Navy Football 2019 In Review
•    Navy's thrilling 20-17 AutoZone Liberty Bowl win over Kansas State gave the Mids a school-record tying 11 wins against just two losses. Only the 2015 team matched the 11-win total in 139 years of football.
•     The Mids finished the 2019 campaign as American Athletic Conference West Division Co-Champions, Commander-In-Chief's Trophy Champions and Liberty Bowl Champions.
•     Navy was ranked 20th in both the Associated Press and USA Today Coaches Polls. It is just the second time in the last 56 years that Navy finished in the AP Top 20 (Mids were 18th in 2015). Navy did finish 17th in the now defunct UPI poll in 1978, but was unranked in the Associated Press Poll (only top 20 at the time). Navy also finished 24th in 2004.
•     This year marked the fourth time in the last five years Navy cracked the top 25 at least once (2015, 2016, 2017, 2019), which also coincides with the Mids joining the American Athletic Conference. Navy has been ranked for a total of 17 weeks over the last five years. Prior to that, Navy was ranked for ONE week (at the end of the 2004 season) the previous 35 years.
•     The AutoZone Liberty Bowl marked Navy's 24th bowl appearance and the 15th in the last 17 years.  
•     Navy has won five of its last six bowl games and head coach Ken Niumatalolo's six bowl wins are the most in school history.
•     This year marked just the fifth time in school history Navy has won 10 or more games in a season. The Mids also won 10 in 1905, 2004, 2009 and 11 in 2015 and 2019.
•    Navy improved by 8.0 games in 2019 compared to 2018. The Mids were 3-10 in 2018 and finished 11-2 in 2019. The 8.0-game improvement was the biggest improvement in the country and tied for the second-biggest turnaround in FBS history.
•    Navy head coach Ken Niumatalolo completed his 12th year as the head coach at Navy, making him the longest-tenured head coach in school history. With 98 career wins, he is the winningest coach in program history.
•    Senior quarterback Malcolm Perry rushed for 2,017 yards and 21 touchdowns in 2019, making him the leading rusher for a quarterback for a single season in FBS history, the only quarterback in FBS history to rush for more than 2,000 yards and the 24th-leading single-season rusher among all positions in FBS history. Perry's 155.2 rushing yards per game is also an FBS record for a quarterback.
•    Navy led the nation in rushing, averaging a school-record 360.5 yards per game.
•    Navy set school records in total rushing yards (4,687), rushing yards per attempt (6.1), rushing yards per game (360.5), total offense yards per game (455.8) and tied the record for total offensive yards per attempt (6.8).

Niumatalolo Wins Stallings Award
•    Navy head football coach Ken Niumatalolo was named the 2019 winner of the Stallings Award, presented annually to a college football head coach who is both a humanitarian and an exceptional coach. The award is named in honor of Gene Stallings to pay tribute to his son, Johnny, and those who triumph no matter their circumstances.
•     Niumatalolo, who was also named the American Athletic Conference Coach of the Year for the third time in five years and the ECAC (best coach in the East) Coach of the Year, led Navy to a school-record tying 11 wins against two losses, the Commander-In-Chief's Trophy, a share of the AAC West Division title and a victory over Kansas State in the AutoZone Liberty Bowl. He also became the all-time winningest coach in the history of the Army-Navy game with Navy's 31-7 destruction of Army.
•     Navy improved by 8.0 games from last year, which was the biggest improvement in the Football Bowl Subdivision, and tied for the second-biggest improvement in FBS history.
• Niumatalolo, Navy's all-time winningest coach with 98 career wins, led Navy to a national ranking of #20 in both the Associated Press and USA Today Coaches Polls. Navy has been ranked in the top 25 on 17 different occasions over the last five years, prior to that it was ranked one week (at the end of the 2004 season) the previous 35 years.
•     A unique aspect of the Stallings Award is that each winner is selected by past recipients, who understand what it takes to simultaneously build a winning football program, build young men and to make a positive impact on their community.
•     Coach Niumatalolo will be honored at the annual Stallings Award dinner in May at the Dallas Country Club.

