The Navy Midshipmen (+7) are heading neutral to face the No. 22 Army West Point Black Knights at Lincoln Financial Field. Kickoff for this game is set for 3:00 p.m. ET and CBS is scheduled to broadcast the action. These teams faced off a year ago with the final result being a 14-13 victory for Army West Point.
Navy Midshipmen vs. Army West Point Black Knights Betting Preview
In this Saturday game, Army West Point is getting picked as the favorite and is currently giving up 7 points. If they are wanting to take the moneyline, bettors would currently have to wager $300 in order to win $100 back on the Black Knights (-300). The Midshipmen are getting +220 moneyline odds. If one school can create a bunch of points in the early stages it’ll result in a reasonable betting opportunity in-game. Oddsmakers have determined the over/under (O/U) to be 45 points.
Sharp bettors are siding with both the Black Knights and the under. This opening line was originally -5 while the game’s over/under was initially placed at 52.5.
The less-than-stellar Midshipmen are 5-7 against the spread (ATS) and have lost 10.9 units so far. The team’s posted an O/U record of 6-5. The surprising Black Knights are up 8.2 units this season. They’re 6-3-1 ATS and own an O/U record of 6-4.
The Midshipmen have gone a paltry 3-9 straight up (SU) in 2018 while the Black Knights are 9-2 SU.
The Midshipmen hope to get back in stride after a narrow 29-28 defeat to Tulane on November 24 where Zach Abey completed only seven passes on 13 attempts for 167 yards and one touchdown. Ryan Mitchell (two receptions, 52 yards) and CJ Williams (two catches, 24 yards) shared the receiving duties in the defeat.
Army West Point is coming off of a 28-14 win over Colgate. The defense let the Raiders rush for 188 yards on 28 attempts, along with one rushing TD. James Holland Jr. was a force to be reckoned with, recording 166 rushing yards and a score on 18 attempts for Colgate. For Army West Point, Kelvin Hopkins Jr. completed two-of-six passes for 25 yards. Darnell Woolfolk (89 rushing yards on 23 attempts, three TDs) and the signal-caller Hopkins Jr. (90 yards on 19 carries, one TD) handled the running attack while Jordan Asberry (one receptions, 17 yards) and Kell Walker (one catch, eight yards) led the pass-catching corps in the win.
Navy has run the ball on 86.1 percent of its offensive possessions this year while Army West Point has an overall rush percentage of 89.4 percent. The Midshipmen have rushed for 289 yards/game and have 36 touchdowns on the ground this year. The Black Knights are putting up 303 rush yards per game and have 37 total rushing TDs.
If the numbers so far this season can translate to this game, then it appears the Black Knights ought to own an edge when it comes to quarterback protection. Their offensive line has yielded only two sacks while their D-line has registered 15 sacks. The Midshipmen offensive line has given up 19 sacks and their defense has recorded only nine sacks.
The Midshipmen offensive scheme has averaged 72 yards through the air overall and has five passing TDs so far. The Black Knights have put up 81 pass yards per outing and have six total pass scores.
Navy has allowed opponents to rush for an average of 189 yards and pass for 249 yards per game. The Army West Point D has allowed 194.8 yards per game to opposing passers and 106.5 yards per game on the ground. The Black Knights are giving up an adjusted net yards per pass attempt (ANY/A) of 7.61 to opposing QBs, while the Midshipmen have allowed an 8.30 ANY/A.
Offensively, Abey has put up 231 passing yards this season, and has completed 11-of-22 attempts with one scores through the air and has yet to throw an interception. Abey has a 6.47 adjusted net yards per pass attempt overall, although that number is 11.00 over the last two games.
We’re expecting the Midshipmen to control tempo by feeding their running backs early and often. In addition to Zach Abey (37 receiving yards and one touchdown), Malcolm Perry (959 rush yards, seven rush TDs, 149 receiving yards, one receiving TD) and Tre Walker (271 rush yards, one receiving TD) have brought significant production to the Navy offensive scheme.
Kelvin Hopkins Jr. has completed 39-of-75 passes for 800 yards, six TDs and three INTs for Army West Point. His ANY/A sits at 10.00 for the season.
The Black Knights should also look to control the clock by turning to their backfield. Along with Kelvin Hopkins Jr. (zero receiving yards), Darnell Woolfolk (754 rush yards, 12 rush TDs) and Jordan Asberry (111 rush yards, one rush TD, three TDs) have gotten plenty of looks recently.
NCAA Prediction: Navy Midshipmen vs. Army West Point Black Knights
SU Winner – Army West Point, ATS Winner – Army West Point, O/U – Under
Click Here to Start Betting Today!
Notes
Betting Notes
Army West Point has lost four fumbles this season while Navy has let 10 get away.
The Army West Point defense has recorded 15 sacks on the year while Navy has just nine.
Navy has averaged 5.1 yards per carry over its past three games and 4.7 over its last two.
Army West Point has averaged 4.7 yards per carry over its last three outings and 4.9 over its past two.
The Over/Under for Navy’s last game going into it was 50. The over cashed in the team’s 29-28 loss to Tulane.
In its last three matches, Navy is 3-0 ATS and the over cashed in two of those three.
The O/U for Army West Point’s last game was set at 37. The over cashed in that 28-14 win over Colgate.
Army West Point has won 10 of its last 11 games SU, with a -7-point defeat to Oklahoma on September 22nd representing its only loss over that span.
+++++
