Army-Navy Preview: Can the Black Knights make a win streak of their own?
Army (8-3) vs. Navy (6-5)
Saturday, 3 p.m. ET, Philadelphia
HOW THESE TEAMS GOT HERE:
Army: The turnaround Jeff Monken has done at Army is incredible. After five-straight seasons below .500, Army has won eight games for the second-straight season and is on the verge of the program’s first nine-win season since a 10-2 season in 1996, when the team was coached by Kansas City Chiefs defensive coordinator Bob Sutton.
Army started the season 2-2 with losses to Ohio State and Tulane in Weeks 3 and 4. The Black Knights then won six-straight games, only losing a nail biter to Conference-USA title game participant North Texas in the final game of the season. Army is heading to the Armed Forces Bowl to play San Diego State no matter what happens on Saturday.
Click here to see Army’s special uniforms for the game.
Navy: If Navy wins one of its last two games, the Midshipmen will finish over .500 for the 14th time in the past 15 seasons.
Navy stumbled down the stretch in the American Athletic Conference after starting the season 5-0. Though it’s fair to say that Navy’s schedule was backloaded. The first five weeks featured games against the likes of Cincinnati, Tulsa and Air Force. The 1-5 stretch to end the season featured games against Memphis, UCF, Notre Dame and Houston.
If you’re looking for a transitive property edge, Navy has it. Both teams beat Air Force but the Midshipmen beat Tulane, who beat Army. No matter what happens on Saturday, Navy is playing in the Military Bowl against Virginia.
Click here to see Navy’s special uniforms for the game.
PLAYERS TO WATCH:
Ahmad Bradshaw, QB, Army: If you love old-school football from the 1950s and 1960s with some modern twists, this is your game. Bradshaw is a converted running back for the Black Knights and has thrown 39 passes all season. Yes, you read that correctly. 39 passes all season. Overall, Army has thrown just 60 passes and didn’t complete passes in games vs. Fordham, Tulane, Eastern Michigan and didn’t even attempt a pass against Air Force.
The team averages six yards a carry on the ground and Bradshaw is the ringleader of that attack. He has 189 carries for 1,472 yards and 11 touchdowns. His 7.8 yards per carry average is better than his 6.6 yards per attempt average through the air.
Zach Abey, QB, Navy: Abey has nearly doubled up Bradshaw’s passing production this season. He’s 30-70 for 803 yards and has thrown for seven touchdowns and seven interceptions. On the ground, Abey has 278 carries for 1,322 yards and 14 touchdowns. And he’s caught a touchdown pass.
It’s been a successful junior season for the sophomore who was thrust into action last season after injuries to Tago Smith and Will Worth ahead of him on the depth chart. Another player who had to play in a pinch last season is Malcolm Perry. Now a slotback who has played some quarterback this year too, Perry has 92 carries for 818 yards and 10 overall touchdowns.
WHY YOU SHOULD WATCH: Because it’s the last regular-season college football game of the year. But also because the pageantry and passion of the game is unmatched. Having Army and Navy on the schedule by themselves at the end of the season is a fun tribute to the rivalry and a fun departure from the spread-the-field offenses we’ve come to know in college football.
WHAT’S AT STAKE: Army broke a 14-game win streak of Navy’s with a win in the 2016 game. A two-game win streak would be the first win streak for the Black Knights since winning consecutive games from 1992-96.
Then President-elect Donald Trump was at the game last year and he dissed the quality of football on display in front of him. Trump’s flown south for the weekend, so he won’t be in attendance to be politically incorrect about the game.
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Nick Bromberg is a writer for Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at nickbromberg@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!
