On December 28th at the Military Bowl in Annapolis, Maryland, Navy will hit their home turf and try to capture its first 11-win season in their school history. Navy’s QB Keenan Reynolds, who was fifth in the Heisman voting, will try to finish out his career with a victory.
Looking to squash that dream, Pittsburgh wants to cap off their own successful 8-4 campaign with a win. The Panthers will hopefully take advantage of the time off to prepare for Navy’s touted rushing attack and hope their talented defense, that ranks 20th nationally against the run, will be able to slow down the nation’s 2nd-ranked rushing offense.
Bowl: Northrupp Grumann Military Bowl
Teams: Pittsburgh Panthers vs Navy Midshipmen
Date/Time: December 28, 2015 – 2:30 PM EST on ESPN
Location: Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium, Annapolis, MD
Vegas Line/Total: Navy -3.5 / O/U 53
Written by: Erik the Hun
8 – 4 Record – 6 – 6 Vs Spread Over – Under: 5 – 6 – 1 11/21/15 Louisville W 45-34 W 1 O 48.5 11/14/15 @ Duke W 31-13 W -2.5 U 49 11/07/15 Notre Dame L 30-42 L 7.5 O 52.5 10/29/15 North Carolina L 19-26 L 1 U 59 10/24/15 @ Syracuse W 23-20 L -9.5 U 49 10/17/15 @ Georgia Tech W 31-28 W 3 O 48.5 10/10/15 Virginia W 26-19 L -8 P 45 10/03/15 @ Virginia Tech W 17-13 W 3.5 U 44.5 09/19/15 @ Iowa L 24-27 W 4 O 48 09/12/15 @ Akron W 24-7 W -11.5 U 50 09/05/15 Youngstown State W 45-37 L -15 O 56 |
10 – 2 Record – 8 – 4 Vs Spread Over – Under: 7 – 5 11/27/15 @ Houston L 31-52 L -1 O 59 11/21/15 @ Tulsa W 44-21 W -12.5 O 64.5 11/14/15 SMU W 55-14 W -20 O 59.5 11/07/15 @ Memphis W 45-20 W 10 O 62.5 10/31/15 South Florida W 29-17 W -6 U 51 10/24/15 Tulane W 31-14 L -25.5 U 56.5 10/10/15 @ Notre Dame L 24-41 L 13.5 O 59.5 10/03/15 Air Force W 33-11 W -4.5 U 49.5 09/26/15 @ Connecticut W 28-18 W -7 U 48.5 09/19/15 East Carolina W 45-21 W -4.5 O 58 09/05/15 Colgate W 48-10 W -27 O 50.5 |
January 2, 2015 – Armed Forces Bowl – Pittsburgh 34 – 35 Houston December 26, 2013 – Little Caesars Bowl – Pittsburgh 30 – 27 Bowling Green January 6, 2013 – BBVA Compass Bowl – Pittsburgh 17 – 38 Ole Miss January 7, 2012 – BBVA Compass Bowl – Pittsburgh – 6 – 28 SMU January 8, 2011 – BBVA Compass Bowl – Pittsburgh – 27 – 10 Kentucky |
December 23, 2014 – Poinsettia Bowl – Navy 17 – 16 San Diego State December 30, 2013 – Armed Forces Bowl – Navy 24 – 6 Middle Tennessee State December 29, 2012 – Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl – Navy 28 – 62 Arizona State December 23, 2010 – Poinsettia Bowl – Navy 14 – 35 San Diego State December 31, 2009 – Texas Bowl – Navy 35 – 13 Missouri |
Pittsburgh Outlook:
Pittsburgh will look to control the clock with their ball control offense that ranks 15th in NCAA Division I football. The Panthers hold on to the ball for over 33 minutes a contest, converting 46 percent of their third downs and a gaudy 85 percent on fourth downs. Pittsburgh will look to hold the ball and keep Navy’s offense off the field, securing a bowl victory in what’s to be a hostile environment.
Quarterback Nathan Peterman has been as accurate a passer as one could expect, completing 61.4 percent of his passes for 2150 yards and 19 touchdowns. More importantly, Peterman is careful with the pigskin, only throwing five interceptions on the season. He can also also run the football, carrying the rock 82 times for 207 yards and a score.
Freshman running back Qadree Ollison filled in admirably, after the Panthers lost starting running back James Conner in the opening game of the year. Ollison breached the 1000-yard mark in the final game of the season, collecting a total of 1048 yards and 10 touchdowns. Three other backs pitched in 150 plus carries for 802 yards and a score.
Although Pitt’s offense is centered on the running game, wide receiver Tyler Boyd became a standout in the passing attack. As Peterman’s favorite target, Boyd nabbed 85 balls for 873 yards and six touchdowns. The Panthers love to utilize their tight ends in the red zone. J.P. Holtz and Scott Orndoff only managed to catch 35 balls between the two of them, but nine of them were for touchdowns.
Pittsburgh defense, though not spectacular, has been steady all year long. What bodes well for this unit is their ability to stop the run. Pittsburgh only gives up 126.5 yards a contest. Navy will certainly eclipse that mark, but the ability of the Panthers to stay competitive against the constant onslaught Navy will bring on the ground, could be the difference maker.
Navy Outlook:
After over a century of football independence, Navy joined the AAC conference and nearly took home the title. Amid rumors of Coach Ken Niumatalolo’s departure to fill the BYU opening, he put that to bed on the 24th and stated that he will stay at the Naval Academy. Pittsburgh can expect heavy doses from the running game for the full 60 minutes. The Midshipmen rank 3rd in the nation, averaging 319.2 yards a game.
Keenan Reynolds’ NCAA Division I resume at running back is more than impressive. Reynolds holds the record for rushing touchdowns for a quarterback at 64 and was the 2015 AAC Offensive Player of the Year. Reynolds ran for 1229 yards and 21 scores, the second most rushing scores in the nation. He also connected on 52 attempts for 1077 yards and seven touchdowns, and the signal caller only threw one pick all season.
When Reynolds isn’t keeping the rock, his favorite back in the option attack is senior fullback Chris Swain. The 6’1, 245-pound fullback, ran for 909 yards on 184 attempts and made 10 trips to the back of the end zone. Senior slot-back DeBrandon Sanders also gets some looks. The swift, 5’7, 175-pound Sanders is a nice change of pace from the hard-running Swain.
Jamir Tillman is the only receiver who collected any noteworthy stats. Tillman grabbed 27 balls for 570 yards and five touchdowns, but more impressively is his yards-per-catch (21.1), making the play-action part of the offense an effective weapon.
The Midshipmen are allowing only 21.3 yards a game, which is good for 21st in the country. A huge reason why is becuase they only allow 138.4 yards a game on the ground. Pittsburgh will look to run the football, so this strength of Navy’s defense should play a big part in keeping this game close. Navy’s pass defense has been their weakness, giving up 229 yards a game, which ranked them 74th in the nation.
Matchup Analysis & Prediction
Analysis:
If you’re a fan of the running game than this is the game for you. The Military Bowl features two teams that like to control the football and the clock, keeping opposing teams’ offenses watching the game, rather than making plays on the field. The Navy Midshipmen and the Pittsburgh Panthers will both try to carry out this game plan. Both teams are solid against the run, so accomplishing this may be easier said than done. Expect a game that will be decided in the trenches on Monday, and the team that can limit their turnovers and play sound defense should come out on top.
Prediction:
To get further analysis from Ej the Rainmaker and Erik the Hun, check out our audio preview of the Military Bowl using the audio file below…
