Navy Football Three Keys: Holy Cross

The Navy Midshipmen host Holy Cross on Saturday at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium. Here are your three keys to a Navy win over Holy Cross.

Key 1 – Stuff the Running Game

The Crusaders return their entire offensive line and the starting running back from a year ago. Also, consider that Holy Cross will be breaking in a new quarterback, 6-foot-6 Connor Degenhardt. All these facts indicate that Holy Cross is going to run the ball as much as possible. If Navy can shut down the run and force Degenhart into passes situations, the Mids will allow very few points to the Crusaders.

Key 2 – Malcolm Perry Runs Wild

Navy quarterback Malcolm Perry has had a sensational career for Navy with 2,342 passing yards and 19 TDs. It makes sense to put the ball in his hands and let him run wild. Malcolm isn’t just a good athlete. He’s a student of the game and has unusual quickness and the ability to make potential tacklers miss. Sure, he can’t do everything but when you have great weapons in combat, you use those weapons. Football is no different.

Key 3 – Have Fun and Expect to Win

The 2018 season was a miserable one for the entire Navy nation. Keep in mind that football is a game and games are played to have fun. The mids shouldn’t be going into games tight and terrified of making mistakes. Relax without feeling guilty and just go out and execute the game plan at full speed and enjoy playing football.

This is a game that Navy should win by double-digits. Being 1-0 could help get the mids on a steady path to success in 2019.

NAVY CAREER RUSHING YARDS LEADERS

Saturday’s game kicks off at 3:30 pm ET. Watch on the CBS Sports Network.