TJ’S PICK 3 OF 2022 ARMY-NAVY GAME
Championship Week: 2-3 overall 2-3 ATS Season Record: 29-15 Overall 18-26 ATS
Point spread and the over/under is from FanDuel
Navy -v- Army (Philadelphia, PA) Army -1 O/U: 33.5
Navy is 4-7 this season. The Midshipmen are led by junior quarterback Tai Lavatai who has passed for 787 yards, five touchdowns and three interceptions. Lavatai is third on the team with 309 rushing yards and second with five rushing touchdowns. Sophomore running back Daba Fofana leads with 749 yards and six touchdowns. Sophomore wide receiver Maquel Haywood is second with 451 rushing yards and fourth with 112 receiving yards but has only scored one touchdown. Sophomore fullback Anton Hall, Jr. is fourth in rushing yards with 291 and has two rushing touchdowns. Junior wideout Jayden Umbarger leads the Midshipmen with 16 receptions for 265 yards and two touchdowns. Senior wideout Mark Walker has 13 receptions for 242 yards and one touchdown. The Navy defense has been a bit leaky, giving up 24.7 points per game and 356 yards per game while getting 32 sacks, eight interceptions and 10 fumble recoveries. Senior linebacker John Marshall has 88 tackles, seven pass deflections, one interception, two forced fumbles and is tied for sixth in the nation with 10.5 sacks. Sophomore linebacker Colin Ramos has 71 tackles, 3.5 sacks, one interception, two forced fumbles and one fumble recovery. Senior linebacker Nicholas Straw had 12 pass deflections while junior defensive end Jacob Busic is tied for fourth nationally with three forced fumbles.
Army is 5-6 this season. The Black Knights use a three headed monster at quarterback. Senior Cade Ballard has 335 passing yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions to go along with 173 rushing yards and one touchdown. Senior Tyhier Tyler has 301 passing yards, two touchdowns and one interception while leading Army with 601 rushing yards and 12 rushing touchdowns. Senior Jemel Jones has 250 passing yards, one touchdown and one interception while placing fourth on the team with 326 rushing yards and is second with seven rushing touchdowns. Junior running backs Tyson Riley and Jakobi Buchanan have combined for 770 rushing yards and eight rushing touchdowns. Sophomore wideout Isaiah Alston has 16 receptions for 269 yards and one touchdown. The Army defense has also been a bit leaky, giving up 23 points per game and 365.8 yards per game while getting 17 sacks, 10 interceptions and five fumble recoveries. Junior linebacker Leo Lowin has 84 tackles, three sacks, one pass deflection, two interceptions, one forced fumble and one fumble recovery. Senior defensive back Marquel Broughton has 74 tackles, five pass deflections, two forced fumbles and leads the Black Knights with three interceptions.
Prediction:
Neither team is known for their passing game so this will be a typical Army-Navy battle of the rushing attacks. In most cases I’m not a fan of the option offense but I love watching it in this game. Army’s three headed monster at quarterback has been solid but Navy’s rush defense is only giving up 85.6 rushing yards per game. Army’s defense, on the other hand, is giving up 193.5 yards on the ground, which is why I’m leaning toward Navy to win this game. That and the fact that my pap would turn over in his grave if I rooted for or picked Army, he was a Navy man through and through. GO NAVY-BEAT ARMY!
Navy: 23 Army: 16 take the points with Navy and grab the over