Navy Football: 3 bold predictions for 2017 Army-Navy game

2. There will be two passing touchdowns

The two option quarterbacks, Zach Abey of Navy and Ahmad Bradshaw of Army West Point, have a combined 11 touchdown passes on the season with the former throwing for nearly double the amount of the latter on the season.

However, I can see two touchdown passes being thrown in the 2017 edition of this game. The 2016 showdown saw three interceptions and no touchdown passes but I can see more than just play-action passes this year.

Army will definitely come out in their pistol full house or diamond formation where they use a shovel option — much like the one used by Urban Meyer and Matt Canada. That counts as a passing touchdown at the college level, and many teams run the shovel option because if the shovel is dropped it is an incomplete pass and not a fumble.

Bradshaw isn’t very accurate but the shovel option doesn’t require downfield passing accuracy. It requires a quarterback that can make a quick read between the traditional option to the running back and the shovel to the back underneath.

Navy will use screens to their wingbacks to slow down the Army pass rush. Then they’ll use traditional flexbone play-action passing to get Abey on a rollout and in space. Abey is shifty and a big body that can absorb punishment. He’ll be much calmer this time around since he has a season of starting games and playing under pressure on TV. Abey will put up MVP numbers in 2017’s edition of the Army-Navy rivalry.