Army-Navy Game 2011: 5 Things Black Knights Need to Do to Break Losing Streak

The Army-Navy Game is one of the oldest and richest rivalries in all of college football. Dating back to 1890, the game is a showdown between two great academies that commission the leaders of our armed forces.

Unfortunately for Army, this rivalry has not been a pleasant one the last several years. Last season, Navy upended the Black Knights 31-17. In 2009, it was 17-3 and in 2008 it was 34-0. That's only slightly better than the 38-3 thumping the Knights took at the hands of the Midshipmen back in 2007.

Can Army turn their fortunes, take possession of the Thompson Cup, and bring back some bragging rights over their naval counterparts?

With a 3-8 record coming into the game, it doesn't look all that promising. The Black Knights will have to play one of their best games of the season to get it done.

Here are five keys to Army taking sending Navy back out to sea empty-handed.

Despite their less-than-impressive record, the Black Knights have the top-rated rushing offense in the nation. No kidding.

Army averages 350.91 yards per game on the ground, edging out Air Force by more than 30 yards per game. Third on that list is Georgia Tech with 316.83 yards per game.

The Black Knights aren't just "pretty good" at running the football, they're head-and-shoulders above virtually everyone else, statistically speaking.

Of course, their system is designed that way. Junior quarterback Trent Steelman (perfect name for a soldier) has only attempted 39 passes all season long. The three quarterbacks in New York for the Heisman Trophy ceremony have all had single games with more attempts than Steelman has this season.

However, just because Army runs the ball a lot, doesn't mean they rack up their yards a few at a time, en route to lofty rushing totals. They get solid gains consistently from their backs and need to push that envelope against Navy.

Sophomore running back Raymond Maples is averaging 7.4 yards per carry on the season and has 984 rushing yards in 10 games. Junior back Malcolm Brown is also averaging seven yards per carry on the season and has added 490 yards.

Steelman has been the big goal-line threat with 11 rushing touchdowns.

The Black Knights can use this ground attack to keep the ball out of Navy's hands and control the clock. However, they have to keep getting consistent production out of these guys. Navy's run defense is rated 81st in the nation, and Army will have to pound away at that defense and keep the chains moving.

This is going to be a ground battle all the way around. While Army may have the top-rated rush attack, Navy isn't far behind. They're rated fourth best in the nation in terms of yards per game on the ground with an average of 313.73.

The top four rushing offenses in the nation all run a version of the option attack. Georgia Tech's triple option may be the most well-known of the group, but that's really only because they're a contender in a BCS automatic-qualifying conference.

They get a little more media attention when they're playing teams like Virginia Tech or Florida State than Army or Navy typically do while playing teams like Rutgers.

However, Navy's version of the triple option isn't far behind Georgia Tech's.

Army knows this offense. They've seen it multiple times. Now, they have to stop it, or at least slow it down.

Senior linebacker Steven Erzinger has been a quality leader for the Black Knights, racking up 92 tackles on the season.  It's a little disconcerting however, that the top six tacklers on the Army squad all come from the secondary.

We don't see a lineman on the list until we're seven deep on the stat sheet, when junior A.J. Mackey finally shows up with 34 tackles.

That's not good enough. To stop a rush attack like Navy's, the Black Knights will have to string out the line, keep heavy pursuit with their linemen and not allow runners to gain forward momentum.

They've got to get a little more pressure from guys like Mackey, who can make the stop before guys like Erzinger can even get to the play.

When it comes to returning kicks, neither of these teams are all that great. It's kind of interesting that two teams that are very good at running the football aren't very good at running it back on kickoffs.

Navy ranks 100th in the nation in kick returns, averaging only 19.71 yards per return. The bad news is however, Army is even worse, ranking 113th in the nation and averaging only 18.80.

Navy ranks 92nd in the nation in field goal efficiency, hitting just eight out of 13 attempts (61.5 percent). Again however, Army has been even worse. They rank 112th and have hit on just three out of six attempts (50 percent).

Special teams aren't just that silly little thing you do to hand the ball over to the other team or finish off drives. They dictate the battle of field position. They determine whether your team has to drive the length of the field or whether they only have half a field to get to the end zone.

Army has to get good returns on both punts and kicks to set up good field position and keep the ball on Navy's side of the field. They also need good coverage for the same reason.

The Black Knights haven't been stellar to this point on special teams, but they need to bring something better to the table in this game.

Navy is a quality opponent, despite their 4-7 record. They have the tools to upend Army the same way they have for nearly the last decade.

Army needs to put the past behind them and grab the upper hand early.

Simply put, they're not built to dig their way out of a hole. Their ground offense is as good as it gets, but their pass offense doesn't really exist. They can't take to the air and pull down big plays to get back into a game if it starts getting away from them.

On the other hand, Navy isn't well equipped to dig themselves out of a hole either. The best bet Army might have to secure a win is to get out front early and make it a possession battle.

All of the previous stuff means nothing if Army gives the football away to Navy. It's just that simple.

The Midshipmen are one of the more opportunistic teams in the country when it comes to turnovers. They have a turnover margin of plus-eight, good enough for 16th best in the nation.

What's more, Navy has spread the wealth. Of the 21 takeaways they've generated this season, 11 have been fumble recoveries and 10 have been interceptions. They don't care how they get the ball away from you; they're just going to do it.

On the flip side, Army has been one of the worst teams in the country in the turnover margin department. They rank 109th in the country and have a margin of minus-eight. The Black Knights have given away 19 fumbles to opponents over the course of the season.

That simply can't happen. It doesn't matter who you're facing, if you're giving the ball away, you're giving them opportunities to win.

Army can beat Navy, but they can't do it if they're surrendering drives to the Midshipmen.