Brian Newberry grew up simply down the highway from Norman, Okla., rooting for the Oklahoma Sooners.
Now, Newberry will wrap up his second season as Navy’s head coach when the Midshipmen tackle the Sooners within the Armed Forces Bowl on Friday in Fort Value, Texas.
“It should be surreal seeing them throughout that sideline,” Newberry mentioned. “I am enthusiastic about it. Cannot watch for it.”
Navy (9-3) is searching for simply the sixth 10-win season in program historical past. The Midshipmen are coming off a 31-13 win over rival Military in Landover, Md.
The bowl is Navy’s first in opposition to an SEC opponent because the 1955 Sugar Bowl when the Midshipmen beat Ole Miss 21-0.
“If you come to Navy, you are not anticipating that you will be enjoying Oklahoma,” Midshipmen quarterback Blake Horvath mentioned. “In case you would have informed me that once I dedicated right here, I assumed that will’ve been fairly cool.”
For Oklahoma, it is this system’s first look within the Armed Forces Bowl and its first bowl sport in opposition to a service academy opponent.
The Sooners are in a bowl sport for the twenty sixth consecutive season, the second-longest lively streak within the nation behind solely Georgia (28).
Oklahoma needed to sweat this one out, needing an upset victory over then-No. 7 Alabama in its house finale to succeed in bowl eligibility.
The Sooners (6-6) need to keep away from a second dropping season prior to now three years after going from 1999-2021 with no sub-.500 marketing campaign.
The sport will characteristic one of many high speeding offenses within the nation in opposition to one of many high run-stopping groups in FBS.
Navy was No. 7 nationally by way of the common season with a mean of 249.3 speeding yards per sport.
The Midshipmen’s floor sport is led by Horvath, who has rushed for 1,091 yards and 15 touchdowns. Horvath ran for 100 or extra yards 5 instances this season, together with 204 yards and two touchdowns within the win over Military.
The Sooners have allowed simply 154.9 yards per sport on the bottom, twelfth in FBS by way of the common season.
Oklahoma can be with out a number of key items of that protection, although.
Linebacker Danny Stutsman, the Sooners’ main tackler and a consensus All-American, and security Billy Bowman Jr. each are anticipated to overlook the sport as they put together for the NFL Draft, whereas linebacker/defensive again Dasan McCullough entered the switch portal.
Linebacker Kip Lewis figures to play a fair larger function within the bowl sport with Stutsman out.
Navy’s triple-option offense places loads of stress on linebackers.
“I am from east Texas, so I’ve performed Wing-T like again in highschool, so I am somewhat used to it,” Lewis mentioned. “It has been a minute since I performed it, however it introduced me again to my roots enjoying the Wing-T.”
Oklahoma will even be short-handed on the offensive facet, as freshman quarterback Michael Hawkins Jr. will make his first begin since mid-October after Jackson Arnold transferred to Auburn.
The Sooners have been skinny at large receiver all season and can be once more within the bowl after a number of of their receivers who missed vital time resulting from accidents entered the switch portal.
They’re hopeful Deion Burks, who performed in simply one of many previous eight video games, can be out there for the bowl sport.
The matchup can be simply the second between the applications. In 1965, Navy beat the Sooners 10-0 in Norman.
–Area Degree Media
