Army vs Navy football preview, predictions and live stream
The annual Army vs Navy football game has become a college football staple. Can the Black Knights start a winning streak over the Midshipmen?
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Navy football (6-5) got off to a hot start but wasn’t able to maintain for the duration of American conference play. The Midshipmen jumped out to a five-game winning streak with wins over FAU, Tulane, Cincinnati, Tulsa and Air Force. Then they ran into the buzzsaws that were Memphis and UCF and the season took a rough turn. Navy lost five of their final six games and enters their matchup with Army on a two-game losing streak.
Army football is also coming off a loss, to North Texas, but has had a more successful 2017 campaign than Navy thus far. The Black Knights are 8-3 and had a six-game winning streak prior to their loss to the Mean Green.
The Black Knights broke a 14-year Navy winning streak in dramatic fashion a year ago. Ahmad Bradshaw scored a late fourth quarter lead to put Army ahead and the defense held on, clinching the first win for Army since 2001. Both sides beat Air Force, which means the Commander-in-Chief’s Trophy is on the line. Navy has won it 15 times while Army has claimed it six times.
Here’s how to watch the 2017 Army vs Navy game
Date: Saturday, Dec. 9
Time: 3:00 p.m. ET
Location: Philadelphia, PA
Venue: Lincoln Financial Field
TV: CBS
Live Stream: CBS Streaming
Keys to Victory
Army and Navy both stick to old school football. There aren’t going to be many pass attempts, instead each side is going to do all they can to control the line of scrimmage and stay committed to running the football.
Navy quarterback Zach Abbey is the key cog in the Midshipmen’s offense. He enters Saturday with 1,322 rushing yards and 14 touchdowns to compliment his seven touchdowns through the air. His counterpart, Army quarterback Ahmad Bradshaw, has 189 carries for 1,472 yards and 11 scores. He’s added one more touchdown through the air.
These teams know each other very well. It’s going to be a physical, smash mouth football game and both sides are going to be ready for the biggest game they have all year. Bowl wins are nice, but there are few rivalries more hostile that Army vs. Navy, especially now that the Navy streak has comet to an end.
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Prediction
Navy is 9-0 against Army at Lincoln Financial Field. All streaks have to come to an end eventually, and the Midshipmen’s unblemished record their will fall on Saturday. Army outrushed Navy during the regular season and scored seven more rushing touchdowns. They’ll maintain that edge on Saturday to earn their first winning streak over Navy since a five-year streak from 1992 to 1996.
Final Score: Army 20, Navy 17