ARMY BLACK KNIGHTS FOOTBALL

October 12, 2024

Bryson Daily

Casey Reynolds

Press Conference

Army 44, UAB 10

Q. Bryson, a phenomenal first quarter. What was your game plan, and how did you feel you executed it? Seemed like all the things you wanted to do worked today.

BRYSON DAILY: Yeah, game plan, same every week. Just take what they give us, and they came out in a front that we expected, which is the first time in a couple weeks that the defense played along.

So we had a good game plan for the front they gave us, and guys really executed well. O-line played great. Guys were blocking well outside, carrying the ball well. It went as planned today.

Q. You passed 36 yards to Casey and then you went 50 yards next play I think it was to Casey. What was involved in that?

BRYSON DAILY: Yeah, so we had to get out of there because we were backed up in our own end zone, and O-line had great pass protection on the first one. It was honestly pretty good coverage by the corner, and I threw it up and gave Casey a shot and he came down with it, and then on his other -- on the touchdown catch, again, great protection I had all day back then, and then Casey ran a really good route and secured it and ran it to the end zone. It was a great job by Casey.

Q. Casey, what were those two plays like for you?

CASEY REYNOLDS: Yes, sir. Super fortunate, like Bryson said, the O-line did a great job blocking for it. He had plenty of time, threw me a great ball on both plays. The first one, like he said, we had to get back out of the end zone, and the second one we were able to take a shot, were in a good range, and fortunate that the power kept hitting and hitting and then we were able to call a play action and the safety bit on it because Kanye and the O-line did a great job running the ball throughout the whole game, and we were lucky enough for that one to pop.

Q. Bryson, this is 413 yards rushing today, No. 1 in the country. How does it feel your offensive line is so productive and the way they're setting it up for you and the other running backs?

BRYSON DAILY: It's awesome. Dominant football right now. Those guys are incredible. They were up for the semifinals for the Joe Moore Award, and they're playing like it right now. It feels so great running behind them and getting to practice with them every week because they are elite at their job.

Q. Bryson, both you guys, 6-0; you're bowl eligible October 12th. Pretty early. What's your feelings on that?

BRYSON DAILY: It's awesome, yeah. Our goal is 1-0 every week, and we've been lucky enough to do that six weeks in a row. That's going to be our mentality going into practice tomorrow. Just go 1-0 again.

Q. That's one of your goals, right, every year to be bowl eligible?

BRYSON DAILY: Yeah, I think a lot of guys' personal goals to get that bowl game. Freshman year we got to go and it was awesome, played a great game against Missouri, and just getting back to that status level of the program has been great, and we're just trying to keep it rolling.

CASEY REYNOLDS: Yes, sir, on the team goals part, our team goals are do your job and follow the plan, and we believe if we achieve those two goals, everything else will follow, and we've been doing that so far this year, and being eligible for a bowl game is just part of that success of doing your job and following the plan like Coach Monken preaches.

Q. Obviously you guys play offense, but the defense just seems to be making big play after big play this year, and you saw it today, crucial 4th down plays you stopped them, a couple interceptions, sacks, stuff like that. Talk about what you see from the defense.

BRYSON DAILY: Yeah, they're playing great football right now, and we knew how good they were. We play them in the off-season, spring ball, fall camp, and we knew how good these guys were, and they're playing great defense right now and getting stops when we really need them, and it makes our job a lot easier.

CASEY REYNOLDS: Yeah, it definitely make our job easier. I think we feed off each other really well. They make a big play, like all right, now we'll go match them. We've got to help them out, they made a play for us, they're setting us up for success, now we've got to go cash out for them, and vice versa. I believe they do the same thing.

Q. Bryson, did you hear (indiscernible)?

BRYSON DAILY: I did not, no. I guess I didn't hear them. I love the support of the corps. They've been awesome cheering for us this season, so can't say enough about how they've supported us this year.

Q. I know it's all team, but to have been mentioned for that trophy, does that mean --

BRYSON DAILY: It's a good feeling. It's just a testament to how good our offensive line and how everybody is 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 cool to see for the offense.

Q. Casey, one question about your friendship with Bryson, how that transfers over to the field. I know you guys are pretty good friends.

CASEY REYNOLDS: Yes, sir. I think it just helps off the field over the summers hanging out with each other pretty much every weekend, throwing the ball around or just talking football and it really helps knowing where we're going to be or where I want the ball or I know where he's going to throw it depending on the pressure and stuff like that. Our off-the-field friendship definitely helps on the field.

