2019 Navy Football: Navy (7-2, 5-1 AAC) vs. SMU (9-1, 5-1 AAC)
When	Saturday, Nov. 23, 2019 | 3:30 pm (ET)
Location	Annapolis, Md. | Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium | Parking & Fan Guide | Clear Bag Policy
Television	CBS Sports Network (John Sadak, Randy Cross, Sheehan Stanwick Burch)
Live Video Stream	CBS Sports Network
Listen	Navy Football Radio Network (Pete Medhurst, Joe Miller, Keith Mills, Scott Wykoff) WBAL 1090 AM / 101.5 FM (Baltimore) | WNAV 1430 AM, 99.9 FM (Annapolis) | WJXL 1010 AM, 92.5 FM (Jacksonville) | WXTG 102.1 FM / 1490 AM (Norfolk, Va.) | W270DA 101.9 FM (Norfolk, Va.) | WQBK 107.9 FM (Williamsburg / Yorktown, Va.) | KWFN 97.3 FM (San Diego, Calif.) | WFED 1500 AM | WFED 104.5 FM (Western Fairfax / Loudon, Va.) | WFED 820 AM, 94.3 FM (Frederick, Md.) | WBQH 1050 AM, 93.5 FM (Washington, DC / No. Virginia) | Sirius Ch. 138 / XM Ch. 201 / Internet Ch. 964
Live Stats	Navy Athletics
Game Notes	Navy | SMU | AAC
Season Statistics	Navy | SMU | AAC
Social Media	@NavyAthletics | @NavyFB | Facebook | Instagram

Setting the Stage
•    No. 23 (CFP) Navy and No. 21 SMU (AP/Coaches) will meet for the 21st time when they square off on Saturday afternoon in a huge American Athletic Conference game at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium (34,000) in Annapolis. The game is presented by First Command. A few tickets still remain for Saturday's contest, however fans are encouraged to purchase their tickets prior to game day because of the expected sellout.
•    Saturday marks the final home game for Navy's 32 seniors. The Mids have won 16 consecutive games on Senior Day with its last Senior Day loss coming in 2002, when Navy lost a 38-0 decision to UConn.
•    If Navy or SMU wins their final two games, they will at least share the AAC West Division title with Memphis. Navy was co-champs with Houston in 2015 and won the West outright in 2016. Memphis owns the tiebreaker over both Navy and SMU and controls its own destiny to the AAC Championship game.
•     If Memphis were to lose to either USF on Saturday or to Cincinnati the following Friday (11/29), the winner of Saturday's Navy vs. SMU game would have the opportunity to win the AAC West outright with a win next Saturday (Navy at Houston, SMU at Tulane).
•     Navy is off to a 7-2 start for the first time since 2016. That year, the Mids started 9-2 and won the AAC West before injuries hit and Navy lost its final three games to finish 9-5.
•     Navy is guaranteed at least four more games this season - SMU (11/23), at Houston (11/30), vs. Army (12/14) and bowl game (TBA). If Navy can win them all, the Mids would tie the school record for wins with 11 (2015). Navy could still get to 12 wins if it wins the AAC West and wins the AAC Championship game.
•    SMU enters Saturday's game with a 9-1 record and is coming off a thrilling 59-51 victory over East Carolina in a game that saw starting quarterback Shane Buechele throw for 414 yards and five touchdowns. SMU's only loss was a 54-48 barnburner at Memphis.
•     This year marks the fourth time in the last five years that Navy has cracked the top 25 (2015, 2016, 2017, 2019), which also coincides with Navy joining the American Athletic Conference. Prior to joining the American, Navy hadn't been ranked in the Associated Press Top 25 since the final poll of the 2004 season when the Mids were ranked 24th after a 10-2 season.
•    Navy last beat a ranked opponent in 2016 when the Mids stunned No. 6 Houston, 46-40, in Annapolis.
•     Ken Niumatalolo has led Navy to four top-25 wins during his tenure, which is tied with George Welsh for the second most in school history. Eddie Erdelatz beat 10 top-25 teams from 1950-58.
• The Nov. 23 date is the latest Navy has played a regular-season home game since 1991 when the Mids played host to Wake Forest on Nov. 23.
•    CBS Sports Network will televise Saturday's game with John Sadak, Randy Cross and Sheehan Stanwick Burch on the call.
•    The Navy Football Insider Show with Joe Miller will air on Thursday night from 7:00-8:00 pm on WBAL Radio (1090 AM, 101.5 FM). Pete Medhurst, Keith Mills and Scott Wykoff will contribute to the show.
•    The Navy Football Tailgate Show on WNAV Radio 1430 AM / 99.9 FM will air from 1:30-2:30 pm with Wylie Baker and Bill Lusby serving as the hosts.
•    Scott Wykoff and Keith Mills will host the Navy Football Insider Show on Saturday from 2:00-2:30 pm on WBAL Radio (1090 AM, 101.5 FM).
•    The Navy Football Pregame Show with Pete Medhurst, Joe Miller, Keith Mills and Scott Wykoff will get underway at 2:30 pm on the Navy Radio Network, followed by game action beginning at 3:30 pm with Medhurst, Miller and Mills on the call.   
•    Following the contest, Medhurst, Miller, Mills and Wykoff will recap the day's events in a 30-minute postgame show.

