Army, Navy Rivalry Runs Into 112th Meeting

No offense to Rich Ellerson and Ken Niumatalolo, but these are the teams I'd like to see Les Miles and Nick Saban coach.  Let's see their recruiting skills really put to the test trying to convince young men to come play football and make real commitments to the U.S. Military and U.S. Naval Academies.  Then we'll see where Miles and Saban stack up in terms of wins and losses.

This is what college football is supposed to be about, the Black Knights of Army facing off against the Midshipmen of Navy.  No Heisman Trophy candidates to build up, no politicking for BCS position, no gazillion dollar contracts for coaches or under-the-table enticement for student-athletes, with the emphasis on 'student.'

The 112th meeting between Army and Navy will be played entirely for pride.  Ellerson's Black Knights enter the game with a 3-8 record (5-6 against the spread) while Niumatalolo brings the Midshipmen in at 4-7 (6-5 ATS).  It's a series that Navy has owned in recent years, and oddsmakers like their chances to maintain that ownership with the Midshipmen favored by a touchdown.

CBS will broadcast the event starting at 2:30 p.m. (ET) this Saturday from FedEx Field just outside the nation's capital in Landover, MD.  The current weather forecast for the game calls for clear skies and the thermometer just barely climbing into the 40s.

If you're a fan of the passing game, then pass this game right on by.  The two teams rank at the very bottom of FBS charts in passing yardage, combining for just 140 yards on a little more than 20 attempts per contest.  The flip side is their strong rushing attacks, Army tallying nearly 351 yards per game on the ground to lead the nation and Navy fourth with 313.7 YPG.

One might think that practicing day in, day out against the run would lead to strong rushing defenses on both sides, but that's not the case.  Navy is 81st in the country allowing nearly 177 yards per game on the ground, with Army not far behind at 92nd and giving up nearly 186 yards rushing.

A good prop bet for this game might be the 'over/under' on pass attempts between the two squads.  Twenty would seem to be a good place to start.

Sophomore Raymond Maples leads the Army backfield and enters the game just 16 yards shy of the 1,000-yard plateau on the ground.  With a 7.4 average per carry, he should reach that mark by his third tote Saturday, if not before.

One injury concern for the Black Knights is quarterback Trent Steelman.  The junior saw very limited action in Army's most recent game (Nov. 19) after missing three clashes due to an ankle injury.  Despite missing all that time, Steelman is second on the team with 583 rushing yards, and is listed as probable for this game.

When Navy QB Kriss Proctor isn't throwing a rare pass, he's busy leading the Midshipmen in rushing (817 yards, 12 TD).  Proctor is assisted in the running game by Alexander Teich (790 yards) and does have a big target on the outside when he does pass in Brandon Turner.

Navy will be looking for its 10th consecutive win over Army, and holds a 12-2 mark going back to 1997.  The Midshipmen lead the all-time series 55-49 with seven ties.

Saturday's NCAA betting total is 57 points, a figure that hasn't been reached since 2005 when Navy posted a 46-23 win.  The five meetings since then have all gone 'under' the mark.