Army in the Alamodome III

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UTSA and Army will meet for the fourth time in the last five seasons this Friday night. The fourth get together of Roadrunners and Black Knights will be held in the Alamodome at 6 p.m. A National TV audience will be able to see the game on ESPN.

Of all the military academies in the U.S. perhaps it is fitting that San Antonio's flagship public university has played Army the most times on the football field. The United States Military has had a presence in the Alamo City since Texas was annexed into the Union in 1845. One of the nicknames for the city of San Antonio in the early 20th century was "Mother-in-law of the Army" because so many soldiers stationed at Fort Sam Houston met their wives in San Antonio, including famously Dwight D. Eisenhower who met his wife in San Antonio. He then went on to do some pretty big things in the middle decades of the 20th century.

Army Football has played a total of four games in the Alamodome. The Black Knights played twice against Notre Dame in the dome in 2006 and 2016. Army lost both of those games to the Fighting Irish.

Three years later, on September 14, 2019, Army was back in the Alamodome. Their opponent was not the Fighting Irish of Notre Dame but the Alamodome's regular tenants, the Roadrunners of UTSA. Army had a more successful visit to the Alamodome in 2019 as they beat the Roadrunners 31-13.

A year later in 2020 the COVID Pandemic led to schedule changes across the country. Though UTSA and Army weren't originally scheduled to play each other in 2020, they both found they needed to fill their schedule and so on Oct. 17, 2020 the Black Knights visited the Roadrunners. Army found a Roadrunner team with a new head coach in Jeff Traylor but the Black Knights made it 2-0 against the Roadrunners with a 28-16 win. It was the first time the Roadrunners lost at home under Traylor and it was their last loss at home until Houston won in triple overtime in 2022.

UTSA was in West Point, New York a week after that Houston game a year ago. The Roadrunners kept the run of visitor team victories going in the series with a 41-38 win over Army on the banks of the Hudson River. It took overtime before the Roadrunners were able to come away with the win.

Now the two teams meet again in San Antonio with UTSA hoping to snap the streak of road team victories in the series and give Traylor his 20th win in the Alamodome. Army will be looking to get their third win in five tries in the Alamodome.

If UTSA wants to be the first home team to win a game in the series with Army they will have to solve an Army offense that is a little bit different from when they last met a year ago up in New York.

Army hasn't given up on the option offense, an offense it seems they have run since the days when their football program first started and Fort Sam Houston was that new army base down in San Antonio.

This year the Black Knights are running their offense more out of shotgun formations. Army, like UTSA, enters Friday night with a 1-1 record on the season.

The Black Knights lost 17-13 at Louisiana-Monroe in week one before rolling Delaware State 57-0 last Saturday. That 57-0 win was the most lopsided shutout victory for Army since 1956 and their first shutout by 50 or more points since 2011.

Army's offense has a total of 798 yards through two games this season (399 per game). The Black Knights have run for 453 yards (226.5 per game) and passed for 345 yards (172.5 per game). On defense Army has allowed 517 yards this season (258.5 per game). The Black Knights have allowed 286 yards passing (143 per game) and 231 yards rushing (115.5 per game).

UTSA will enter the game against Army looking to get the offense going after scoring 34 points over the first two games of the season. The Roadrunners offense has 789 yards through two games (394.5 per game). UTSA has 423 yards passing (211.5 per game) and 366 yards rushing (183 per game). Opponents of UTSA have racked up 576 yards in the first two games (288 per game). The first two teams UTSA has gone up against have combined for 444 yards passing (222 per game) and 132 yards rushing (66 yards per game).

The biggest question mark for UTSA going into Friday will be the health of Frank Harris. Harris injured his toe in the win against Texas State and has been in a boot since the end of that game. Harris is a competitor who has given so much to the program already. If he can't go on Friday the Roadrunners will call on Eddie Lee Marburger or Owen McCown.

If Harris does go he has a chance to become the first Roadrunner quarterback to reach 10,000 career passing yards. Harris is just 221 yards away from reaching that mark. Through the first two games this season he has completed 44 of his 73 pass attempts for 423 yards and two touchdowns. Harris has thrown three interceptions, all coming in a horrendous stretch of three straight pass attempts in week one at Houston. Harris has also run for 60 yards through the first two games.

Army has had three different players complete a pass this season. The Black Knights leading passer is Bryson Daily with 13 completions on 22 attempts for 314 yards and three touchdowns. Daily has thrown two interceptions so there is a chance for UTSA to get its first takeaway of the season on Friday.

This game might be decided by the running attacks of both teams. UTSA has a new trinity rising in the backfield in the form of Kevorian Barnes, Rocko Griffin and Robert Henry. Barnes is the number one back having racked up 206 yards on 42 carries. Henry has 58 yards on 11 carries and Griffin has 28 yards on eight carries.

UTSA is deep enough across the board to feel good about their chances against Army and if Harris can't go there will be time to craft the offense around either Marburger or McCown. The Roadrunner defense has stood firm the first two games this season and its possible they will need to hold down the Alamo for a third straight week while the offense continues to figure it out.

The road team has won every game in this series despite UTSA and Army both being strong at home. Since the start of 2020 UTSA is 19-2 in the Alamodome and Army is 18-3 on the banks of the Hudson. One of those two losses for UTSA was at the hands of Army in 2020 and one of Army's three losses at West Point was handed to them last year by the Roadrunners.

Just two weeks ago the Roadrunners played a game in another series that the road team won the first three meetings, that being the visit to Houston. The Cougars broke through to win at TDECU Stadium. I can see the same thing happening for UTSA against Army on Friday night in the Alamodome.

The easiest way for UTSA to knock off Army will be to keep the Black Knight drives shorter than the Roadrunners drives on offense. Whether the quarterback is Harris or Marburger or McCown the Roadrunners should look to establish the running game early. Barnes has gone over 100 yards in every game this season. If the Roadrunners get him going that will open up the passing attack.

Army's option offense will be a good test for the Roadrunner defense but anytime a ball is pitched there is danger for the offense. If the Roadrunner defense can continue its strong start defending against the run and come away with a fumble or two it could be a long night for the Army.

The Roadrunners are 8.5 point favorites against Army. I think the Roadrunners will win but the Black Knights cover.

PREDICTION: UTSA 24 Army 17

FORUMS: UTSA Boulevard | Roadrunner Way