GAME 7: Navy (2-4, 1-2 American) vs. Houston (5-1, 2-0 American)
When	Saturday, Oct. 20, 2018 | 3:30 pm (ET)
Location	Annapolis, Md. | Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium | Parking & Fan Guide
Television	CBS Sports Network (John Sadak, Randy Cross, Sheehan Stanwick Burch)
Live Video Stream	CBS Sports Network
Listen	Navy Football Radio Network (Pete Medhurst, Tom O'Brien, Joe Miller, Tim Murray) - WBAL (1090 AM; Baltimore) | WNAV (1430 AM, 99.9 FM; Annapolis) | WFED (1500 AM, 104.5 FM; Western Fairfax / Loudon) | WFED (820 AM, 94.3 FM; Frederick) | WBQH (1050 AM, 93.5 FM; Washington, DC / Northern Virginia) | ESPN/XEPE (1700 AM; San Diego) | WXTG (102.1 FM; Virginia Beach, Va.) | WJXL 1010 AM, 92.5 FM (Jacksonville, Fla.) | Satellite Radio (Sirius Ch. 137 / XM Ch. 202)
Live Stats	Navy Athletics
Game Notes	Navy | Houston | AAC
Season Statistics	Navy | Houston | AAC
Social Media	@NavyAthletics | Facebook | Instagram

Setting the Stage
•    Navy and Houston will meet for the fifth time in school history and for the fourth time as conference foes when they square off on Saturday afternoon at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium (34,000). Kickoff is set for 3:30 pm and the presenting game day sponsor is USAA and supported by GDIT. The Mids are 45-12 (.789) at home under head coach Ken  Niumatalolo, including posting an 18-3 (.857) record over the last four seasons (16-2 in regular-season games over the last four years).
•    Houston leads the all-time series, 3-1, including a 24-14 victory last year in Houston. In 2016, Navy stunned the sixth-ranked Cougars, 46-40, in Annapolis. That win helped propel the Mids to the American Athletic Conference West Division Championship. Houston and Navy tied for the West division title in 2015, but Houston represented the West in the AAC title game thanks to a 52-31 victory over the Mids. Since Navy joined the AAC in 2015, Houston (19-7) and Navy (19-8) have the third and fourth-best records in the league, respectively.  
•    Houston enters Saturday's game in first place in the AAC West Division with a 2-0 record, while the Mids are 1 1/2 games back of Houston and in fourth place at 1-2. SMU (1-1) and Tulane (1-1) are tied for second. Navy plays at Tulane on Nov. 24, while the Mids lost to SMU in Dallas on Sept. 22.
•    The Brigade of Midshipmen will march-on at 3:11 pm. A flyover will take place at the conclusion of the National Anthem at approximately 3:22 pm and will feature four Boeing F/A-18E Super Hornets from the "Gunslingers" of VFA-105 based out of Naval Air Station Oceana, Virginia Beach, Va. Piloting the lead aircraft will be the Executive Officer of VFA-105, Cmdr. Brian Lauber, USNA Class of 2000. The wing aircraft will be piloted by, Lt. Cmdr. John Keith, USNA Class of 2006, Lt. Cmdr. Taylor Brashear, USNA Class of 2008 and Lt. Patrick Tucker, USNA Class of 2012. The Gunslingers are attached to Carrier Air Wing THREE and deploy onboard the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower, CVN-69.  
•    The 2018 Navy squash team will be recognized between the first and second quarter.  The Mids finished 15th in the country in 2018 with a 17-10 record. Senior team captain Senen Ubina and junior Michael Kacergis also claimed the Intercollegiate Doubles National Championship earlier this month.
•    Former Navy head cross country and assistant track & field coach Al Cantello will be honored on Saturday. A 55-year veteran of the Naval Academy coaching ranks, including the last 50 as head coach of the men's cross country team, Cantello retired from Navy this past August. During his career, Cantello collected 49 N-Star victories over Army as the head coach of the cross country and for a period of time in the 1980's as the head coach of the track and field program. During his tenure with cross country, Navy won eight Patriot League and four Heptagonal Championship titles and competed at 12 NCAA Championship meets. His cross country record was an astounding 246-71-1. Combined with his eight years as men's track and field head coach (1981-88), his record was 322-83-2.
•    The 1957 Navy football team will be honored on Saturday. The team finished 9-1-1 with victories over Boston College (46-6), William & Mary (33-6), Cal (21-6), Georgia (27-14), Penn (35-7), Notre Dame (20-6), George Washington (52-0), Army (14-0) and Rice in the Cotton Bowl (20-7). The Mids only loss came at the hands of North Carolina, 13-7, while Navy also tied Duke, 6-6. The Mids were paced offensively by quarterback Tom Forrestal and running backs Joe Tranchini and Harry Hurst. The defense was led by Tony Stremic and Bob Reifsnyder. Reifsnyder and Forrestal were named First-Team All-Ameircans, while Forrestal and Tranchini were First Team Academic All-Americans. Reifsnyder earned the Maxwell Trophy, awarded annually to the most outstanding player in the country. He was named to the College Football Hall of Fame in 1997.
•     As presenting sponsor of this week's matchup, USAA invites all fans in attendance to visit their tent near Gate C/D on the blue concourse for a commemorative photo and premium giveaway. At halftime, four Midshipmen will compete in the USAA Punt Catch Challenge for a chance to win $1,000 towards their MWR fund.
•    The Naval Academy Drum and Bugle Corps will also perform at halftime.
•    After the game, the Navy Football team will gather in front of the Brigade of Midshipmen and sing Navy's alma mater, Navy Blue & Gold. It is one of the great traditions in sports.
•    The Navy Football Insider Show will air on Thursday at 7:00 pm on WBAL Radio (1090 AM) with host Joe Miller. Pete Medhurst will also contribute to the broadcast.
•    The Navy Football Tailgate Show on WNAV Radio 1430 AM / 99.9 FM will air at 1:30 pm on Saturday with Wylie Baker and Bill Lusby.
•    The Navy Football Insider Houston Show will air on Saturday at 2:00 pm on WBAL Radio (1090 AM) with host Tim Murray.
•    The Navy Football Pregame Show with Tim Murray, Pete Medhurst, Tom O'Brien and Joe Miller will get underway at 2:30 pm on the Navy Radio Network, followed by game action beginning at 3:30 pm with Medhurst, O'Brien and Miller on the call on the Navy Radio Network.   
•    Following the contest, Medhurst, O'Brien, Miller and Murray will recap the day's events in a 30-minute postgame show.

