BYU at Navy College Football Betting Preview
The Navy football team was supposed to be on their way back from a Week 0 tilt in Dublin, Ireland against Notre Dame last weekend. Instead that rivalry game won’t happen in 2020 as the Irish play an ACC-only schedule so the Midshipmen will open on Labor Day against Brigham Young University. The season opener for both teams will take place in an empty Navy-Marine Corps Stadium in Annapolis, Maryland on Monday, September 7 at 8:00 p.m. ET on ESPN.
The last time BYU and Navy met was in 1989 as the Cougars won in Annapolis 31-10. They also played in the 1978 Holiday Bowl in San Diego with Navy winning 23-16. This game is the first in a home-and-home series added this summer with the return date TBA.
BYU Outlook: Toss The Ball Around
Head coach Kalani Sitake led the Cougars to a 7-6 record last year that ended with a loss to Hawai’I in the Hawai’I Bowl on Christmas Eve. The season was highlighted by wins over Tennessee, USC and Boise State as the Cougars averaged 28.5 ppg and allowed 25.5.
The Cougars have three experienced quarterbacks on the roster under offensive coordinator Jeff Grimes and their first depth chart lists Zach Wilson as the starter. Wilson threw for 2382 yards and 11 touchdowns in 2019 but he had nine interceptions and a broken thumb forced him to miss four games. Baylor Romney, who beat Boise State last season and threw for seven total touchdowns, and Jaren Hall will both be ready if Wilson falters in 2020.
A big blow in preseason practice came with an injury to TE Matt Bushman. The senior caught 47 passes for 688 yards and four touchdowns in 2019. It doesn’t help that the Cougars also lost their top three WR’s to graduation in 2019 with Gunner Romney (31 rec, 377 yards) the top returner.
Lopini Katoa and Tyler Allgeier are listed as co-starters at running back and the latter was second in the BYU offense in yards per carry in 2019. Isaac Rex will be called upon to fill in for Bushman but the limited experience on the outside is troubling for the BYU offense.
Navy Outlook: New QB at the Helm
Navy had a record-breaking bounceback in 2019 under veteran coach Ken Niumatalolo as the Midshipmen went 11-2, best Army for the first time since 2015 and finished with a No. 20 ranking in the AP poll. Along the way they averaged 37.2 ppg and beat Kansas State in the Liberty Bowl on New Year’s Eve.
The Navy offense will look different this year in that record-setting QB Malcolm Perry was drafted by the Miami Dolphins after rushing for 2017 yards and 21 touchdowns as a senior. It appears that senior Dalen Morris has won the job in camp over sophomore Perry Olsen. Morris is very athletic and can run Navy’s triple option but he has just 20 career yards in four games.
The good news is the Navy returns the majority of their other skill players from 2019. FB Jamale Carothers is the leading returning rusher with 734 yards and 14 touchdowns while WR Mychal Cooper caught 18 passes for 380 yards last season.
The Navy defense under second-year coordinator Brian Newberry was vastly improved in 2019 thanks to a new scheme. Their rushing defense was up 80 spots to 10th in the nation while the third-down defense rose more than 100 spots to 20th. The junior captain, Diego Falot is the key and he had 100 tackles last year with 5.5 sacks.
BYU at Navy Betting Lines By Pay Per Head 247
BYU spread: -1.5 (-110) BYU money line: -125
Navy spread: +1.5 (-110) Navy money line: +105
Over/Under: 50.5 (O -110, U -117)
This line has flipped 4.5 points since it opened last week with Navy at -3. The way BYU struggled against the run last year the points could pile up in a hurry in this one if they can’t slow down the triple option, even with a new Navy QB.
Head to https://streetbettings.com/a-service-exclusive-for-bookmakers/ our favorite pay per head bookie site and take the over 50.5 points (-110)
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