Army Football: 2017 season preview, predictions
By Zach Bigalke
Defense
Army’s defense ranked fourth nationally in 2016 in terms of yards allowed. The Black Knights held opponents to an average of fewer than 300 total yards. Defensive coordinator Jay Bateman assembled a unit that ranked in the top 20 in the FBS in rushing defense and opponent passing efficiency. In 13 games, their opponents averaged 170 passing yards and 121 rushing yards per contest.
They bring back seven starters from last season’s stingy unit. That includes a group of seniors like safety Rhyan England and defensive linemen John Voit and Andrew McLean. They also bring back senior linebackers Scott Washle and Alex Aukerman, which will help mitigate the losses of disruptive outside backers Jeremy Timpf and Andrew King.
While they were strong against the run, though, the Black Knights did not necessarily cause much disruption in opposing backfields. Army ended 2016 ranked 68th in team sacks and 78th in tackles for loss. The Black Knights would do well to generate more negative plays in 2017, especially in the red zone where they ranked 92nd in the FBS at preventing scores.
Secondary has a few question marks entering 2017
The tough part for Army will be replicating the success against the pass that their secondary enjoyed last season. While England returns at free safety to lead the defensive backfield, several players will take on increased roles in 2017.
That includes Elijah Riley, who played in all 13 games last season as a freshman. He will man one cornerback position as a full-time starter this year. The other spot looks like it belongs to Marcus Hyatt at this point, who has 19 games under his belt in two seasons at West Point. Though he is the upperclassman of the pair, Hyatt has more question marks given his limited playing time.
England will also have to adjust to working with a new partner at safety. Xavier Moss, who spent the past two years at safety after playing receiver as a freshman and sophomore, has graduated from West Point. Gibby Gibson, a junior who has played a reserve role in 14 games, started five games last season. They should work well together to keep Army at a high level of secondary play.