Navy Midshipmen at Army Black Knights Betting Preview

Renewing their annual rivalry, the Navy Midshipmen (4-7) will square off against the Army Black Knights (5-6) Saturday afternoon. This game will be played at Lincoln Financial Field, with kickoff scheduled for 3:00 pm ET.

For Navy, they have lost two of their last three games, but they did take down UCF in their last game, 17-14. In the win, Daba Fofana rushed 20 times for 114 yards, while quarterback Xavier Arline rushed 18 times for 24 yards and a touchdown. Certainly a running team, the Midshipmen only attempted one pass in the game.

Army is also coming off of a win as they took down UMass 44-7 two weekends ago. Quarterback Tyhier Tyler threw just two passes for 67 yards, but he rushed 11 times for 101 yards and three touchdowns. Jakobi Buchanan also added two touchdowns on the ground.

Navy comes into this game as the favorite. They are -2.5 (-112) to win, while the Black Knights’ moneyline sits at +118. The spread features Army +2.5 (-108), and the over/under for total points is 32.5 (-110).

Navy Trying To Make It Two In A Row

After Army had won three matchups in a row from 2016 to 2018, Navy has won two of the last three matchups between the two teams. On Saturday, they will look to make it two in a row against their military counterparts.

One of the keys for Navy is their defense. Army has a strong rushing attack, but Navy ranks fifth in the nation in rushing yards allowed per contest at 93.1. This will be critical to the outcome.

Offensively, Tai Lavatai is out for the season under center, but Xavier Arline has done well in his place. While he has thrown for just 60 yards and a touchdown, he has rushed 68 times for 274 yards and three scores.

Daba Fofana leads the way for Navy with 175 rushing attempts for 749 yards. He also has six touchdowns on the season.

Army Has Extra Incentive In Saturday’s Contest

For the Black Knights, there is a little extra incentive to win this game. Not only are they trying to avenge last year’s loss, but they also could become Bowl eligible with a win. Having won two in a row, Army comes in with a bit of momentum as well.

Offensively, Army ranks 73rd in the country, averaging 25.8 points per game. Still, the team has scored 10 points or less in their last three losses, so they are susceptible to being shut down.

Army certainly relies on a rushing attack on offense. They rank second in the nation in yards per carry, averaging 267.2 per game. Leading the way is quarterback Tyhier Tyler. While he has thrown for just 301 yards and two scores, he has rushed 120 times for 601 yards and 12 touchdowns.

Tyson Riley (435 yards, two touchdowns), Jakobi Buchanan (337 yards, six touchdowns), and Jemel Jones (326 yards, seven touchdowns) have also had success on the ground.

Take Navy To Win And Cover

With two teams that both rely heavily on the run, this one will come down to defense. While Navy’s defense is one of the tops in the country against the run, Army falls to 109th, allowing 196 yards per game.

Having gone 7-2 against the spread in their last nine games, expect that trend to continue for Navy on Saturday, as they should not only win this game but cover the modest spread as well.

Take Navy at -2.5 (-112).