Q. Bryson, you carried 12 times today. Some of the other games recently you were carrying over 20 times a game. Kanye ran 17 times, 56 running plays. Is that conscious, trying to get the ball out to some of the other backs, maybe to limit the number of hits that you take in the course of a game?

BRYSON DAILY: I don't think so. It's really just what the defense is giving us, and whether it needs to be quarterback runs, Kanye running the ball, we're going to do whatever we need to do against what the defense is giving us.

Today we needed Kanye to run the rock and he did a great job like he always does. We were efficient in the QB running game with how good they were blocking it so I didn't have to carry it as much, which is always good. Body always feels better after. But it's really just what the defense gives us.

Q. Bryson, everything seemed to be working well on offense today, but particularly quarterback counter seemed to work really well and the pulling linemen, the downed blocks by Brady Small on the front side and the pulling blocks by the backside were just -- watching them on TV getting to see them on replay, they were pancaking it and absolutely trucking guys. UAB if you look at them on paper they had a pretty athletic big fast front seven but your offensive line just made them look like a high school team. Did that surprise you at all, or is it just more of what you expected from this O-line this year?

BRYSON DAILY: Yeah, first off, you are very correct, UAB's front seven there's guys who played at big schools, some really good athletes, good size, good speed. I think it's just a testament to how good our offensive line is playing right now. They did a great job blocking them.

Yeah, the QB counter was something that we looked at that might have success, and the O-line made it happen.

Q. You had a couple highlight reel type runs. The stiff arm in the first touchdown was something that will probably go on a poster somewhere for Army football in the future. Kanye talks a lot about contact balance and getting hit and keeping his feet and keeping going. You seem to be doing a really good job with that, as well. What kind of drills do you guys practice to work on your contact balance and being able to keep going after you get hit?

BRYSON DAILY: Yeah, we do a ton of drills as ball carriers. It's funny, one of the shoot drills we do as quarterbacks, we run under this little hoop just to get low and then we run through two pads, and then Coach Worley throws this medicine ball near our knees or hip, and that's where we practice the stiff arm. It's all things that translate, and that comes from great coaches, knowing what situations we're going to be in the game, so he sets us up for success a lot with drills like that.

Q. Casey, you had the touchdown catch and the big catch right before it. But based on the situation you guys were able to run a little bit of a one-minute drill there at the end of the half. From your perspective as a receiver, how did that go? Is there anything you guys think you need to work on in terms of one-minute drill going down the stretch as games get tighter?

CASEY REYNOLDS: Yeah, we do a great job. We practice one-minute every Tuesday and Wednesday. The cadence of it's really good. We just weren't able to make a play today. I wasn't able to make a play on a post. Noah was close to being out of bounds, he was on a borderline there. We're always just one play away, and I think next time we do one-minute, hopefully we make a play.

Q. Casey, I know it's not your call, it's not Bryson's call, but the coach's calls, but does spreading the offense with the ball, runs and passes, make everyone happy, and does that sort of change the outlook?

CASEY REYNOLDS: Yes, sir, it definitely does. I'm sure some of the guys up front are super happy when we throw the ball and definitely happy to take some of the load off Bryson, Kanye and those guys, run the ball in between the tackles, take less hits off them and make them better on Sunday mornings. If I'm able to do that, I'm super happy.

Q. Bryson, of all those touchdown runs today, which one was your favorite and why?

BRYSON DAILY: I don't know. Maybe the second one because that secured the win because I knew our defense, they only gave up 10 points, so getting the second one, that's ballgame right there because they're playing so well right now. So yeah, I guess that one.

Q. But honestly, as Joe was mentioning about the blocks and all, if you get a good block and run untouched, is that the same as being able to stiff arm somebody?

BRYSON DAILY: I'd rather just walk in the end zone. That makes us feel better on Sunday morning. We had a couple of those with our O-line and Kanye. Underrated, he blocked his tail off today and made a couple of those touchdown runs, along with Liam Fortner on the edge. Those guys, I just like walking in the end zone better.

Q. Bryson, I know you don't like talking about yourself, but anything surprise you about the way that you're playing this year that maybe you didn't recognize in yourself last year or previous years?

BRYSON DAILY: I mean, I don't know. I don't have a whole lot of personal expectations, just try to go out there and do my job, and Coach Worley has made that really easy on me this year, so I guess that's the only change in that area.

Q. Is it like recognizing situations better this year? Obviously your balance and your ability to take hits is amazing.

BRYSON DAILY: I think experience. It just comes with experience. Every senior is playing better ball than they have in the past, and just experience and then working hard with the strength coaches, they're great. They've made me a better player and a better athlete.