Navy vs. Pittsburgh Prediction, Military Bowl Game Preview

In a postseason anomaly, the Navy Midshipmen (10-2) will be hosting the Pittsburgh Panthers (8-4) in Annapolis in the Military Bowl. Check out the Navy vs. Pittsburgh prediction and game preview.

Navy vs. Pittsburgh Game Preview

Broadcast

Date: Monday, December 28
Game Time: 2:30 ET
Network: ESPN

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Why You Need To Care

In a matchup of likeminded teams that plan to win with blue-collar, no-nonsense physicality, Pitt travels to Annapolis to face No. 21 Navy.

Maybe the Midshipmen should have enlisted in a conference a long time ago. Following well over a century of independence, the academy joined the American in 2015. And it made quite a splash as the league’s newest member, darn near making it to the inaugural championship game. Fueled by record-setting QB Keenan Reynolds, Navy cracked the Top 25 for the first time in 11 years after stunning then-No. 13 and unbeaten Memphis .While the Mids’ bid for the West Division crown fell short in Houston three weeks later, they’re still 10-2 and captured another Commander-in-Chief’s Trophy with a 14th win in a row over Army.

The Panthers are out of the gates quickly under rookie head coach Pat Narduzzi. Second only to North Carolina, the Panthers were this year’s biggest ACC surprise, finishing runner-up to the Heels in the Coastal Division. And they did it with a first-year staff and star RB James Conner on the shelf for all but a few series of the opener. Plus, three of Pitt’s losses came against highly ranked opponents, Iowa, Carolina and Notre Dame, by an average of just seven points. RB Qadree Ollison and S Jordan Whitehead were named league offensive and defensive rookie of the year, respectively, indicative of the program’s promising future with Narduzzi at the helm.

Why Navy Will Win

The last time Pitt faced the triple-option back on Oct. 17, it was garroted by Georgia Tech.

Have the Panthers learned anything since the Yellow Jacket game, when they allowed 376 yards, three touchdowns and more than nine yards a carry? They better have, or else the Midshipmen will run them out of Annapolis with the combination of QB Keenan Reynolds and FB Chris Swain. Pitt is a middling offensive team, averaging 28 points to rank tenth in the ACC and rarely popping off long plays. And scoring will become even tougher for the Panthers if Reynolds & Co. are able to orchestrate enough of their clock-milking, momentum-seizing drives.

Why Pittsburgh Will Win

On the road, the Panthers will have the Mids just where they want them.

Pitt was at its best outside of Heinz Field this year, going 5-1, including wins at Virginia Tech, Georgia Tech and Duke. The Panthers aren’t great at any one thing, but they’re physical and fundamentally sound in most phases. They’ll run Ollison behind left side road-graders Dorian Johnson and Adam Bisnowaty, mixing in the low-risk passing of Nate Peterman to next-level WR Tyler Boyd. On D, Pitt has been sound all year under Narduzzi, ratcheting up a persistent upfield push with DE Ejuan Price, DT Darryl Render and linebackers Matt Galambos, Nicholas Grigsby and Mike Caprara.

Player Who Matters

In the battle of the ground-and-pound running games, Ollison will be looking to do his best Swain impersonation on Monday.

Ollison has been a revelation for the Panthers since Conner went down with a Week 1 knee injury. He’s a 230-pound brawler, rushing for 1,048 yards and 10 scores on 204 carries. And he’ll be recharged following a much-needed month with contact. Narduzzi will want to hit the Midshipmen with a steady diet of No. 37 before burning the secondary over the top with Peterman. After doing a poor job all year of maximizing the potential of Boyd, who averaged a criminally low 10.2 yards a catch, Pitt has one more shot to

What’s Going To Happen?

Navy and Pitt are about to duke it out for 12 rounds, with the Midshipmen winning on a decision.

The Panthers and the Mids are similar teams with similar personalities, so forget about either one pulling away and coasting to a victory. This will be a grind-it-out type of a game in which the backs—and Reynolds—dictate the tempo. In the end, as good as Pitt has been on the road in 2015, Navy has been even better at home. And the Midshipmen aren’t about to suffer their first loss of the year in Annapolis in the final game of Reynolds’ memorable career.