Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl:
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vs.
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Army Black Knights (6-6) versus SMU Mustangs (7-6),
Thursday 12:00PM ET ESPN
Gerald J. Ford Stadium, University Park TX
SMU favored by 7, over/under 52.
The seventh edition of the Armed Forces Bowl, originally known as the Fort Worth Bowl, will be played outside of Fort Worth for the first time due to stadium renovation work at Amon G. Carter Stadium.
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So the game between the Army Black Knights and the SMU Mustangs has been moved to University Park, where the Mustangs play their regular season home games. This will be the third meeting ever between these schools, as Army won the two previous meetings in 1928 and 1967.
Army is playing their seventh bowl game ever, losing their last effort to Auburn in the 1996 Independence Bowl.
SMU is playing in a bowl game for a second straight season, having defeated Nevada last year in the Hawaii Bowl. That game was the first bowl game in the post-death penalty era for the Mustangs, have last appeared in the 1984 Aloha Bowl.
The Black Knights are guided by second year head coach Rich Ellerson, who came to the Military Academy after a successful run at Cal Poly. Army will look to finish the season strong after losing two straight in three of their last four games. Army finished tenth in the nation in rushing yards as a team, averaging 256 yards per game on the ground.
Leading the attack for the Black Knights is sophomore fullback Jared Hassin with 931 yards and nine touchdowns, averaging 5.4 yards per carry. Quarterback Trent Steelman was second on the team in rushing yards with 694 yards and a team-high 11 rushing touchdowns. Steelman also passed for 965 yards and seven touchdown tosses, while being intercepted just three times in 126 attempts.
Six other Cadets scored rushing touchdowns this season, including Brian Cobbs contributing five scores on the ground.
Sophomore wide receiver George Jordan led the team with 15 receptions, while Austin Barr had three of his 14 receptions account for touchdowns.
On defense, Army is led by Stephen Anderson and his 94 tackles, including 10 ½ for loss. Josh McNary led the team with 9 ½ sacks and 12 tackles for loss, while Richard King recorded a team-best four interceptions.
For the Mustangs, they won the West Division of Conference USA, losing to Central Florida in the Conference USA Championship Game earlier this month. June Jones has rebuilt this program in just three years.
Kyle Padron is the triggerman for the Mustangs passing attack. He threw for 3,526 yards and 29 touchdowns, with just 12 interceptions in 474 attempts.
Three SMU receivers caught at least 60 passes: Cole Beasley led the team with 84 receptions and was second on the club with 1036 receiving yards and six touchdowns; Darius Johnson caught 69 passes; and Aldrick Robinson caught 60 passes for a team-high 1225 yards and 13 touchdowns.
The offense is also a balanced one, as running back Zach Line gained 1391 yards and scored ten touchdowns while averaging 6.1 yards per carry.
On defense, two SMU players recorded over 100 tackles with Taylor Reed (133) and Pete Fleps (116) leading the way.
The Black Knights have to be efficient in moving the chains and keeping the ball away from the SMU offense if they want to win. The Mustangs offense is able to move the ball on the ground and through the air. Army will have a difficult time if they fall behind because of their inability to throw the ball.
The odds makers have the SMU Mustangs as a -7 point favorite with an over/under of 52.
MATT’S PREDICTION: SMU 30 – Army 23
Team records:
- Army: 6-4 SU, 5-4 ATS
- Southern Methodist: 7-6 SU, 6-7 ATS
Southern Methodist Mustangs most recently:
- When playing in December are 1-2
- When playing on grass are 3-7
- After outgaining opponent are 6-4
- When playing outside the conference are 3-7
A few betting trends to consider:
- Army is 2-3-1 SU in its last 6 games ,
- The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Southern Methodist’s last 5 games
- Southern Methodist is 3-6 ATS in its last 9 games
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