Army Shuts Out MTSU in Season Opener in Front of Crowd of 4,300 Cadets

The first college football Saturday was unlike any that had come before it. Thankfully, Army's rushing attack was there to show us that some things remain the same.

The Black Knights ran for 340 yards and five scores as Army blanked Middle Tennessee, 42-0, in front of a limited crowd of 4,300 cadets at Michie Stadium. The stadium holds 38,000, and those in attendance were spaced out throughout the stands.

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The margin of victory was Army's largest in a shutout since 1963, when the team beat Wake Forest, 47-0.

The game fell on a day that originally featured several high-profile season opening matchups, including: USC-Alabama, Florida State-West Virginia and Baylor-Ole Miss.

Army scored touchdowns on all five of its drives until the final possession of the game, when the offense ran two plays to run out the clock. Its final score came on a 19-play, 99-yard drive that took 12:26 off the clock and featured no pass attempts.

The game also featured one of the most perplexing clock management displays in recent memory. Middle Tennessee drove the ball to 2-yard line with 48 seconds left in the first half and two timeouts left, and somehow was only able to get two plays off and come away with no points.

Cheer up, Blue Raiders fans: Bad football is better than no football (maybe).