So, okay.  Last week didn’t go as planned.  The Army Team put up a good fight but in the end Tulane had better athletes and was the better coached team.  No matter.  Now it’s on to WKU.

 

Here are your Keys to Victory.

 

1. Shut down the passing game

This goes for both teams.  I’m a big believer in throwing to open up the option, but it just hasn’t been working.  Army has been throwing too much and trying to get too creative with its plays.  We need to get back to basics and run our normal power option to get three yards and a cloud of dust.

On defense, we need to shut down the Hilltoppers’ passing game because they are terrible at rushing the ball (97 yards per game).  Force them to run to make yardage, and we win the battle on defense.  Last week Tulane shredded our secondary, so fingers crossed the boys come to play this week.

To the Bluegrass State for @ArmyWP_Football. #GoArmy

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— ArmyWestPoint Sports (@GoArmyWestPoint) October 10, 2019

 

2. Win the turnover battle

Last week, for the first time all season, Army didn’t have a fumble! That was incredible and made my day.  But it needs to happen every week instead of just once a season.  The defense recovered two Tulane fumbles and that kept us in the game.

WKU is coming into this game with 9 total fumbles and 5 interceptions, so it ought to be prime time to break out the turnover chain.  If the offense continues to hold on to the football, and the defense gets two turnovers, we can easily win by two touchdowns.

Army's trio of Heisman Trophy winners highlight our next installment of our look back at @CFB150. #GoArmy pic.twitter.com/iowdjql7xV

— Army Football (@ArmyWP_Football) October 10, 2019

 

3. Sustain drives

The key to sustaining drives is execution.  Army has gotten better as the season goes on, but we’re still not there yet.  Penalties kill option teams.  I know sometimes the refs love to call phantom penalties, and that gets us behind the sticks, but we need to ensure that we don’t commit intentional and blatant penalties or false starts.  Also, the offensive line needs to manage the push up front in order to get yardage and stay on schedule.  The last thing we need is to be facing a 3rd-and-8 where we’re forced to throw the ball.

Cole Christiansen on an exclusive list as a quarterfinalist for @TheLottTrophy.

It recognizes the player who makes the biggest IMPACT on his team both on and off the field.

IMPACT: Integrity, Maturity, Performance, Academics, Community and Tenacity.#GoArmy #CharacterCounts pic.twitter.com/GRr8cUqbSI

— Army Football (@ArmyWP_Football) October 9, 2019

 

4. Win on 3rd and 4th down

WKU is 27/68 on 3rd down this season and just 2/8 on 4th down.  Army is 29/66 on 3rd down and 9/12 on 4th.

On defense, the boys need to force WKU into 3rd-and-long situations by limiting their production on 1st and 2nd.  On offense, we need to stay on schedule and prevent  those same 3rd-and-longs.  Manageable 4th downs are okay, but we haven’t been picking up 3rd-and-longs this season.

When we get to 4th down, stop being fancy and just run the option up the middle.  Power football is beautiful.

Your need to know for Saturday.

Wondering how & where to watch @Stadium?

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— Army Football (@ArmyWP_Football) October 10, 2019

That’s all for this week.  The line has us as a 4.5-point favorites, but if we play a complete game, I see us winning by at least two touchdowns.

The game is on Stadium at 7pm EST.

Beat WKU!