The Navy Midshipmen and the Virginia Cavaliers prepare for battle at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium for the 2017 Military Bowl in Mayland. The contest is scheduled to begin on Thursday, December 27th at 1:30 p.m. EST. The clash can also be seen on ESPN for your early afternoon college football fix. As of this write-up, oddsmakers have the Midshipmen as a slight -1 point favorite. They also have penciled in this game’s total at 55 points.
Things didn’t get any better for the Navy Midshipmen against Army in the battle for the Commander-in-Chief’s trophy last weekend. The Middies hoped that a win against their military rivals could atone for their collapse down the stretch. Instead, they found themselves losing to the Black Knights 14-13 for the second year in a row. The defeat was Navy’s third in a row and six in their last seven games. The 2017 Military Bowl will be their last chance to finish out their season on a positive note.
The Virginia Cavaliers are also looking for some redemption when they head into Maryland to square-off with Navy. The Virginians have lost five of their last six contests to finish out their regular season campaign 6-6. Things were looking great at the midway point of 2017. The Cavaliers had won four-straight, including an impressive victory on the blue turf in Boise. Nevertheless, they couldn’t get back to their winning form while tackling their in-conference schedule. As a result, they find themselves in the 2017 Military Bowl against the Midshipmen.
Virginia Cavaliers (6-6)
It did not take long for second-year head coach Bronco Mendenhall to turn things around in Charlottesville. Even though Virginia went 2-10 in his first season at the helm, Virginia is playing in their first bowl game since 2011. This year the Cavaliers recorded victories over Boise State, North Carolina, and the Yellow Jackets.
Virginia struggled to find the end zone on a consistent basis throughout 2017. Because of the inability to score in the red zone, the team averaged just 23.8 points a game. The Cavaliers are a pass-heavy program that finished out their season ranked 42nd in the country in passing offense (257 ypg). They were led by senior quarterback Kurt Benkert. The gunslinger had a productive year, completing almost 60 percent of his throws for 3,062 yards. He also tossed for 25 touchdowns and only served up eight interceptions.
Obviously, the Cavaliers struggled to run the ball through their 12 contests. Partly because they like to look to pass first and also because only one back showed any promise. Tailback Jordan Ellis was the only presence in the backfield for Virginia. He toted the rock 204 times for just under 800 yards with six trips to the promised land. No other running back even eclipsed the 200-yard mark in 2017.
With all the attention to the passing attack, several receivers found their footing for the Cavaliers. Olamide Zaccheaus led the crew with 80 catches for a team-high 833 yards and five scores. Teammates Andre Levrone and Doni Dowling also did their part to move the ball. Together, the two combined for another 1,249 yards and 12 scores. Levrone led the squad with seven end zone appearances.
Defensively, Virginia was pretty good against their opponents. Their secondary was exceptional, allowing only 179 yards a contest (14th). Unfortunately, the front seven did struggle to stop schools from running the ball. They finished out their campaign ranking 81st in the country. Even so, they did well the last time they faced a triple-option offense. Against Georgia Tech, the Cavaliers only allowed 200 yards on the ground. The Yellow Jackets were averaging over 300.
Navy Midshipmen (6-6)
In his 10th season guiding Navy, head coach Ken Niumatalolo has captured eight Commander-in-Chief’s trophies and has taken the Middies to nine bowl games. He also has claimed wins over the Fighting Irish and has led Navy into the top 25 three times in the last three years. To say that he wants to win out on his home turf in the Military Bowl would be an understatement.
Quarterback Zach Abey doesn’t try to drop back and sling the ball around the field. In fact, he has only completed 31 passes for 805 yards with seven touchdowns and seven picks. Instead, the junior quarterback uses his feet in their triple-option offense to get the job done. Abey has run the ball quite well In 2017, accumulating 1,325 rushing yards along with 14 trips to the back of the end zone. Navy sits second in rushing in the FBS behind only Army.
Running backs Malcolm Perry and Chris High have complimented quarterback Zach Abey out of the backfield. The two runners have combined for almost 250 carries for just over 1,588 yards. The duo also has found their way to the promised land another 11 times on the season. Perry can be a threat to catch the football out in the flat, reeling in 12 balls for over 300 yards and two scores.
Wideout Tyler Carmona is the go-to guy when the Midshipmen try to burn opposing defenses with the play-action pass. The elusive player has caught 14 passes from Zach Abey for 381 yards and four touchdowns. His 27.2 yards per catch average is one of the best in the nation.
The Navy defense has been their greatest weakness all season. However, they have fared well in their last two games by holding Notre Dame and Houston to only 24 points apiece. Unfortunately, the squad gives up yards on the ground which was an issue against Army’s potent running game. Micah Thomas leads the Midshipmen’s defense with 80 tackles and also has three interceptions. Teammate Josh Webb has four sacks to help out the country’s 62nd-ranked secondary.
Prediction
This game should be a classic case of one team looking to pass the ball to score and the other trying to run it down their opponents throat. It very well could come down to which defense will perform better against the other programs skill set. Will the Cavalier front seven limit the Navy rushing attack and give their offense plenty of attempts down the field? Or will the Midshipmen’s secondary corral the Cavaliers wideouts and frustrate them when they are in the red zone.
For these reasons, Las Vegas kept this spread close. They first posted it by placing Navy as a -3.5 point favorite. Now, the money has this game as a pick em’ affair. If I wrote on this game when the line first appeared, I wouldn’t have hesitated to tell the readers to take the Cavaliers and the half point. Now, they would need to outright beat Navy on the road in the Military Bowl for you to get paid.
There also is another bet that seems like the better one too me. Personally, I like the over 55 in this post-season battle. I realize that Virginia has struggled to score this season but they should find ways to make some big plays down the field. Their passing attack is pretty good and the Naval secondary is suspect. On the flip side of that coin, Navy should also find ways to move the ball with their triple-option attack. Yes, the Cavaliers did fare well against Georgia Tech but they also gave up 36 points in that game. Take the over 55 and cheer for the offenses to hit that mark in a close fourth quarter affair. @EriktheHun
To make a wager on the 2017 Military bowl, head on over to BetDSI Sportsbook and start now.
