The Navy Midshipmen made the long journey back home from Hawai’i earlier this week, and they are still in search of their first win. Navy was down 28-0 to the Rainbow Warriors after the first 19 minutes of play last Saturday, but the Midshipmen were able to make the final score respectable in a 59-41 loss. That wasn’t good news for anyone who bet on Navy though, as the Midshipmen were a two-touchdown favorite on the NCAAF betting line coming into this one.
Navy is hoping its luck is better in Week 2 of the season as the Memphis Tigers come to town. Memphis waxed FCS Mercer in their opener, but now the Tigers must go on the road for their first AAC clash of the season.
Watch this Week 2 matchup live on Saturday, September 8, 2018, at 3:30 p.m. ET at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium in Annapolis, Maryland.
College Football Odds at BookMaker.eu
Memphis -7
Navy +7
Over/Under 68.5
Odds Analysis
The spread in this one has shot up by a considerable amount since the initial CFB betting odds were released on Sunday evening. Originally, Memphis was a 3.5-point favorite on the NCAAF betting line, but the Tigers are now a seven-point favorite as of Wednesday.
There has been a good bit of action on the total too. This total opened at 71 on the CFB betting line, yet it has dropped 2.5 points since that point.
Matchup to Watch
Brady White and the Memphis offense had to be excited watching Hawai’i put up 59 on this defense. Navy didn’t have much of an answer for the Rainbow Warriors’ passing attack, giving up 428 yards and six touchdowns through the air, with the Midshipmen allowing 10.4 yards per pass. Memphis wants to throw it around too, and White is out to build on his impressive opener.
White looked great against a decent FCS team in Mercer in the opener. He completed 78.6 percent of his passes for 358 yards and five touchdowns against the Bears defense. He averaged 12.8 yards per pass attempt in the victory, and he showed that he can throw the deep ball too That’s great news for a team that no longer has Riley Ferguson or Anthony Miller but returns many of its other top options from last year.
Navy must do better preventing the pass for the Midshipmen to get a victory in this one. Safety Sean Williams was an all-AAC pick last year, and a lot of the onus will be on him in his role as a leader.
Position to Watch
There was a quarterback carousel for Navy in its opener. Zach Abey, Malcolm Perry, and Garret Lewis all saw a good amount of action under center, and it will be interesting to see which one head coach Ken Niumatalolo goes with this week.
All three quarterbacks saw some action last year with Abey getting the bulk of the work over the course of the season. He is the most sound option runner of the three, but he lacks the explosiveness of Perry and the throwing ability of Lewis.
Perry was the starter coming into the year and broke off a 75-yard touchdown run and threw a 19-yard touchdown pass against Hawai’i. However, he was pretty much held in check for the rest of the evening, and he didn’t always make the correct read. Don’t be surprised if Niumatalolo alternates his quarterbacks again here.
Free ATS Pick
The under is the right play in this one. Although it has already come down some since it opened, it is the best play on the board. Navy will want to grind out the clock and is still in search of consistency, so the triple option might sputter. As for Memphis, this is White’s first real foe, and he is unlikely to have the same success he had against Mercer. This is just too many points.
College Football Odds: Memphis 31, Navy 28
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