Oct. 12, 2009

Setting the Stage
• Meeting for the 14th time, Navy (4-2) and SMU (3-2) are set to square off on Saturday night in Dallas in a contest that will be televised by Time-Warner Sports and aired nationally by Mid-Atlantic Sports Network (Channel 640 DIRECTV, Channel 432 DISH Network, Channels 4 and 247 in Anne Arundel County). For more information on where MASN is aired go to: http://masnsports.com/2007/09/find-masn.html
• CJ Martin (play-by-play), Bruce Wiseman (analyst) and Tressie Knowlton (sideline) will call the action from Gerald J. Ford Stadium (32,000) beginning at 8:00 pm (ET).
• The Navy Football Radio Network will provide more than six hours of coverage starting at 6:00 pm with its pregame show on 1430 WNAV (Annapolis) hosted by Pete Medhurst, Joe Miller and Wiley Baker.
• The Navy Football Pregame Show will get underway at 7:00 pm with Bob Socci, Omar Nelson, and Pete Medhurst setting the scene from Dallas, followed by game action beginning at 8:00 pm. Sirius Satellite Radio (Ch. 152) will also carry the Navy broadcast.
• Following the contest, Pete Medhurst and Joe Miller will recap the day's events in a 60-minute postgame show live on 1430 WNAV.

Saturday's Storylines
• Junior quarterback Ricky Dobbs is No. 1 in the nation in touchdowns scored (14) and points per game (14.0). He is tied for eighth in the country in points responsible for (17.0 points per game).
• Navy is vying for a record fifth-straight NCAA rushing title this year. Prior to Navy's current streak of four in a row, no team had ever won the rushing title more than twice in a row. The Mids enter Saturday's game ranked sixth in the country (270.3 yards per game).
• Navy rushed for 471 yards last week against Rice, the 10th-best rushing afternoon in school history and the best since last year's season-opener against Towson when the Mids rushed for 558 yards.
• Navy's 537 yards of total offense last week against Rice is the 28th-best mark in school history.
• Navy is the least penalized team in the country, averaging 3.3 penalties per game.
• Navy and Florida are the only two teams in the country that rank in the top 20 in third down efficiency on both offense and defense.
• Navy has won 34 of its last 37 games when scoring first. The Mids have lost seven of the last eight games when the opposition scores first.

Navy-SMU To Battle For The Gansz Trophy
• The SMU and Navy Athletic Departments announced on Oct. 7 the creation of the Gansz Trophy. A traveling trophy to honor the late coaching legend Frank Gansz, it will be awarded to the winner of the SMU-Navy football game.
• After SMU and Navy conclude their current four-game, home-and-home series in 2011, the series will resume in 2015 with another four-game, home-and-home series. SMU will travel to Annapolis in 2015 and 2017 and Navy will return to Dallas in 2016 and 2018. Future dates are also being discussed.
• Considered perhaps the top special teams coach in the history of the NFL, Frank Gansz spent time at both SMU and the Naval Academy. Gansz was starting his second season as special teams coach at SMU when he passed away on April 27, 2009. As a collegian, Gansz played center and linebacker for the Naval Academy from 1957-59 and graduated in 1960. He also spent four seasons (1969-72) as an assistant coach at Navy.
• In all, Gansz was a veteran of 38 seasons of coaching - 24 in the NFL and 14 in the collegiate ranks.
• Prior to coming to SMU in 2008, Gansz was with the Jacksonville Jaguars, where he was special teams coordinator in 2000 and `01. Prior to his time with the Jags, he served as the special teams coach with the St. Louis Rams for three seasons, helping the team to its victory in Super Bowl XXXIV.
• In 1986, Gansz's first year as the assistant head coach / special teams coach for Kansas City, the Chiefs blocked or deflected an NFL-record 10 kicks and scored five touchdowns. Because of his success with the special teams, Gansz was promoted to head coach of the Chiefs, a role he served from 1987-88.
• He left the Chiefs to become the Detroit Lions' special teams coach from 1989-93, a period in which Mel Gray developed into the NFL's all-time leader in combined kick return yardage. In 1989, Gansz was named NFL Special Teams Coach of the Year by his peers.
• Gansz then spent three years as the assistant head coach / special teams coach for the Atlanta Falcons from 1994-96.
• Gansz's NFL career began in 1978 as special teams coach for the San Francisco 49ers. He coached special teams and tight ends for Cincinnati (1979-80), Kansas City (1981-82) and Philadelphia (1983-85).
• After serving as a pilot in the U.S. Air Force for nearly seven years, Gansz began his coaching career at the Air Force Academy (1964-66). He also had coaching stints at Colgate (1968), Navy (1969-72), Oklahoma State (1973, 1975), Army (1974) and UCLA (1976-77).

Scouting The Mustangs
• SMU is off to a 3-2 start, including a 2-0 mark in Conference USA, after posting a 1-11 record a year ago. The Mustangs are coming off a 28-21 upset victory over East Carolina. SMU has also defeated Stephen F. Austin (31-23) and UAB (35-33), while dropping contests at Washington State (30-27, OT) and at TCU (39-14).
• The SMU offense is ranked 15th in passing offense (297.0 yds/ gm), 65th in scoring offense (27 pts/gm), 68th in total offense (362.8 yds/ gm) and 119th in rushing (65.8 yds/ gm).
• The SMU defense ranks 74th against the run (146.6 yds/ gm), 91st in total defense (391.8), 94th in scoring defense (29.2) and 94th against the pass (245.2 yds/ gm).
• SMU is also ranked third in the country in punt returns (22.8 yds/return), and are tied for second in the country in turnovers forced (19).
• Quarterback Bo Levi Mitchell ranks 16th in the country in total offense (282.8 yds/ gm).
• Wide receiver Emmanuel Sanders is tied for second in the country in receptions per game (9.4), 11th in the country in receiving yards per game (105.6) and No. 1 in the country in punt returns (26.0 yds/return).
• Rock Davis is tied for third in the country in interceptions per game (0.8).
• Chase Kennemer is tied for fifth in the country in tackles per game (11.0).