Navy's 32 Seniors To Be Honored In Pregame Ceremony
•    Navy's 32 seniors will be honored prior to the start of Saturday's game as part of Senior Day ceremonies.
•    The senior class has posted a 26-23 record (.531) with at least four games remaining.
•    The following players will be playing their final game at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium on Saturday: Mike Adzima, Carter Bankston, Travis Brannan, Eric Cal, Paul Carothers, Nizaire Cromartie, OJ Davis, Marcus Edwards, David Forney, Joe Goff, Jeremy Griffis, Sion Harrington, Ford Higgins, Jude Hydrick, Walter Little, Tazh Maloy, Elan Nash, Mack Nash, Noruwa Obanor, J.R. Osborn, Malcolm Perry, Michael Pifer, Tyler Pistorio, Jackson Pittman, Mason Plante, Denzel Polk, T.J. Salu, Dave Tolentino, Owen White, Kendel Wright, Aleksei Yaramus and Niko Yaramus.

Game Day Festivities
•    The Navy football team will arrive at the Blue Angel on the West (Blue) side of the stadium at approximately 1:00 pm. The team will walk down the sidewalk and through NavyFest before walking to the tunnel. Fans are invited to stand on both sides of the sidewalk to cheer on the players.
•    The March-On of the Brigade of Midshipmen will begin at 3:07 pm.
•    The National Anthem will take place at 3:17:30 pm, followed by a flyover at the end of the National Anthem.  
•    The Senior Salute begins at 3:21 pm.  
•    Kickoff on Saturday is slated for 3:33 pm. Please note there is a chance kickoff and all activities noted above could be pushed back by five minutes if the first game on CBS Sports Network is running long. That decision will be made before the clock hits 60 minutes (2:33 pm). If the game is pushed back, the clock will be held for five minutes at 2:33 pm.
•    The men's tennis team will be honored between the first and second quarter for winning the 2019 Patriot League Championship and advancing to the NCAA Tournament. Andrew Ton recorded a break of serve late in the third set to extend his No. 1 singles match, then didn't allow a point in winning a tiebreaker to give Navy a dramatic 4-3 victory over Army at the Malek Tennis Center in West Point, N.Y. The win by the top-seeded Mids over the second-seeded Black Knights sent Navy to the NCAA Tournament for the second year in a row, the third time in head coach Chris Garner's five seasons and the eighth time in the last 13 seasons. The victory also was Navy's 12th Patriot League title in the 26 seasons the league has utilized the head-to-head match tournament format to determine its champion.
 •    At halftime, Cheerleaders of America and the Drum & Bugle Corps will perform.  
•    The pilots from the flyover will be recognized between the third and fourth quarters.  
•    Following the game, Navy's alma mater, Navy Blue & Gold, will be played as the team stands at attention in front of the Brigade of Midshipmen. It is one of the best traditions in all of sports.

