WEST POINT, N.Y. – At least 11 Tulane players were shirtless while warming up in 30-degree temperatures two hours before kickoff in the American Athletic Conference championship game.

When it started, the army pretty much fired them.

On a freezing evening at Michie Stadium, quarterback Bryson Daily scored four touchdowns – three in the first four series – and the Green Wave made one mistake after another on offense and special teams that kept them from getting anywhere close to the heated ones Black Knights to keep up.

Army (11-1), a five-point underdog on its home field, went 35-14 in its debut season in the league, completing a run in which the only deficit was 3-0 against North Texas in nine conference games.

Running was the operative word. Daily, the AAC Offensive Player of the Year, never got past in the first half as Army overran a defense that had shut out option-based Navy 35-0 three weeks earlier. The hit Tulane coach Jon Sumrall and defensive coordinator Greg Gasparato took in the service academies when Troy shut out Army at West Point last year when they were with the Trojans quickly disappeared.

The Black Knights finished the game with 335 yards rushing, surpassing their FBS-leading average of 312.5 yards. At the same time, they got a career-high 158 yards from Kanye Udoh, 126 yards from Daily and converted four of their five fourth-down attempts.

Tulane (9-4) fell in the title game for the second straight year after winning it in 2022 and finished with two dismal performances after reaching No. 17 in the College Football Playoff rankings. Memphis ended the Wave’s 17-game conference winning streak with a 34-24 win at Yulman Stadium on Thanksgiving night, and that win was even more lopsided.

The Wave had no answer to the Black Knights’ actions as there was a near-endless series of mishaps on offense and special teams.

The mistakes started when wideout Yulkeith Brown made an early move after Tulane gained 53 yards on the first four plays to the Army 27 and received a false start penalty. An incompletion resulting from a mishandled hand by quarterback Darian Mensah turned it into a third-and-13, and the Wave botched a field goal attempt when Sumrall decided to take it on fourth-and-2 from the 19 not to try.

The snap was good, but redshirt freshman Patrick Durkin never kicked the ball after approaching it, and defending tackle Brice Busch was tackled on the 28th.

Army scored a touchdown on the opening series for the 10th time in 12 games, setting the tone with an option pitch that gained 17 yards. Another pre-snap penalty proved costly as defensive tackle Parker Petersen went offside on third-and-6 and Daily capped the 11-play drive with an untouched 5-yard touchdown with 3:48 left in the game first quarter.

Tulane responded by comfortably heading to the Army 11, but another penalty – this time a snapping violation by center Vincent Murphy – resulted in a sack on third down. Durkin then sent a 38-yard field goal wide of the right goal post.

From then on things got worse and worse. Army running back Udoh broke through a huge hole on the right side for a 72-yard gain and was eventually caught at the 3 by cornerback Micah Robinson. On the next play, Daily ran over the defenders and into the end zone as Army took a 14-0 lead.

Rayshawn Pleasant fumbled on the ensuing kickoff, giving the ball back to the Black Knights at the Tulane 38. The Wave defense got its first stop after Army coach Jeff Monken decided not to attempt a field goal on fourth-and-3 from the 4 and then had a quick throw to beat Tyrell Robinson back instead of putting the ball in Daily’s hands keep.

That potential momentum lasted three games. Linebacker Andon Thomas intercepted a Mensah underthrow to Mario Williams on a cross route, setting up Army at the Tulane 21. This time the Black Knights took full advantage with Daily scoring from four yards out on an untouched keeper for a 21-0 lead with 1:40 left.

Tulane finally responded after a pop-up kickoff to up-back Alex Bauman gave it good field position at the 40 line. Four plays later, Williams turned a mid-length pass from Mensah into a 42-yard touchdown block with a nice, solid move downfield.

Trailing 21-7 early in the second half, Tulane had an opportunity to get back into the game when Army faced a four-and-5 at the Wave 37. Daily converted it with an easy 9-yard completion down the sideline.

He did the rest in traditional fashion, running 21 yards on a draw and meeting little resistance on a 7-yard run to the end zone.

The wave’s last chance to get closer ended in familiar fashion in this debacle. After receiver Dontae Fleming was hit hard at the end of a completion from the Army 10, guard Josh Remetich was penalized for unnecessary roughness when he shoved cornerback Justin Weaver to the ground and what would have been second-and-2 turned into second-and-and converted -17.

The Black Knights broke up Mensah’s pass to Brown on fourth down, and he would have been close to the chains anyway.

The fourth quarter was a formality, and Tulane may have to deal with the same aftermath as a year ago. Willie Fritz traveled to Houston the day after a 26-14 loss to SMU at Yulman Stadium in the title game. Sources said Sumrall would be interviewing with North Carolina for Saturday’s opening, almost exactly a year after he arrived at Tulane from Troy.

Williams had a game-high six catches for 109 yards, but no one else put up good numbers. Running back Makhi Hughes had some early success, but was taken off the schedule by the Wave’s mounting deficit.

Tight end Alex Bauman had his team-leading seventh touchdown catch with 1:10 left, but it came far too late to make a difference.