Jeff Monken has made the nation pay attention to Army Football again
By Jack Crosby
Jeff Monken has made it so that you can’t ignore the Army Football program any longer.
When you open up a college football history book, you will see that, at one time, the Army Black Knights football program was one of the most feared in the nation. During the 1940s, the program won three national championships and produced three Heisman winners, solidifying itself as a power.
But, as college football grew in popularity throughout the years, the United States Military Academy tapered off on the gridiron as other programs around the country with more accessible resources rose to prominence. Just a few years ago, if you were to tell a young college football fan that Army was once feared potentially in the same vein as an Alabama is in the present time, they wouldn’t believe you. That’s the way it was, though, but it was just not the case any longer in the 21st century.
And then, well … Jeff Monken happened.
Army defeated Navy in the 118th edition of their historic rivalry on Saturday on a snowy afternoon in Philadelphia, and while downing the Midshipmen for the second season in a row is absolutely a huge deal after just snapping a futile 14-game losing streak, what’s maybe more impressive is the Black Knights’ record coming out of the win. Following the thriller we college football fans were treated to on Saturday, Army finished the regular season at 9-3. With a win over San Diego State in two weeks in the Armed Forces Bowl, that would polish off a 10-win season for this team. 10 wins for Army Football, just a few short years ago, would have been scoffed at relentlessly.
The Army turnaround, though, is a testament to the job that Monken has done. Prior to the 2014 season, Monken was hired by the United States Military Academy following a successful stint at Georgia Southern. Monken really made a name for himself during his final season as the head coach of the Eagles in a game most of you may recall — a 26-20 upset on the road against the Florida Gators in which they defeated the SEC East member without completing a pass.
Immediately, Monken made it crystal clear that he was going to put a new-age twist on what made Army dominant back in the World War II era, and that’s running the ball down people’s throats with no remorse — a philosophy he soaked in while working as an assistant under noted triple-option enthusiast, Paul Johnson. He put the plan in place, and while 4-8 and 2-10 records in his first two seasons didn’t come across as promising, his impression was made last year when Army finished the campaign at 7-5, which earned them a trip to the Heart of Dallas Bowl. The eighth win of the year would come when they were victorious in their return to the bowl season for the first time since 2010, toppling North Texas.
The big statement from Monken and his players has, without question, been this 2017 season, though. For proof that his philosophy is a rousing success, Army entered the showdown with Navy on Saturday with the top rushing offense in the country at 368.1 yards per game, led by the quarterback — the beginning and end of the option-based Monken offense — Ahmad Bradshaw, who has made quite the mark on the program by beating Navy twice in a row.
Army football will probably never win a national championship at the FBS level ever again, much less three of them in a row, but Monken has made them relevant again, which quite frankly is good enough. Jeff Monken has made the nation pay attention to football being played at West Point, completing the job he was hired to do four years ago this month.