Army-Navy Game 2014: Start Time and Predictions for Rivalry Game

No football tradition is more sacred than the annual Army-Navy showdown.

Some things transcend a simple result, a thought process put on display each year when the two services collide on the gridiron.

Traditional ground-based approaches rule the day in what annually devolves into a war of wills. The Midshipmen enter with a major advantage, though, as they look to extend their winning streak against the Black Knights to 13.

The beauty of this rivalry is in the tradition and details.

When: Saturday, December 13, 3 p.m. ET

Where: M&T Bank Stadium, Baltimore, Maryland

Television: CBS

Preview and Predictions

USA TODAY Sports

The result Saturday means little in the grand scheme of things.

Bob Socci, who called Navy's games for 16 years, explains the dynamics behind the tradition best per CBSLocal.com:

"

But that game is all about that dimension that can’t be duplicated anywhere else in sports, and that really comes into focus at the end of the game. It’s been true throughout the history of the service academy when they’ve competed since Dennis Michie first challenged the Midshipmen to a game of football, at the end of the game all of those seniors come together for the alma maters, and they are brothers in arms thereafter — they’re on the same team, with much greater consequences than the outcome of a football game.

"

Of course, none of this prohibits the journey from being an entertaining ride.

Navy is bowl eligible for the 11th time in the last 12 years thanks to the nation's second-ranked rushing attack. As ESPN CollegeFootball points out, Ken Niumatalolo's team has a stranglehold on the rivalry right now:

The 115th encounter between the two sides is unlikely to be predictable, though.

Fullback Larry Dixon, who bruises his way on the ground in the triple-option attack, leads Army. To date, his 1,028 yards and nine touchdowns lead the team, although quarterback Angel Santiago is not far off with 793 yards and 10 scores of his own. 

The story is much of the same for Navy. A number of talented rushers flank the quarterback position, but Keenan Reynolds is by far the most important piece to watch Sunday.

Niumatalolo rarely asks the junior to pass. Why would he? Reynolds has 205 carries for 1,082 yards and 20 touchdowns on the season. As Army coach Jeff Monken told the media, per Sal Interdonato of the Times Herald-Record, few players in the nation are more important to their teams:

Reynolds is the key for this year's matchup, as he was last season with just seven pass attempts and 136 rushing yards with three scores on the ground in a 34-7 triumph.

Army enters Saturday off a 42-31 win over Fordham, but it was just win No. 4 on the season. The defense still ranks 109th in the nation with an average of 34.4 points allowed per game. In other words, the unit's ability to stop a Navy rushing attack that has seen 10 players score touchdowns this year is not likely.

Remember, this is a Navy attack that took on then-No. 10 Notre Dame at the start of November and lost just 49-39. There, Reynolds was effective through the air with two touchdowns, second-leading rusher Noah Copeland ran for 138 yards, and 10 different players recorded a carry.

The Fighting Irish scored with one minute, 27 seconds left to inflate the final score.

Look for Reynolds to have a major game on the ground Saturday. Army is much better than in years past, and Dixon is sure to post a major game. Just last week in the triumph against Fordham, he ran wild for 158 yards and three scores on a 7.2 per-carry average.

Dixon cannot do it on his own, though. The deep Navy attack will grind down Army over the course of four frames and get the win.

For seniors such as Copeland and Dixon, the desired end result to a storied role in a historic rivalry will not be obtainable by both.

In a spectacle that transcends sports, though, both win. 

Prediction: Navy 36, Army 24

Statistics and info courtesy of ESPN unless otherwise specified.