Army’s Historic 12-win Season Ends with Bowl Win Over Louisiana Tech

Two weeks after their loss to archrival Navy, the Army Black Knights rebounded by turning in a dominating performance against the Louisiana Tech Bulldogs in the Radiance Technologies Independence Bowl on Saturday night.

In front of an announced crowd of 34,283 at Independence Stadium in Shreveport, La., Army quarterback Bryson Daily continued his record setting season by scoring three rushing touchdowns as the Black Knights trounced the Bulldogs 27-6. In doing so, they became just the third service academy team in history to finish the season with 12 wins, matching the mark set by the 1985 and 1998 Air Force Falcon teams.

The Bulldogs won the toss and elected to receive. Army kicker Trey Gronotte booted the opening kickoff out of bounds at the Louisiana Tech six-yard line, giving the Bulldogs the ball at their 35-yard line to start their opening drive.

Running back Omiri Wiggins took the first snap up the middle for three yards. Quarterback Evan Bullock then passed down the middle to an open wide receiver Jimmy Holiday for 10 yards. However, Bullock then threw incomplete passes on two of the next three plays, which brought Patrick Rea on to punt the ball away to the Black Knights.

Daily immediately went to work pounding the ball on the ground against the Bulldogs. Daily rushed for seven yards. Running back Hayden Reed, who took over for the transfer portal departed Kanye Udoh, rushed up the middle twice for nine yards and then 15 yards to get the ball to midfield. Running back Noah Short rushed for 17 yards. Daily then threw deep for wide receiver Casey Reynolds at the Louisiana Tech three-yard line but it was broken up by safety Blake Thompson. Two plays later, Daily rushed to the left, found open space, and stretched out his arms to put the ball over the left front pylon while wrapped up in the arms of cornerback Cedric Woods, for the 15 yard touchdown run. Gronotte’s extra point gave Army an early 7-0 lead with 9:32 left in the first quarter. It was Daily’s 30th rushing touchdown of the season.

Gronotte kicked to the Louisiana Tech eight-yard line, which cornerback Demarcus Griffin-Taylor returned for 32 yards, giving the Bulldogs 1st-and-10 from their 40-yard line. Bullock went to work immediately, hitting tight end Eli Finley for an eight yard gain. Running back Fred Robertson carried on the right side for a three yard gain and the first down into Army territory. Bullock rushed up the middle and was nearly sacked by Army linebacker Eric Ford but made it back to the line of scrimmage for no gain. Holiday took a direct snap and ran up the middle for a yard and Bullock then missed on a pass to Finley, which forced Rea to punt.

The Black Knights took their time on the next drive as Daily shared the rushing responsibilities with his offensive teammates. Reed rushed for two yards. Short rushed for three. Daily carried twice for four yards each. Running back Carson Smith was able to get in a three yard carry. Running back Tyrell Robinson broke open a 16 yard run to advance the ball into Bulldogs territory, getting pushed out of bounds by linebacker Zach Zimos. Griffin-Taylor was also flagged for unnecessary roughness, which tacked on an additional 15 yards at the end of the run.

It was now 1st-and-10 at the Louisiana Tech 25-yard line when a penalty marker flew onto the field before the next play. Defensive Lineman Zion Nason was offsides, making it 1st-and-5 at the Bulldogs 20-yard line. Reed rushed right for three yards. Daily rushed up the middle for five more, picking up the first down in the process. Then Reed found the holes in the offensive line and crouched his way through the 12 yards to the end zone for the touchdown. Gronotte’s extra point made the score 14-0 in favor of the Black Knights with 1:28 left in the opening quarter.

Bullock took to the air on the next drive. Beginning at the Louisiana Tech 34-yard line, Bullock passed to wide receiver Abdul-Fatai Ibrahim for seven yards. He then passed to Finley for a deep strike of 27 yards to get the ball to the Army West Point 31-yard line. From there he threw deep to wide receiver Tru Edwards for a 17 yard pick up, making it 1st-and-10 at the Army 14-yard line. Bullock threw to Holiday in the back of the end zone but the ball was just out of reach. Running back Marquis Crosby took a handoff on the next play around the left end for four yards for the last play of the first quarter.

