The Army West Point Black Knights (+8) aren’t traveling far to battle the Buffalo Bulls at UB Stadium. This crucial afternoon matchup will get underway at 12:00 p.m. ET and fans can witness the action live on CBS Sports Network.
Betting Preview: Army West Point Black Knights at Buffalo Bulls
Army West Point is a live dog and is currently getting 8 points in this matchup. The Black Knights are also receiving +260 moneyline odds while the Bulls are -340. Some good live betting opportunities could be unveiled during the game.
The opening line was initially set at -6 and sharp bettors are siding with the Bulls.
The Black Knights are 2-1-1 against the spread (ATS) and have gained 1.0 unit so far in 2018. They’ve been a good under bet and have posted an Over-Under record of 1-3.
The Bulls have gained 3.6 units for moneyline bettors this season. They’re 3-1 ATS and have an O/U record of 3-0.
The Black Knights are 2-2 straight up (SU) in 2018 while the Bulls are 4-0 SU.
The Black Knights are looking to get back on track after a 28-21 defeat to Oklahoma last weekTheir defense allowed the Sooners to run for 190 yards on 25 rush attempts, along with one rushing TD. Trey Sermon posted a productive day for the Sooners in that one with 119 rushing yards on 18 attempts. On the offensive side, Kelvin Hopkins Jr. completed only three passes on 8 attempts for 40 yards and two interceptions. Hopkins Jr. (102 rushing yards on 25 attempts, one TD) also spearheaded the ground attack and was complemented by Darnell Woolfolk (71 yards on 21 carries). Kell Walker (three receptions, 40 yards) handled the receiving duties in the defeat.
The Buffalo Bulls enter this Saturday’s matchup after just getting a 42-13 win over Rutgers. The defensive unit let the Scarlet Knights rush for 116 yards on 38 attempts, along with one rushing TD. Raheem Blackshear was a bright spot in the loss for Rutgers, posting 69 rushing yards and a score on 15 attempts. For Buffalo, Tyree Jackson completed 14-of-28 passes for 263 yards, three touchdowns and two interceptions. Jaret Patterson (104 yards on 14 rush attempts, two TDs) and Kevin Marks (63 yards on 12 carries, one TD) mounted the running game as K.J. Osborn (three receptions, 28 yards) and Tyler Mabry (three catches, eight yards, one TD) led the receiving corps in the win.
Army West Point has run the ball on 84.7 percent of its offensive possessions this year while Buffalo has an overall rush percentage of 54.8 percent. The Black Knights have run for 314.8 yards per game and have 12 scores on the ground this year. The Bulls are putting up 163.0 rush yards per game and have eight total rushing TDs.
The Black Knights offense has tallied 115.0 yards per contest in the air overall and has two passing scores so far. The Bulls have put up 265.8 pass yards per outing and have 15 total pass TDs.
Army West Point has allowed opponents to rush for an average of 131.3 yards and pass for 247.5 yards per game. The Buffalo defense has allowed 208.0 yards per game to opposing passers and 143.0 yards per game on the ground. The Bulls are giving up an adjusted net yards per pass attempt (ANY/A) of just 5.01 to opponents, while the Black Knights have allowed a staggering 9.38 ANY/A.
Offensively, Hopkins Jr. has amassed 298 passing yards this season, and has completed 42 percent of his 36 attempts with two scores through the air and two interceptions. He’s got a 6.35 adjusted net yards per pass attempt, including 6.22 over the last two games.
The Black Knights will probably try to maintain tempo by putting the ball in the hands of their running backs. In addition to Kelvin Hopkins Jr. (zero receiving yards), Darnell Woolfolk (189 rush yards, two rush TDs) and Kell Walker (120 rush yards, 117 receiving yards) have delivered in the offensive game scripts for Army West Point.
For the home team, Tyree Jackson has completed 57-of-100 passes for 727 yards, 12 TDs and three INTs. Jackson’s ANY/A sits at 8.32 for the season and 11.44 over his last two outings.
The Bulls should also look to control the clock by turning to their backfield. In addition to K.J. Osborn (140 receiving yards, two receiving TDs), Anthony Johnson (zero rush yards, 234 receiving yards, three receiving TDs) and Jaret Patterson (140 rush yards, three rush TDs) have gotten a lot of touches recently.
These two teams met a year ago with the final result being a 21-17 win for Army West Point.
Army West Point Black Knights at Buffalo Bulls NCAA Pick
SU Winner: Buffalo, ATS Winner: Buffalo
Team Betting Notes
- Army West Point was favored by 29 points in its last game and the O/U was 60. The under cashed and Army West Point did not cover in the 28-21 loss to Oklahoma.
- Army West Point, as a team, has averaged 5.0045871559633 yards per rush attempt over its last three games and 4.5 over its last two.
- Buffalo has averaged 4.2 yards per carry over its last three outings and 4.5 over its last two.
- Buffalo has lost one fumble this season while Army West Point has lost two.
- In its last three matchups, Army West Point is 2-0-1 ATS and the under cashed in each of those three.
- Buffalo was the underdog by 6 points in its last outing and the Over/Under going into it was 53.5. The over cashed and Buffalo covered in that 42-13 victory over Rutgers.
- Over its last three matchups, Buffalo is 3-0 ATS and the over cashed in each of those three.
- The Black Knights offense has registered three pass plays of 40+ yards, while the Bulls have put up six such plays.
- The Army West Point defense has allowed three pass plays of 40 or more yards, while Buffalo has given up four such plays.
- The Army West Point offense has created eight rushing plays of 20 yards or more, while Buffalo has created four such runs.
- The Black Knights defense has allowed four rushing plays of 20 or more yards, while the Bulls have given up three such runs.
- The Buffalo D has sacked opposing quarterbacks 11 times this year. Army West Point has recorded seven sacks.
