During Army football’s first drive against University of Alabama-Birmingham early this month, senior quarterback Bryson Daily stiff-armed a defender on his way into the end zone for a 29-yard touchdown.
It’s one of several moments from this season that could potentially send Daily to New York in December as a Heisman Trophy finalist if he continues this historic run.
“It’s good feeling,” said Daily, following the 44-10 win over UAB. “It's just a testament [of] how good our offensive line and how everybody's playing right now. Just allowing a player like me to have the success I've gotten to have, it tells you how good the guys are around me.”
It’s certainly still a long-shot for a service academy player to win the most prestigious award in college football. But it's also certainly not out of the realm of possibilities, especially since Daily’s 19 rushing touchdowns currently lead the nation.
“I think there's a lot of respect for how tough and how physical he plays the game of football,” said Jeff Monken, Army’s head coach.
But more importantly, the Black Knights are 7-0 heading into November and the first leg of the Commander-in-Chief’s Trophy series, against Air Force this Saturday at noon at Michie Stadium. Last year’s win over the Falcons sparked the nation’s longest active win streak for Army, which is currently at 11 games.
“I think the freshman year on the scout team with me, Bryson Daily, Cam Schurr, and a bunch of the other freshmen, at that time, we knew we had something special,” said Casey Reynolds, a senior wide receiver. “And it's super nice to be able as seniors to have a big role on the team.”
Years of playing together has allowed Reynolds, Daily, and the rest of the offense to flourish in historic fashion. In just seven games, Daily has already set a pair of program records — most rushing touchdowns in a season and most touchdowns responsible for in a season.
“[Offensive linemen] are incredible. They were up for the semifinals with [the] Joe Moore Award. They're playing like it right now,” Daily said. “It's just feels so great running behind them and getting to practice with them every week because they are elite at their job.”
Daily always shares accolades and gives compliments to his teammates.
“He's a tough, rugged runner, and a really good leader,” Monken said. “And our guys have a lot of respect for him because of who he is, his personality, how he leads, but also the way he plays the game.”