Tru Edwards rushed to the left on a reverse play, but Army sniffed it out and he was held to a one-yard gain. This set up a 27-yard field goal try, the first career field goal attempt for Drew Henderson, who took over kicking duties for Buck Buchanan, who had departed to the University of Colorado in the transfer portal. Henderson’s kick went through the uprights with no problem to give the Bulldogs their first score of the day. It was 14-3 in favor of the Black Knights with 14:15 left in the first half.

The Black Knights began their next drive from their 25-yard line and methodically chewed threw the defense like Patton’s Third Army marched through Europe. The longest play was a 13 yard pass from Daily to Reynolds, the only pass completion on the drive. Two plays were incomplete passes and 18 were rushing plays. Daily rushed 12 times for 40 yards, including an eight-yard touchdown run. Gronotte’s extra point made it 21-3 in favor of the Black Knights with 1:54 remaining in the half. Army drove 75 yards on 21 plays and chewed up 12:21 on the clock and converted three fourth down conversions successfully. This was Daily’s 31st rushing touchdown of the season, which tied Navy quarterback Keenan Reynolds record for most rushing touchdowns by a quarterback, which was set in 2013.

Louisiana Tech was nowhere near as successful. Griffin-Taylor returned another kickoff for 30 yards, this time getting to the Louisiana Tech 36-yard line. Bullock threw to Finley near midfield, which Finley dropped. He was slow to get up after getting hit by cornerback Kenneth Hall. Running back Amani Givens was dropped behind the line by linebacker Elo Modozie for a one-yard loss. Bullock found a wide open Ibrahim for a 20-yard gain to move the chains to the Army 45-yard line. The Bulldog quarterback passed to Edwards for an eight-yard gain, and then Louisiana Tech called timeout with 44 seconds left to regroup and plan their attack.

The Black Knights closed the pocket on the next play and Bullock got sacked by offensive lineman Deshontez Gray for a four yard loss and forced the Bulldogs to call timeout again. Then on 3rd-and-6 on the Army 41-yard line, linebacker Kalib Fortner was able to take down Bullock for another six yard loss. Now out of field goal range, Rea punted to the Army West Point four-yard line. Daily took a kneel-down to send the game to halftime with the Black Knights holding a 21-3 lead.

Army began the third quarter on their 25-yard line and continued to chew up the clock and defenders like Patton’s Third Army. They ran 10 consecutive running plays, half of them with Reed carrying the ball before Daily threw incomplete, intended for running back Samari Howard. Robinson then rushed right for a one yard gain to bring up 4th-and-9 at the Louisiana Tech 35-yard line. Daily threw a pass to Reynolds at the 25-yard line but it was broken up by cornerback Jhamal Shelby Jr. for a turnover on downs. Army used 13 plays to go 40 yards that took up nearly half of the third quarter.

Now it was Louisiana Tech’s turn to make a sustained drive. Wiggins rushed up the middle for three yards to get to the Bulldogs 38-yard line. He then took two handoffs of eight yards each to get to the Army West Point 46-yard line. Then Wiggins rushed again twice for six more yards. Crosby rushed up the middle for two yards then Bullock hit Edwards on a screen pass for a gain of 23 yards to bring the ball to the Army West Point 14-yard line.

Crosby rushed up the middle again for five yards, but Ibrahim was called for a holding penalty which backed them up to the Black Knights 24-yard line instead. Bullock passed to Edwards, who was behind the line of scrimmage, but cornerback Justin Weaver made the tackle immediately for a four yard loss. On 2nd-and-24 at the Army 28-yard line, Bullock passed to Edwards who picked up two yards. The Bulldogs quarterback threw incomplete intended for Ibrahim, making it fourth down. Henderson made a 44-yard field goal, the second of his career, as Army led 21-6 with 2:11 remaining in the third quarter. The Louisiana Tech drive encompassed 11 plays covering 39 yards in 5:33.

The Black Knights again began the drive on their own 25-yard line. Reed rushed twice for 11 yards. Daily rushed once for nine more. Daily faked a run on 2nd-and-5 from their 45-yard line, stepped back and hit tight end David Crossan at the Louisiana Tech 41-yard line and then he sprinted down the right side of the field to the three-yard line before getting pushed out of bounds by Shelby Jr. for the last play of the third quarter. Daily rushed up the middle on the next play to score his 32nd rushing touchdown of the season from three-yards out. Army attempted a two-point conversion, which failed. The Black Knights marched 75 yards in five plays in 2:15 to make the score 27-6 with 14:56 left in the game.

