GAME 3:   Navy (2-0, 1-0 AAC) at Memphis (3-0, 0-0 AAC)
When	Thursday, Sept. 26, 2019 | 8:00 pm (ET) / 7:00 pm (CT)
Location	Memphis, Tenn. | Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium | Clear Bag Policy
Television	ESPN (Adam Amin, Matt Hasselbeck, Pat McAfee, Molly McGrath)
Live Video Stream	WatchESPN
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.) | 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. 84 / XM Ch. 84 / Internet Ch. 84
Live Stats	Navy Athletics
Game Notes	Navy | Memphis | AAC
Season Statistics	Navy | Memphis | AAC
Social Media	@NavyAthletics | @NavyFB | Facebook | Instagram

Setting the Stage
•    Navy and Memphis will meet for the fifth time, all as American Athletic Conference foes, when they square off on national television in prime time on Thursday night at the Liberty Bowl (61,008). Kickoff is set for 8:00 pm (ET), 7:00 pm in Memphis.
•    Navy is trying to open its season 3-0 for the fourth time in the last five years. In 2015, Navy started 4-0, including 2-0 in the AAC, en route to a school-record 11-win season (11-2, CIC Champs, beat Pitt in the Military Bowl). In 2016, Navy started 3-0, including 2-0 in the AAC, on the way to a 9-5 record and the AAC West Division title. In 2017, Navy started 5-0, including a 3-0 record in the AAC, before falling at Memphis, 30-27.     
•    Thursday's game will feature two of the top defenses in the FBS this year. Navy is ranked fourth in total defense (226.5 yds/gm), while Memphis is ranked third (226.3 yds/gm). In scoring defense, Navy is second (8.5), while Memphis is 14th (13.3).
•    ESPN will televise Thursday's game with Adam Amin, Matt Hasselbeck, Pat McAfee and Molly McGrath on the call. Naval Academy Director of Athletics Chet Gladchuk was the athletic director at Boston College when Hasselbeck was the starting quarterback at BC.
•    The Navy Football Tailgate Show on WNAV Radio 1430 AM / 99.9 FM will air at 6:00 pm with Wylie Baker and Bill Lusby.
•    The Navy Football Pregame Show with Pete Medhurst, Joe Miller, Keith Mills and Scott Wykoff will get underway at 7:00 pm on the Navy Radio Network, followed by game action beginning at 8:00 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.

Scouting Memphis
•    Memphis enters Saturday's game with a 3-0 record, including a 15-10 win over Ole Miss of the SEC. The Tigers also own victories over Southern (55-24) and South Alabama (42-6).
•    Quarterback Brady White has completed 52 of his 72 passes (.722) for 718 yards with five touchdowns and two interceptions. The .722 completion percentage is the 18th best in the country. White is 10th in the country in yards per pass attempt (9.97).
•    White's favorite receiver is Damonte Coxie, who has 15 catches for 237 yards. Kenneth Gainwell, who is also the Tigers' leading rusher with 322 yards and three touchdowns on 48 carries, has 12 catches for 88 yards and a touchdown. Meanwhile, two of Antonio Gibson's three catches have gone for touchdowns.
•    Patrick Taylor is the Tigers' top running back, but was injured in the fourth quarter of the Ole Miss game and did not play against Southern or South Alabama. Taylor was Memphis' leading returning rusher and ran all over Ole Miss for 128 yards and a touchdown on 27 carries. His status for the Navy game is unknown. Kylan Watkins has teamed up with Gainwell in Taylor's absence and the two have combined for 455 yards and four touchdowns on 69 carries (Watkins has rushed for 148 yards and a touchdown on 21 carries). Gainwell is 24th in the country in all-purpose yards per game and 20th in rushing yards per game (102.3).
•    The Memphis defense is led by JJ Russell, who has recorded 13.5 tackles, four tackles for a loss and a sack this season.  Sanchez Blake has added 12.5 tackles, while Joseph Dorceus has recorded 10 tackles, three tackles for a loss and a sack.
•    Memphis is averging 37.3 points per game (32nd in the country), 227.0 rushing yards per game (31st), 262.7 passing yards per game (52nd) and 489.7 yards of total offense per game (26th). Defensively, Memphis is giving up 13.3 points per game (14th), 116.3 rushing yards per game (40th), 110.0 passing yards per game (1st) and 226.3 yards of total offense per game (3rd).
•    The Tigers are once again outstanding on special teams as they already have a punt return for a touchdown and have blocked two punts. Kicker Riley Patterson is 4 for 4 on field goals.

Volunteer Navy
•    The state of Tennessee has been very good to the Naval Academy over the years, producing such stalwarts as defensive end Jabaree Tuani (Madison, Tenn.) and quarterback Keenan Reynolds (Antioch, Tenn.), who is the FBS leader in career rushing touchdowns with 88.
•    This year's roster includes 16 players from The Volunteer State, including starting corner Cameron Kinley from Memphis. The Mids have three other players on their roster from Memphis: third-team sophomore corner Caleb Clear, freshman nose guard Jacobi Rice and freshman safety Walter Soefker.
•    Other Tennesseans on the depth chart include second-team senior wide receiver OJ Davis (Shelbyville), third-team sophomore wide receiver Devin High (Lebanon), third-team senior offensive tackle Jude Hydrick (Eads), starting quarterback senior Malcolm Perry (Clarksville), starting nose guard senior Jackson Pittman (Antioch, Tenn.) and second-team corner sophomore Daniel Taylor (Franklin, Tenn.).

Thursday Night Lights
•    This marks just the fifth Thursday night game Navy has played in, amassing a 1-3 record.
•    Navy has never played a home game on Thursday night.
•    Navy was supposed to play at East Carolina in 2016 on Thursday night, but because of severe flooding in the area the game was moved to a Saturday later on in the year. Navy won that game, 66-31.

Easing Into The Season
•    Navy is the only school in the country that has played just two games in the first four weeks.  
•     The Mids played host to Holy Cross on August 31 and then had a bye before playing host to East Carolina on Sept. 14, which was followed by another bye.

Undefeated Teams
•    Out of 130 FBS teams, Navy and Memphis are two of just 23 remaining teams that have not lost this year.
•    Those schools who have not lost in 2019 include: Alabama, UAB, Appalachian State, Auburn, Baylor, Boise State, California, Clemson, Florida, Georgia, Iowa, Kansas State, LSU, Memphis, Minnesota, Navy, Ohio State, Oklahoma, Penn State, SMU, Virginia, Wake Forest, Wisconsin.

Mids Lead the Country in Fewest 3-And-Outs
•    Navy is the only team in the country who has zero 3-and-outs this season.
•    Iowa State, meanwhile, has just one 3-and-out through its three contests this fall.
•    Washington State had zero 3-and-outs heading into this past weekend, but recorded two in its loss to UCLA last Saturday. The Cougars now have two in four games.