College football preview: Navy vs. Troy

3:30 p.m. at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium. TV: CBS Sports Network. Radio: WZAA (1050 AM), WBAL (1090 AM), WFED (820 AM, 1500 AM), WNAV (1430 AM). Records: Midshipmen 2-6; Trojans 2-5.

Mids’ last stand

As remote as it may seem, Navy still has an opportunity to finish above .500 if it wins its final four regular season games and then triumphs in the Military Bowl at RFK Stadium. That improbable assignment begins with a winnable game on Saturday against Troy, which has lost three in a row. The Trojans rank 100 out of 120 Football Bowl Subdivision teams in scoring defense, allowing 33 points per game, and are 81st in rushing defense, yielding 182.3 yards per game. Navy boasts the nation’s fifth-best rushing attack (309 yards per game).

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Back from injuries

The Midshipmen can use all the help they can get following last week’s 56-14 loss to Notre Dame, and with Saturday’s game being the final one for the seniors at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium, it appears the team will have back quarterback Kriss Proctor and slotback Aaron Santiago. Proctor sat out last week with a dislocated left elbow, and Santiago has been cleared to play after breaking his left forearm in Week 2.

Kicking game woes

An ongoing story line for Navy this season has been issues with the kicking game, and it became such a concern that Coach Ken Niumatalolo last week worked out other candidates perhaps to take the place of Jon Teague. Niumatalolo decided, though, that Teague remains the best option even though the senior has missed at least one kick in seven of eight games. This one could well come down to a field goal, which wouldn’t appear to work in Navy’s favor considering Teague has missed in five straight as well.

— Gene Wang