Stanford Cardinal vs. Army Black Knights NCAA Football Odds
The Stanford Cardinal opened their season in Week 2 against the San Jose State Spartans, and they put any thoughts of rust to rest with a 34-14 victory at home. This week, they’ll take on the Army Black Knights, who are coming off of a 40-14 loss to Ball State.
No. 5 Stanford (1-0) @ Army (1-1)
Saturday, Sept. 14, 12:00 PM ET @ Michie Stadium
Moneyline: N/A
Spread: Stanford -28.5
O/U: 52
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Stanford has to travel cross country to make this contest, but while a sluggish start may make it seems interesting, its talent should overcome the Knights when it’s all said and done.
Stanford
The Cardinal were able to win convincingly in their season-opener, and while the offense was without its leading rusher from a year ago, Stephan Taylor, Tyler Gafney picked up where he left off. He rushed for 104 yards on 20 carries, scoring two touchdowns along the way.
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At the quarterback position, Kevin Hogan tossed for 207 yards and another two scores. He began last season on the bench, but earned the starting spot when the year was done. This season, he’s a lock for the starting spot barring injuring, and he’ll look to keep another strong campaign going in Week 2.
Stanford’s stats won’t blow you away from the first week of the season, and that’s likely to be a theme moving forward. But the truth is that they don’t care about the box score as long as they get the win. This is a team that prides itself on defense, and Army is about to find that out.
This is a team that knows how to get to the quarterback. It led the nation in sacks in 2012, and it recorded four in the first week of the season. Army is known far more for its rushing attack than its passing game, but unfortunately for the Knights, the Cardinal gave up just 35 yards on the ground in Week 1, albeit to a pass-heavy offense. [soliloquy id=”82219″]
Army
Army has to do one of two things in this contest: establish a passing game, or break through the Cardinal’s daunting defensive line. Neither will be easy, and chances are, neither will be accomplished.
Expect the Black Knights to stick with their plan of attack and not stray too far from their scheme. Through two games, they’ve attempted just 28 passes for 177 yards while completing just 39.3 percent. On the ground, the team has carried the ball 106 times for 658 yards and five scores.
The question here isn’t whether or not Stanford will win, but by how much? The Cardinal are 8-0 straight up in their last eight contests, but just 2-6 in their last eight when they’ve been double-digit favorites. This is because of the fact that their offense has a tendency to take it slowly, fairing far differently from others in their conference.
Army’s defense is about to face a test far greater than it’s faced thus far, but its numbers have been respectable. The team has given up about 370 yards per game and 26 points. Don’t expect that defense to shut down the Cardinal, but don’t be shocked either if it helps the team cover the massive spread.
O/U Pick: Under
Score Prediction: Stanford 31 – Army 9