Niumatalolo Named Paul "Bear" Bryant Award Finalist
•    Navy head football coach Ken Niumatalolo was named one of 10 finalists for the 2019 Paul "Bear" Bryant Award, which recognizes the country's top college football coaches for their contributions both on and off the field. The award is voted on by the National Sports Media Association and is the only college coaching honor selected after all bowl games are concluded.
•    Niumatalolo was joined by Ryan Day of Ohio State, Sonny Dykes of SMU, P.J. Fleck of Minnesota, James Franklin of Penn State, Mike Norvell of Memphis (now Florida State), Ed Orgeron of LSU, Matt Rhule of Baylor, Dabo Swinney of Clemson and Kyle Whittingham of Utah.

Perry Finishes In Top 4 For The Lombardi Award
•    Navy senior quarterback Malcolm Perry was among the final four candidates for the Lombardi Honors Award, which is presented to an FBS or FCS football player based on performance and leadership honed by character and resilience. Combined, those traits are a "force multiplier" and greatly increase the influence on and effectiveness of a team.
•     Joining Perry in the final four were Derek Brown of Auburn, Joe Burrow of LSU and Jonathan Taylor of Wisconsin. Burrow won the award.  
•     The Lombardi Finalist were selected by a combination of analytical metrics and a select panel of journalists and broadcasters. Finalists included three quarterbacks, a running back, two defensive linemen and a linebacker. The group represents players from the SEC, Big 12, Big 10, Pac-12 and the American Athletic Conference.

Perry Named Manning Award Finalist
•    Malcolm Perry was one of 12 finalists for the Manning Award, sponsored by the Allstate Sugar Bowl. The winner will be announced after the bowl games in January and will be honored at a ceremony in New Orleans. The Manning Award was created by the Allstate Sugar Bowl in honor of the college football accomplishments of Archie, Peyton and Eli Manning. It is the only quarterback award that takes the candidates' bowl performance into consideration.
•     The finalists for this year's Manning Award included: Heisman Trophy winner Joe Burrow of LSU, Ohio State's Justin Fields, Georgia's Jake Fromm, Oregon's Justin Herbert, Utah's Tyler Huntley, Oklahoma's Jalen Hurts, Clemson's Trevor Lawrence, Minnesota's Tanner Morgan, Navy's Malcolm Perry, Alabama's Tua Tagovailoa, Florida's Kyle Trask and Memphis' Brady White.

Perry Named AAC Offensive Player Of The Year, Niumatalolo Named Coach Of The Year
•    Navy senior quarterback Malcolm Perry was named the 2019 American Athletic Conference Offensive Player of the Year, while head coach Ken Niumatalolo was named the AAC Coach of the Year by the league's head coaches.
•    Perry is the second player in program history to win the AAC offensive player of the year award, as Keenan Reynolds took home the award in 2015. Meanwhile, Niumatalolo has been named the league's coach of the year three times in the last five years.
•    Senior guard David Forney and sophomore linebacker Diego Fagot joined Perry on the first team, while junior offensive tackle Billy Honaker and junior striker Jacob Springer were named honorable mention all-league.

Perry Named ECAC Offensive Player Of The Year, Niumatalolo Named ECAC Coach Of The Year
•    Navy head football coach Ken Niumatalolo and senior quarterback Malcolm Perry were named the 2019 ECAC Coach and Offensive Player of the Year, respectively.
•     Sophomore fullback Jamale Carothers, senior center Ford Higgins and senior guard David Forney joined Perry on the first team offense, while junior safety Evan Fochtman and sophomore safety Kevin Brennan were named to the first team defense.
•    Players and coaches from the following schools are eligible for All-ECAC selection: Army, Boston College, Connecticut, Liberty, Maryland, UMass, Navy, Penn State, Pittsburgh, Rutgers, Syracuse, Temple and Virginia.

