There should be plenty of friendly headshakes after the final whistle sounds at Michie Stadium Saturday.
Army’s veteran players and coaching staff will see many familiar faces on the Troy sideline.
Troy defensive coordinator Greg Gasparato and defensive line coach Eric McDaniel were Army defensive assistants in 2020 and 2021 respectively and have ties to Black Knights defensive coordinator Nate Woody.
Troy head strength and conditioning coach Rusty Whitt and assistant Colin Kenyon worked on Army’s strength staff under Conor Hughes. Troy freshman defensive tackle Kenny Reedy transferred from Army.
On the field, oddsmakers believe Army’s second meeting with Troy in as many years will be a one score game. Army (2-3) is a 6-point home underdog to Troy (4-2), winners of three straight. The Black Knights fell in a defensive battle 10-9 at Troy last season.
Troy brings Kimani Vidal, the nation’s leading rusher, and a defense that is ranked No. 10 against the run, allowing 84.2 yards per game.
Weather may play a role in Army’s home game for the second straight Saturday as rain is in the forecast.
Prediction time
Sal Interdonato (Black Knight Nation): Troy 27, Army 24. Expect this game to be more higher scoring than last year. Army needs to have its best fundamentally sound and tackling game against the run this season if it wants to keep it close. The Black Knights will need some game-breaking plays from Tyrell Robinson and an efficient game from quarterback Bryson Daily to pull off the upset.
Seth Mendelson (Black Knight Nation): Troy 21, Army 17. Can Army rebound from its tough last-minute loss to Boston College? Is Troy that good with a talented quarterback and a running back, who routinely runs for more than 100 yards per game. Unfortunately for the Black Knights, the Trojans are real. Only a predicted storm keeps it close.”
Brendan in Jersey: Troy 33, Army 27. One of these days, this Army team is going to put it all together and absolutely blow the doors off of a decent opponent. Unfortunately, I don’t think it’ll be this week. Troy may very well be the second best team Army faces this season, so it’s going to take a full 60-minute effort to get it done, and, frankly, it’s been too long since we’ve seen it (’21 opener at Georgia State was the last time Army won every quarter against an FBS foe). Not to mention it’s supposed to be another rainy Saturday, which didn’t seem to help against BC last week.”
Predictions from around the college football universe
Pete Fiutak (College Football News): Troy 26, Army 17
Data Skrive: Troy 30, Army 15
