We’ve got a big game this weekend, friends, in front of a sold-out crowd at Michie Stadium. Your Army Black Knights have gotten off to their best start since 1996; they haven’t lost since beating Air Force in this game last season; and now they’re hosting a hapless Zoomie team that hasn’t won a regular season FBS match-up since before that last Army-Air Force Game. As we might expect, a LOT of Army fans have started looking forward to a BIG victory this weekend.
But the Zoomies would obviously like nothing better than to spoil Army’s season the way that the Black Knights spoiled the Zoomies’ season last year. Plus, this is a service academy rivalry, so points should come at a premium.
How can Army overcome the hype and get it done this weekend?
Find out with our Keys to Victory.
Nothing less than the standard we've set. #GoArmy x #BeatAirForce pic.twitter.com/DDjHkdb1vL
— Army Football (@ArmyWP_Football) October 30, 2024
AFF’s Keys to Victory against Air Force
We’ve got four Keys this week.
Play YOUR Best Football
With their 7-0 start, your Army Black Knights have received a TON of national media attention this year. More than we’ve ever seen for Army Football, at least in the modern era. But the team has performed at Top 10 levels in almost every metric in college football. Folks have argued that the Black Knights have the best offensive line in the country, and that QB Bryson Daily should get legitimate consideration for the Heisman Trophy at the end of the season. It’s a little harder to pin down specific star players on defense, but overall, Army’s Bad Boys boast college football’s:
— #3 rushing defense, allowing just 79.6 yards/game on 3.3 yards/carry
— #8 total defense, allowing 281.9 total yards/game on 4.8 yards/play
— #6 scoring defense, allowing just 12.4 points/game through 7 games.
These are legit numbers regardless of who they’ve come against.
On the other side, Air Force got on the Struggle Bus early and then choose a window seat for the loooong haul. This year’s Zoomie team doesn’t do much of anything well, even things that Zoomie team usually do very well like running the football and stopping the run. These guys lack an identity to an extent that we’ve not seen from any service academy over the last decade or more. With that in mind, no one expects a close game this week, save maybe the Air Force coaching staff.
Unfortunately, it is hard as anything to be one’s best self when everyone constantly tells you how great you are. This is especially true for young men. Public success can wear on focus, and more to the point, no one becomes the best at anything by living a happy, well-balanced, carefree life. That’s just not how it happens.
It looks a little late to stop the hype machine, but as a matter of reality, this team’s goals all still remain in front of them. To get where they want to go, they must continue to play their best football each week and on each play regardless of the opponent. That starts this week, as it has started anew every week this season.
Army should win big this week given everything we know right now. If they play their BEST football, that’s exactly what will happen.
Power Running Game
Air Force is usually very good against this run, but this year, they haven’t been. Instead, they’ve given up almost 200 rushing yards/game on a little over 5 yards/carry (118th). Moreover, this Air Force defensive front looks undersized, and perhaps more importantly, their linebackers haven’t played particularly well. All of this bodes ill against a triple-option offense, but really, how much option will we see this week?
Army got off to a hot start in last year’s Air Force game by running Quarterback Power out of the shotgun. The Zoomies didn’t come ready to play that look for whatever reason, and it took them a full half to adjust. The Black Knights have played under-center more this season, but given their size advantage along the line of scrimmage plus Air Force’s institutional knowledge of the triple-option, Army probably needs to stay with their straight power looks again this year more than they need to run their various options plays.
This Army Team can and should win individual match-ups this weekend. With that in mind, don’t overcomplicate things. Pound the rock, win at the point of attack, and drive down the field and into the end zone.
Key on WR Cade Harris
Harris leads Air Force in rushing and is also their second leading receiver. He is their game-breaking threat, and especially this year, the Zoomies are gonna need to hit some big plays to keep this game close. If Army can keep Harris in check, the rest of this Zoomie offense has shown absolutely no ability to move the ball consistently all the way down the field to score actual touchdowns.
Anything can happen on a college football Saturday, but it probably won’t if Harris isn’t making big plays.
Take Advantage of Air Force Mistakes
This Air Force team has lost 4 fumbles this season and thrown 6 interceptions. They’ve also given up *10* sacks despite running the triple-option. They convert just 34.2% of their third downs (111th) and just 54% of their fourth downs (65th).
None of this is what you want from a triple-option offense.
Reality says that we can expect this Air Force team to make its share of mistakes, especially on offense. They’ve made them all season. If Army can turn those mistakes into points, they’ll win this game in a rout.
1️⃣1️⃣ wins in the last calendar year. pic.twitter.com/Jf3jzE4ORy
— Army Football (@ArmyWP_Football) October 29, 2024
Final thoughts
We should be in for a good one this weekend. The weather forecast looks perfect, and your Army Black Knights have been playing their best football.
Enjoy it, friends!
We’ll see you out there.
Go Army! Beat Air Force!!!
Cover image via USMA Flickr: Army Football takes on the United States Air Force Academy Falcons at Mile High Stadium in Denver, CO. Nov. 4, 2023. (U.S. Army Photo by Cadet Noah Murray).
Leave a Reply
Your email is safe with us.