I had a customer hope/ask if I could make 1945 Army.
So I tried it, and did fairly well, imo. The offensive stats are out there, the stars are known. But I couldn't find everything I needed. Jersey numbers were tough. I had to guesstimate one (backup end).
For all of the marveling at their offense with Mr. Inside and Mr. Outside, there's nearly nothing about defensive stuff. It was the same players playing defense, just zero attention paid to it.
Some interesting tidbits:
the starting center also played some halfback and didn't play on the D-Line (was a LB-type or DB).
Glenn Davis, Mr. Outside, was one of 3 backs with 20+ pass attempts. He didn't throw for a TD or an INT.
The starting QB didn't have the most pass attempts. HC Red Blaik would start the backups and bring in the starters in the 2nd quarter. Army was so deep, they'd alternate quarters of play.
For all the ball movement and deception in the backfield, the QBs rarely carried the ball.
They ran the power T, with no wideouts. Both ends lined up as TEs do today. Although sometimes, a HB would go in motion to the outside, pre-snap.
They ran a 5-3 on defense, with the QB playing safety. He had a ton of INTs in 1946, not so much in '45.
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It would be a neat project to recreate a wartime Army-type team today.....meaning you'd take the best player from other schools and make a near all-star team.
45 Army had UNC's best player, Miss States, a good one from Michigan, etc. I didn't research that, but could.
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They were masters at blocking - they'd hurl themselves across the thighs of defenders masterfully. It seems 90% of football back then was either hurling yourself that way or going head-over-heels from being blocked that way. Either way, you wound up on the ground A LOT more than today.
