Originally Posted by
moneyplays
PITTSBURGH (-4.0) 33 Navy 23
05:00 PM Pacific Time Wednesday, Oct-10 - Stats Matchup
Navy has covered the spread in just one game all season and the Midshipmen still appear overrated. Navy has a good offensive unit, averaging 6.3 yards per play (against teams that would allow 5.8 yppl to an average team), but the Middies have been horrible defensively (6.9 yppl allowed to teams that would average 5.4 yppl) and have allowed a horrendous 9.7 yards per pass play, so expect Pitt’s frosh QB Pat Bostick to have a good game after averaging a decent 5.0 yppp in games against good defensive teams Connecticut and Virginia, who would combine to allow just 5.3 yppp to an average quarterback. While the Panthers’ offense should move the ball well against Navy’s bad defense I expect the stout Pitt defense to handle Navy’s option attack. Pittsburgh has yielded only 3.9 yards per play and only 3.7 yards per rushing play this season (to teams that would average 5.1 yppl and 4.7 yprp against an average defense), so they are more than capable of slowing down Navy’s offense. Pittsburgh has a significant advantage regardless of which team has the ball and the only thing keeping me from making Pittsburgh a Best Bet is Navy’s long tradition of pointspread success in regular season games away from home (73-34-1 ATS, although 0-2 ATS this season) and coach Johnson’s 20-9-1 ATS record when facing a team with a losing record. Of course, most of those losing opponents weren’t as good defensively against the run as the Panthers are and I’ll consider Pittsburgh a Strong Opinion at -5 points or less and I’d take Pitt as a 2-Star Best Bet at -3 points or less.