Rutgers @ Army preview

Last Meeting ( Nov 10, 2012 ) Army 7, Rutgers 28

Teams starving for a victory get together Saturday when Army plays its final home game of the season against Rutgers. The Black Knights have lost three straight and five of six while the Scarlet Knights have dropped four in a row by a combined 130 points, with three of the losses coming against ranked teams Michigan State, Ohio State and Michigan.

“I think everybody in the program is frustrated, sure,” Rutgers coach Kyle Flood told reporters. “We want to perform better. We want to be 1-0. There’s no question. We have really high expectations for ourselves.” Rutgers, which has wins against Norfolk State, Kansas and Indiana, is coming off a 31-14 defeat against Nebraska. Army suffered a 34-31 setback against Tulane last week and is looking for its first win over a Power-5 conference opponent since beating Boston College in 2012. The Scarlet Knights lead 21-18 in the all-time series that dates to 1891 and have won eight straight meetings.

TV: Noon ET, CBS Sports Network LINE: Rutgers -4.5

ABOUT RUTGERS (3-7): The Scarlet Knights managed a season-high three interceptions against the Cornhuskers, but they garnered only 259 total yards, averaged 2.3 yards per carry and quarterback Chris Laviano threw two interceptions. Robert Martin and Josh Hicks both have more than 600 yards rushing this season, but wideout Leonte Carroo is the big-play threat with nine touchdowns and a 21-yard average per reception. Rutgers has enjoyed great success playing against triple-option offenses, going 12-2 and holding opponents’ rushing attacks under their season averages in 10 of the last 11 games.

ABOUT ARMY (2-8): The Black Knights fought back from a 21-point first-half deficit against Tulane, drew even on an 11-yard TD pass from sophomore Ahmad Bradshaw to Edgar Poe with 1:59 left before the Green Wave’s Andrew DiRocco kicked a 35-yard field goal as time expired. Bradshaw, who leads the team with 468 yards rushing, set a new career high with 121 yards passing last week and threw for two scores for the second time in his career. Army runs the ball 6.2 times for every pass and ranks ninth nationally with 253.3 rushing yards per contest.

EXTRA POINTS

1. Rutgers is 2-1 in non-league games this season and have won 10 of its last 12.

2. Following the Rutgers contest, the Black Knights are idle before heading to Philadelphia on Dec. 12 for the 116th playing of the Army-Navy Game.

3. Laviano has a completion percentage of 60.5 percent. The last Rutgers QB to complete 60 percent of his passes in a season was Mike Teel in 2008 (61.4).

PREDICTION: Rutgers 31, Army 24