Army @ Navy preview

Last Meeting ( Dec 8, 2018 ) Navy 10, Army 17

Navy looks to finish the regular season with 10 wins for the first time since 2015 and snap a three-game losing streak against Army when the teams meet for the 120th time Saturday at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia. The 21st-ranked Midshipmen, who play Kansas State in the Liberty Bowl on Dec. 31 and lead the all-time series with Army 60-52-7, have undergone quite a revival after managing just three wins last season.

“We’ve improved dramatically in so many defensive statistical categories with basically the same players,” Navy coach Ken Niumatalolo told the Philadelphia Inquirer of his team, which has lost to only No. 14 Notre Dame and No. 15 Memphis. “So our players have done a great job buying in. … The way they’ve improved and the amount they’ve improved has been pretty remarkable.” Senior quarterback Malcolm Perry leads the way for the Midshipmen, who lead the nation in rushing offense (360.8 yards per game), while Army is second in the country on the ground (311.7) and hopes quarterback Kelvin Hopkins Jr. is ready to go after he left the last game at Hawaii on Nov. 30 with a leg injury. The Black Knights won’t be going to a bowl game for the first time in four years after suffering six of their seven losses by single digits, including a 24-21 double-overtime setback at No. 17 Michigan. “In the three seasons prior, we were 19-5 in one-score games. This year, we’re 1-5 in one-score games,” Army coach Jeff Monken told the Inquirer. “We’ve just got to find a way to get one more step, or score on one more drive, and you change the game. You change the course of the season. So, it’s been hard on our team, because we came into the season with very high expectations.”

TV: 3 p.m. ET, CBS. LINE: Navy -10.5

ABOUT ARMY (5-7): Hopkins has thrown for 570 yards and run for 706 along with seven touchdowns to lead the Black Knights and is hoping to be part of a senior class that sweeps the Midshipmen. “Getting that chance to go 4-0 and leave as a four-time winner is definitely an experience all its own,” Hopkins, a senior captain, told reporters. “But just leaving on a high note as a football player in your career, you want to end that with a win, so there’s that added pressure.” Senior Connor Slomka (637 yards, eight TDs) and junior Sandon McCoy (555, 10) have also contributed on the ground and junior Camden Harrison (23 catches, 415 yards) is the top target.

ABOUT NAVY (9-2): Perry has rushed for at least 100 yards in eight straight games (1,500 overall) to tie a school record and needs 88 yards to pass Napoleon McCallum for the single-season record (1983). “Any given night, whatever the defense gives us, we will take,” Perry told reporters. “Whatever they don’t give us, we will work our hardest to get it. We have weapons all over the field, and we are not one-dimensional.” Perry boasts six passing TDs to go along with 19 on the ground and sophomore fullback Jamale Carothers (637 yards rushing) has run for another 13 scores while sophomore All-American Athletic Conference linebacker Diego Fagot leads the team with 85 tackles.

EXTRA POINTS

1. Army’s senior LB Cole Christiansen tops the team with 103 tackles while senior DB Elijah Riley boasts four sacks and three interceptions.

2. Navy WR Mychal Cooper leads the team with 15 receptions for 355 yards, but missed the last game with an undisclosed injury and is questionable.

3. The Midshipmen can claim their 16th Commander-In-Chief’s Trophy and 11th in 17 years with a victory Saturday after beating Air Force 34-25 on Oct. 5.

PREDICTION: Navy 31, Army 21