The Navy Midshipmen (+11) are flying south to battle their AAC rival Memphis Tigers at Liberty Bowl Memorial. The opening kickoff for this game is scheduled for 8:00 p.m. ET and ESPN has the TV rights.
Betting Preview: Navy Midshipmen at Memphis Tigers
In this Thursday American Athletic Conference game, Memphis is tabbed as the heavy favorite and is currently giving up 11 points. The Midshipmen are also receiving +325 moneyline odds while the Tigers are -450. Some good live betting possibilities could exist during the game, and Vegas has placed the over/under (O/U) at 53.5 points.
The game’s O/U was initially set at 56.5, but the under is getting most of the early sharp action.
The Midshipmen are 2-0 against the spread (ATS) and have gained 1.0 unit so far. They’ve been a good under bet and have posted an O/U record of 0-2.
The Tigers have gained 1.0 unit this season. The team is 2-1 ATS and has an O/U record of 1-2.
The Midshipmen are 2-0 straight up (SU), including 1-0 SU against AAC opponents. The Tigers are 3-0 SU overall and are also 0-0 SU in conference play.
The Midshipmen are looking to stay unbeaten following a 42-10 victory over East Carolina on September 14. The passing attack was on point as Malcolm Perry completed five-of-7 passes for just 151 yards and two touchdowns. Perry (156 yards on 24 rush attempts, four TDs) also led the ground attack and was complemented by Perry Olsen (30 yards on 10 carries) in the win. CJ Williams (three receptions, 117 yards, two TDs) and Myles Fells (two catches, nine yards) shared the receiving duties.
Memphis is coming off of a 42-6 win over South Alabama a couple of weeks ago. The defensive unit allowed the Jaguars to rush for 101 yards on 39 attempts. Kawaan Baker was a bright spot in the defeat for South Alabama, posting 84 yards on two catches. For Memphis, Brady White completed 12-of-20 passes for 209 yards, three touchdowns and one interception. Kenneth Gainwell (145 rushing yards on 16 attempts, one TD) and Kylan Watkins (113 yards on 11 carries) mounted the ground game in the win as Damonte Coxie (three receptions, 81 yards) and Antonio Gibson (two catches, 26 yards, one TD) led the receiving attack.
Navy has run the ball on 88.5 percent of its offensive possessions this year while Memphis has a rush percentage of 63 percent. The Midshipmen have rushed for 371.5 yards per game and have 10 touchdowns via handoffs this year. The Tigers are logging 227 rushing yards per game and have seven total rush TDs.
It seems like the Midshipmen may hold an advantage in all aspects of the ground game. Their backfield has logged 5.7 yards per carry while their defense is allowing a YPC of 2.6 to opponents. The Tigers have ran for 4.9 yards per carry and given up 3.1 YPC to opponents.
The Midshipmen offense has averaged 128 yards in the air overall and has two passing TDs so far. The Tigers have produced 262.7 pass yards per outing and have five total pass scores.
Defensively, Navy has allowed 74 rush yards and 152.5 pass yards per game. The Memphis defense has given up 110 yards per game to opposing passers and 116.3 yards per game to opposing runners. The Tigers are allowing an adjusted net yards per pass attempt (ANY/A) of just 3.44 to opponents, while the Midshipmen have given up a 4.38 ANY/A.
Offensively, Perry has amassed 151 passing yards this season. He’s completed 5-of-7 attempts with two scores through the air and has yet to throw an interception. Perry has a pristine 23.38 adjusted net yards per pass attempt overall, although that number sits at 15.72 over the past two outings.
The Midshipmen will probably try to maintain tempo by feeding their running backs early and often. Along with Malcolm Perry (0 yards), CJ Williams (11 rush yards, 117 receiving yards, two receiving TDs) and Tazh Maloy (15 rush yards) have been focal points in the offensive game scripts for Navy.
Brady White has managed to complete 35-of-51 passes for 381 yards, three TDs and two INTs for Memphis. His ANY/A stands at 6.24 for the year and 13.67 over his last two games.
The Tigers also prefer to keep their running backs featured. Along with Damonte Coxie (125 receiving yards), Kenneth Gainwell (222 rush yards, one rush TD, 50 receiving yards) and Kylan Watkins (113 rush yards, one TD) have seen a lot of touches recently.
These two programs faced off last year with the final result being a 22-21 win for Navy.
Navy Midshipmen at Memphis Tigers NCAA Tip
SU Winner: Memphis, ATS Winner: Memphis, O/U: Under
Betting Trends
- The O/U for Navy’s last game was set at 53. The under cashed in the team’s 42-10 win over East Carolina.
- Both teams have lost two fumbles this season.
- The O/U for Memphis’ previous match going into it was 55.5. The under cashed in the 42-6 victory over South Alabama.
- Over its last three games, Memphis is 2-1 ATS and the under cashed in two of those three.
- The Midshipmen offense has registered two pass plays of 40 yards or more, while the Tigers have accounted for six such plays.
- Both defenses have allowed one pass play of 40 or more yards. The Navy defense has given up two pass plays of 30+ yards while Memphis has given up three such plays.
- The Navy offense has created six rushing plays of 20 yards or more, while Memphis has created five such runs.
- The Midshipmen defense has allowed one rushing play of 20+ yards, while the Tigers have given up three such runs.
- The Memphis defensive unit has sacked opposing quarterbacks seven times this season. Navy has recorded three sacks.
