Army West Point Black Knights

PREVIEW: No. 5 Oklahoma looks to stop Army's triple option

Published Sep. 20, 2018 12:30 p.m. ET

Army (2-1) at No. 5 Oklahoma (3-0), 7 p.m. ET (Fox PPV)

Line: Oklahoma by 31½.

Series record: Oklahoma leads 2-1.

WHAT'S AT STAKE?

Oklahoma QB Kyler Murray can push himself deeper into the Heisman Trophy picture with a strong performance and help the Sooners maintain momentum. Army seeks its biggest win during coach Jeff Monken's five-year tenure.

KEY MATCHUP

Oklahoma's defense against Army's triple-option rushing offense. Oklahoma has been working overtime trying to figure out how to stop Army's ground game, at times practicing against a scout team that doesn't even have a ball. Oklahoma put in time during fall camp to prepare for the Black Knights' unique attack. The Sooners have an athletic, attacking defense, but it will need to be disciplined against an Army offense that rarely makes mistakes.

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Army: Junior QB Kelvin Hopkins Jr. is coming off his best game in his first year as the starter and gives the Black Knights a dual threat that can keep defenses guessing. Last week in a home win over Hawaii he rushed for 110 yards and was 6-for-10 passing for 162 yards.

Oklahoma: WR Marquise Brown. The speedster ranks fifth in the nation in yards per game and is one of the nation's top deep threats. He caught nine passes for 191 yards and a touchdown last week against Iowa State.

FACTS & FIGURES

Oklahoma beat Army 14-8 victory in the teams' last outing, on Nov. 18, 1961 at Yankee Stadium. ... The Black Knights have averaged 376 yards rushing in their past two games while scoring eight of their nine touchdowns on the ground. ... Hopkins leads Army with 206 rushing yards and is tied with FB Darnell Woolfolk with three rushing TDs. ... Murray is Oklahoma's leading rusher with 169 yards.

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