The West division title in the American Athletic Conference will be on the line this coming Friday when Keenan Reynolds and the 16th-ranked Navy Midshipmen visit the No. 21 Houston Cougars, who may not have a completely healthy Greg Ward Jr. under center. It’s bound to be one epic contest with the winner not only taking the division crown but also gaining the all-important home-field advantage in the conference title game against Temple or South Florida on December 5.
Who will grab the edge in this mouth-watering contest? Read on below for an in-depth breakdown of this pivotal matchup and while you’re at it, you can check out the best college football games to watch in Week 13 of the NCAA season.
The Navy Midshipmen stretched their unbeaten run to five games with a comprehensive 44-21 victory over Tulsa on Saturday. It was another impressive win for Navy, which is now 9-1 for the first time since 1965. The Midshipmen are still undefeated in conference play this season.
[sc:NCAA240banner ]Providing the impetus for Navy’s recent victory was Keenan Reynolds. He ran for 81 yards and a touchdown while directing a Navy offense that racked up a whopping 512 yards on the ground. It was a historic night for Reynolds who became Navy’s all-time leading rusher with 4,195 yards, breaking Napoleon McCallum’s record of 4,179 yards.
Reynolds and the rest of the Midshipmen will look to create more history when they face the Cougars this coming Friday. They can match a program record for wins and start the season 10-1 for the first time in 110 years with a victory over Houston. The Midshipmen will fancy their chances of doing just that as they have been playing some excellent football of late. They averaged 48.0 points over the last three weeks in blowout wins over Memphis, SMU and Tulsa.
The Midshipmen will have their work cut out for them, however, against a Houston side that possesses one of the best defenses in the college game today. The Cougars are 23rd in the FBS in scoring defense, allowing just 20.2 points per game this season.
Houston’s playoff hopes were dealt a major blow on Saturday when it suffered a gut-wrenching 20-17 defeat to the Connecticut Huskies at Pratt & Whitney Stadium. The Cougars had no answer for Noel Thomas who caught two touchdown passes, including a 45-yarder on a trick play in the final quarter. It was a disappointing result for Houston who saw its unbeaten start to the season come to a painful end.
They will look to get their season back on track when they take on the streaking Navy Midshipmen this coming Saturday. For the Cougars to record the bounce-back win, they will need to do a much better job on the offensive end. Houston was held by UConn to just 318 yards in total offense. That’s quite a shock considering the Cougars came into the contest averaging 43.5 points and 521 yards.
The Cougars will need all the help they can get, though, if they are to unlock Navy’s rock-solid defense. The Midshipmen are 19th in the FBS in scoring defense, allowing just 18.7 points per game this season. They have surrendered just 17.2 points per contest since a 41-24 loss at then-No. 15 Notre Dame on October 10.
One guy who can make a difference for the Cougars especially when healthy is star Greg Ward Jr. The junior quarterback rolled his ankle during a 35-34 win over Memphis on November 14 and he played just a handful of snaps during Saturday’s 20-17 defeat at UConn. He replaced an injured Kyle Postma during Houston’s final drive but threw a costly pick with 55 seconds remaining.
Ward has played a huge role in Houston’s success this season, rushing for 810 yards and recording 29 total touchdowns. Without him in the lineup, the Cougars failed to score 20 points for the first time this season. Houston needs Ward’s ability and experience to dissect a Navy defense that’s conceding just 350.9 total yards per game this season, good for 33rd in the entire FBS.
The Cougars are 6-0 SU and 2-4 ATS at home this season.
