Navy Midshipmen (0-2) vs. Houston Cougars (2-1)
September 25, 2021 7:00 pm EDT
The Line: Houston Cougars -20 ; Over/Under: 48.5
(Get latest betting odds)
The Houston Cougars meet the Navy Midshipmen Saturday in Week 4 college football action from TDECU Stadium in Houston. Navy played Air Force in their last outing, taking a 20-point defeat. As for the Cougars, they’re coming off a game last weekend versus Grambling State. In that one Houston rolled to a blowout victory. Check back all season long for free college football picks at Sports Chat Place.
Navy opened up their season against Marshall on September 4 and didn’t have much luck at all. The Midshipmen fell behind 21-0 at the break and limped to a 49-7 blowout loss. Navy’s leading rusher was James Harris with 80 yards on 11 carries, and Xavier Arline posted the only score.
In game two versus Air Force it was more of the same offensive woes for Navy. The Midshipmen were outscored 16-0 in the second half on the way to a 23-3 defeat. Arline was the lead rusher in that one with 31 yards from 16 carries.
Over on the Houston side, they opened up the year against Texas Tech. In that game the Cougars had a 21-7 lead at the half but coughed up 31 unanswered points in a 38-21 loss. In game two Houston fared better against Rice, rolling to a 44-7 victory.
Last weekend versus Grambling State, Houston scored 21 points in the third quarter alone during a 45-0 shutout win. QB Ike Ogbogu put up 196 yards with two scores in 14-of-22 passing. Alton McCaskill had 114 yards and two scores on 16 carries.
Navy is 13-5 ATS in their last 18 conference games and 7-3 ATS in their last 10 after an ATS loss. The Midshipmen are also 1-4 ATS in their last five in September.
Meanwhile, the Cougars are 5-2 ATS versus a team with a losing record and 2-5 ATS in their last seven overall. Houston is also 3-10 ATS in their last 13 after an ATS win.
PICK: I’m going to stick with Houston. Navy has had some extra time to hit the practice field in between games though, so they might look better here. The Midshipmen were dismal on offense in their last game, posting just 68 total yards and 1.5 yards per play. Navy had just six first downs and a 1.5-yard average per play.
As for Houston, they had no issues versus Grambling State in their last game, rumbling to 422 total yards with 24 first downs. The defense was great, holding the Tigers to just three first downs and 0-of-14 on third-down tries. I like the Cougars to keep rolling here.
