Playing a triple option attack twice in a season has its benefits.

UConn knows what to expect against Navy on Saturday after facing Army on Sept. 12.

The Huskies could really sharpen their game plan during preparation time leading up to their American Athletic Conference opener at noon (CBS Sports Network) at Rentschler Field in East Hartford.

"Guys understand their job a lot better, so it helps a lot," linebacker Julian Campenni said earlier this week when asked about the advantage of being familiar with their opponent's style of play.

It also helps that UConn (2-1) had success against Army, holding the Black Knights to just 265 yards of total offense in a 22-17 victory.

There's one just significant difference: Navy (2-0, 1-0), an AAC newcomer after spending 134 seasons as a football independent, is far more dangerous than Army.

Coach Bob Diaco has faced Navy before as an assistant at Notre Dame, so he has a good perspective on the program.

"I've been competing against Navy for some time, and this is the best Navy team that I've seen personally the last half-dozen years," Diaco said. "In fact, I can click on footage from three years ago and see a lion's share of players that are playing right now in the game as freshmen and sophomores.

"They have a veteran group, a strong group, a talented group, and they look like the stiffest competition of our first four opponents."

That's saying lot considering UConn played at Missouri, a team from the mighty Southeastern Conference, last weekend, suffering a tough 9-6 loss.

Navy made an early statement in the conference by beating East Carolina 45-21 last Saturday. The Midshipmen rolled up 465 yards, including grinding out 415 on the ground. Both senior quarterback Keenan Reynolds and senior fullback Chris Swain rushed for over 100 yards, piling up 142 and 129 yards, respectively.

Reynolds danced into the end zone five times, increasing his NCAA career-record total for a quarterback to 70.

Few teams have contained Reynolds, who's not only a terrific athlete but also makes smart decisions. It's difficult to predict what Reynolds will do.

Reynolds leads a veteran offense that features senior starters in nine of 11 spots and averages 393 yards rushing overall, relying on what Diaco calls a "violent blocking style."

"He's a four-year starter and a great athlete," Campenni said. "It's going to be a difficult matchup to try and stop him."

So far, UConn's defense has been reliable as the sunrise, ranking first in the conference in total defense and scoring defense.

Their offense has yet to come out of the shadows, ranking next to last in the AAC at just 16 points per game. That won't cut it playing in a high scoring conference.

Today's game is the second of four straight against 2014 bowl teams. The Huskies head back out on the road next, visiting Brigham Young Friday and Central Florida Oct. 10.

g.keefe@theday.com

Twitter: @GavinKeefe