Temple at Army
Written by Steve Janus - Google +
This Saturday the Army Black Knights will look to win their third straight game, as they are set to host the Temple Owls. Army improved to 3-1 on the season with a 35-21 win on the road over Duke, while the Owls lost for the first time this season, losing 22-13 at Penn State. Temple has won two straight against Army in the series, including a 27-13 win last season. If you are looking to place a bet on the game this weekend, the current odds have the Owls favored by five points over the Black Knights on the road.
Temple (3-1, 1-0 MAC): The Owls have really played well on the defensive side of the football so far this season, as they are giving up just 18 points a game through the first four. The offense has been hit or miss, as they have score 30 or more in two games, but have managed just 13 points in the other two. Last week the offense really struggled to get anything going against the Nittany Lions, as they had just eight first downs and ony managed 202 yards of total offense, with only 46 yards passing. The Owls got off to a great start, scoring 13 points in the first period and led 13-9 after the first half, but the offense was unable to do anything the rest of the way, as they didn’t manage a single point in the final three periods of play.
The Owls really hurt themselves with turnovers against the Nittany Lions, as quarterback Chester Stewart had three interceptions and the Owls lost another ball on a fumble. Running back Bernard Pierce got the Owls rolling early with two first quarter touchdowns, but he suffered a right ankle injury that knocked him out of the game, and the offense could do nothing after that. Matt Brown filled in for Pierce, rushing for 48 yards on 12 carries, and with Pierce likely unable to go this weekend, Brown is going to play a huge factor in whether or not the Owls avoid losing two straight.
Army (3-1): The Black Knights have used a strong rushing attack to start the season, as they currently rank eighth in the country and 275 yards a game on the ground. Last week against the Blue Devils the Black Knights had just 248 yards on the ground, but still won the game convincingly as they had a 35-7 lead going into the fourth quarter.
Trent Steelman led the way with just 62 yards and a touchdown on 18 carries, but six different players had at least five carries in the win. Brian Cobbs finished with just 28 yards on seven carries, but had two touchdowns. With so many different players getting in on the action the Black Knights are able to stay fresh and continue to pound the football throughout the game. Army figures to have a pretty good day on the ground this weekend, as the Owls are allowing just under 160 yards a game this season. If the Black Knights dig themselves a hole early, they likely stand no chance of coming back, as they average just 63 yards a game passing.
Looking at the Odds: I think you have to take Army and the five points at home in this game, as I think the Owls are going to really struggle on offense if Pierce is unable to go, and with the way they are talking it doesn’t look good that he will be in action on Saturday. I look for the game to remain close throughout the game with Temple pulling away late with a field goal. My final score prediction is Temple 23, Army 20.
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