Army-Navy Game 2020: TV Schedule, Odds, and Predictions
The 121st edition of the Army-Navy Game will be played at a service academy for the first time since 1943.
The annual meeting between the Black Knights and Midshipmen has been primarily based in Philadelphia, but it was moved to West Point, New York, because of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Army enters Saturday's meeting with the better record and as a seven-point favorite. Navy may have had the worse season, but it still holds bragging rights over the Black Knights entering the matchup.
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Navy ended Army's three-game winning streak in the rivalry with a 31-7 win a year ago in Philadelphia. Starting another winning run would be a nice result to cap a rough season, but it will be a tough result to achieve.
Army-Navy Game Information
Date: Saturday, December 12
Start Time: 3 p.m. ET
TV: CBS
Odds (via DraftKings Sportsbook): Army (-7; -305); Navy (+7; +245); over/under: 38.5
Prediction
Army 21, Navy 10
With two run-first offenses on the field, a low-scoring affair is expected.
Even though the over/under is set at 38.5, the under may be the best play, especially if Army takes control of the game.
During Army's three-game winning streak from 2016-18, only one team reached the 20-point mark—Army scored 21 points in its 2016 victory.
Navy's most recent results suggest its defense is rounding into form for the showdown with the Black Knights. The Midshipmen allowed 29 combined points in their losses to the Memphis Tigers and Tulsa Golden Hurricane, but they only mustered 13 points of their own in those matchups.
In their loss to Tulsa, the Midshipmen managed just 126 rushing yards and went 6-for-17 on third downs. Conversely, Army ran for 243 total yards, had a 50 percent third-down conversion rate and earned 20 first downs in its win over the Georgia Southern Eagles last time out. If Army remains that effective on third down, it should put itself in a better position to create scoring opportunities.
Sophomore quarterback Tyhier Tyler is coming off a 35-attempt, 121-yard outing, and he could be the difference-maker on home soil.
A year ago, Army struggled to receive consistent yardage out of quarterback Christian Anderson, who averaged 2.7 yards per carry. Navy's Malcolm Perry, who is now with the Miami Dolphins, ran all over the Army defense for 304 yards and 10.5 yards per attempt.
None of the signal-callers used by the Midshipmen this season rank in the top five on the team's rushing chart. If Army's defense can get to the quarterback before a decision is made to keep or pitch in the triple option, it could win the field-position battle and allow its offense to create separation on the scoreboard.
Navy could find it hard to stop Army's offense if it finds a rhythm early given the Black Knights have earned five of their seven victories by double digits. That trend holding would see Army cover as the one-touchdown home favorite Saturday.
Follow Joe on Twitter, @JTansey90. Statistics obtained from ESPN.com.
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