Scouting Houston
•    Houston enters Saturday's game with a 5-1 record and coming off a 42-20 thumping of East Carolina.  
•    The Cougars own wins over Rice (45-27), Arizona (45-18), Texas Southern (70-14), Tulsa (41-26) and East Carolina. Its only loss was a 63-49 loss at Texas Tech.
•    The Cougars are led by the No. 3 scoring offense in the country (48.7 pts/gm) and defensive tackle Ed Oliver, who is ranked as the first or second-best player in the upcoming 2019 NFL draft.
•    The Cougar offense has been electric this year, averaging 552.8 yards per game (#4 nationally), including 246.8 yards on the ground (#16) and 306 yards through the air (#16).
•    Quarterback D'Eriq King is sixth in the country in passing touchdowns with 20, while averaging 261.8 yards per game. King's eight rushing touchdowns are the 10th most in the country. He is responsible for 28.3 points per game, which is the best in the country.
•    King's favorite targets have been Keith Corbin and Marquez Stevenson. Both have six touchdown catches, which is good for 14th most in the country.
•    The Houston defense is 20th in the nation against the rush, allowing just 116.0 yards per game. Houston averaged 4.83 tackles for a loss per game, which is ranked 24th nationally. The Cougars had a whopping 12 tackles for a loss last week at East Carolina.
•    Oliver has 11.5 tackles for a loss in 2018, including five last Saturday against East Carolina. His 1.9 tackles for a loss per game is the third most in the country. Oliver had 14 tackles against Navy last year. Emeke Ebule's three fumble recoveries are the most in the country.

