ARMY-NAVY AT A GLANCE
NAVY KEY: EXECUTE OFFENSIVELY FOR 60 MINUTES
That has been easier said than done this season as Navy has rarely put together two halves of good offensive football. By far the most complete performance came during a 37-29 defeat of Tulsa when quarterback Zach Abey directed an offense that amassed 404 total yards. The Midshipmen have looked good for one half in numerous other games, but that type of effort won’t cut it on this day. Navy needs to play flawless, which means completing eliminating the penalties, negative plays and assignment errors that have plagued the unit. Abey must be totally on point with reading the defense and distributing the ball and there simply cannot be a single turnover. The Mids will no doubt try to establish the inside game with Abey and fullback Anthony Gargiulo, but a real key will be to get speedy slotbacks Malcolm Perry and Tre Walker involved. Whenever offensive coordinator Ivin Jasper calls play-action pass, Abey must connect with the open target.
ARMY KEY: WREAK HAVOC DEFENSIVELY
If there is one major difference between Army and Navy this season it comes on the defensive side of the ball. Army ranks 12th nationally in rushing defense and 11th in total defense, giving up just 106.5 yards per game on the ground and 301.3 all together. The Black Knights are an equally respectable No. 16 in scoring defense, allowing an average 18.7 points. Rarely does a service academy rank so highly in so many defensive categories. Most observers credit defensive coordinator Jay Bateman, who has the Black Knights flying around and making plays. There have been times this season when the Navy offense has looked completely discombobulated. You can bet Bateman is going to shift his linebackers and defensive backs all over the place and send blitzes from different angles in an attempt to disrupt the Midshipmen.
INJURY REPORT: Army — Starting slotback Kell Walker (undisclosed) is questionable. Navy — Backup outside linebacker Evan Fochtman (undisclosed) is probable.
SERIES HISTORY: Army has won two straight meetings after snapping its historic 14-game losing streak to Navy and now trails the all-time series, 60-51-7
OF NOTE: ESPN College Game Day will broadcast from Philadelphia from 9 a.m. until noon just outside of Xfinity Live, which is located across the street from Lincoln Financial Field. Rece Davis, Kirk Herbstreit, Desmond Howard and Lee Corso will welcome a series of special guests, including Navy head coach Ken Niumatalolo and Army head coach Jeff Monken. Legendary former Navy quarterback Roger Staubach, the 1963 Heisman Trophy winner, will also appear.
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QUOTE-UNQUOTE: “I think the Army-Navy game has meant everything to my career. When you’re at the United States Naval Academy there are a lot of important games, but none of them compare to the Army-Navy game. I knew it was important when I first got here in 1995, but being here for 21 years you begin to recognize what it means to the whole institution and its graduates. Beat Army means everything.”
— Navy head coach Ken Niumatalolo
“It is a great honor and privilege to be a competitor in this game because it represents so much more than our teams and our institutions. It’s a million soldiers in the United States Army and their families. It’s every man or woman who has ever served in an Army, Navy or Marine Corps uniform. It’s a big deal to a lot of people who have a tremendous amount of pride to their respective service. The bragging rights to say that’s my team, that’s my service.”
— Army head coach Jeff Monken