Army and Navy renew their rivalry in Landover, Maryland as the Black Knights look for their seventh win in the last 9 meetings against the Midshipmen. With the Commander-in-Chief’s Trophy on the line, we should see a competitive game Saturday afternoon.
Army Analysis
The Black Knights were 11-1 this season and covered in 8 of those games. The only blemish on the record came at the hands of Notre Dame losing 49-14. History is on the line as Army has never had a 12-win season and comes off an AAC Championship after downing Tulane 35-14. This team is all about the run, number one in the country averaging 314 yards a game. QB Bryson Daily and RB Kanye Udoh combined for over 2,500 yards and 39 rushing touchdowns this season, including 284 rushing yards and five touchdowns on the ground against Tulane. The Black Knights average over 32 PPG but the defense will be the difference as they are 7th against the run allowing 97.8 YPG. And Army is also sixth overall in scoring defense, surrendering 15.7 PPG.
Navy Analysis
Navy started the season winning six straight before losing to Notre Dame. Since then, they went 2-3 the reset of the way and overall covered in 7 of 11 games. A big reason for the setback was injuries to quarterback Blake Horvath, who dealt with thumb and back issues which forced him to miss the season finale against East Carolina. He should be back for this one and leads Navy in rushing yards with 895 and 13 rushing touchdowns. He’s thrown for just over 1,000 yards with seven touchdowns while fullback Alex Tecza has also scored nine times. With Horvath, Navy has an high-octane offense that scored more than 50 points in two wins and a big reason was the ground game. Navy averages 32.3 PPG while allowing 23.2 PPG.
Prediction: Army -6.5 & OVER 38.5
Both offenses can score and have explosive capabilities. Both teams are top 25 in offensive finishing drives and rank in the top five for red zone touchdown rate. While this game hasn’t gone over 40 points since 2013, with different roasts and offense-first mentally, we should see points in this. Army’s offense is that much better, and will be able to cover the spread.
Best Player Prop Play
Bryson Daily: Two TDs +150
Army quarterback Bryson Daily racked up nearly 1,500 yards and rushed for 29 touchdowns, tied for most in the nation. He also had 10 games where he found the end zone at least twice. Anything inside the ten-yard line, Daily will call his own number and expect that to happen a couple of times.
Blake Horvath: Anytime TD +110
As mentioned, Horvath is dangerous on the ground and has scored 13 times. Navy does have options in the backfield but Horvath is always the first option. Expect him to match Daily in this one so finding the end zone for Navy, won’t be a surprise.
