WEST POINT, NY – The first conference championship celebration in Army history took place at midfield, and Bryson Daily made it clear that it would be a short celebration.

The Black Knights will be looking for another trophy next week.

“Beat Navy,” Daily said.

He and the Black Knights should be tough opponents for the Midshipmen – or pretty much anyone.

Daily scored four touchdowns, tying the American Athletic Conference championship record, and No. 24 Army completed a perfect first season in the league by defeating Tulane 35-14 on Friday night.

Kanye Udoh rushed for 158 yards, including a 72-yarder for a daily TD and a score. The Black Knights averaged 126 yards a day on the ground (11-1), overwhelming their AAC opponents with their bloodthirsty, time-consuming rushing attack in their first league run and then running it perfectly in the championship game. Army won the first conference title in its 134-year history.

Aside from an unsuccessful stint in Conference USA from 1998 to 2004, the Black Knights have played as an independent club since their program began in 1890. Coach Jeff Monken said this week that Army feels it needs to join a conference to find a path to college football’s expanded postseason.

The Black Knights have one game left in the regular season, and this is the one they want most: next Saturday against Navy in Landover, Maryland, for the Commander-in-Chief’s Trophy.

“Now the biggest game of the year is coming up in eight days and we are looking forward to it,” said Monken.

Daily’s four rushing scores gave him 29 points this season, breaking the AAC record of 25 set by Navy QB Will Worth in 2016 and tying No. 10 Ashton Jeanty from Boise State in one Heisman favorites – for the top spots nationally. The conference player of the year – and MVP of his championship game – has caught multiple touchdowns in 10 consecutive games.

Monken believes his quarterback deserves something bigger – the biggest honor in all of college football.

“I don’t know that there’s anyone in the country who would balk at the idea of ​​the starting quarterback for the Army Black Knights going 11-1 for 100 yards in a game 10 straight games that just won the conference championship.” “Why doesn’t this guy belong downstairs?” Monken said.

“There are a lot of great football players in the country, but there is no one who means more to his team than the guy sitting down there,” he added, pointing to Daily across the table. “And he’s the MVP of college football. Who is most valuable to their team? I would argue that there is no man in America more valuable to his team than Bryson Daily.”

The 221-pound Texan gained 126 yards on 25 carries. The Black Knights went 4-for-5 on fourth down and Daily kept the pace 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 praised members of his offensive line, saying they played their best game of the season while hearing that the Green Wave – which came into the game as a No. 2 seed but a 4½-point favorite – had the defensive plan to stop Armys Nation’s leading rushing attack.

“The line of scrimmage moved 2 to 3 yards and 4 to 5 yards in the fourth quarter,” Daily said. “They played great, just like they have all year.”

The Army’s offensive, while easy to predict, is difficult to stop, thanks in large part to Daily. The senior has rushed for 1,480 yards this season despite missing one game due to injury and has one more to play in the regular season.

If Monken had his way, Daily would make a stopover on the way back to West Point, hoping to join Felix “Doc” Blanchard, Glenn Davis and Pete Dawkins as Army Heisman winners.

“I don’t have a vote in this and they won’t listen to me, but it belongs down there,” Monken said. “And I know the college football world would be thrilled to see that, and how many times in history will there be an academy player who could legitimately go down there and everyone feels like this guy belongs? You know what, that is.” That time in history belongs there in my opinion.

Darian Mensah threw two touchdown passes for Tulane (9-4), which is playing in its third straight AAC championship game and has lost the last two. The Green Wave were hoping to host before losing at home to Memphis on Thanksgiving night, ending their 17-game winning streak in conference play.

“The Bryson Daily guy is like a linebacker carrying the football.”

Tulane coach Jon Sumrall on Army QB Bryson Daily

On Friday they were even more uncertain, botching field goal attempts after their first two drives, then botching a kickoff and having a pass intercepted in their own territory on the next two.

Then Tulane could barely get its hands on the ball in the second half as Army had TD drives of 11 and 16 plays.

A 29-degree temperature at the start of the third December game in Michie Stadium’s 101-year history required a strong running attack, and no one does it better than Army, which led the country with 312.5 rushing yards per game.

Daily didn’t attempt a pass until the second half, when he kept his scoring streak going with a 9-yard completion on fourth-and-5.

The Green Wave were asked throughout the week about playing in the chilly conditions on the Hudson River, and the weather may have been a factor as Tulane attempted a field goal after a good first drive. Owner Brice Busch dropped the snap on the Army 27.

The Black Knights will be ranked in the AP Top 25 for the ninth consecutive year, their longest streak since being ranked weekly in the 1958 season.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.