McCoy runs for three touchdowns and Army wins 42-0

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Rhattigan dashes for 43-yard pick-6

Jon Rhattigan intercepts Asher O'Hara's pass and runs into the end zone for a 43-yard touchdown.

Sep 5, 2021, 10:09 pm

WEST POINT, N.Y. -- Sandon McCoy ran for three first-half touchdowns and Army opened its season with a 42-0 victory over Middle Tennessee on Saturday.

McCoy scored on runs of 1, 2 and 4 yards, twice finishing drives that began after Blue Raiders turnovers.

Quarterback Christian Anderson added a 24-yard run up the middle in the third quarter and Anthony Adkins' 22-yard run completed a 99-yard drive for the Black Knights' final score in the fourth quarter. Army's longest touchdown came on a 43-yard interception return by Jon Rhattigan.

Army's triple-option offense rushed for 340 yards on an average of 5.5 yards per carry on 62 attempts.

The shutout was the first since a 21-0 win at Air Force in 2017 and the largest shutout win over an FBS team since a 47-0 victory over Wake Forest in 1963.

Middle Tennessee quarterback Asher O'Hara, who rushed for 1,058 yards last season, ran for just 37 yards on 10 carries and was 9-of-14 passing for 46 yards and two interceptions before being replaced.

Army limited fan attendance to the academy's approximately 4,300 cadets who were spread out over Michie Stadium, which has a capacity of 38,000. As the academy is under federal jurisdiction, they were not limited by New York state Covid-19 restrictions regarding crowds.