The Black Knights moved to 4-2 on the season with a dominating win over Rice. The 49-12 scoreline only just does justice to Army’s dominance in the game as they basically did whatever they wanted against the Owls overmatched defense. Next up is a clash with Eastern Michigan out of the MAC.
Here are the three keys to this one:
Just run the ball
At this point, we all know that the Army triple-option offense is playing lights out in 2017. What you might not know coming into this matchup is that the EMU rushing defense has been pretty good this year too, albeit having not yet played a team nearly as run-heavy as the Black Knights.
The Eagles rank 43rd in the FBS in rushing defense and they allow just under 130 yards per game on the ground to their opposition. The most impressive stat in regards to their rushing defense is that they have allowed only four rushing touchdowns all season, not bad at all for a team that is 2-3 and riding a three-game losing streak.
Army though prevents a very different challenge as the Black Knights and their third-ranked rushing attack are just so hard to prepare for. Army averages 372.7 yards on the ground and they have scored a nation-leading 24 touchdowns rushing the ball. It will be interesting to see how long the EMU defense can hold up against that sort of pressure.
Keep EMU to 19 points
We love a little bit of symmetry in the Three Keys, and that is exactly what we have today when looking at the Eagles offense.
Eastern Michigan has averaged 19 points per game in 2017 and that is exactly the number of points Army is averaging conceding per contest. The problem for the Eagles has been a running game that just can’t get going. You won’t win many games in the FBS when you can only run for an average of 74 yards per contest because it means your quarterback will have to put the ball in the air way too much. That has been the story of the Eastern Michigan season.
If Army holds EMU to 19 points then the Black Knights will win by at least double that score.
Don’t go three-and-out
Going three-and-out is bad for any offense, but it is especially bad for a triple-option offense that relies on ball control and time of possession to wear down a defense. The theory here is that as a defense tires over the course of 60 minutes, the running lanes will begin to open up and the offense will grow in potency as the game plays out.
Eastern Michigan though is one of the best teams in the nation at forcing its opponent to go three-and-out. Their defense, led by coordinator Neal Neathery, has averaged 5.4 three-and-outs per game over their first five contests of the season. That number is 13th in the FBS and it is a big reason why the Eagles defense ranks so highly in the other statistical categories out there.
Army needs momentum on offense to make their triple-option work. A bunch of random three-and-outs throughout the game will make it much tougher for Jess Monken and his crew.
