Duke @ Navy preview

Last Meeting ( Sep 13, 2008 ) Navy 31, Duke 41

Navy (5-2) played its best game of the season last Saturday, whipping Notre Dame 35-17 and earning votes in both major polls.

The Midshipmen won't need that kind of performance against Duke, but they can't afford a letdown as they look for a sixth victory and an automatic bid to the Poinsettia Bowl.

Duke (1-6) continued to struggle last Saturday, managing just 208 yards of offense in a 44-7 loss to Virginia Tech. Duke has lost six in a row since opening with a 41-27 win over Elon of the FCS. The Blue Devils haven't had a winning season since 1994.

The statistical comparisons look daunting for Duke. Navy's option offense ranks ninth in the nation with 274.4 rushing yards per game, while Duke is 107th against the run, allowing an average of 203.4 yards. The only major offensive or defensive category where Duke ranks better than 66th in the nation is passing offense, where the Blue Devils are 36th with 254.1 yards a game. But they've also thrown 16 interceptions, and Navy ranks 15th in pass defense (174.0 ypg).

Navy junior fullback Alexander Teich rushed for 210 yards on 26 carries and scored on a 31-yard screen pass against Notre Dame. For the season, Teich averages 5.4 yards a carry. Senior quarterback Ricky Dobbs has ran for 90 yards and three touchdowns against the Irish, giving him eight rushing scores this season. He also has thrown for 728 yards and five touchdowns.

Duke quarterback Sean Renfree has thrown for 1,737 passing yards, with 10 touchdowns and 15 interceptions. Receiver Conner Vernon leads the ACC with 43 catches for 625 yards, and has scored three touchdowns. In 18 career games, the sophomore has 98 catches for 1,371 yards and six touchdowns.

Despite running the ball 83 percent of the time, Navy has lost just two fumbles, tied for third-fewest in the nation. Against Notre Dame, Navy rolled up 438 yards of offense without a turnover. The Middies are tied for fourth in turnover margin at plus-1.4 per game, while Duke is 119th at minus-1.7.

Navy has been penalized for just 32.3 yards a game, fourth-best in the nation, and had zero penalties against Notre Dame. Navy ranks 19th in the nation in scoring defense, allowing just 18 points a game.

Duke ranks 114th in scoring defense (38.7 ppg), but linebacker Abraham Kromah is third in the ACC with 10 tackles per game.

Navy's Ken Niumatalolo, the first Samoan head coach in college football history, has 18 wins -- the most by any Navy coach in his first two seasons.

Duke won the last meeting 41-31 in Durham in 2008, snapping a four-game losing streak to the Middies.