DALLAS (FWAA) – Offensive guard Paolo Gennarelli graded high among all guards across the country last Saturday and guided the Army West Point Black Knights to another win, this one a 45-28 home win over East Carolina. For lead blocking creating holes for both a 100-yard-rushing quarterback and running back, Gennarelli earned the Outland Trophy National Player of the Week honor for games during the weekend of Oct. 19, as selected by the Football Writers Association of America.
This is the second season for the FWAA to select an Outland Trophy National Player of the Week as part of the NCFAA's weekly national honors from 12 awards. The recipient of the 2024 Outland Trophy will be announced on The Home Depot College Football Awards, live on ESPN on Dec. 12. The official presentation to the winner will be made at the Outland Trophy Awards Dinner sponsored by Werner Enterprises and produced by the Greater Omaha Sports Committee in Omaha, Neb., on Jan. 22, 2025.
The weekly winners, including Gennarelli this week, are added to the Outland Trophy watch list going forward.
Gennarelli, a 6-1 sophomore from Campton Hills, Ill., had an 88.5 grade from Pro Football Focus (PFF), the highest for all FBS guards and within the top five of the highest-graded linemen in the country ahead of last week’s games. He has started at right guard in all seven games for No. 23 Army, whose 11-game win streak stretching back to last season is the longest active streak in the nation. This after not appearing in any games as a freshman last season.
The Army offensive line is due credit for the rushing success of quarterback Bryson Daily, who remains among the nation’s leaders in rushing yards (third, 909) and yards per game (fourth, 129.9). Daily, with Gennarelli in front of him, had another standout game Saturday rushing for 171 yards and five touchdowns on 31 carries. He also threw for a score, becoming the first Army player since 1916 to figure into six touchdowns in a single game.
Gennarelli and the line prompted a record-setting day for Daily, who now has a program-record 19 rushing touchdowns only seven games into the season, a figure that leads all FBS players. His five rushing touchdowns tied the program record for most in a single game – it’s the most since 2018 – and when he scored his 24th touchdown of the season, he broke Army's single-season touchdowns responsible for record with five regular-season games to go. Daily was named a national player of the week by several media organizations this week.
When Daily isn’t keeping the ball himself, Gennarelli and the line open up lanes for running back Kanye Udoh to rack up the yards instead. Udoh rushed for 102 yards on 19 attempts (5.4 avg.) against East Carolina, his third 100-yard game of the year.
Army’s success, with most of the attention on its offense, has been one of the great stories of the season now at its midpoint. Army is 7-0 for only its third time since 1950 (1950, 1996, and 2024). It has scored at least 40 points in four consecutive games (Temple, Tulsa, and UAB) for the first time since 1945. The Black Knights have not trailed at any point this season – one of only two teams (Indiana) with that claim. Army has scored a touchdown on its opening drive in all seven games – it stands alone nationally in that category – and has eclipsed 400 yards of total offense in each game, the second most in an Army season since 2000, and one off tying 2012’s eight such games.
Army has long been known for its rushing success – its 359.1 ypg leads the nation again in team rushing by 70 yards over Boise State, but Gennarelli and the line can pass block as well. Daily’s passing attempts don’t qualify for the passing efficiency ratings (must have a minimum of 15 attempts per game) but his throwing touchdown passes in Army’s last three games keeps opponents from overlooking the aerial game and stacking the line.
Army has had an Outland Trophy winner, guard Joe Steffy in 1947.
The Black Knights are idle this weekend, preparing to host Air Force at Noon ET on Saturday, Nov. 2 on CBS.
The Outland Trophy winner is chosen from finalists who are a part of the annual FWAA All-America Team. The FWAA All-America Committee, after voting input from the entire membership, selects a 26-man first team and eventually three Outland finalists. Committee members, then by individual ballot, select the winner. Only interior linemen on offense or defense are eligible for the award; ends are not eligible.
The Outland Trophy, celebrating 79 years since its founding, is the third-oldest major college football award. Created in 1946 when Dr. John Outland presented the FWAA with a financial contribution to initiate the award, the Outland Trophy has been given to the best interior lineman in college football ever since. Dr. Outland, an All-American at the University of Pennsylvania in the late 1890s, eventually took up practice in Kansas City, Mo. An avid outdoorsman, Dr. Outland believed linemen did not get the credit they deserved and wanted an award to recognize them.
The Outland Trophy is a member of the National College Football Awards Association. Founded in 1997, the NCFAA includes college football’s most prestigious awards and its 24 awards have honored more than 900 recipients dating back to 1935. This season, 13 NCFAA awards will honor national players of the week each Tuesday.
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The Greater Omaha Sports Committee, founded in 1977, is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization, consisting of more than 1,300 men and women from the City of Omaha, the State of Nebraska, and others. The Committee serves to communicate, develop, initiate and promote sports activities in the Greater Omaha sports area. In addition to the Outland Trophy Award Events and Dinner, the Greater Omaha Sports Committee promotes high school, college, and professional sports in the Greater Omaha area and the Midwest. For more information contact Bob Mancuso Jr., Chairman at bmancuso@showofficeonline.com or see showofficeonline.com.
Founded in 1941, the Football Writers Association of America consists of 1,300 men and women who cover college football. The membership includes journalists, broadcasters and publicists, as well as key executives in all the areas that involve the game. The FWAA works to govern areas that include game-day operations, major awards and its annual All-America team. For more information about the FWAA and its award programs, contact Steve Richardson at tiger@fwaa.com.