The American Athletic Conference championship picture got a shakeup after Tulane upset Memphis in Week 7, and Army (4-2, 3-1) now has a chance to capitalize when the Black Knights travel to face Tulsa (4-3, 1-2) at H.A. Chapman Stadium on Friday night.
Tulsa enters as a 1.5-point favorite in the matchup, but the betting line may not fully account for a glaring weakness: the Golden Hurricane’s run defense.
Army’s offense is built around quarterback Cale Hellums and the triple-option attack. Hellums has carried the ball 129 times for 719 yards this season, a 5.6-yard average, and has already scored 13 touchdowns. Last year he rushed for 1,223 yards and 18 touchdowns on 304 carries, a 4.0-yard average, so this season’s production fits a clear pattern.
Tulsa’s defense has struggled badly against the run, ranking 123rd in FBS in rushing yards allowed per game and 88th in yards allowed per rush attempt at 4.4. The Golden Hurricane did face a similar style of offense 13 days ago against Navy’s triple-option, but that test didn’t go well — Navy piled up 386 yards on 67 carries, a 5.8-yard average.
That history suggests Tulsa may again be ill-equipped to slow down a run-heavy attack, giving Army an opportunity to control the clock with long, sustained drives on Friday night.
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