The Memphis Tigers prowl into Annapolis the to settle their differences with the Navy Midshipmen on Saturday, October 22nd at 3:30 p.m. ET. The football game is scheduled to be shown on the CBS Sports Network. As of this article, the Tigers are a slight -2.5 favorite and the game’s total rests at 56.
Memphis (5-1):
The Tigers had an average performance from their quarterback Riley Ferguson last week versus Tulane. He threw the ball for 236 yards with one touchdown and one interception. Overall, the gunslinger has compiled almost 1,600 yards on 129 completions with 12 scores and six picks.
Five Memphis running backs average 6.9 yards a carry or better. All five of these athletes have also found their way into the end zone. Heading-up this group of backs is Doroland Dorceus, Doroland has racked-up 430 yards on 59 attempts and has a position-high five scores.
Quarterback Riley Ferguson likes to spread the ball around when he drops back to pass. Five different receivers have double-digit catches totaling over 1,250 yards and nine touchdowns. Seven total wide-outs also have over 100 yards on the season.
Memphis put a lid on Tulane’s option attack, but keeping the Midshipmen’s in line is a whole different ballgame. Fortunately, Memphis is 40th in the country against the run and held Tulane to just 140 yards last week. The Tigers defense also does a good job keeping offenses off the scoreboard. As a result, they sit 24th in the country giving up a little over 19 points a contest.
#25 Navy (4-1):
The last time the Midshipmen played, they pulled off one of this year’s biggest upsets when they defeated the Houston Cougars. Since that triumph, Navy went on to a bye week and then had last week’s game against East Carolina postponed because of hurricane Mathew.
The Midshipmen’s season could have been over before it started when their starting man-under-center Tago Smith was lost in the first game of the year. Instead, back-up Will Worth has made all the right moves and the Naval offensive machine continues to grind down their opposing schools.
Will Worth has proven his since he replaced Tago Smith after his injury. The decision-maker has carried the rock over 100 times this season, for almost 300 yards and six scores. Worth does pass a little, when he does he has completed 38 of them for 603 yards with three scores and two interceptions.
Four other back-field mates see action when Will Worth elects to shuck the ball. All totaled, they have rumbled to 13th in the national rankings for running yards per contest (262). Chris High leads this group in carries with 39, and also has reached pay-dirt on five different occasions.
Jamir Tillman is the wide-out that receives almost all of the Midshipmen’s passes. Obviously there not a lot, but he has reeled in 18 of them for 271 yards. All of the Navy receivers block well, so their tail backs can get the edge for big gains.
The Navy defense will try to keep the pressure on Riley Ferguson like they did Greg Ward Jr. the last time they took to the grid-iron. Statistically, they are a little worse than average in most of the major defensive categories. However, they are 48th in the country, allowing 24 points a game.
Trends and Notes:
The Tigers are 2-5 ATS in their last 7 games overall.
The Midshipmen are 18-6 ATS in their last 24 home games.
The Under is 7-3 in the Tigers last 10 games overall.
The Over is 5-0 in the Midshipmen last 5 home games.
Game Prediction:
Navy has had two full weeks to prepare for this contest against the Memphis Tigers. The under-sized team also took advantage of their break and got nice and healed-up for this home game. It will be full steam ahead for the Midshipmen’s running attack on Saturday.
Memphis didn’t play up to their potential against Tulane last week, but should be ready for this one considering Navy just pounced on Houston. They should find some space against the Naval pass defense, who ranks 80th in the country.
This is a classic match-up of run versus pass in Annapolis on Saturday. Memphis may have the better all-around athletes, but the Midshipmen have a proven system that works every year.
Navy plays tough at home and should find some room to run, even though Memphis has an underrated run-stop unit. Memphis has the speed advantage, especially when Riley Ferguson drops back to throw.The Tigers should get their share of points against the Midshipmen too.
Odds-gurus have this one to close for comfort. Both teams should score in the twenties which bodes well for the over 56. Over here at Get more Sports, we offer you the option of taking the easier way out by playing the over 56.
