When the nation’s two best rushing offenses square off Saturday afternoon, don’t expect a lot of passing. Option-based Georgia Southern and Navy will play in Annapolis in one of the day’s most overlooked matchups.
How to watch Georgia Southern vs. Navy: Game guide, TV schedule, and odds
RUN THE DANG BALL.
Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports
Georgia Southern has cruised through conference play, winning Sun Belt games by an average margin of 40.6-19.7. Navy offers a different sort of test -- another high-powered running team with a defense used to facing some of the option schemes the Eagles will be throwing out there. It’s easy to see one of two outcomes occurring: these two teams combining to set NCAA rushing records in a shootout, or defenses well-prepped to face option attacks forcing season-low outputs from these prolific attacks.
Navy’s had a disappointing season by Ken Niumatalolo standards, and the Midshipmen have not yet clinched bowl eligibility. Their most impressive win came on the road at Temple in Week 2, but they’ve kept most of their losses close. Last time out, they fell 49-39 against Notre Dame, and they were within 10 against Rutgers, Western Kentucky and Air Force.
How to watch and listen
Game time: CBS Sports Network.
TV: 3:30 p.m. ET.
The numbers
Rankings and records: Neither team is ranked in any of the big polls, although the Eagles rank fifth in our Underdogs Poll. Georgia Southern is 8-2, and Navy is 4-5.
Vegas: Navy opened as a 3.5-point favorite. The line has since moved to three. The over/under is 63.5 points, per OddsShark.
Weather forecast: High of 44 and sunny.
Two things at stake
Georgia Southern is getting closer and closer to a spot in the top 25, in the polls at least, and a road win over a more respected opponent in Navy could help the Eagles achieve that goal.
A loss for Navy would require consecutive wins over South Alabama and Army to reach bowl eligibility.
One big matchup
Navy rushing offense vs. Georgia Southern rushing defense. The Eagles have proven they can run on anybody, but they’re also holding opponents to 3.9 yards per rush. Unlike Georgia Southern, Navy has been somewhat stoppable this season. In their 31-24 loss to Rutgers, the Midshipmen averaged 4.0 yards per attempt and were held to 171 yards and two touchdowns on 43 carries -- all season lows.
Further reading
For more on both teams, head over to Underdog Dynasty.
See More:
