The Spartans of San Jose State (+14) are gearing up to welcome the Army West Point Black Knights (-14) to Levi’s Stadium. Kickoff for this game is scheduled for 3:30 p.m. ET and ESPNU will televise the action.
Army West Point Black Knights vs. San Jose State Spartans Betting Preview
In this Saturday matchup, Army West Point is getting picked as the heavy favorite and is currently giving up 14 points. The Black Knights are also receiving -735 moneyline odds while the Spartans are +500. If one side gets out in front early, it’ll likely create a nice betting opportunity in-game.
The game’s opening line was 17, but the early action has slanted to the Spartans.
The profitable Black Knights are 3-1-1 against the spread (ATS) and have gained 3.2 units so far. The team has posted an Over-Under record of 2-3. The disappointing Spartans have lost 3.5 units this season. They’re 2-3 ATS and own an even O/U record of 2-2.
The Black Knights have gone 3-2 straight up (SU) in 2018 while the Spartans are 0-5 SU.
The Black Knights want to make it two in a row 42-13 victory over Buffalo on September 29Their defense allowed the Bulls to run for 103 yards on 31 rush attempts, along with one rushing TD. K.J. Osborn had a productive day for the Bulls in that one with 82 yards and a score on four catches. Offensively, Kelvin Hopkins Jr. completed four passes on 5 attempts for just 91 yards, as well as a TD and an interception. Hopkins Jr. (89 rushing yards on 19 attempts) also spearheaded the ground attack and was complemented by Darnell Woolfolk (58 yards on 14 carries, one TD) in the win. Jordan Asberry (one receptions, 25 yards, one TD) and Camden Harrison (one catch, 37 yards) shared the receiving duties.
San Jose State most recently fell 42-30 to Colorado State. The defense allowed the Rams to kill the clock by rushing for 219 yards on 45 attempts, along with one rushing TD. Izzy Matthews put up a productive outing, posting 125 rushing yards and a score on 22 attempts for Colorado State. For San Jose State, Josh Love completed 17-of-40 passes for 232 yards, three touchdowns and two interceptions. Tyler Nevens (73 rushing yards on 20 attempts, one TD) spearheaded the ground attack in the defeat while Thai Cottrell (six receptions, 41 yards, one TD) and Tre Hartley (four catches, 96 yards, two TDs) led the pass-catching corps.
Army West Point has run the ball on 86.1 percent of its offensive possessions this year while San Jose State has a rush percentage of 42.9 percent. The Black Knights have produced 308 rush yards per game and have 16 touchdowns via handoffs this year. The Spartans are putting up 53 rush yards per game and have six total rushing TDs.
If 2018 results are any indication, then it seems like the Black Knights ought to be the more disruptive team in the trenches, as their offensive line has allowed only one sacks while the D-line registered 24 sacks. The Spartans offensive line has given up 36 sacks and their defense has forced only 13 sacks.
The Black Knights offense has averaged 110 yards through the air overall and has three passing TDs so far. The Spartans have put up 284 pass yards per contest and have 10 total pass scores.
Defensively, Army West Point seems to have the upper hand in both phases. The team has allowed opponents to run for an average of 126 yards and pass for 228 yards per game. The San Jose State defense has allowed 337.6 yards per game to opposing passers and 150.8 yards per game on the ground. The Spartans are allowing an adjusted net yards per pass attempt (ANY/A) of just 6.50 to opponents, while the Black Knights have given up an ugly 8.98 ANY/A.
Passing-wise, Hopkins Jr. is up to 511 yards this season, and has completed 51 percent of his 43 attempts with three scores through the air and one interception. Hopkins Jr. has an 11.36 adjusted net yards per pass attempt overall, although that number is 1.00 over the past two outings.
The Black Knights will probably try to maintain tempo by getting the ball into the hands of their running backs. In addition to Kelvin Hopkins Jr. (zero receiving yards), Kell Walker (52 rush yards, 77 receiving yards) and Darnell Woolfolk (246 rush yards, four rush TDs) have really been focal points in the Army West Point offensive scheme.
Josh Love has managed to complete 46-of-100 passes for 579 yards, five TDs and five INTs for San Jose State. His ANY/A sits at a horrendous 3.68 for the year and 6.40 over his last two games.
The Spartans will also try to control the game’s pace by turning to their backfield. In addition to Josh Oliver (224 receiving yards, one receiving TD), Tre Hartley (zero rush yards, 184 receiving yards, two receiving TDs) and Bailey Gaither (28 rush yards, 327 receiving yards, three TDs) have gotten plenty of touches lately.
RELATED: Week 7 College Football Betting Odds and Predictions
NCAA Pick: Army West Point Black Knights at San Jose State Spartans
SU Winner – Army West Point, ATS Winner – Army West Point
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Notes
Team Betting Notes
The San Jose State defense has notched eight sacks on the year while Army West Point has seven.
The San Jose State offense has lost one fumble in 2018 while the Army West Point offense has lost two.
The Black Knights offense has recorded three pass plays of 40+ yards, while the Spartans have put up nine such plays.
Both teams have allowed four pass plays of 40 or more yards. The Army West Point defense has given up nine pass plays of 30+ yards while San Jose State has given up 10 such plays.
The Army West Point offense has created nine rushing plays of 20+ yards, while San Jose State has created two such runs.
The Black Knights defense has allowed four rushing plays of 20 yards or more, while the Spartans have given up seven such runs.
Army West Point has won four of its last five games SU, with a seven-point loss to Oklahoma on September 22nd representing the only defeat over that stretch.
As a team, Army West Point has produced 4.4375 yards per carry over its last three contests and 4.4 over its last two.
San Jose State has averaged 1.2 yards per carry over its last three matchups and 1.2 over its last two.
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