“In every battle there comes a time when both sides consider themselves beaten, then he who continues the attack wins…” ~ Ulysses S. Grant
A proud son of Ohio, hailing from Point Pleasant, former Civil War general and the 18th President of the United States, Ulysses S. Grant would be a strong advocate for as much advanced scouting of the enemy as possible before a battle was engaged. While I have the utmost confidence in Urban Meyer and his strong staff of assistants, below are three areas I will be keeping an eye on when the Army Black Knights come to Columbus for the first time…ever.
While President Grant would probably be rooting for his alma mater in this game against Ohio State, as a proud member of the West Point class of 1843, Grant would not be able to help out Army much on the scouting side, considering he died in 1885, five years before Army began its first football team.
Anyway, considering Army and Ohio State have never played, I had to substitute another photo for this game. I would have used this image from an old Superfriends episode of my youth, but I don’t think Tony Gerdeman would like that too much.
3 Things To Watch For From The Black Knights
~ Somewhere, Coach Hayes Will Be Smiling When Army Has The Ball ~
Remember Coach Hayes’ old adage, about “three things can happen when you throw the football, and two of them are bad?” Army certainly seems to have subscribed to Coach Hayes’ line of thinking, having only thrown ten passes this season, completing two of them. Strategically, as Army is so run-oriented, I am curious if the Buckeyes will not be susceptible to some well-timed play-action passes, after being so focused upon stopping Army’s run game.
~Army’s Ahmad Bradshaw Will Be The Focus Of Ohio State’s Defense ~
Army’s quarterback is also Army’s leading rusher, averaging almost ten yards a carry. Listed at 5’11”, 205 pounds, Bradshaw is not physically imposing, but will be the key player Ohio State needs to stop whenever Army has possession of the ball. Bradshaw will squat under center, and be difficult to see. Look at this picture from Ohio State’s opener at Navy from 2014, and this should give you an idea what I believe it will resemble…
~ Watch For Fake Punts ~ In last week’s 21-17 comeback win over Buffalo, Army successfully ran a fake punt for fifteen yards with Nick Schrage that sealed the win for the Black Knights. Considering how heavy a favorite Ohio State is in this contest, and the physical mismatch between the Black Knights and the Buckeyes, it would not be surprising to see Army use some good ole trickeration if the opportunity presents itself during the game.
