1. Get an early lead
It’s a simple concept, but in the first quarter, the Midshipmen have scored more points (91) and allowed more points (76) than in any quarter this season. It is imperative the Midshipmen take the expected capacity crowd of more than 24,000 out of the game, as the Huskies are 24-9 at home since 2003. Navy has won 29 of its past 31 games when scoring first.
2. Block Larry English
The senior defensive end leads all active Football Bowl Subdivision players in career sacks (31.5), sack yardage (220) and tackle for loss yardage (279). This season, English has eight sacks and 14 tackles for loss. The Midshipmen rushed for 359 yards on 60 carries and English finished with an assisted tackle in Navy’s 35-24 victory in Annapolis last season.
3. Thirty is the magic number
Navy is 34-5 the past six years when scoring at least 30 points, but just 7-16 when the opposition tops the mark, including 0-3 this season. The Huskies are 4-1 this season when topping the 30-point plateau. A close game, however, also favors the Midshipmen, as they are 13-8 the past six seasons in games decided by five points or fewer, including a 23-21 win over Rutgers this season.
