The Houston Cougars will head to their AAC showdown with Navy with momentum on their side after trouncing the Connecticut Huskies, 42-14, on Thursday night. It was another impressive victory for the Cougars, who improved their season-record to 5-0. They have won their first five games by an average of 33 points.
Key to Houston’s scintillating start has been their impeccable offense. The Cougars are 12th in the FBS in scoring, averaging 44.2 points per game this season. Just like in their previous four victories, it was Greg Ward Jr. who led the way for the Cougars against the Huskies. He threw for a career-high 389 yards and accounted for five touchdowns in just more than three quarters in the win against UConn. Ward made sure there won’t be a repeat of their shocking 20-17 upset loss to the Huskies last year which derailed their perfect season.
For the Cougars to preserve their unbeaten record against Navy, they will need to quickly establish their passing game this coming Saturday. Expected to play important roles this weekend are wide receivers Linell Bonner and Steven Dunbar. Bonner has been a key target for Ward this season, nabbing 33 receptions for 439 yards with two touchdowns. Dunbar, on the other hand, has also made a major impact for the Cougars, catching 21 passes for 326 yards and two scores. They combined for 109 receiving yards and three touchdowns in Houston’s 52-31 win against Navy last year.
Houston is 8-2 SU and 8-1-1 ATS in its last 10 road games. The Cougars are pegged at +1,000to win the national championship this season.
Navy’s playoff hopes were dealt a major blow on Saturday when it suffered a gut-wrenching 28-14 defeat to arch-rivals Air Force at Falcon Stadium. The Midshipmen had no answer for Air Force tailback Tim McVey who scored twice, including an impressive 62-yard touchdown catch. It was a disappointing result for Navy, who had won three of its previous four meetings with Air Force.
They will look to get their season back on track when they take on the streaking Houston Cougars this coming Saturday. For the Midshipmen to record the much-needed victory, they will need to improve on their play on the offensive end, particularly with their ground game. They generated just 57 yards on the ground against Air Force on Saturday. That’s way below Navy’s season average of 251.5 rushing yards per game (14th in the FBS).
The onus then is on quarterback Will Worth to deliver the goods against Houston. On the season, he has completed 31 of 53 passes for 527 yards with a score. Worth has also run for five touchdowns this campaign. He will need to be at his best, though, against a Houston side that possess the top-ranked rushing defense in the nation. The Cougars are allowing just 42 yards per game on the ground this season.
That being said, the Midshipmen will still fancy their chances of grabbing the shock win this coming weekend as they have fared extremely well at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium of late. They have won 12 straight home games dating back to 2014. The Midshipmen have covered the spread in eight of those 12 matches.
