A couple of schools that like to keep the ball on the ground, Coach Walt Bell and the Massachusetts Minutemen (+35) are gearing up to pay a visit to the Army West Point Black Knights at Blaik Field at Michie Stadium. CBS Sports Network is scheduled to televise the action and kickoff for this conference showdown is set for 12:00 p.m. ET. These two IndFBS adversaries did not get a chance to play each other a year ago.
Betting Preview: Army West Point Black Knights vs. Massachusetts Minutemen
Army West Point is the heavy favorite and is currently giving up 35 points to Massachusetts. If the Black Knights get down early it would result in a reasonable betting scenario in-game. Vegas has set the over/under (O/U) at 62 points.
The total has not changed after it was initially set at 62. Having said that, the opening line was -36 so has recently moved up to -35.
The Minutemen are 1-8 against the spread (ATS) and have lost 2.4 units so far. The team’s posted an Over-Under record of 7-2.
The Black Knights have been a disappointment to moneyline bettors this season, losing 8.8 units. The team is 3-6 ATS and has an O/U record of 3-5-1.
The Minutemen are 1-8 straight up (SU), including 0-1 SU against IndFBS opponents. The Black Knights are 3-6 SU overall and are also 0-0 SU in conference play.
The Minutemen came up short to Liberty 63-21 in a blowout where the defense allowed the Flames to pass for 488 yards and five touchdowns while rushing for 242 yards and four scores. Joshua Mack had a good day for the opposition in that one with 85 rushing yards on 15 attempts, along with 62 yards on one catch. On the offensive side, Andrew Brito completed 16-of-27 passes for only 134 yards and two touchdowns. Cam Roberson (73 yards on 15 rush attempts, one TD) and Gilberto Torres (52 yards on 12 carries) led the ground attack while Jermaine Johnson Jr. (five receptions, 35 yards) and Sadiq Palmer (four catches, 55 yards, one TD) manned the receiving duties in the defeat.
On November 2, Air Force took care of this Army West Point crew by a score of 17-13. The Black Knights defense allowed the Falcons to run for 328 yards on 55 rush attempts, including two rush TDs. Joshua Stoner had a solid showing for Air Force, posting 59 rushing yards and a score on eight attempts. For Army West Point, Jabari Laws completed nine-of-11 passes for 214 yards and one touchdown. Laws (54 yards on 21 rush attempts, one TD) and Sandon McCoy (67 yards on eight carries) handled the running game while Camden Harrison (three receptions, 103 yards, one TD) and Artice Hobbs IV (three catches, 37 yards) led all Army West Point pass-catchers in the loss.
Massachusetts has run the ball on 53.3 percent of its offensive possessions this year while Army West Point has an overall rush percentage of 83.6 percent. The Minutemen have run for 138.1 yards/game and have 13 scores on the ground this year. The Black Knights are averaging 248.6 rush yards per game and have 24 total rushing TDs.
If the results so far this season are any indication, then it’s looking like the Black Knights ought to be the more disruptive team in the trenches, since their offensive line has yielded just 10 sacks while their D-line has logged 13 sacks. The Minutemen O-line has given up 22 sacks and their defense has sacked opposing signal-callerss just eight times.
The Minutemen offense has averaged 172.2 yards in the air overall and has 12 passing TDs so far. The Black Knights have produced 90.8 pass yards per outing and have six total pass scores.
Defensively, Massachusetts has allowed 268.6 rush yards and 301.4 pass yards per game. The Army West Point D has given up 181.8 yards per game to opposing passers and 170.0 yards per game to opposing runners. The Black Knights are giving up an adjusted net yards per pass attempt (ANY/A) of just 6.35 to opponents, while the Minutemen have allowed an ugly 10.30 ANY/A.
Offensively, Brito has amassed 449 passing yards this season. He’s connected on 56-of-95 attempts with four passing scores and four interceptions. Brito’s got a 2.49 adjusted net yards per pass attempt overall, although that number is 5.04 over the past two games.
Bilal Ally (473 rushing yards, four rush TDs on the year), Jermaine Johnson Jr. (195 receiving yards, one receiving TD) and Sadiq Palmer (157 receiving yards, two TDs) have each played big roles lately.
Jabari Laws has completed 11-of-13 passes for 232 yards, one TD and zero INTs for Army West Point. His ANY/A stands at 17.57 for the season and 20.38 over his past two games.
We also expect the Army West Point offense to utilize a balanced attack this Saturday. Camden Harrison (298 receiving yards, two receiving touchdowns this season), Sandon McCoy (352 rush yards, four rush TDs) and Jabari Laws (196 rush yards, two rush TDs, zero receiving yards) have combined to account for 368 yards from scrimmage and four touchdowns over the past couple of games.
Massachusetts Minutemen vs. Army West Point Black Knights Free Prediction
SU Winner: Army West Point, ATS Winner: Massachusetts, O/U: Under
Betting Trends
- The Army West Point defense has recorded 13 sacks on the year while Massachusetts has eight.
- The Army West Point offense has lost nine fumbles this season while the Massachusetts offense has let three get away.
- The Minutemen have made seven pass plays of 30+ yards while the Black Knights have produced nine such plays.
- The Massachusetts defense has allowed 10 pass plays of 40 yards or more, while Army West Point has given up three such plays.
- The Massachusetts offense has created 11 rushing plays of 20 or more yards, while Army West Point has created 12 such runs.
- The Minutemen defense has allowed 21 rushing plays of 20+ yards, while the Black Knights have given up nine such runs.
- As a team, Massachusetts has produced 3.7 yards per carry over its past three games and 4.1 over its last two.
- Army West Point has averaged 4.3 yards per carry over its last three contests and 4.2 over its past two.