Bullard could see the game starting to slip away from the Bulldogs grasp. He passed left to Edwards for a 17 yard gain into Army territory near midfield. Wiggins carried up the middle twice for gains of seven and five yards respectively. Bullock threw a pass to Holiday for another five yards and then Amani Givens rushed for three more. The Bulldog quarterback found Edwards deep for a 26-yard gain. Edwards was doing back flips in the end zone thinking that he had scored a touchdown, but the officials ruled that he had stepped out of bounds at the two-yard line before he had extended the ball over the goal line. It set up 1st-and-goal at the two-yard line.

The first play was an incomplete pass intended for Edwards in the end zone. The second was a running play by Givens for no gain. On third down Holiday bobbled and dropped a pass in the end zone that should have been a touchdown. With a 21-point deficit and in the fourth quarter, Louisiana Tech decided to go for it on fourth down. Bullock snapped the ball and immediately threw to wide receiver Dakota Williams in the middle of the end zone for what should have been a sure touchdown, but cornerback Jaydan Mayes stepped in front of Williams for the interception and took a knee for a touchback. After 10 plays and going 62 yards, all the Bulldogs accomplished was taking 4:19 off the clock in the fourth quarter.

The Black Knights began their next series on their 20-yard line. Reed carried for 11 yards and then followed it up with another rush on the right side for four yards. Daily brought them to the Army 35-yard line on a seven yard run. Running back Miles Stewart then rushed right for a two yard gain, but linebacker Alonzo Jackson Jr. forced the fumble at the 42-yard line, which was recovered by safety Isaiah McElvane at the Army 44-yard line.

Louisiana Tech failed to capitalize. Neither team had gone three-and-out all game, but this time a team went four-and-out. Crosby rushed twice for four yards and Bullock threw two incomplete passes intended for Holiday at the Black Knights 35-yard line, the second one batted down at the line of scrimmage by Kalib Fortner, for a turnover on downs with 7:12 remaining in the game.

The Black Knights continued to march on the ground to chew time off the clock. Reed gained six yards on a carry. Then Daily threw to Reynolds at the Bulldog 43-yard line but the receiver couldn’t haul in the reception. Bulldog cornerback Jacob Fields was called for a pass interference penalty and the ball was advanced to the Louisiana Tech 39-yard line after the penalty.

Hayden, Smith and Daily continued to run up the rushing yards as the offensive line opened up wider holes against an exhausted defensive front. When it was 1st-and-10 at the Louisiana Tech 14-yard line, linebacker Alonzo Jackson Jr. was able to take down Daily for a rare two yard loss. Daily rebounded with a five yard carry on the next play, and then tried to hit Crossan at the two-yard line but it fell incomplete. Gronotte attempted a 28-yard field goal but it went wide to the right. The Black Knights took five minutes off the clock during the nine play drive, leaving a little more than two minutes for the Bulldogs to try to score three touchdowns.

Robertson rushed up the middle for two yards when Louisiana Tech got the ball back. Bullock passed for Holiday at the Bulldog 30-yard line but it was an incomplete pass. He hit Edwards for a three yard pass up the middle on 3rd-and-8. Tru Edwards dropped the pass at the Bulldog 32-yard line. Instead of a first down, Louisiana Tech turned it over on downs in four plays.

The Black Knights had 1:15 left on the clock before they could declare victory or 25 yards to cover for a touchdown. Daily threw a 10 yard pass intended for Robinson but it was broken up by Fields. Smith rushed up the middle for three yards and then Daily ran up the middle for one yard. The clock expired and the Army West Point Black Knights won the Radiance Technologies Independence Bowl 27-6.

Bryson Daily went 2-for-9 with no interceptions and 65 yards passing to lead Army. David Crossan hauled in one reception for 52 yards and Casey Reynolds was the recipient of the other pass for 13 yards. Daily led all rushers with 27 carries for 127 yards and three rushing touchdowns. Hayden Reed carried the ball 20 times for 114 yards and one touchdown. Noah Short rushed five times for 27 yards; Tyrell Robinson touched the ball four times for 25 yards; and Carson Smith had five touches for 21 yards.

