This week, the Black Knights head to the real-life “Emerald City” for the first time in program history. In fact, Army is looking for its first-ever win in the Sooner State. On the other side, the Golden Hurricane welcomes Army to the only other pre-1950s-era stadium in the American Athletic Conference. H. A. Chapman Stadium was built 6 years after Michie and stands as one of the last remaining art-deco relics of the golden era in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
Army is a double digit favorite for the second week in a row. They also have two extra days of rest after a short week against Temple. But road games always scream, “Trap!,” so the Black Knights will have to execute in a few key areas to keep their undefeated season alive.
As For Football’s Key’s to Victory are below:
Bend-Don’t-Break in Full Effect
Army still boasts the nation’s top red zone defense. But that defense never got tested in Philadelphia. Tulsa has a mediocre red zone offense, although they end up there far more than Temple does. Forcing 4th down attempts and field goals inside the 20 is a huge key for the Army defense this week.
Tulsa runs a typical spread-option college offense, exactly the type of offense that gives Army fans nightmares. This writer again expects Army defensive backs to give the Tulsa wideouts a good 6 yards off the line. So it’ll be a question of whether the secondary can make enough big plays and stay fresh at the end of drives when they can afford to play closer up.
A primetime win in Philly.
— Army Football (@ArmyWP_Football) October 1, 2024
Game 4 Victory Reel 🎥 pic.twitter.com/RqcAFBteuR
3rd Down Defense
Tulsa is just 31/78 on 3rd down. That’s not abysmal, but it’s also not super-impressive. The Golden Hurricane also pass more than they run for first downs. Getting Tulsa behind schedule will therefore be a much bigger indicator than it normally is of whether Army can stop drives and force punts. If the Black Knights can shut down the run tomorrow even half as well as they did against Temple, they should be able to force the kinds of obvious passing situations where they’ve had great success in recent weeks.
Finish the First Half
In two of Army’s games, they’ve done this well — Lehigh and Rice. However, they’ve really struggled twice before halftime as well — at FAU and at Temple. Think back to how you felt at halftime at each of those games. In the latter two, the Black Knights failed to continue their early momentum and even allowed the game to get chaotic heading into the break. That’s not what you’re looking for as a ball-control program.
Regardless of the score, a strong, deliberate drive heading into the locker room will go a long way in lowering all of our blood pressures and ensuring a Black Knights victory.
Final Thoughts
I am personally excited to see Army take on another historic program in college football. I’ll be there in person, too, so make sure you follow all of the usual accounts on socials for the first-hand experience!
Go Army! Beat Tulsa!!!
Leave a Reply
Your email is safe with us.