NAVY @ MARYLAND
Football : United States : NCAA Football
Monday, September 6th, 2010 - Kickoff 4:00PM ET
(9:00PM GMT)

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Bit of early football to whet your appetite before the big one between Boise and VT (Preview by Goober on the main page too!) Why not excercise your betting balance too. Go on!

Navy Midshipmen

Navy racked up 10 wins last season, meaning they have now had 7 straight seasons in which they have scored 8 wins or more. QB Ricky Dobbs is off a brilliant last season, rushing for 1203 yards and he also broke Tim Tebows record for rushing touchdowns scored by a QB with 27. Dobbs trained throughout the offseason and will lead the teams triple-option which could prove fatal for the Terps.

Also carrying the ball, in addition to QB Dobbs will be Aaron Santiago and Gee Gee Greene. Seniors Jeff Battipaglia and Matt Malloy are back for their last seasons and that means the triple option is further strengthned by experiences.

On defence, the Midshipmen of Navy did a very good job last year. They are anchored by Jabaree Tuani, who is beginning his junior year (Year 3 of 4). Tuani had a so-so season last year but is a solid competitor and will bounce back strong here in the opener. In the secondary, Navy return many veteran players who will keep the defence strong. Senior Wyatt Middleton is the defensive captain and a great playmaker, and collected 68 tackles last year.

Maryland Terrapins

Ralph Friedgen is about to start his 10th season as coach of the Terps and will be hoping his side can improve on last years 2-10 finish. The Terps do tend to do well in season openers though, as they have won 5 in the last 6 years.

Junior Jamarr Robinson, who started just 2 games last year and played a small part in 5 more games, will be the QB this season. Look for him to go to Torrey Smith out wide, who also returns the ball very well. On the other side of the pitch will be Adrian Cannon, giving Robinson 2 options when his side aren't running the ball, which is their main source of attack.

The defense has to pull it's socks up as the last years performances weren't good enough. The one bright spot was linebacker Alex Wujciak, who is probably one of the best in the country. He racked up an average of 10.92 tackles per game, and will pose the biggest threat to the Navy offense. Adrian Moten will join him in the linebacking corps, along with Demetrius Hartsfield, who is another young talent with a lot of potential to do well.

Cameron Chism is the main man in the secondary, collecting 4 interceptions last year, and is a solid player in the corner. The other corner will be filled by McDougle and Trenton Huges.

BETTING VERDICT

So, a bit of team news there, but on strategy, Maryland will try and run the ball and on a neutral field, albeit in Baltimore, I don't see them get this done. The line has dropped to only 6 and if you are an ATS bettor, I would go with Navy -6 as I can see them win by at least a touchdown. The straight up win is priced at 1.45 and I think this is good enough to lump on. Enjoy the game!

The Pick :

Navy to win

FIXED ODDS BETTING :

Navy to win @ 1.45 (Pinnacle)

HANDICAP BETTING :

Navy -6 @ 1.95 (Pinnacle)