Bob Levey/Getty Images. Pictured: Dana Holgorsen.
Navy vs. Houston Odds
| Navy Odds | +20 |
| Houston Odds | -20 |
| Moneyline | +750 / -1250 |
| Over/Under | 48.5 (-105/-115) |
| Time | 7 p.m. ET |
| TV | ESPNU |
| Odds via DraftKings. Get up-to-the-minute college football odds here. | |
The Houston Cougars (2-1) are looking to build some momentum as American Athletic Conference play begins this week when they take on the Navy Midshipmen (0-2).
After a crushing opening-week loss to in-state rival Texas Tech, the Cougars have dominated their last two opponents, outscoring Rice and Grambling State by a combined 89-7.
As for Navy, it has been a whirlwind the last few weeks with athletic director Chet Gladchuk firing longtime offensive coordinator Ivin Jasper, only to re-hire him to serve as quarterbacks coach after Ken Niumatalolo asked him to reconsider.
When it comes to matchups between Navy and Houston, overs are typically the play as the number has hit in five of the last six contests between the two.
The Cougars have also hit the over in five of their last seven home games.
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Navy vs. Houston Betting Preview
Navy Midshipmen
Navy Offense
The Midshipmen are 0-2 this season. They scored 10 points in two weeks and have scored just two touchdowns in their last five games dating back to last season.
Heck, they only entered the red zone twice in that span. That’s how dismal this offense has been.
Change was needed, and you could argue it should’ve happened much sooner.
Following Jasper’s demotion, Niumatalolo confirmed he’ll call the plays moving forward. However, since Niumatalolo stated that he was previously already heavily involved in the offense, should we really expect drastic improvements?
Navy Defense
Defensively, Navy is only marginally better as it ranks 59th nationally in total defense, 111th in pass success and 117th in Finishing Drives.
If there’s one edge the Midshipmen could have Saturday, it will be defending the run, where they’ve limited opponents to just 3.11 yards per carry on the year and held Air Force to a season-low 176 yards in Week 2.
Potentially facing a backup quarterback and a true freshman running back, it would help Navy’s cause significantly if it can make Houston one-dimensional on offense.
Houston Cougars
Houston Offense
What is the status of starting quarterback Clayton Tune? Maybe the other question we should be asking is: does it matter?
Backup Ike Ogbogu came in for the injured Tune last weekend against Grambling State and completed 14-of-22 passes for 196 yards and two touchdowns.
Head coach Dana Holgorsen stated after the game that Tune hadn’t practiced much leading up to Saturday after suffering a hamstring injury.
The other development last week for the Cougars was the emergence of talented true freshman running back Alton McCaskill, who finally took over the reins in the backfield by rushing for 114 yards and two touchdowns.
This is still an offense that ranks 90th in Rush Success and 101st in Line Yards, but McCaskill adds some punch that the veteran running backs don’t possess.
Houston Defense
On defense, Houston has been solid across the board, ranking in the top 10 in both passing and total defense, while also limiting opponents to just 3.31 yards per carry on the ground.
Against Grambling State, the defense allowed just three first downs all game and held the Tigers’ offense to 0-and-14 on third-down attempts.
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Navy vs. Houston Matchup Analysis
Toggle the dropdowns below to hide or show how Navy and Houston match up statistically:
Navy Offense vs. Houston Defense
 |
Offense |
Defense |
 Edge |
| Rush Success | 117 | 12 |
|
| Line Yards | 59 | 67 |
|
| Pass Success | 129 | 16 |
|
| Pass Blocking** | 125 | 24 |
|
| Big Play | 116 | 26 |
|
| Havoc | 127 | 15 |
|
| Finishing Drives | 128 | 14 |
|
| **Pass Blocking (Off.) vs. Pass Rush (Def.) | |||
Houston Offense vs. Navy Defense
|
|
Offense |
Defense |
Edge |
| Rush Success | 90 | 63 |
|
| Line Yards | 101 | 5 |
|
| Pass Success | 71 | 111 |
|
| Pass Blocking** | 24 | 74 |
|
| Big Play | 85 | 72 |
|
| Havoc | 119 | 85 |
|
| Finishing Drives | 2 | 117 |
|
| **Pass Blocking (Off.) vs. Pass Rush (Def.) | |||
Pace of Play / Other
|
|
|
|
| PFF Tackling | 33 | 35 |
| PFF Coverage | 129 | 49 |
| Middle 8 | 124 | 55 |
| SP+ Special Teams | 118 | 83 |
| Plays per Minute | 104 | 110 |
| Rush Rate | 80.9% (3) | 53.5% (72) |
Data via College Football Data, FootballOutsiders, SP+, PFF and SportSource Analytics.
Navy vs. Houston Betting Pick
The murky status surrounding Tune’s health would normally give us pause here, but Ogbogu moved the offense well enough that this wouldn’t be a significant downgrade if he was forced into the starting role this week.
For Navy, will one bye week of reflection and rare turmoil within the program fix the offensive woes that have extended well over a year at this point?
Doubt it.
In last year’s matchup, the Cougars allowed then-Navy quarterback Dalen Morris to throw for 206 yards and two touchdowns while holding the Midshipmen to 21 points.
Navy has thrown for just 217 yards combined in its last five games and it doesn’t look capable of replicating that kind of performance.
Pick: Houston -20
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