This matchup in Week 1 of the regular season will take place on Friday, September 2, 2016, at 7 p.m. ET at Lincoln Financial Field on CBS Sports Network.
College Football Odds at BookMaker.eu
Temple -17
Army +17
Over/Under 45.5
Odds Analysis
This game has barely moved since the opening line was released. Temple opened as a 16.5-point favorite and a half-point of line movement is nothing to pay much attention to. The total is one of the lowest of the opening week and may drop even lower before kickoff.
Matchup to Watch
It will be interesting to see what Jahad Thomas can do against Army’s run defense. Thomas was First-Team All-AAC last season after a solid year as the workhorse back for Temple’s offense. He thrived behind a veteran offensive line, wearing opponents down late in games. However, a heavy workload early in the season didn’t leave him at his best for the second half of the year. After averaging 126 yards per game on the ground in his first six games, he averaged half that over the last half of the season.
Thomas should shine in this one though, especially against a woefully undersized Army defensive line. Despite losing three starters along the offensive line, the Owls should be able to manhandle the Black Knights’ front seven and give Thomas big holes to run through. It will be a shock if Thomas doesn’t put up 100 yards in this game.
Key Stat
Temple had a stout run defense that allowed just 3.8 yards per carry last season and that unit will be busy against Army. The Black Knights run the triple-option and will run the ball for as long as they can and try to fool the Owls with misdirection. The key here will be forcing Army to throw the ball on third-and-long, where it will be completely out of its comfort zone.
If you’re going to face an option team, the best time to do it is at the start of the year. Option offenses thrive on teams not being prepared and tend to get blown out in bowl games and season openers. Temple has had a month to prepare for Army’s attack at this point and should be more than ready to handle it.
Free ATS Pick
The only way this game goes over the total is if Temple runs roughshod over Army. The Black Knights are going to struggle to move the ball all game long and anything more than 14 points seems like too much to ask. When a team total opens for this game, bet Army’s under.
Temple won’t look past Army in this one with Stony Brook on the horizon in the second week of the season. The Owls will likely jump out to a lead early and then slowly salt the clock away. The Black Knights are pretty inept at passing, failing to crack a 100-yard per game average in each of the last five seasons and even if Chris Carter is the best passing threat Army has had this decade, that’s not saying much.
Temple is going to get the cover here in a game that should fall just short of the total. The Owls are just too strong and fundamentally sound to not get the job done.
College Football Odds: Owls 31, Black Knights 7
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