WEST POINT, N.Y. (AP) — Bryson Daily was the American Athletic Conference's offensive player of the year, then the MVP of its championship game.
Army coach Jeff Monken thinks his quarterback deserves something bigger — the biggest award in all of college football.
Monken said following the No. 24 Black Knights' 35-14 victory over Tulane on Friday night that Daily should be in New York when the Heisman Trophy is awarded next Saturday.
“I don’t know that there’s anybody in the country that would balk at the idea of the starting quarterback of the Army Black Knights, who’s rushed for 100 yards in a game 10 games in a row on an 11-1 team that just won the conference championship, why doesn’t that guy belong down?” Monken said.
“There’s a lot of great football players in the country but there’s not one who means more to his team than that guy sitting right down there,” he added, pointing down a table toward Daily. “And so it’s the MVP of college football. Who’s most valuable to their team? I’d argue there’s not a guy in America more valuable to their team than Bryson Daily.”
Daily rushed for four touchdowns Friday to tie the AAC Championship game record. That gave him 29 this season, shattering the league record and tying No. 10 Boise State's Ashton Jeanty — a Heisman favorite — for tops in the nation.
The 221-pound Texan gained 126 yards on 25 carries and has rushed for multiple touchdowns in 10 consecutive games. The Black Knights went 4 for 5 on fourth down and Daily kept it himself for touchdown runs of 5, 3, 4 and 7 yards.
“The Bryson Daily guy is like a linebacker carrying the football,” Tulane coach Jon Sumrall said.
Daily credited the members of his offensive line, saying they played their best game of the season while hearing that the Green Wave — who came in as the No. 2 seed but a 4 1/2-point favorite — had the defensive scheme to stop Army's national-leading rushing attack.
“The line of scrimmage was getting moved 2-to-3 yards and by the fourth quarter 4-to-5 yards,” Daily said. “They played awesome just like they have all year.”
Army's offensive may be simple to predict but hard to stop, in large part because of Daily. The senior has rushed for 1,480 yards this season, even though he missed one game due to injury and still has another to play in the regular season.
That would be next Saturday against Navy in Landover, Maryland. If Monken had his way, Daily would then make a stop on the way back to West Point with hopes of joining Felix “Doc” Blanchard, Glenn Davis and Pete Dawkins as Heisman winners from Army.
“I don’t have a vote in it and they’re not going to listen to me, but he belongs down there,” Monken said. “And I know that the college football world would be thrilled to see that, and how many times in history is there going to be an academy player that legitimately could go down there and everybody feels like that guy belongs? You know what, this is that time in history. That guy belongs down there, that’s what I think.”
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Army quarterback Bryson Daily, second left, celebrates with teammates after the American Athletic Conference championship NCAA college football game against Tulane Friday, Dec. 6, 2024, in West Point, N.Y. Army won 35-14. (AP Photo/Adam Hunger)
Army quarterback Bryson Daily (13) reacts after scoring a touchdown during the first half of the American Athletic Conference championship NCAA college football game against Tulane Friday, Dec. 6, 2024, in West Point, N.Y. (AP Photo/Adam Hunger)
Army quarterback Bryson Daily, second left, celebrates with teammates after the American Athletic Conference championship NCAA college football game against Tulane Friday, Dec. 6, 2024, in West Point, N.Y. Army won 35-14. (AP Photo/Adam Hunger)
