Ever since the Navy Midshipmen have broken the curse of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish, they have done a great job for bettors covering the spread, having done so in four of the last six in this series. Do the Middies have a legit reason to be excited about the prospects of an upset on Saturday in South Bend?
WHEN THE NAVY MIDSHIPMEN HAVE THE BALL
Keenan Reynolds has been here and done this before, and he is proving that he can move the ball both with his arm and his legs. He's slippery for sure, having rushed for 3,674 yards and 73 touchdowns in his career, and he might be the best general of this triple option at Navy ever.
It's tough to say that Notre Dame has had success against the triple option these last couple years. The Midshipmen have put up 30+ in both games and at least 400 yards in both games, too. If there was ever a shot to get into the 40s or the 50s, Reynolds would have that opportunity this year.
The only bad news for Navy is that the Golden Domers have already seen the triple option once this year and might be more prepared for it. They shut down the Georgia Tech offense to the tune of just 337 yards and 22 points, the last 15 of which came in th final minute of a game which was much more lopsided than the 30-22 final suggests.
However, Navy can make big plays happen, and live bettors need to be worried about that if they want to bet on the Fighting Irish. We've seen big plays out of this Middies' offense for the last four years with Reynolds running it, and his decision-making is what makes this triple option so dangerous. Rarely do you see Reynolds making the wrong choice with the football, and if nothing else, virtually every play ends up going forward, and that puts a ton of strain on a defense.
WHEN THE NOTRE DAME FIGHTING IRISH HAVE THE BALL
Hats off to DeShone Kizer last week for rallying the Irish back from down 24-9 to come a two-point play away from forcing overtime late in the fourth. He had 321 yards through the air and 60 on the ground.
Herein lies the problem, though. This offense is nothing without C.J. Prosise running the ball well. Prosise might have 650 yards and six touchdowns this year, but we know better. He's had a couple insanely explosive runs, including a 91-yard touchdown against Georgia Tech, but there are large stretches of time when he goes MIA in seemingly every game Notre Dame plays.
The Irish can't afford that if they want to keep up the pressure in live betting against a Navy defense which has yet to allow more than 21 points this season.
TREND TO TRACK
Points have been in great supply for these clubs the past several seasons. Five straight games in this series have gone past the total, namely due to the fact that Navy has scored at least 34 in three of the five games, while Notre Dame has scored at least 38 in four straight contests.
The implication here is that Notre Dame will score in at least the high-30s again, something total bettors have to remember.
What's also worth remembering is that Navy has a legitimate path to an unbeaten season if it can pull off this upset. If this team really is Top 25 worthy, we are going to see a real fight on our hands this Saturday.
BookMaker opened the NCAAF spread for this Saturday game before anyone else on the internet. The Notre Dame Fighting Irish opened at -15 along with a total of 55. In-game spreads, totals, moneylines and props are available for this game using the live betting platform at BookMaker.
Load your betting bankroll from your smartphone or tablet with BookMaker's new cashier feature! Depositing and withdrawing funds from your account has never been easier. BookMaker's live betting platform means you always have access to odds and lines to every sporting event. Click here, and start wagering today! The battle between the Navy Midshipmen and the Notre Dame Fighting Irish will kick off Saturday, October 10, 2015 at 3:30 p.m. ET at Notre Dame Stadium. The contest will be broadcast nationally on NBC.
