The 1-4 UAB Blazers travels just over a thousand miles to Michie Stadium in West Point, New York to take on the undefeated Army Black Knights this weekend.

UAB, coming off a historic 71-20 loss to Tulane, will need to be at their best to face an Army team that, along with Navy are among the best in the American Athletic Conference.

This is the first time the two schools have met since November of 2004, when the Darnell Hackney and Roddy White-led Blazers defeated Army 20-14.

Here’s the report on the Black Knights:

The Team

Army is one of only 12 teams that remain undefeated in 2024.

Out of their five wins, four of them were against conference opponents, the only non-conference game was against FCS member, Lehigh.

The Black Knights, who utilize the triple-option offense, have one of the most difficult offenses to defend in the country. They’ve used the deceptive offense to score 38.8 points per game this season. It’s the same system that Navy runs, but Army is the far more physically imposing opponent.

Army has the number one rushing attack in the entire country, running for 361 yards per game with 7 yards per game on the ground. The “War of Attrition” style offense has paid off with their top-three national ranking in time of possession.

On defense, the Black Knights are even more successful.

They rank in the top 10 nationally in total defense and points allowed, only allowing 260 yards and 9.80 points per game.

Just like their offense, this Army squad wins their battles in the trenches on defense. They rank seventh in the nation in rushing yards allowed per game, only letting up 81.8 yards a contest.

They’re of the most disciplined teams in the country, too, and are tied for sixth in the nation for turnover margin and have been penalized the second fewest amount in the country thus far.

The Coach

Jeff Monken has his team off to the best start in his 11-year tenure as head coach of the Black Knights.

He was named head coach shortly after the conclusion of the 2013 season and has had an up-and-down career in West Point. The peak of his career before this season came in 2018, when the Black Knights went 11-2 as an independent, ending the season 19th in the AP Poll. The Knights have also won four bowl games under Monken, most recently the Armed Forces Bowl in 2021.

Cody Worley has the Black Knights offense off to a hot start in his first year as offensive coordinator.

Worley’s overseen the development of quarterback Bryson Daily since the start of last season, when he took over the starting spot and guided him to a historic 2023 season. Daily looks to be even better this season.

Nate Woody is in his fifth season as the defensive coordinator at Army and has created one of the most dominant defenses in the nation.

The key to being so stout in the run game comes from his reliance on the linebacker position. He runs a base 3-4 defense, and his linebackers showcase some of the best gap discipline and tackling fundamentals you can find in the country today.

Players to Watch

Quarterback Bryson Dailey is on a tear five games into the 2024 season. He’s coming off a perfect game at Tulsa this past weekend where he went 5-5 passing for 140 yards and two touchdowns. On the ground, he added another 110 yards and two touchdowns.

While both Army and Navy run the same offensive system and both quarterbacks are vital, Daily and Navy’s Horvath differ in their physicality. UAB head coach Trent Dilfer compared their styles to two NFL superstars, saying Horvath is more like Lamar Jackson, while Daily is more like Cam Newton.

Next to Daily, there’s a duo of ball-carriers in Kanye Udoh and Noah Short that are just as physical and just as successful. Udoh almost exclusively runs the ball and has 438 yards and four touchdowns on the year, but Short is also a threat in the receiving game, where he’s caught 200 yards and three touchdowns in addition to over 350 yards rushing.

On defense, it’s a team effort. There’s no player to single out, instead a handful of elite playmakers at each level of the field limiting opponents in unique ways.

Up front, defensive tackle Kyle Lewis is a mauler at 6-3 280 pounds, but his strength and speed make him a thorn in offensive lines’ sides and is tied for the team lead in sacks with two. Behind him, middle linebacker Andon Thomas leads the team in tackles with 32, and cornerback Jaydan Mayes leads them with a pair of interceptions.

UAB and Army are set to kick off at 11 a.m. on CBS Sports Network.