Navy @ Cincinnati preview

Last Meeting ( Sep 23, 2017 ) Cincinnati 32, Navy 42

Cincinnati has experienced the highs and lows of overtime in the past two weeks. The Bearcats ended up on the good side of OT their last time out, and they'd like to build on that win Saturday when they host a struggling Navy squad.

After losing to Temple in overtime seven days earlier, Cincinnati avoided a similar fate when James Wiggins returned an interception 86 yards for a touchdown to punctuate last week's win over SMU. "We were kind of disturbed about last week in overtime, we had lost," Wiggins said. "We were like, 'This isn't happening again.'" Navy enters this matchup having lost five straight games, including a 44-22 setback versus Notre Dame a week ago. The team authored a strong performance in the rushing game, as usual, but even 292 rushing yards weren't enough to make a dent against a national championship contender like the Fighting Irish.

TV: 3:30 p.m. ET, ESPNU. LINE: Cincinnati -13

ABOUT NAVY (2-6, 1-3 AAC): Navy averages 307.9 rushing yards per game - only two teams in the nation average more - and have eight different players with a score on the ground. Malcolm Perry leads the way with 862 rushing yards and has seven touchdowns, three shy of Zach Abey for the team lead. Defense has been a major issue of late, as the team has allowed 93 points in the last two games and ranks 110th nationally in overall defense (35.5 points yielded per game).

ABOUT CINCINNATI (7-1, 3-1): Freshman quarterback Desmond Ridder threw for a career-high 352 yards - and also threw two interceptions for the first time - in last week's triumph. He was coming off arguably his worst game of the season, as he had gone 14-of-33 for only 111 yards against Temple and failed to throw a touchdown in that one for only the second time this season. Michael Warren II is aiming to bounce back from his worst game of 2018 - a season-low 67 rushing yards and no touchdowns for the first time all season - in the victory over SMU.

EXTRA POINTS

1. Navy has won all three previous meetings but is visiting Cincinnati for the first time.

2. Cincinnati WR Kahlil Lewis piled up 12 catches for 174 yards and two touchdowns against SMU.

3. After recording 11 rushing touchdowns last season, the Bearcats already have 24 rushing TDs in 2018.

PREDICTION: Cincinnati 39, Navy 31