Background

The third game of the year matches the Army Black Knights (1-1) and Atlantic Coast Conference Wake Forest Demon Deacons (0-2).  Both teams had very competitive games last week. 

Last Week

Army’s offense was absolutely horrid.  Dropped snaps, dropped passes, fumbles, a missed field goal, inability to pass block, penalties, poorly thrown passes – it looked as if Army was not ready or willing to play football.  With the tremendous efforts from the defense and a lot of luck – Army beat the resilient I-AA Rams.

Wake Forest lost a hard fought game at home against #16 Nebraska, leaving the Deacons still searching for their first victory of the year.

What we Learned

Army’s offense is just plain bad – no matter who they play.  The Cadets rolled up 276 yards (including 25 in OT) in total offense against a team that was smaller and slower.  We learned that the offensive line, regardless of size, will have problems keeping defenders from getting to the ball.  Also, we learned that Wesley McMahond is little more than a speed bump to most blitzers.

Army fans did get to see Carson Williams in the second half and there were flashes of brilliance – but many mistakes really hurt most scoring opportunities.

At Wake Forest, we learned that the Deacons will not win the ACC this year.  We also learned that they are a pretty good football team and will be playing a game after Christmas, closer to New Years Day.

Who is favored?

Wake Forest is favored by 21 points.

What to look for?

Look for Army to have problems moving the ball and the resurgence of the very predictable “wrinkle” offense.  I don’t suspect that Army will be able to run the ball nor will the quarterback (starter yet to be named) be able to take more than a three step drop.  On defense, Wake Forest is very real – they limited Nebraska to two touchdowns the week before.  Look for twelve punts from Army.

I expect the defense to fight valiantly and if Wake Forest has a hard time getting up for the game, perhaps Army will be within a touchdown for the first quarter. 

Eventually the defense will wear down and Wake Forest will be able to rip off huge runs and long passes. 

The game will follow a very familiar pattern for those of us who have seen Army play against opponents like this in recent years. On paper, the Deacons should be favored by at least 28 points. The relatively small line tells me that Vegas expects WF to lolly-gag through at least the first half of this game, and they won’t bother getting serious until Army puts pressure on them. We saw this pattern emerge when Army faced TCU three years ago, Iowa State two years ago, and Texas A&M last year. I absolutely cannot see Army really threatening to win this game, but I could see a meaningless late Army score making a lot of losers out of the gambling public.

Final Score – Wake Forest 34 – Army 6  (Predictions this year 0-2)

Thank God it is not televised – enjoy the weekend!

Wake Forest tailback Micah Andrews.