The Army Black Knights (6-3) are looking for another sizeable win this Saturday as they face a poor UMass Minutemen (1-9) squad. Here are the three keys to an Army victory.
1 – Get this over early
UMass is not a good team. The Minutemen went up 10-0 on Maine of the FCS last weekend. This was their largest lead after the first quarter of a game since being up 21-7 on Rutgers back in August, 2019, the first game of former head coach Walk Bell’s tenure. It went off of the rails from there, however, with interim head coach Alex Miller unable to stop the Black Bears the rest of the way in a 35-10 loss. Army should be able to do what they want in this one against a team not much better – and maybe not better at all – than the Bucknell squad the Black Knights blasted for 63 points last Saturday.
2 – Win the rushing battle by 200 yards
Army averages 301.8 yards rushing per game. UMass averages 128.4 yards rushing per game of a total offensive output that is less than the Black Knights manage on the ground (291.4 total yards). They also allow 224.4 rushing yards to just the 95.8 allowed by Army. In a game this lopsided in terms of stats the Black Knights should be able to rush at something around 7.0 yards per play – with some explosive runs pushing that number high – and the goal should be to outrush the Minutemen by at least 200 yards.
3 – Don’t get complacent
Army isn’t a team that gets complacent usually. Against Bucknell last week the hard work was done y half-time with the Mids holding a 42-0 lead. That lead was pushed to 49-0 before the Bison scored and the production was always going to drop some in the second-half with backups in the game. Army also still has plenty to play for this season, with the Navy game looming and then a Bowl Game after that. It is important Army stays focused and a key here is watching the number of mental mistakes such as penalties and missed blocks.
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