In a battle of two schools that prefer to feature their running games, Head Coach Geoff Collins and the Temple Owls (-5.5) are gearing up to face off against their conference counterpart Navy Midshipmen at Jack Stephens Field at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium. The afternoon game is scheduled to kick off at 3:30 p.m. ET and interested parties can catch the action live on CBS Sports Network.
Temple Owls vs. Navy Midshipmen Betting Preview
In this Saturday American Athletic Conference game, Temple is projected as the favorite and is currently giving up 5.5 points. The Owls are also receiving -235 moneyline odds while the Midshipmen are +185. Should one school gets out in front early, it’ll likely generate a nice betting opportunity in-game.
The opening line was initially set at 5 but sharp bettors are siding with the Owls.
The Owls have lost 2.1 units so far and are 4-2 against the spread (ATS). The team has recorded an O/U mark of 3-2. The Midshipmen have been a disappointment to moneyline bettors this season, losing 7.9 units. They’re 1-4 ATS and have an even O/U record of 2-2.
The Owls are 3-3 straight up (SU), including 2-0 SU against AAC opponents. The Midshipmen are 2-3 SU overall and 1-1 SU in conference play.
The Owls are trying to keep things going after a solid 49-6 victory over East Carolina last week where the Owls completed 25-of-30 passes for 297 yards, four touchdowns and one interception. Anthony Russo went 21-for-25 for 254 yards, four touchdowns and one interception while Todd Centeio completed four-of-five for 43 yards. Ryquell Armstead (91 yards on 20 rush attempts, one TD) provided the ground attack while Branden Mack (five receptions, 43 yards, one TD) and Sean Ryan (four catches, 57 yards, one TD) manned the receiving duties in the win.
Navy most-recently suffered a brutal 35-7 loss to Air Force. As a group, the team collectively completed three-of-12 passes for 49 yards. Malcolm Perry went two-for-six for 36 yards while Garret Lewis was one-of-six for 13 yards. Perry (54 yards on 19 rush attempts) spearheaded the running game while Mychal Cooper (one receptions, 27 yards) and Taylor Jackson (one catch, 13 yards) led all Navy pass-catchers in the loss.
Temple has run the ball on 52.9 percent of its offensive plays this year, including 62.2 percent across possessions in conference play. Navy has an overall rush percentage of 86.1 percent, and has carried the ball 93.8 percent of the time when playing AAC opponents. The Owls have run for 147 yards per game (including 182 per game versus American Athletic Conference opponents) and have 10 touchdowns on the ground this year. The Midshipmen are totaling 310 rush yards per game (307 in conference) and have 18 total rushing TDs.
The Owls offense has tallied 229 yards per game through the air overall (203 per game against conference opposition) and has 10 passing scores so far. The Midshipmen have produced 71 pass yards per contest (38.5 against AAC foes) and have two total pass TDs.
Defensively, Temple appears to have the upper hand in both phases. The team has allowed opponents to rush for an average of 166 yards and pass for 176 yards per game. The Navy defense has allowed 212.6 yards per game to opposing passers and 179.2 yards per game to opposing runners. The Owls are allowing an adjusted net yards per pass attempt (ANY/A) of just 3.41 to opposing QBs, while the Midshipmen have given up a 6.81 ANY/A.
Offensively, Russo has amassed 618 passing yards on the year, and has completed 61 percent of his 74 attempts with five passing scores and four interceptions. He has a 7.05 adjusted net yards per pass attempt, including 5.92 over the last two games.
Ryquell Armstead, Isaiah Wright and Branden Mack have combined for 538 total yards and seven touchdowns over the last two outings.
Garret Lewis has completed 11-of-22 passes for 172 yards, zero TDs and zero INTs for Navy. His ANY/A stands at 7.82 for the season and 5.70 over his last two outings.
We’re looking for the Midshipmen to control tempo by pounding the defense with their running backs. Along with QB Malcolm Perry (17 receiving yards this season), Tre Walker (80 rush yards, one receiving TD) and CJ Williams (61 rush yards) have been key factors in the Midshipmen’s recent offensive gameplans.
When these two teams met a year ago, Temple emerged victorious by a final score of 34-26.
RELATED: Week 7 College Football Betting Odds and Predictions
Free Pick: Temple Owls vs. Navy Midshipmen
SU Winner – Temple, ATS Winner – Temple
Click Here to Start Betting Today!
Notes
Team Betting Trends
The Temple defensive unit has sacked opposing quarterbacks 20 times this year. Navy has registered just six sacks.
Navy has lost five fumbles this season while the Temple offense has lost two.
The Owls offense has produced five pass plays of 40+ yards, while the Midshipmen have put up one such play.
The Temple defense has allowed zero pass plays of 40 or more yards, while Navy has given up three such plays.
The Temple offense has created eight rushing plays of 20 or more yards, while Navy has created 12 such runs.
The Owls defense has allowed nine rushing plays of 20 or more yards, while the Midshipmen have given up 10 such runs.
Navy was the underdog by 2 points in its previous match and the O/U going into it was 47. The under cashed and Navy did not cover in the team’s 35-7 loss to Air Force.
Over its last three matchups, Temple is 3-0 ATS and the over cashed in two of those three.
Temple has won four of its last five games SU, with a 10-point defeat to Boston College on September 29th representing the only loss over that span.
Temple was favored by 10 points in its last game and the Over/Under was 53. The over cashed and Temple covered in the 49-6 triumph over East Carolina.
Temple has produced 4.70338983050847 yards per carry over its past three contests and 4.4 over its last two.
Navy has averaged 5.3 yards per carry over its last three games and 4.0 over its last two.
*****
