Friends, we’ve got a big game this weekend! Army travels to sunny Boca Raton, Florida, to take on the Florida Atlantic Owls in what will be the Black Knights’ first-ever contest as a member of the American Athletic Conference.
This game matters a lot!
We all got pretty darned excited watching the Black Knights run all over Lehigh this past Friday night. But Lehigh is an FCS team that won just two games last year. We don’t yet know what, if anything, that one win means. This week’s game will therefore serve as a much more significant measuring stick for Army’s season.
If you read our Preview of this game, you probably already have a sense of what we’re going to say here. This game, the particulars of this opponent, and the expected weather conditions all set up a handful of fairly straightforward Keys to Victory this Saturday afternoon.
Keys To Victory vs. FAU
Contain QB Cam Fancher
Fancher is a talented, dynamic playmaker. He’s got a good arm, terrific legs, and the moxy to make something happen when things fall apart. If you’re an FAU fan, you’ve gotta love the guy.
But this is not the guy that’s gonna take the safe play. He’s not about to throw the ball out of bounds to avoid a sack. Instead, Fancher is going to run and try to make something happen. He threw for 65% completion percentage last year, and that’s excellent, but he also took 27 sacks and threw as many picks as touchdowns. This shows a legit gunslinger mentality. Oh by the way, he also ran for more than 5 yards/carry against Michigan State.
If Fancher starts running all over the place, it will open up passing lanes down the field, and we might be in for a long day. However, if Army can keep him contained in the pocket, he’s as apt to throw the ball to a defender as he is to throw it to a receiver. Army must therefore contain QB Cam Fancher in the pocket. If they can do that, they have an excellent chance to come away with a win.
Stay Hydrated
It’s gonna be hot as all Hell out there, friends. We’re expecting temperatures around 92°F with plenty of humidity. As I type this, the current Feels Like temperature in Boca has hit a whopping 107°F.
That is gross.
For better or worse, we’ve not seen highs in this range in the Northeast since late July. Moreover, while we’ve got plenty of Black Knights from Texas or Georgia, they’re still likely in for a pretty shocking acclimation process in the moment.
To succeed, this Army Team will need to aggressively stay hydrated, rotate plenty of bodies, especially on defense, and watch for cramping. Army did well with similar heat last year at Louisiana-Monroe, but that game didn’t take place at noon. The scheduling for this one looks like the work of a madman.
Control the Ball
This Key matters in two ways. First, as we just discussed, it’s gonna be Hella hot out there. So if the Black Knights can stay on the field on offense, that helps their cause tremendously. Whichever defense is on the field the most, those dudes will be at a distinct disadvantage. However, for Army to control the clock, they’ll need to control the football. This means avoiding mistakes — especially turnovers — and playing their best grinding triple-option offense.
FAU hung tough in last week’s game because Michigan State threw two costly interceptions and fumbled once. Army won’t be able to get away with that. The Black Knights will need precision, ball-control offense.
Take What’s There
Arguably the biggest takeaway from Army’s win over Lehigh was that a team can work super-hard to stop the Black Knights’ fullbacks, and they can even have some success on defense in the middle of the field, and yet, they still might give up 350+ rushing yards because of what Army can do running on the perimeter.
This was HUGE!
We have no idea how FAU will come out to defend the triple-option. However, this version of the Army offense looks custom-built to take what’s there, and that’s exactly what they need to do this week. Inside, outside, Quarterback Power… whatever it takes. The Black Knights can’t get focused on any one thing. They have to take what’s available, wherever that happens to be.
The same is true on defense. Fancher went 12/25 passing last week with 1 touchdown against 2 picks, and he took *7* sacks. So while he might be a talented player, he looks unlikely to play perfect football. Whatever mistakes he makes, Army needs to be there to capitalize.
Final Thoughts
What a time to be an Army Football fan! The team has joined an exciting conference, and they have every chance to do well. That starts this week.
Go Army! Beat FAU!!!
Cover image via Flickr: The U.S. Military Academy.
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