Navy Key: Stop the run
Temple employs a power rushing attack with play-action pass mixed in. The Owls feature a solid one-two punch of tailbacks Jahad Thomas and Ryquell Armstead, who have rushed for 856 and 842 yards, respectively, while totaling 25 touchdowns between them. If Thomas and Armstead are getting big chunks of yardage, it enables the Owls to throw on their terms. Quarterback Phillip Walker has done a masterful job of keeping opponents off-balance by faking the handoff to Thomas or Armstead and throwing downfield. Inside linebacker Micah Thomas will play a key role as Navy attempts to stuff the run and force Temple into obvious passing situations. If the Owls establish a strong ground game and force more defenders to commit to run support, it could be a long day for the Midshipmen. Walker's favorite target is wide receiver Ventell Bryant (18 yards per catch), a big-play threat who is questionable with a shoulder injury.
Temple Key: Dominate Possession
The Owls want to give the Mids a dose of their own medicine by playing keep away. Navy has spent the season controlling the clock and limiting possessions, a tactic that has unnerved the spread passing teams that predominate in the American Athletic Conference. Temple employs the same strategy and has been extremely effective, ranking fifth nationally in time of possession (34 minutes). There is no better way to defend a triple-option offense than to keep it off the field. Under the direction of quarterback Will Worth, the Mids have been extremely efficient on offense this season. This could be a repeat of the Navy-Notre Dame game when the two teams had 13 possessions between them.
Injury Report: Navy – Fullback Chris High (ankle), slotback Dishan Romine (head) and cornerback Elijah Merchant (concussion) are probable; Outside linebacker Josiah Powell (leg) along with slotbacks Josh Brown (ankle) and Josh Walker (shoulder) are out. Temple – Quarterback Phillip Walker (ankle) is probable; wide receiver Ventell Bryant (shoulder) and defensive back Nate L. Smith (leg) are questionable.
Series History: Navy leads 6-5 after winning the last meeting, 31-24, in 2014. This marks the first matchup between the Midshipmen and Owls as members of the American Athletic Conference.
Of Note: Navy and Temple are both seeking the first conference championship in program history. The Owls, who were previously members of the Mid-American and Big East, are playing in the championship game for the second straight season. The Midshipmen, who played 134 seasons as an independent, made the title tilt in just their second season as an American member.
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Beating Temple would give Navy back-to-back 10-win seasons for the first time in program history. It would also mark the third season of 10 wins or more during the nine-year tenure of head coach Ken Niumatalolo. The Midshipmen mustered only two 10-win seasons from 1905 to 2004.
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Beating Navy would give Temple consecutive seasons with 10 wins for the first time in program history. The Owls would also own a seven-game winning streak for the first time in program history.
Quote-Unquote: "They're a power running football team. They're going to get downhill. As you start to get people involved in the run game, they have really good play-action stuff that complements. Even though we're a triple-option team, our principles are really similar. We run the football, try to control time of possession, run play-action. That's kind of what they do, too."
-Navy head coach Ken Niumatalolo
"It's a great offense and they've done a terrific job of wearing teams down and winning the war of attrition. That's something we pride ourselves on. It's not often that we play other teams that run, run, run and pound people until they submit, but that's what Navy has done."
-Temple head coach Matt Rhule