Mids Have Crawled Out Of A 2-4 Hole Before
•    Navy is off to a 2-4 start for the first time since 2014.
•    That year, the Mids started 2-4 with victories over Temple (31-24) and Texas State (35-21) and losses to Ohio State (34-17), Rutgers (31-24), Western Kentucky (36-27) and Air Force (30-21).
•    The Mids went on to go 6-1 the rest of the year, the only loss a 49-39 loss to Notre Dame at FedExField, and defeated San Diego State, 17-16, in the Poinsettia Bowl.

Mids Face Daunting Schedule
•    Navy's next four opponents (Houston, Notre Dame, Cincinnati and UCF) are a combined 24-1 (.960) on the year. Of the eight remaining undefeated teams, Navy plays three of them and all away from home (Notre Dame in San Diego, at Cincinnati, at UCF).
•    Houston, who is receiving votes in both the coaches and Associated Press Poll, is 5-1 with its only blemish a 63-49 loss at Texas Tech.
•    Notre Dame, ranked fourth in the country in both polls, is 7-0.
•    Cincinnati, ranked 21st by coaches and 20th by the AP, is 6-0.
•    UCF, ranked ninth by the coaches and 10th by the AP, is also 6-0.
•    With Notre Dame being idle next week, Navy will definitely face an undefeated Irish squad on Oct. 27 in San Diego.  Cincinnati is at Temple this Saturday and at SMU the following Saturday before facing Navy on Nov. 3. UCF has games at ECU and against Temple on Thursday, Nov. 1 before facing Navy on Nov. 10. If all three teams remain undefeated, it is believed that Navy will be the first FBS team ever to face three consecutive undefeated teams this late in the season (minimum of 6-0 or better).  

Tough at Home
•    Navy owns an 18-3 (.857) record at home over the last four seasons, including a 16-2 (.889) mark in regular-season home games.
•    Navy's only losses over the last four years at home were in 2016 to Temple (34-10) in the AAC Championship Game and in 2017 to a UCF squad that finished the year 14-0 and defeated Auburn in the Peach Bowl (31-21).
•    The Mids also own Military Bowl wins over Pitt (44-28 in 2015) and Virginia (48-7 in 2017) during that time span.

Close Calls
•    59 of the 139 games (.424) under Niumatalolo's watch have been decided by one possession, including 18 of the last 33 games (.545).
•    The Mids are 35-25 (.583) under Niumatalolo in games decided by eight points or less.
•    The Mids went 3-4 in one-possession games in 2017, marking the first time since 2011 (the only year in the last 15 years that Navy finished with a losing record) that Navy finished with a losing record in one-possession games. So far this year, the Mids are 1-2 in one possession games.

Jarid Ryan Coming Up Big
•    Navy senior corner Jarid Ryan entered the 2018 season with no interceptions, but has already come up with three in six games this fall. Last year, Micah Thomas led Navy in interceptions with three in 13 games.
•    Ryan also leads the Mids with four pass breakups and has added a forced fumble.
•    Navy has had just five players record four or more interceptions in a single season since 2001 (all with four) - Brendon Clements in 2015, Wyatt Middleton in 2009, Ketric Buffin in 2007 and Josh Smith and Eddie Carthan in 2003.
•    Ryan's three interceptions are tied for the ninth most in the country.  Eight players are tied for first with four.

Moehring Sets Navy Career Extra-Point Record; Eyes Career Points Record
•    Navy senior kicker Bennett Moehring is Navy's all-time leader in career extra-points made with 126. His record-setting 113th career extra point came against Memphis and pulled Navy to within 21-16 with 11:06 left in the game. That point turned out to be the difference, as the Mids hung on for the 22-21 victory.
•    With 189 career points, Moehring is third all-time at Navy for most points scored by a kicker. Moehring trails Matt Harmon by one point for second place and record-holder Steve Fehr by three points.
•    Moehring has made five of his six field goal attempts this year (.833), which is the 19th best field goal percentage in the country. His only miss was a  57-yard field goal at the end of the half at Air Foce.
•    Moehring garnered AAC Specialist of the Week honors on Sept. 17 after connecting on all three of his field goal attempts in the win over Lehigh, including a 45-yarder.