The Come from the armed forces is the Marine midshipmen kind of bowl game. As they prepare to go into battle Oklahoma Soonersthey are familiar with the area surrounding Amon G. Carter Stadium in Fort Worth, Texas.
Friday’s kickoff is at noon Eastern on ESPN.
This is From the Navy (9-3) third appearance in the Armed Forces Bowl, as they beat Middle Tennessee in 2013 and then had a very dramatic affair with Louisiana Technology in 2016, which Navy lost 48-45.
The Midshipmen’s first 10-win season under a second-year coach is on the line Brian Newberry and their sixth 10-win season in program history. Also with the win, the Midshipmen can double their win total from a season ago in Newberry’s debut.
All in all, it would cap off a successful second year under their former defensive coordinator.
Oklahoma (6-6) is off to a slow debut in the SEC, where the Sooners struggled to score points at times but came away with a blowout win in the elite season Alabamaa win that likely kept the Crimson Tide out of the College Football Playoff.
Third-year coach Brent Venables also has to deal with losing players to the transfer portal and two potential defensive stars who may not play in the game as they prepare for the NFL.
How does the Navy win? Here are three keys to look at.
Want to see a simple cause-and-effect relationship?
In Navy’s nine wins, the Midshipmen have outscored teams 104-7 in points fewer than turnovers. The only team to score points off a Navy turnover in those nine games? Incredibly, it was Bucknell in the season opener.
In the Midshipmen’s three losses, Navy has been outscored 48-0 in points fewer than turnovers.
Navy must avoid turnovers and not give up any points when the ball is turned over. It must also force turnovers and score points on those turnovers.
Yes, that’s quite simple. But the Midshipmen are opposing teams in this category, meaning the first turnover of the game, no matter who commits it, could be telling.
It’s not like Navy is going to be a different team than it was against Army West Point, and certainly not with quarterback Blake Hovarth’s ability to throw the ball as a differentiator. But the Midshipmen just have to be who they are.
Navy is averaging 249.3 rushing yards per game, the seventh-best average in FBS and the program’s best since 2019.
Navy hasn’t played Oklahoma in decades, but Army recently played the Sooners in Norman. In 2018, OU needed overtime to beat Army 28-21. Oklahoma doesn’t see any option teams at all during the season. That’s an advantage for the Navy.
Oklahoma has had some turnover at quarterback since the end of the regular season. Starter Jackson Arnold transferred to Auburn and there is another quarterback in the portal.
The Sooners expect Michael Hawkins Jr. to start behind center, who actually started the season as the starting quarterback. So Navy’s defensive staff will have to tear down some tape from earlier this season.
He has 536 passing yards with a touchdown and two interceptions. He is a solid runner. But he was benched for hitting the ball several times South Carolina. Ball protection is crucial against Navy, who do a good job of creating turnovers. The pressure on Hawkins will make the difference in the game.