Army Black Knights vs Navy Midshipmen
Saturday, 12/11/10, 2:30 PM EDT, TV: CBS
Opening Point Spread: Navy -7.5
Current Betting Line: Navy -7
Opening Total: 56.5
Current Total: 54.5
Army is already set to play in its first bowl game since the 1996 season and will now try to improve upon its 6-5 record in the 111th edition of the Army-Navy Game presented by USAA. “That’s the next challenge for us culturally,” said coach Rich Ellerson. “We want to play Army football and find out whether we’re good enough to beat Navy.” Saturday’s contest will be the first time since 1996 that both teams enter the annual showdown with a winning record. The Black Knights are looking to rebound from a disappointing 27-3 loss to Notre Dame at the new Yankee Stadium. Ellerson is concerned that his squad isn’t preparing well in high-profile games this season. “We still have not performed wel on the big stage,” he commented. The team is 4-0 ATS when playing a team with a winning record and the college football lines page has seen some early movement.
The Black Knights enter Saturday’s contest ranked ninth in the nation in rushing with 260.27 yards per game. Army has also rushed for 33 touchdowns through 11 games. It’s a multi-player attack with four players rushing for at least 300 yards. An important statistic to analyze in this contest is turnovers, with the squad being tied for 12th in the country in turnover margin, a category the Knights once led. Defensively, the team enters the Navy game 50th in the country against the run, which could be a problem against the Midshipmen’s vaunted ground game.
Navy already knows its headed to the Poinsettia Bowl on December 23 in San Diego to take on the San Diego State Aztecs in its own stadium. The Midshipmen are looking to win their ninth straight meeting in this series, with the last three coming by a combined score of 89-6. In fact, the senior class has not surrendered a touchdown to Army and no team has ever kept the other out of the end zone in four-straight years. With the turnover battle being crucial in this matchup, Navy has forced at least one turnover in 15 of the last 17 games and has gone 7-0 this year when winning the turnover battle. The squad is 7-11 ATS as a favorite the past three years.
The Midshipmen enter with the fifth-best rushing attack in the country, averaging 302.6 yards per game. Quarterback Ricky Dobbs is an integral part of the offense and has recorded 48 career rushing touchdowns. He has rushed for 40 touchdowns over the last two seasons, which is an NCAA record for a quarterback over two-consecutive years. With two remaining games, Navy’s senior class has compiled a 34-17 record. If the team can win its final two games of the 2010 campaign, the group will be the first in school history to win 10 games in consecutive seasons.
Bettors will be interested in knowing that the Black Knights are 2-6 ATS in December, while the Midshipmen are 6-2 ATS in the last eight meetings.
The college football handicappers at Maddux Sports have a huge bowl season planned and there’s no better time than now to join in on the fun!
