PHILADELPHIA – The much anticipated Army West Point football season kicked off Friday night at Lincoln Financial Field against Temple and it sure didn't disappoint.
A strong offensive showing from the Black Knights handed Army its first season-opening win on the road since 2010 following a 28-13 victory.
It was a back-and-forth affair for much of the opening half with the hosts taking a slight 10-7 edge into the break.
But that was all about to change. Three second half touchdowns from the Black Knights, two from Andy Davidson alone, provided Army the needed scores to snap Temple's six-game winning streak over the Cadets.
The Black Knights held a very strong Temple offense to just a lone field goal in the final 30 minutes. Army's defense combined for four sacks and three interceptions throughout the game.
Davidson had a solid outing leading the team in rushing with 121 yards. Starting quarterback Ahmad Bradshaw posted 64 rushing yards, including a touchdown of his own.
ARMY HIGHLIGHTS AND GAME NOTES
- The Black Knights are now 1-13 at Lincoln Financial Field.
- The outcome marked Army's first win in Philadelphia since the Army-Navy Game in 2001.
- The last time Army opened the season with a victory on the road was in 2010 at Eastern Michigan.
- This was the first win over a school currently in the American Athletic Conference since Army beat Connecticut at Yankee Stadium in 2014.
- Bradshaw recorded his sixth rushing touchdown to tie the game up at 7-7 with nine minutes to play in the first half.
- Davidson earned his first collegiate two-touchdown night in his first outing as a running back. He played linebacker and was a member of the special teams just a season ago.
- Davidson wasn't the only one to have a career night, as Aukerman posted two sacks in the contest for the first time in his career.
- Kenneth Brinson added one sack of his own, and picked up his first interception for the Black and Gold.
- Mike Reynolds and Marcus Hyatt notched their first career take away.
TURNING POINT
- Army was holding a 21-13 lead with 3:41 remaining in the game. After a failed Black Knights field goal attempt Temple took over at its own 30 yard line. On the Owls first play John Voit sacked Phillip Walker for a loss of four yards. On the ensuing play, Brinson snagged his interception, placing the Black Knights in great field position with 3:11 left. Two plays later Davidson was in the back of the end zone, handing Army a 28-13 lead.
HOW IT HAPPENED
- The Black Knights kicked off to open the contest. The Owls drove the ball to Army's 28-yard line before Hyatt's interception ended the home team's opening drive. The Black Knights then marched down into Temple's red zone but were stalled following a seven-yard sack.
- The Owls got on the board first with a Ryquell Armstead 6-yard rush to put them in front 7-0.
- Army answered with a long 75-yard drive of its own to tie things up at 7-7. Bradshaw completed the 12-play march and took it 10 yards himself for the score.
- Following a blocked punt, Temple took over at Army's 23-yard line. The Black Knights then held the Owls to a one-yard loss and two incomplete passes to force a 41-yard field goal.
- Despite the 10-7 deficit at the break, Army came out of halftime with a 12-play drive for 77 yards to take its first edge in the game at 14-10.
- The Owls responded with a 65 yard, 14 play drive but the strong defensive efforts from the Black Knights halted the potential scoring opportunity. Temple was forced to kick a 27-yard field goal.
- That was all the Owls put on the scoreboard as Army scored two unanswered touchdowns to seal the 15-point win.
QUOTABLE
- Andy Davidson (on the offensive line play of Army) "The offensive line did excellent. They made holes for me all night, I'm more proud of them. I owe all those yards to them."
- Jeremy Timpf (on his feelings from the game) "It's big for us because we were here last year against Navy and it was a tough loss to them in this stadium. It feels good to start the season off right. All of our work in the offseason paid off. We have a lot of work ahead of us and a lot of good teams ahead of us."
UP NEXT
- The Black Knights kick off their 2016 home campaign Sept. 10 when they play host to Rice on Blaik Field at Michie Stadium. Kickoff is slated for a noon start and will be broadcast live on CBS Sports Network.