“First of all, I’m glad to get a win in the state of Louisiana. This is our fifth trip since I’ve been the coach at West Point and this is the first time we’ve won in the state of Louisiana,” said Army head coach Jeff Monken. “This team wanted to win for this team. They wanted to win for each other. They love each other. Brotherhood gets thrown around and used a lot but the shared experiences our players have together are really unique. From the moment they show up on campus, the freshmen class reports to the cadet in a red sash and for about a month they get worked over. It’s not easy and every one of our guys has endured that. They’ve gone through that and better and stronger because of it, but they grow together and there’s a bond that’s forged through that shared experience. And, they continue to do that throughout their careers at West Point…These guys were fighting as hard as they could for each other tonight to be able to get that twelfth victory. It’s great to win it here.”

For Bryson Daily, who will soon be commissioned as a second lieutenant to become an infantry officer, the game capped an incredible season. He finished the season with 32 rushing touchdowns, tied for third all-time with Devin Singletary, who did it in 2017 with Florida Atlantic, and one behind Wisconsin running back Montee Ball, who scored 33 in 2011. He was five behind Oklahoma running back Barry Sanders who set the record at 37 back in 1988. Daily is also only the second Army quarterback with more than 1,000 passing and rushing yards in a single season. He finished with 1,007 passing yards and 1,659 rushing yards. The only other quarterback to do that was Kelvin Hopkins Jr., who passed for 1,026 yards and rushed for 1,017 yards and 17 rushing touchdowns in 2018. Daily was named most valuable player of the 2024 Radiance Technologies Independence Bowl.

“It is an incredible honor. I think like I said on all the records and any of that stuff it is really a unit award,” said Daily. “Hayden [Reed] taking a lot of load off of me. He ran so well. It is great for this offense and happy to be playing with the guys I’m playing with.”

Evan Bullock went 14-for-28 with one interception and 169 yards passing for Louisiana Tech. He was sacked twice. Tru Edwards led all receivers with eight receptions for 92 yards; Eli Finley caught two passes for 35 yards; Abdul-Fatai Ibrahim hauled in two receptions for 27 yards and Jimmy Holliday added two catches totaling 15 yards. Omiri Wiggins led all Bulldog rushers with eight carries for 40 yards. Marquis Crosby added four carries for 40 yards; Fred Robertson had two carries for five yards; and Amani Givens carried the ball three times but only netted two yards on the ground.

“Obviously disappointed in the outcome of this football game. I’m disappointed in the score in terms of how things turned out. I think as a coaching staff and in the program, I am very proud of this football team for answering the bell one more time. Without hesitation, flinching or blinking, these kids came to play one more time,” said Louisiana Tech head coach Sonny Cumbie. “They wanted to put a hat on their head and play one more game together. They fought, scratched and clawed, but we just made too many mistakes. We were not productive enough on offense whenever we had opportunities.”

After the game concluded, both teams stood next to each other as a sign of respect as their alma maters were sung.

“We talked about it with our coaching staff before the game to honor and respect Army for their service to our country. We just had a really hard fought game in the trenches in particular and for all of us to come together and say thank you for what you will do for our country. Them coming over was not prearranged between the two teams. They just came over afterwards. They do that after every game. There was a lot that went on the past two weeks and that came up right before the game,” said Cumbie.

As with every non-playoff Bowl game, this is the end of the road for many players in their career. It’s a chance to look back at how far they’ve come since first learning the game as small children and see all the milestones they have passed along the way to playing in a Bowl game.

“Coming into this game, two weeks ago the hour glass was empty. Thank you to Jesus Christ for giving us that opportunity,” said Louisiana Tech linebacker Zach Zimos. “The only thing our seniors and myself wanted was to have a bowl game. Thank you to Radiance Technologies [Independence] Bowl for having us here. When it was my last game in high school the game was over and we drove forty-five minutes back to my high school. My pads and my helmet were still on. I refused to take them off. I don’t think it is going to be like that today. I’m just so grateful for the opportunity. I know the future is bright and I’m proud.”

Seniors will graduate and start their new careers. The remaining players and coaches will now rest and then prepare for next season with spring practices just a few short months away.