Do you take away the pass? They run it as good as anybody in the country. Take away the run. They throw as good as anybody in the country.
“They’ve got a record-setting quarterback,” Monken said.
Yes, LSU quarterback Jayden Daniels by himself has outgained Army’s entire offense 2,809 yards (in 294 plays) to 2,029 (in 385 plays).
“They’ve got a record-setting receiver,” Monken said.
Yes, LSU receiver Malik Nabers has 52 catches for 860 yards, almost equaling Army’s team receiving totals of 53 receptions for 861 yards.
“And they’re enormous on the offensive line,” Monken said.
Yes, LSU’s starting offensive line outweighs Army’s defensive front by almost 60 pounds per man.
But Monken also has a history of his Cadets playing major Power 5 Conference foes off their feet.
In 2015, Army lost 20-14 to Penn State. In 2018, Army took the Kyler Murray-led No. 5 Oklahoma to overtime before losing 28-21. The following season in 2019, Army lost to No. 7 Michigan 24-21 in double overtime. In 2021, Army beat SEC member Missouri 24-22 in the Armed Forces Bowl.
“Our guys watch college football all the time,” Monken said. “They know how talented that (LSU) team is, how big they are and how fast they are and all that. But our players play their butts off. They’re tough. They play every snap as hard as they can play it.
“The guys in his locker room are young men who have made a commitment to serve their country. Many of them may at some point find themselves in harm’s way and they’ve got the courage to take on that job. So, I think this place and the makeup of a West Point cadet probably lends itself to having guys who they want to be challenged, and they want to be put in difficult situations.”
LSU head coach Brian Kelly, whose 2016 Notre Dame team scored a 44-6 home win over Monken’s Army squad, said he’s preparing his team (a 32-point favorite) for “four quarters of hard-nosed physical football.”
“Playing against the (Army) option offense is organized chaos,” Kelly said. “You’re seeing things (defensively) with a lot of option principles that you normally don’t see. Our linebackers will have to really be disciplined and our (defensive) line has to get out of the box (quickly).”
LSU senior linebacker Omar Speights, an Oregon State transfer, said Army’s offense often gives a different look because it runs the triple option from a shotgun formation.
“But it’s still about us preparing the same way.” Speights said. “It’s having disciplined eyes, playing with great technique and being more physical.”
The ideal scenario would be for LSU’s offense to operate at peak efficiency from the jump, establish a huge halftime lead and sit Daniels for the entire second half as well as other starters.
LSU has an open date next week, followed by its Nov. 4 showdown at Alabama which could determine who will be in the driver’s seat in the SEC’s West Division heading into the final month of regular season play.
LSU’s offense ranks in the top 10 nationally in 7 categories: No. 2 in first downs (27.7), No. 2 in total offense (550.4), No. 2 3rd-down conversions (57.5 pct.), No. 3 in scoring (45.3), No. 4 pass efficiency (188.0 rating), No. 7 in passing (337.7), and No. 10 in rushing (214.6).
Daniels ranks in the top 3 nationally in 5 categories including No. 1 in total offense (401.2 ypg) and pass efficiency (197.7 rating), No. 2 in passing TDs (22) and points responsible for (158) and No. 3 in passing (327.7 yards per game).
“We don’t want to get too high or too low,” Daniels said. “It’s about staying consistent, putting in the work throughout the week and it will show up on Saturdays. It’s up to me to show I trust my guys (LSU’s receivers) because I know the work they put in.”
GO FIGURE
4: Seasons with 9 or more wins for Army head coach Jeff Monken
6: Consecutive games with 500 or more total offense yards for LSU
14: Wins and 1 loss vs. service academies for LSU head coach Brian Kelly, all but one in his previous job at Notre Dame; none at LSU
32: Career starts for Army offensive lineman Connor Finucane, a former Baton Rouge Catholic High star
1968: The last year Army won over a non-service academy-ranked team (10-7 over No. 16 California)
Contact Ron at ronhigginsmedia@gmail.com