No. 25 Navy looks to remain unbeaten when hosting AAC rival Charlotte

Charlotte (3-3, 2-0 American Athletic Conference) at No. 25 Navy (5-0, 3-0), Saturday, 3:30 p.m. ET (CBS Sports Network)

BetMGM College Football Odds: Navy by 17.

Series record: Navy leads 1-0.

What’s at stake?

Navy is looking for its first 6-0 start since 1979, playing at home as a ranked team for the first time since 2016. The Midshipmen have their sights set on winning the conference, making this game against Charlotte — which has won two in a row and three of four — more important to that goal this season than their upcoming showdown with Notre Dame.

Key matchup

Charlotte’s rushing attack vs. Navy’s defense. After facing and beating Air Force before a bye week, Navy is used to playing physical football, especially relying on cornerbacks and safeties to stop the run. Coach Brian Newberry acknowledged the 49ers are more balanced than Air Force, but Charlotte is coming off rushing for 311 yards in a 55-24 rout of East Carolina, so it will again be a tough task.

Players to watch

Charlotte: QB Max Brown could be back after missing the past four games with a thumb injury, though freshman Deshawn Purdie could also see a lot of action. Coach Biff Poggi expects all three quarterbacks, including Trexler Ivey, to be ready to go, so the possibility of mixing and matching is very realistic.

Navy: QB Blake Horvath makes offensive coordinator Drew Cronic’s new system go. He has rushed for 10 touchdowns and thrown for seven more while amassing 1,336 total yards. Getting the ball effectively to Eli Heidenreich and other pass-catchers while taking good care of it himself is a key to Navy attempting to stay undefeated.

Facts & figures

Navy beat Charlotte 14-0 in the schools’ only meeting on Oct. 14, 2023. … Purdie has thrown for 717 yards and four touchdowns since replacing Brown when the redshirt sophomore was injured in the second game of the season against North Carolina. … The ECU game was the second-largest margin of victory in a conference game in Charlotte history. … RB Hahsaun Wilson ran for 164 yards and three TDs last game. … Navy has scored 218 points through five games after putting up 212 all last season. … Navy is the only team in the Football Bowl Subdivision with a TD in every trip to the red zone, going 18 for 18. … The Midshipmen are one victory away from being bowl eligible for the first time since 2019. They have the nation’s second-ranked rushing offense at 295.6 yards a game.

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