Latest College Football Lines – Army Tries To Erase A Nagging Memory Against Tulane

The Army Black Knights are looking to bounce back when they travel to New Orleans for a matchup with Tulane. The Green Wave are a one-point favorite on the latest college football lines. 

Army Black Knights @ Tulane Green Wave 

Saturday, October 9th – 3:30 PM ET 
Louisiana Superdome, New Orleans 

Latest College Football Lines: Army +1, Tulane -1 
Total: 43

Tulane and Army are clearly improved over last year, and Saturday’s game is pivotal for both. It’s a bounce-back game for the 3-2 Black Knights, who suffered a disappointing come-from-ahead loss to Temple last week, but still could be on their way to a winning season for the first time since 1996. Army gave up 226 yards to backup Temple running back Matt Brown, and blew a 28-13 second-half lead on the way to a 42-35 loss in last Saturday’s Homecoming game at Michie Stadium. Yet, an impressive win over Duke and a strong showing against North Texas still have the Black Knights on the positive side of .500. 

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Tulane is coming off a very satisfying 17-14 win at Rutgers, an upset victory that has coach Bob Toledo’s team flying high. 

One of the main subplots in this game is that last year, Tulane went north to West Point, New York, and stunned Army, 17-16. The Green Wave limited Army 222 total yards and kicked a go-ahead field goal with 2:20 left in regulation. Army drove to the Tulane 20 in the final minute, but the Black Knights missed a 37-yard field goal attempt with 11 seconds on the clock. Had Army won that game, coach Rich Ellerson’s club would have made a bowl game last year. Army is definitely intent on getting revenge against Tulane while also rebounding from last week’s loss to Temple. 

Latest College Football Lines: What Army Has To Do To Win

The Army offense was impressive in defeat last week.  Quarterback Trent Steelman carried the Army attack, rushing for four touchdowns and throwing a touchdown pass against Temple.  He now has eight touchdowns in his last two games, and is the Black Knights’ leading rusher with 270 yards on 76 carries. The Black Knights’ triple-option offense could face a stiff challenge in a Tulane rush defense that allowed just 57 yards to Rutgers after giving up a 91-yard touchdown run on Rutgers’ second play from scrimmage. Army needs to find a way to break the big play with its triple-option offense. The Black Knights can move the ball in small chunks, but they need a home-run play once in a while to put an opposing defense on its heels.

Latest College Football Lines: What Tulane Has To Do To Win

The Green Wave’s running game ranks 107th in the nation with a measly 89.8 yards per game average, and it likely won’t be able to wear down the Black Knights’  defense the way Temple did. The Green Wave’s pass offense is nothing spectacular, either: Quarterback Ryan Griffin has not thrown a touchdown pass yet this season.  His numbers are solid – he completed 17 of 28 passes for 140 yards against Rutgers, and went 21-of-30 for 203 yards against Ole Miss on Sept. 11. However, the Tulane offense is still very much a work in progress. This means that Tulane must make stacks of plays in the kicking game and find ways to turn back Army’s offense in the red zone. If Tulane can hold Army under 20 points and get a kick return for a score (or near-score), the Green Wave have a chance.

Latest College Football Lines: Outlook & Pick 

Army is a much better team than the one that lost to Tulane last season. The Black Knights are executing well on offense, and Tulane doesn’t have the weapons to outscore them in a shootout. Army will score in the upper 20s, and Tulane won’t be able to hit 20 on Saturday. The Black Knights should be favored by at least a field goal; it’s surprising that they aren’t. 

Latest College Football Lines: Army +1