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3 things to know for the Armed Forces Bowl
Need a brief primer before you attempt to watch all 40 bowl games this season? We’ve got you covered. Here are three things you need to know about the Armed Forces Bowl.
ARMED FORCES BOWL
Louisiana Tech (8-5) vs. Navy (9-4)
Dec. 23, 4:30 p.m. ET
ESPN
– Navy’s offense has been great all season. But it has struggled the last two games and that’s because of season-ending injuries to quarterback Will Worth and slotback Toneo Gulley. Worth leads the team with 1,198 yards rushing and Gulley averages nearly 10 yards a carry.
Zach Abey should improve with the extra bowl practices, but it’s fair to say that Louisiana Tech has a lesser task ahead of it in stopping the Navy triple-option run game. Can the Bulldogs do it?
– Louisiana Tech is going to spread Navy out and try to exploit mismatches wherever possible. Quarterback Ryan Higgins has thrown for 4,208 yards, 37 touchdowns and eight interceptions. He’s one of the nation’s leaders in yards per pass at 9.23.
[Related: NFL draft prospects to watch in the bowl games]
Navy has been susceptible to the pass in 2016. The Midshipmen are No. 80 in pass defense and have given up over eight yards an attempt.
– Both teams enter Friday’s game on two-game losing streaks that include a conference championship loss. Navy lost to Temple in the American title game and then to Army while Louisiana Tech lost its regular-season finale to Southern Miss and fell to Western Kentucky in the Conference USA title game. A loss for the Bulldogs would mean a 1-3 start to the season and a three-game losing streak to finish. Not sure what that would say about the quality of C-USA.
Mascot prediction: Where are the Bulldogs and the Midshipmen fighting? On an aircraft carrier? Is the Midshipman armed? If so, then this isn’t a contest. But the bulldog could put up a fight against an unarmed person.
Real predictions:
Graham Watson: La. Tech 38, Navy 24
Nick Bromberg: La. Tech 31, Navy 23
Sam Cooper: La. Tech 33, Navy 28
Chris Herbert: La. Tech 35, Navy 21
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Nick Bromberg is the assistant editor of Dr. Saturday on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at nickbromberg@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!
