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  • Army beat Tulane 35-14 to win their conference championship.
  • Navy defeated East Carolina 34-20 in their regular-season finale.
  • Army beat Navy last year 17-11.

Here is everything you need to know about the battle for the Commander-in-Chief Trophy with our Navy vs Army NCAAF prediction article. The Black Knights of Army are having one of their best seasons in program history and are trying to cap it off with a win over their bitter rivals Navy. The Midshipmen are having a strong season in their own right, though, with an 8-3 record. This game will be a battle but keep reading to find out why we think Army retains the Commander-in-Chief Trophy on Saturday.

Army may be ranked and have a better record but Navy is having a really strong season in their own right. Blake Horvath is a star at quarterback, leading the team in passing and rushing. With 1,154 passing yards and 895 rushing yards, the Navy offense will go as Horvath goes. That has been a good thing for most of the season because Horvath has been outstanding.

It is a lot of pressure, though, and Horvath could use some of his other backs to help him in the run-first attack triple option that Navy uses. Look for Alex Tecza to be a solid option at fullback, but the player the Midshipmen are hoping has a big game is Eli Heidenreich. He leads the team in yards per carry at 7.3 and has broken off some big runs, like his 36-yarder against East Carolina two weeks ago.

Army Trying to Win Third Straight Over Midshipmen

As good as Horvath has been at quarterback for the Navy, Bryson Daily has been that and then some for Army this season. Daily leads the team in passing with 877 yards and leads the team in rushing with 1,480 yards. Daily also has a staggering 29 rushing touchdowns, as he is almost automatic when the Black Knights get into the red zone.

The most significant difference between Army and Navy on offense is that Army has some better secondary weapons. Kanye Udoh is second on the team with 1,064 rushing yards, and Noah Short is a strong third option, with 533 yards and an average of 8.3 YPC. Last but not least keep an eye on Casey Reynolds at wide receiver. Army doesn’t throw often, but Reynolds is a big play threat averaging 23.7 yards a reception.

Army is excellent offensively and we shared how they have more weapons than Navy does. The Midshipmen will have a hard time as Army will put a ton of defensive focus on on Blake Horvath and force other options to step up. While even if Navy can slow down Bryson Daily, the Black Knights have proven secondary options that can still carry the offensive load.

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