College Sports

No. 22 Army seeks road breakthrough at No. 14 Cincinnati

Posted September 24, 2020 7:00 am

By The Associated Press

No. 22 Army (2-0) at No. 14 Cincinnati (1-0), Saturday at 3:30 p.m. ET (ESPN).

Line: Cincinnati by 13 1/2.

Series record: tied 3-3.

WHAT'S AT STAKE?

The Bearcats get their first real test after a 55-20 opening victory over Austin Peay. Army hasn't started 3-0 since 2016, when it won eight games in coach Jeff Monken's third season. A win over a ranked team on the road would be the program's first since 1958.

KEY MATCHUP

The Cincinnati defense against Army's triple option. The Black Knights thrive on keeping the ball away from opponents and are averaging 389.5 yards rushing. Junior quarterback Christian Anderson leads an offense that has scored touchdowns on all six tries inside the red zone while holding the ball just over 36 minutes a game.

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Army: Senior fullback and tri-captain Sandon McCoy has run for four touchdowns, one behind national leaders Frank Harris of UTSA and Ulysses Bentley IV of SMU. Even though he's averaging just 3.9 yards per carry, McCoy thrives in the red zone.

Cincinnati: RB Gerrid Doaks moved into the starting role with Michael Warren II gone and had a big opening game. He had three touchdown runs plus a 32-yard touchdown catch for a career-high four scores. His four catches for 64 yards were career highs.

FACTS & FIGURES

The game was added to the schedule on Aug. 26 after Cincinnati had three games wiped out - two against Mid-American Conference teams, another at Nebraska - when they postponed play because of COVID-19. ... It's the first time a pair of ranked teams play at Nippert Stadium since Nov. 22, 2008, when No. 19 Cincinnati beat No. 20 Pittsburgh 28-21. ... The first game between the teams was in 1963 at Michie Stadium, a 22-0 Army victory. The last meeting between the two clubs was in 2004, also at Michie Stadium, and Army won 48-29 to snap a 19-game losing streak. ... Army is seeking its first win in a game involving two ranked teams since since 1958 when the third-ranked Black Knights beat No. 13 Rice 14-7 on the road with star Pete Dawkins, who won the Heisman Trophy in Earl 'œRed'ť Blaik's final season as coach. The Black Knights' most recent win against a ranked opponent was a 17-14 victory over No. 19 Air Force in 1972.

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FILE - Army head coach Jeff Monken watches in the second half of an NCAA college football game against Michigan in Ann Arbor, Mich., Saturday, Sept. 7, 2019. Monken has his Black Knights back in the national rankings after an off year, but in this crazy season they suddenly have a forced bye week that actually might be a blessing in disguise. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya, File) The Associated Press

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