Army vs. Cincinnati Week 4 Preview

Quick-Hitters

• The Army Black Knights are 2-0 after defeating their opponents by a combined total of 79-7.

• The Cincinnati Bearcats devoured Austin Peay last week 55-20 and are 1-0.

• Cincinnati is favored by 13.5 points over Army with the over/under set at 45 total points. CLICK HERE FOR LIVE GAME ODDS!

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Army Success In Question?

Despite seeing their game against BYU postponed last week, the Army Black Knights (2-0) heads to the Cincinnati Bearcats. Army has already scored victories over Middle Tennessee and UL Monroe, outscoring those teams by a combined total of 79-7. Of course, Cincinnati a huge step up in competition and easily the biggest game on Army’s schedule this year outside of games against Air Force and Navy.

As you can tell from the 79 points they’ve scored in two games, Army’s triple-option offense is already in midseason form. Quarterback Christian Anderson has been running the triple-option to near perfection, as evidenced by the fact that he’s only attempted seven passes through two games. He’s also Army’s leading rusher, although Jakobi Buchanan and Tyrell Robinson are averaging more yards per carry than Anderson. The Black Knights also have a great short-yardage back in Sandon McCoy, who has scored four touchdowns in two games.

The Army defense has been equally impressive, keeping a shutout against Middle Tennessee and giving up just seven points against UL Monroe. Through two games, the Black Knights have conceded a total of 384 yards and just 22 first-downs while also forcing six turnovers. However, one can’t help but question the quality of the competition they’ve faced in those two games.

Cincy's Dominant Opener

As for Cincinnati, they had an easy game against FCS opponent Austin Peay last week. The Bearcats also have this week’s game against Army as a tuneup for their eight-game schedule inside the AAC. Luke Fickell’s team lost the American Championship Game last year, depriving them of a potential spot in the Cotton Bowl. On the heels of back-to-back 11-win seasons, the Bearcats are undoubtedly hungry to win the conference title this year and perhaps survive 2020 undefeated.

Desmond Ridder is back at quarterback and looked sharp throwing the ball against Austin Peay. However, the dual-threat quarterback has much to prove as a passer this season. A year ago, the Bearcats had a potent rushing attack that helped ease the burden on Ridder to throw the ball. While Cincy ran all over Austin Peay, it’s still too soon to tell if the Bearcats have the backs to replace Michael Warren, who rushed for over 1,200 yards last year.

Of course, it’s on defense where Fickell and the Bearcats have hung their hat in recent years. The defensive line is as deep and talented as any in the AAC while the secondary brings back multiple all-conference performers from a year ago. Through three quarters against Austin Peay, the Cincinnati defense yielded just two field goals before giving up a couple of garbage-time touchdowns. That makes the 20 points they gave up against an FCS team last week a little misleading.

Trench Battle

While Cincinnati’s defense has the talent and prowess to dominate, facing Army’s triple-option is a different animal. The Bearcats should have the size at the line of scrimmage to beat Army in the trenches, but it’s impossible to know beforehand if they’ll have the discipline to contain the triple-option. On the other side, it’s hard to know whether the Army defense is for real or whether they’ve benefited from playing two weaker teams. We should find out for sure this week!