The Last Time ...
Navy 34, SMU 7 Oct. 25, 2008 | Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium | Annapolis, Md.

• Third-string quarterback Ricky Dobbs came off the bench in relief of an injured Jarod Bryant and rushed for 224 yards and four touchdowns on 42 carries to lead Navy to a 34-7 rout of SMU at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium.
• The game was played in a soaking rain with wind gusts up to 39 miles per hour, but it didn't seen to bother the Midshipmen as they dominated the game on both sides of the ball.
• Navy won despite becoming the first team in the FBS to not attempt a pass in a game since Ohio defeated Akron in 1997.
• The Navy defense held SMU to just three yards of total offense on its first three possessions as the Mids jumped out to a 20-0 first quarter lead.
• Dobbs' 224 yards rushing are the 12th most in school history and the fourth most by a quarterback. His 42 rushing attempts are tied for the fourth-most in school history.
• The defense held SMU to -13 yards rushing, which are the fewest rushing yards in a game against Navy since 1978 when Navy held Pitt to -28 yards rushing in a 21-11 Navy victory.

Navy vs. Conference USA
• Navy is 21-26-1 (.448) all-time against current members of Conference USA.
• Navy defeated Conference USA member Rice last week, 63-14, in Houston.

Mids Rout Rice, 63-14
• Navy quarterbacks Ricky Dobbs and Kriss Proctor combined to rush for 186 yards and seven touchdowns to lead Navy to a 63-14 rout of Rice in front of 15,096 fans at Rice Stadium.
• Dobbs led Navy on a touchdown drive on all six possessions he played. He scored on runs of two, 12, one and 13 yards, respectively. Additionally, junior fullback Vince Murray scored on a seven-yard run and Marcus Curry scored from one yard out as Navy jumped out to a 35-0 lead in the second quarter.
• Proctor came off the bench midway through the third quarter and scored on three one-yard runs in the first appearance of his career.
• Navy racked up 537 yards of total offense, including 471 yards on the ground. Dobbs rushed for 104 yards and four touchdowns on 20 carries, while Curry had 85 yards and a touchdown on 10 carries. Proctor rushed for 82 yards and three touchdowns on 14 carries, while Murray carried the ball nine times for 62 yards and a touchdown.
• Dobbs threw the ball just three times, but completed two for 66 yards. He hit Curry with a 51-yard strike on the first play of the game and also hit junior wide receiver Mario Washington with a 15-yard completion.
• The defense was equally as dominant as the offense, holding Rice to 272 yards, including just 21 rushing yards on 16 attempts.
• Senior outside linebacker Ram Vela led the defense with five tackles, two tackles for a loss and a sack. Senior outside linebacker Clint Sovie and senior inside linebacker Ross Pospisil had four tackles, including a tackle for a loss apiece. Meanwhile senior defensive end Matt Nechak (forced fumble), junior safety Wyatt Middleton (blocked field goal) and junior corner Kevin Edwards (interception) all came up with big plays for the defense.

Blow Out Win
• Saturday's 49-point win (63-14) over Rice marked the largest margin of victory by Navy since Sept. 20, 1975, when the Mids defeated Connecticut, 55-7.
• The 63 points scored are the most since November 10, 2007, when Navy defeated North Texas, 74-62, in the highest scoring regulation game in FBS history.
• The 35 points in the first half were the most since Navy scored 45 in the first half in that same game against North Texas. Navy's nine rushing touchdowns are the most since running for nine against Kent State on Nov. 22, 1997.

Road Warriors
• Navy is 28-18 (.609) in games played away from Annapolis over the last seven years, the country's 14th-best mark.

Mids Having Success On Third Down
• The Navy offense has converted 41 of its 83 third-down opportunities on the year (.494), which is tied for the 18th-best conversion rate in the country.
• Last year, Navy converted just 85 of 179 third down attempts (.475).
• The Navy defense has allowed the opposition to convert just 23 of 74 third down opportunities (.297), which ranks as the 15th-best third-down defense in the country.
• Last year, the defense allowed its opponents to convert 76 of their 161 third down attempts (.472).
• Navy and Florida are the only two teams in the country that rank in the top 20 in both offensive and defensive third down efficiency.

If On Third You Don't Succeed, Go For It
• Navy is tied for 12th in the country in fourth down efficiency, converting 10 of 14 opportunities (.714).

Navy's Magic Man
• Quarterback Ricky Dobbs has worked magic at quarterback for the Mids dating back to last season.
• His 14 touchdowns this year are the most in the country.
• He is also No. 1 in the country in points per game, averaging 14.0 points per contest.
• He is the only quarterback in the country ranked in the top 34 in points per game. Central Michigan quarterback Dan LeFevour of Central Michigan is averaging 8.0 points per game, which is tied for 35th in the country.
• He is tied for eighth in the country in points responsible for per game (rushing and passing touchdowns), averaging 17.0.
• He has scored at least one rushing touchdown in six-consecutive games, which is tied for the fifth-best streak in school history. Additionally, he has scored at least one rushing touchdown in all seven of his career starts.
• He has played a role in 17 of the Mids' 25 touchdowns this year (14 rushing, three passing).
• He has scored four rushing touchdown on three different occasions during his career, including two this year. No other Navy player has more than one-career four-rushing touchdown day.
• Has four-career 100-yard rushing days, which is tied for the sixth-most by a quarterback in school history.