Army-Navy Game 2018: TV Schedule, Odds, Ticket Info and Predictions
The pageantry and tradition of the Army-Navy Game has the full attention of the college football universe Saturday.
Army comes into Lincoln Financial Field as the more successful of the two programs, as the Knights possess a 9-2 record and a berth in the Armed Forces Bowl against Houston.
Navy, which was the dominant force in the rivalry until two years ago, comes in at 3-9, with two of its three victories coming in September.
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Although Army has a ways to go before coming close to the winning streak Navy built between 2002 and 2015, it will be impressive nonetheless if it can put together its third straight win in the rivalry.
Army-Navy Game Info
Date: Saturday, December 8
Start Time: 3 p.m. ET
TV: CBS
Ticket Info: All available tickets can be found on StubHub.
Odds (via OddsShark): Army (-7); Over/Under: 40
Preview
Although the balance of power in the rivalry has shifted, the way in which both service academies attempt to win Saturday's game hasn't changed.
Both Army and Navy rely on run-heavy offenses to get down the field, which means we could witness a few methodical double-digit play drives in Philadelphia.
Army is clearly the better of the two sides, and it relies on the duo of Darnell Woolfolk and Kelvin Hopkins Jr. to do the majority of its work on the ground.
Woolfolk ran for 823 yards and 14 touchdowns, while Hopkins scampered for 783 yards and 10 touchdowns in Army's first 11 games.
Hopkins is capable of airing it out on occasion, but don't expect too many fireworks when he drops back to pass, as he's only eclipsed 100 yards three times, with two of the occurrences coming in September.
Navy is led by 1,000-yard rusher Malcolm Perry and Zach Abey, who leads the Midshipmen with 14 rushing touchdowns.
Just like their counterparts, the Midshipmen don't have a dynamic passing game, as their leading passer, Garret Lewis, has thrown for 398 yards, but they are capable of completing a long pass or two if the situation calls for it.
Most of the key players mentioned above have plenty of history in the rivalry and were the top performers in the contest a year ago, which was won by Army 14-13.
Army earned its first winning streak in the series since the mid-1990s on a one-yard touchdown run by Ahmad Bradshaw in the fourth quarter.
In addition to trying to stop Army from winning a third consecutive game, Navy is driven by finishing a poor season on a high note and sending Abey and the rest of the senior class off with a victory.
But given the way they have played this season, it's hard to pick the Midshipmen in Saturday's game given they have lost six games by double digits.
However, they have been able to play well lately, as they knocked off Tulsa before losing by a point to Tulane.
On the other side of the field, Army is coming off a layoff that dates back to November 17, and it hasn't played a FBS opponent since knocking off Air Force November 3.
Prediction: Army 17, Navy 7
With the lack of a consistent passing game on either side, we should expect a low-scoring affair in Philadelphia.
Navy will use the momentum it created from its past two games to get off to a hot start and score an early touchdown.
Although it will take a quarter to get into a rhythm, Army will gain control of the contest through Woolfolk and Hopkins.
The Knights won't need a game-winning score in the fourth quarter this time around, as they will take the lead at the start of the second half and shut down the Midshipmen's offensive attack.
Follow Joe on Twitter, @JTansey90.
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