Game of the Week

Army (3-5) at Air Force (5-4)
Saturday, November 7th (3:30 PM EST)

When Army has the ball: The Black Knights really haven't found their stride on offense all season. Despite employing an option offense that has worked extremely well for their rivals Navy and Air Force, the inexperienced Knights have only had one game where they were able to eclipse the 300-yard mark for offensive production, and have had four games where they haven't even broken 200 yards. The running game does have its moments, however, and Army is currently 11th in the nation in rushing (219.4 ypg). Freshman QB Trent Steelman isn't your typical option quarterback, but he's beginning to make better reads. Unfortunately, Air Force is very familiar with the triple option and even held the experienced and talented Navy offense to just 173 yards and 1 touchdown on the ground. The Falcons are terrific at forcing opponent into mistakes, and should have another solid game in front of their home crowd.

When Air Force has the ball: The Falcons haven't been the most explosive offensive team in the nation, but they're much better when they have sophomore QB Tim Jefferson behind center. Jefferson is a talented runner, but really shines in the few passing attempts he gets. Last week against Colorado State, Jefferson was 7 of 12 for 111 yards and 2 touchdowns. The Army defense has been the bright spot for the team this season, allowing just 290.5 yards per game (14th best in the nation).  Their one weakness has been their inability to stop teams on 3rd down. Opponents are converting 38.5% on third down (65th in the nation). That's not good considering how effective Air Force can be at converting on short yardage. Look for RB Jared Tew to have a big game carrying the ball up the middle against the Army defense. He leads the team in rushing yards (552) and touchdowns (6).

Intangibles: Air Force and Army are the two worst teams in the nation in passing yards per game, at 71.4 and 59.9, respectively. The game could come down to who can catch the other team off guard with a big passing play. The edge here goes to Air Force, simply because Tim Jefferson is a better passer. But watch out for Army's Alejandro Villanueva, who at 6' 10” is a human mismatch...and he leads the team with 4 receiving touchdowns.

Prediction: Service academy games are always played with passion on both sides of the football. Army will come hungry and ready to end their losing streak against their service academy brethren (8 in a row, currently). But Air Force is just too talented on defense to let this one get away on their home turf.

My pick: Air Force

About to go Nuclear

The Utah offense

The MO for the Utes the past few years has been to score tons of points and then play enough defense to get their offense back on the field. That's simply not the case this season, as the Utes offense is 48th in total yards (393.1 ypg) and 56th in scoring (27.1 ppg). They should be able to pad those stats a bit this weekend as they face a New Mexico defense that has been absolutely horrible. The Lobos have allowed an average of 35.5 points per game...good enough to land them the honor of 113th in the nation in scoring defense. Yeah, the Lobos aren't such a fierce pack of animals this year.

Stat of the Week

+14

Turnover margin for the Air Force Falcons on their home field. They have forced 14 turnovers in their four home games without giving up a single turnover. Their ability to hold onto the football is a big reason they lead the nation in turnover margin (+18).