Scouting SMU
•    The Mustangs, powered by 18 transfers from other FBS programs, have had a fantastic year to date, posting a 9-1 record. SMU owns wins over Arkansas State (37-30), North Texas (49-27), Texas State (47-17), TCU (41-38), USF (48-21), Tulsa (43-37, 3OT), Temple (45-21), Houston (34-31) and ECU (59-51). SMU's only blemish was a wild 54-48 loss at Memphis.
•    SMU has FBS transfers from Tulsa, Texas, Texas A&M, Illinois, Arkansas, Boston College, Baylor, Utah, West Virginia, Notre Dame, Nebraska, UCLA, Auburn and Alabama among others.
•    Texas transfer Shane Buechele has been sensational at quarterback, completing 249 of his 388 passes for 3,207 yards with 28 touchdowns (7th in the country) and eight interceptions. SMU's passing offense is the nation's seventh best, averaging 328.1 yards per game. Buechele is averaging 24.9 completions per game (5th in the country) and 319.5 passing yards per game (4th in the country).
•    SMU has two of the best receivers in the country in James Proche and West Virginia transfer Reggie Roberson Jr.  Proche has an incredible 88 catches (1st in the country in catches/gm) for 1,020 yards (10th in the country in receiving yds/gm) with 12 touchdowns (5th in the country), while Roberson has 43 catches for 803 yards and six touchdowns. Rice transfer Kylen Granson is also extremely dangerous with 33 catches for 570 yards and eight touchdowns.
•    SMU has more than just a passing attack as running back Xavier Jones has rushed for 1,068 yards (13th in the country in rushing yds/gm) and 18 touchdowns (3rd in the country) on 196 carries. Ke'Mon Freeman has run for five touchdowns.  
•  The Mustangs are averaging 45.1 points per game and 522.2 yards per gane, both of which rank sixth best in the country.
•     The SMU defense is led by Auburn transfer Richard McBryde and Illinois transfer Patrick Nelson. McBryde has 72 tackles, 9.5 tackles for a loss and 3.5 sacks. Nelson has recorded 61 tackles, 12 tackles for a loss and 9.5 sacks (7th in the country). The SMU defense is second nationally in sacks, averaging 4.2 per game and fifth in tackles for a loss per game, averaging 8.6. Defensive back Rodney Clemons has four picks, which ranks 14th nationally.
•     Notre Dame transfer CJ Sanders is a weapon in the return game, averaging 26.5 yards per return with one touchdown. He ranks 16th in kickoff return average.
•     SMU has also been good on turnovers, ranking 16th in fewest fumbles lost (4) and 17th in fumbles recovered (9).  SMU ranks 22nd overall in turnovers gained (18).

Navy and SMU Battle for the Gansz Trophy
•    The SMU and Navy Athletic Departments created the Gansz Trophy in 2009, a traveling trophy to honor the late coaching legend Frank Gansz. Navy is 6-1 in Gansz Trophy games since the trophy was created.
•    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 on the Hilltop when he passed away on April 27, 2009. As a collegian, Gansz played center and linebacker for the Naval Academy from 1957 to 1959 and graduated in 1960. He also spent four seasons 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 2001. Prior to his time with the Jags, he served as the special teams coach of 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 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 to 1988.
•    He left the Chiefs to become the special teams coach of the Detroit Lions from 1989 to 1993, 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 for the Atlanta Falcons from 1994 to 1996.
•    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).

Bowl Eligible
•    Navy is bowl eligible for the 15th time in the last 17 years. However, for the first time during that run, Navy will not know which bowl game it will go to until bowl announcements are made on Sunday, Dec. 8, since the Mids now fall under the American Athletic Conference umbrella for bowl games.
•    Possible bowl game locations for the Mids include the Tropical Smoothie Cafe Frisco Bowl in Frisco, Texas on Dec. 20 (Conference USA, MAC,); The AutoNation Cure Bowl in Orlando, Fla. on Dec. 21 (Sun Belt); the Cheribundi Boca Raton Bowl in Boca Raton, Fla. on Dec. 21 (MAC, Conference USA); the Bad Boy Mowers Gasparilla Bowl in Tampa, Fla. on Dec. 23 (Conference USA); the SoFi Hawai'i Bowl in Honolulu, Hawai'i on Dec. 24 (BYU, Mountain West); the Military Bowl presented by Northrop Grumman in Annapolis, Md. on Dec. 27 (Notre Dame,  ACC); the Birmingham Bowl in Birmingham, Ala. on Jan. 2 (SEC) or the Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic on Dec. 28 in Arlington, Texas (at-large opponent) if Navy is selected as the top team from the Group of 5.  
•    The AAC also has secondary bowl agreements with the AutoZone Liberty Bowl in Memphis, Tenn. on Dec. 31 (Big 12 vs. SEC) and with the Walk-On's Independence Bowl on Dec. 26 in Shreveport, La. (SEC vs. ACC or Notre Dame). If either of those bowls can't fill their slots, an AAC team could be placed in one of those two bowls.