No. 23 Army is going to lean on its strength — its rushing attack — and American Athletic Conference opponent East Carolina knows what’s coming, but can the Pirates be the first team this season to slow down the Black Knights’ triple-option offense?
The schools will meet Saturday afternoon in West Point, N.Y., with Army quarterback Bryson Daily calling the shots against a defense that allows 3.5 yards per carry — the second-best figure in the country.
East Carolina boasts that impressive rush defense despite being shredded for 307 yards on the ground (6.0 yards a pop) while getting blown out 55-24 by host Charlotte on Oct. 5.
Now the Pirates face the Black Knights (6-0, 5-0 AAC), who are averaging 6.9 yards per rush. Army is scoring a hair under 40 points per game and is winning its games by an average of 29.8 points.
And Army can get the upper hand quickly, East Carolina coach Mike Houston said.
On UAB’s opening drive against the Black Knights on Oct. 12, the Blazers gambled on a fourth-and-1 from their own 34 but turned the ball over on downs.
After an offside call, Daily ran 29 yards for a touchdown on Army’s first offensive play. UAB then mounted an 11-play drive but settled for a 51-yard field goal, only to have the Black Knights go 65 yards on eight plays, capped by Daily’s 9-yard scoring run.
“They play at a very high level, and they’ve got a lot of experience in that offense,” Houston said. “They’re very solid in all three phases so they get up two, three scores and they put a lot of pressure on the opponent.
“At the same time, I don’t know how much they’ve been challenged to play a full game yet, and that’s the thing where I see a lot of opportunity. Going in there, playing really well, don’t give them anything. … We have a shot to go into the fourth quarter with an opportunity to win on the road.”
The big question for East Carolina (3-3, 1-1), though, looms on offense, with Houston not announcing his starting quarterback.
Jake Garcia, a transfer from Miami, won the starting job to begin the season, but he was benched just before halftime against Charlotte. Garcia hit on 6 of 8 passes for 111 yards with one touchdown and one interception before giving way to Michigan State transfer Katin Houser, who went 11 of 28 for 84 yards with one pick.
“Whoever gives us the best opportunity to go out there and win on Saturday is who will start,” Houston said. “There’s a lot that goes into that decision, but I think we have two very capable guys. Whoever gives us the best chance to win on game day is who’s going to start.”
Daily leads Army in carries (107), rushing yards (738) and rushing touchdowns (14, third in FBS). He is averaging 6.9 yards per carry.
Black Knights coach Jeff Monken said not to expect any “gimmicks” on offense.
“What we do well, what our bread and butter is, that’s what we have to be best at,” he said. “… Gimmicks don’t win football games. Great execution of the fundamentals and assignments and effort and playing physical — that’s what wins football games.”
The Black Knights are 10th in FBS in total defense at 267.3 yards per game allowed.
Army is also looking to beat East Carolina for the first time in nine tries. The schools last met in 2004, when the Pirates won 38-28 in Greenville, N.C.
