For Week 3 the Navy travels far from Annapolis, going on the road to Tennessee to face the Memphis Tigers at the Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium on Thursday night at 7:30 PM EST.
The Navy got trashed by Notre Dame 42-3 in their Week 0 encounter, in a game in which the Midshipmen never got rolling in Dublin. In Week 2, the Midshipmen got the upper hand versus Wagner and handily defeated them 24-0. Quarterback Tai Lavatai threw for 161 yards with one touchdown.
The bulk of the Navy's offense came in the form of the running game, where they recorded 245 rushing yards. It was a committee effort, with five Midshipmen accruing more than 20 yards. Eli Hendereich was their rushing leader in Week 2, with 66 yards.
The Memphis Tigers are currently 2-0 after defeating B-CU in Week 1 and Arkansas State in Week 2. In Week 2, their quarterback Seth Henigan recorded 239 yards with two touchdown passes.
Week 3 Memphis vs. Navy game information
- Date: Thursday, September 14, 2023.
- Time: 7:30 PM ET.
- Channel: ESPN.
- Live Stream: Watch this game on Fubo.
- City: Memphis, Florida.
- Venue: Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium.
The Tigers are slight favorites in the encounter, with the Midshipmen having lost their last four encounters against Memphis. Memphis is a 13.5-point favorite.
Both teams rely heavily on their running game with the Midshipmen averaging 185.5 rushing yards per game and the Tigers 179. The Midshipmen are the 45th-ranked rushing offense in the nation and Memphis is the 51st.
The Midshipmen's biggest weakness is their inability to defend against the passing game, something that was exploited by Notre Dame in the Week 0 game at Dublin. Their lack of proper personnel in defense means that they will probably play zone defense.
Against the Fighting Irish, this meant that four players accrued 30 or more yards. Memphis likes to use different receivers, so something similar could happen in Thursday's encounter. In the game versus Arkansas State, seven players in the Tigers roster got between 24 and 52 yards. Memphis likes to use RB Blake Watson on the passing game too, so look to him getting receiving and rushing yards.
Prediction: Memphis 31-17 Navy
Betting Trends
- Midshipmen vs. Memphis spread: Memphis -13.5
- Midshipmen vs. Memphis over/under: 47 points
- Midshipmen vs. Memphis money line: Navy +416, Memphis -565
- The Midshipmen are 6-0 against the spread in their last six road games
- The Tigers have hit the first half under team total in seven of their last nine games
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