EDITORIAL BY GRAYDON FOX

Overview:

On Saturday, October 6^th, the (2-2) Navy Midshipmen will be on the road to take on the (1-3) Air Force Falcons.

The Crowd:

The Crowd projects a final score of Navy 28.2 – Air Force 24.3 with an over/under of 52.5.

Lou Holtz and Mark May:

Lou is predicting a final score of Navy 45 – Air Force 21.

Mark is predicting a final score of Air Force 21 – Navy 17.

2018-19 Statistics (130 total teams):

Passing offense: Air Force 109.3 YPG > Navy 76.8 YPG

Rushing offense: Navy 355.8 YPG > Air Force 254.8 YPG

Scoring offense: Navy 36.0 PPG > Air Force 30.5 PPG

Scoring defense: Air Force 25.8 PPG > Navy 33.0 PPG

Passing defense: Navy 230.3 YPG > Air Force 282.8 YPG

Rushing defense: Air Force 98.5 YPG > Navy 159.8 PPG

Turnover Margin Per Game: Navy +0.7 > Air Force +0.3

Summary:

Navy is (2-2) to start the season with wins over Memphis and Lehigh.  They were defeated by Hawaii in week one and suffered an overtime loss to SMU last week.  The Midshipmen rank 39^th in points per game (36.0) and 101^st scoring defense (33.0 PPG).  Quarterback Garrett Lewis is completing 57% of his passes for 184 yards with 1 touchdown and no interceptions.  Running back Malcolm Perry has quietly had an excellent season rushing for 530 yards (6.2 YPC) and 6 touchdowns.  Navy leads the nation in rushing yards per game (355.8 YPG).  The Midshipmen have done a good job taking care of the football ranking 25^th in turnover margin (+0.7).  Navy’s defensive stats are a bit misleading due to a week one drubbing at the hands of Cole McDonald and Hawaii.

Air Force is (1-3) with a victory over Stony Brook in week one.  The Falcons were defeated by Florida Atlantic, Utah State, and Nevada and are in the midst of a three-game losing streak.  The Falcons rank 67^th in points per game (30.5) and 70^th in scoring defense (25.8 PPG).  Quarterback Isaiah Sanders has completed 56% of his passes for 289 yards with t touchdown and 1 interception.  Sanders is also a running threat with 119 rushing yards and two touchdowns on the ground.  Cole Fagan leads the team in rushing with 219 yards and two touchdowns.  Marcus Bennett is the only Falcons receiver to eclipse the 100-yard mark (238 yards, 1 touchdown).  Defensively, Air Force ranks 11^th in the nation at stopping the run.

Bottom Line:

It’s important to note that Navy is coming off their bye week and have had two weeks to prepare for Air Force.  Air Force is full of deception as Navy has no clue which of the Falcons three quarterbacks will line up under center on Saturday.  Navy’s ground game will wear down Air Force’s defense eventually and they should win this one on the road.

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