The Bulls (-8) are gearing up to welcome the Army West Point Black Knights to Buffalo. CBS Sports Network has the TV rights and kickoff is scheduled for 12:00 p.m. ET.
Army West Point Black Knights vs. Buffalo Bulls Betting Preview
In this Saturday game, Buffalo has been projected as the favorite and is currently giving up 8 points. The Black Knights are also receiving +260 moneyline odds while the Bulls are -340. Based on how it’s shaping up, this game will probably have some live betting scenarios.
The game’s opening line was -6, but the sharp action has been siding with the Bulls.
The Black Knights have gained 1.0 unit this season and are 2-1-1 against the spread (ATS). They’ve been a good under bet and have posted an O/U record of 1-3. The Bulls have gained 3.6 units for moneyline bettors so far. They’re 3-1 ATS and have an O/U record of 3-0.
The Black Knights have gone 2-2 straight up (SU) in 2018 while the Bulls are 4-0 SU.
The Black Knights fell to Oklahoma 28-21 in a contest where the passing game left much to be desired as Kelvin Hopkins Jr. completed only three-of-8 passes for 40 yards and two interceptions. Hopkins Jr. (102 yards on 25 rush attempts, one TD) also led the ground attack and was complemented by Darnell Woolfolk (71 yards on 21 carries) in the loss. Kell Walker (three receptions, 40 yards) handled the receiving duties.
Buffalo takes the field on Saturday having just earned a 42-13 win over Rutgers. The team’s defensive unit allowed the Scarlet Knights to run for 116 yards on 38 rush attempts, along with one rushing TD. Raheem Blackshear was a bright spot in the defeat, recording 69 rushing yards and a score on 15 attempts for Rutgers. For Buffalo, Tyree Jackson completed 14-of-28 passes for 263 yards, three touchdowns and two interceptions. Jaret Patterson (104 rushing yards on 14 attempts, two TDs) and Kevin Marks (63 yards on 12 carries, one TD) handled the ground game in the win while K.J. Osborn (three receptions, 28 yards) and Tyler Mabry (three catches, eight yards, one TD) led the pass-catching attack.
Army West Point has run the ball on 84.7 percent of its offensive possessions this year while Buffalo has a rush percentage of 54.8 percent. The Black Knights have rushed for 315 yards per game and have 12 scores via handoffs this year. The Bulls are totaling 163 rush yards per game and have eight total rushing TDs.
The Black Knights offensive scheme has tallied 115 yards per contest in the air overall and has two passing TDs so far. The Bulls have put up 266 pass yards per contest and have 15 total pass scores.
Defensively, Army West Point has let opponents run for an average of 131 yards and throw for 248 yards per game. The Buffalo defense has given up 208.0 yards per game to opposing passers and 143.0 yards per game to opposing runners. The Bulls are allowing an adjusted net yards per pass attempt (ANY/A) of just 5.01 to opponents, while the Black Knights have given up a whopping 9.38 ANY/A.
Offensively, Hopkins Jr. is up to 298 passing yards this year, and has connected on 42 percent of his 36 attempts with two scores through the air and two interceptions. Hopkins Jr.’s got a 6.35 adjusted net yards per pass attempt, including 6.22 over the last two outings.
The Black Knights will probably try to maintain tempo by feeding their running backs early and often. 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 really been focal points in the Army West Point offensive scheme.
Tyree Jackson has managed to complete 57-of-100 passes for 727 yards, 12 TDs and three INTs for Buffalo. His ANY/A sits at 8.32 for the year and 11.44 over his last two games.
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 seen a lot of looks recently.
When these two teams faced one another last year, Army West Point got the victory over Buffalo, 21-17.
NCAA Tip: Army West Point Black Knights vs. Buffalo Bulls
SU Winner – Buffalo, ATS Winner – Buffalo
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Notes
Team Betting Trends
The Buffalo defense has recorded 11 sacks on the year while Army West Point has seven.
The Buffalo offense has lost one fumble this season while the Army West Point offense has lost two.
The Black Knights offense has recorded three pass plays of 40 or more 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 yards or more, while the Bulls have given up three such runs.
Buffalo was the underdog by 6 points in its last game and the Over/Under was 53.5. The over cashed and Buffalo covered in the 42-13 win over Rutgers.
In its last three games, Buffalo is 3-0 ATS and the over cashed in each of those three.
Over its last three matchups, Army West Point is 2-0-1 ATS and the under cashed in each of those three.
Army West Point was favored by 29 points in its previous game and the Over/Under was set at 60. The under cashed and Army West Point was not able to cover in the 28-21 loss to Oklahoma.
Army West Point 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.
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