Pinned
Link copied
The SMU Mustangs and the Navy Midshipmen are set to square off in an American Athletic matchup at 7:30 p.m. ET Oct. 14 at Gerald J. Ford Stadium. Both teams might be coming in a bit winded after having run the length of the field multiple times in their most recent games.
SMU suffered a grim 41-19 defeat to the UCF Knights last Wednesday. This game was a close 13-10 at the break, but unfortunately for the Mustangs it sure didn't stay that way. One thing holding SMU back was the mediocre play of QB Tanner Mordecai, who did not have his best game: besides failing to produce a single touchdown, he threw one interception.
Meanwhile, everything went Navy's way against the Tulsa Golden Hurricane this past Saturday as they made off with a 53-21 win. With Navy ahead 36-14 at the half, the matchup was all but over already. Their FB Daba Fofana was on fire, rushing for three TDs and 159 yards on 21 carries. That nimble footwork stands out as the first time Fofana has hit the 100-yard rushing mark this season. Fofana's sharp performance also set his single-game rushing touchdown high for the season.
Navy's defense was a presence as well, as it collected three interceptions and one fumble. Those interceptions were spread across their defensive unit.
The Mustangs are the favorite in this one, with an expected 12.5-point margin of victory. Now might not be the best time to take SMU against the spread since they've let down bettors for the past three consecutive games.
SMU and Navy now sit at an identical 2-3. A pair of offensive stats to keep in the back of your head while watching: SMU comes into the contest boasting the fourth most passing yards per game in the nation at 355. Navy has displayed some offensive firepower of their own as they rank 12th in the nation when it comes to rushing yards per game, with 231.8 on average.
