Army vs. UTSA football preview: Black Knights look to get back in the win column

Army football is on the road again for week three—this time, the Black Knights are heading to San Antonio to take on the Roadrunners of UTSA on Saturday. After a nail biting loss last weekend to Michigan, this is an opportunity for Army to dust off their shoulders and bounce back and come home with a victory.

UTSA started out their season victorious in week one. They managed to wipeout Incarnate Word, 35-7, the opening week of the year. The Roadrunner’s defense was able to hold the Cardinals on the field, preventing them from converting on 3rd down at all. Not to mention, QB Frank Harris threw to 11 different receivers during the game, passed for passed for 206 yards and scored three touchdowns that afternoon.

We know Army is a disciplined team but it’s probably no secret that UTSA too, might be walking into their home stadium with a bit of a chip on their shoulder, and looking to come back from last week’s ugly loss against Baylor, 63-14.

While Baylor finished the season fifth last year in the Big 12, they really took it to the Roadrunners last weekend. UTSA seemed to miss a few crucial opportunities to prevent Baylor RB Trestan Ebner from getting down the field.

What you could see as a positive for the Roadrunners is a similarity between Army and UTSA in defensive physicality. UTSA’s defensive backs toggle anywhere between 170 and 195 pounds. Now, while they’ve got some big talent in their DTs as well, the Roadrunners are going to have to do a better of job of getting those sacks early in the snap if they want to stop Army’s momentum.

“The next part of it is preparing your players to play because getting cut front side and backside like never before is what is going to happen so to be able to beat that block with your hands and with your feet to escape but yet to keep your gap integrity is something that we’ll have to practice throughout the duration of the week,” said Head Coach Frank Wilson during a press conference earlier this week.

Luckily for Army (and perhaps unlucky for UTSA) they held Michigan to 14 points last week and Rice 7 before that, so it seems like a no-brainer that as long as Army’s offense makes consistent drives and the defense can hold off against and equally sized defensive line, the Black Knights take home a win this weekend.

Oh, by the way, did I mention Saturday is UTSA’s Military Appreciation Game? That tends to happen when Army takes on other teams, but with a big military contingent already present in the San Antonio area, perhaps this will only add to what Army hopes is a friendly trip to Texas.

Game Day Info

• Opponent: University of Texas at San Antonio
• Mascot: Roadrunners
• Stadium: Alamodome
• Capacity: 36,582
• Surface: Field Turf
• Tickets: Starting at $25 on StubHub
• Kickoff Time: 3:30 pm EST
• Odds: Army is favored by 17. O/U is 45
• Weather Forecast: Mostly sunny temps around 97 degrees, 40% humidity with a 0% chance of rain.