2018 Army Black Knights football team

2018 Army Black Knights football
Lambert-Meadowlands Trophy
Armed Forces Bowl champion
Armed Forces Bowl, W 70–14 vs. Houston
ConferenceIndependent
Ranking
CoachesNo. 20
APNo. 19
Record11–2
Head coach
Offensive coordinatorBrent Davis (5th season)
Offensive schemeTriple option
Defensive coordinatorJay Bateman (5th season)
Base defense3–4
Captains
Home stadiumMichie Stadium
Seasons
← 2017
2019 →
2018 NCAA Division I FBS independents football records
Conf Overall
Team   W   L     W   L  
No. 5 Notre Dame ^       12 1  
No. 19 Army       11 2  
BYU       7 6  
Liberty       6 6  
UMass       4 8  
New Mexico State       3 9  
  • ^ – College Football Playoff participant
Rankings from AP Poll

The 2018 Army Black Knights football team represented the United States Military Academy as an independent in the 2018 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Black Knights were led by fifth-year head coach Jeff Monken and played their home games at Michie Stadium. Following their 28–14 victory over Colgate in Week 12, Army entered the AP Poll at No. 23 and the Coaches' Poll at No. 24, the first time Army had entered the national rankings since finishing the 1996 season at No. 25 in the AP and No. 24 in the Coaches'. On December 2, Army accepted an invite to participate in the Armed Forces Bowl against the Houston Cougars of the American Athletic Conference.[1] On December 8, Army defeated its archrival Navy by a score of 17–10, increasing their Army-Navy Game win streak to three in a row and winning the Commander-in-Chief's Trophy for the second straight year. With the win the Black Knights also secured their second straight 10-win season, the first time that had been accomplished in the Academy's long and storied history. In the Armed Forces Bowl, they defeated Houston by a score of 70–14 to tie NCAA bowl game records for points scored and margin of victory.[2] Their 11 wins are the most in one season in program history. As a result of his team's 2018 accomplishments, Coach Monken was awarded the George Munger Collegiate Coach of the Year Award by the Maxwell Football Club,[3] the Vince Lombardi College Football Coach of the Year Award by the Lombardi Foundation,[4] and the President's Award by the Touchdown Club of Columbus.[5] Army finished the season with a ranking of No. 19 in the AP Poll[6] and No. 20 in the Coaches' Poll,[7] their highest finish in both polls since Pete Dawkins's Heisman Trophy-winning season in 1958 where the Cadets finished No. 3 in both polls. Following the completion of the season, the Black Knights were awarded the 2018 Lambert Trophy by the Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) and Metropolitan New York Football Writers, signifying them as the best team in the East in Division I FBS.[8] This was the eighth overall time the Lambert Trophy had been awarded to Army, and the first since 1958.

  1. ^ "Houston and Army West Point Selected for 2018 Lockheed Martin Armed Forces Bowl". Lockheed Martin Armed Forces Bowl. Archived from the original on December 3, 2018. Retrieved December 4, 2018.
  2. ^ "Army West Point dominates en route to 70-14 victory". Armed Forces Bowl. Retrieved December 26, 2018.
  3. ^ "Maxwell Football Club Announces Army West Point's Jeff Monken as George Munger Collegiate Coach of the Year" (Press release). Maxwell Football Club. January 3, 2019. Retrieved January 3, 2019.
  4. ^ "Monken Recognized as the Lombardi Coach of Year". USMA Athletic Department. January 8, 2019. Retrieved January 8, 2019.
  5. ^ "Army Head Coach Jeff Monken Wins 2018 President's Award". Touchdown Club of Columbus. January 4, 2019. Retrieved January 6, 2019.[permanent dead link]
  6. ^ "2018 AP Top 25 Poll Week 16 (Final)". collegefootball.ap.org. January 8, 2019. Retrieved January 8, 2019.
  7. ^ "2018 Amway Coaches' Top 25 Poll Week 16 (Final)". USAToday.com. January 8, 2019. Retrieved January 8, 2019.
  8. ^ "ECAC Announces 2018 Football Teams of the Year and Lambert Awards". ECACsports.com. January 15, 2019. Retrieved January 15, 2019.