Mids Consistently Among Nation's Top Rushing Teams
•    Over the last 18 years, Navy has consistently been one of the top rushing teams in the country, never finishing lower than sixth.  
•    The Mids kicked off the trend in 2002 when they finished third in the country in rushing, averaging 270.8 yds/gm.
•    In 2003, Navy led the nation averaging a then school-record 323.2 yds/gm.
•    In 2005, Navy led the country in rushing for the second time in three years, averaging 318.7 yds/gm.
•    Navy finished the 2006 campaign averaging a nation's-best and then school-record 327.0 yds/gm.  
•    The Mids rushed for a school-record 348.8 yds/gm in 2007, becoming the first team in NCAA history to lead the nation in rushing three-consecutive years.     
•    In 2008, Navy led the country in rushing for an unprecedented fourth straight year, averaging 292.4 yds/gm.
•    The Mids finished No. 2 in the country in 2013, averaging 325.4 yards per game.
•    Navy finished No. 2 in the country in 2014, rushing for 338.1 yards per game.  It was the Mids' best rushing effort since 2007 when they set the school record.
•    In 2015, Navy finished No. 2 in the country, averaging 326.7 yards per game. Georgia Southern, coached by current Tulane coach Willie Fritz, led the country in 2015 averaging a whopping 363.0 yards per game.
•    The Mids finished 2016 ranked No. 4, rushing for 310.9 yards per game.
•    Navy averaged a then school-record 351.4 rushing yards per game in 2017, which was the second most in the country.
•    In 2018, the Mids averaged just 276.1 rushing yards per game, the fifth-best rushing average in the country and Navy's lowest output since 2002 when it averaged 270.8 yards per game.
•    In 2019, Navy led the nation in rushing averaging a school-record 360.5 yards per game. The Mids outrushed second-place Air Force by 62 yards per game.
•    Navy averaged 6.06 yards per carry, which was fourth best nationally.

Explosive On The Ground
•    Navy had 140 rushing plays this year that went for 10 or more yards, which was the most in the country by a wide margin (second was Louisiana-Lafayette with 117).
•    51 of those runs went for 20 or more yards, which was also the most in the country.
•    Navy had 24 runs of 30 yards or more, which was tied for the most in the country.
•    Navy had 15 runs of 40 yards or more, which was the second most in the country.
•    Navy had 10 runs of 50 yards or more, which was the most in the country.

Perry In A Rush  
•    Senior Malcolm Perry rushed for a school-record 2,017 yards and 21 touchdowns in 2019, making him only the second player (Keenan Reynolds) in school history to rush for more than 1,000 yards in a single season three times, the first player in school history to rush for 2,000 yards in a season and the first quarterback in FBS history to rush for 2,000 yards or more in a single season.
•    In 2018, Perry rushed for 1,087 yards and seven touchdowns on 172 carries (6.3 yds/carry) playing both quarterback and slot back for the Mids.
•    In 2017, he rushed for 1,182 yards and 11 touchdowns on 138 carries (8.6 yds/carry).
•    Perry rushed for 4,359 yards in his career which is the second most in school history.
•    In 2019, Perry finished second in the nation in rushing (155.2 yds/gm) and fourth in rushing yards per carry (6.84 yds/carry). Teammate Jamale Carothers finished seventh at 6.61 yards per carry.
•    Perry had 26 explosive runs (runs of 20 yards or more), which was the most in the country.
•    Perry's 2,017 rushing yards in 2019 are the most in FBS history for a quarterback and the 24th most in FBS history by a player at any position.
•    His 304 yards rushing against Army are the second most in school history, the most against an FBS opponent in program history and the fifth most by a quarterback in FBS history.

Perry On The Mark Throwing The Ball
•    Senior quarterback Malcolm Perry spent hours in the off-season working on his passing and boy did it pay off.
•    Perry completed 48 of his 86 pass attempts for 1,084 yards with seven touchdowns and just three interceptions.  His passer rating of 181.6 is a school record.  

Perry Sets Navy's Single-Season total Offense Record  
•    Senior quarterback Malcolm Perry rung up 3,101 yards of total offense (2,017 rushing, 1,084 passing) this year, which is the most in school history.

1,000 Yards Rushing and Passing
•    Senior quarterback Malcolm Perry became just the fifth Navy quarterback in school history (sixth time) to rush AND pass for more than 1,000 yards in a single season in Navy's 56-41 victory over Houston on Nov. 30.
•    Perry joined Will Worth (2016), Keenan Reynolds (2015 and 2013), Ricky Dobbs (2009) and Chris McCoy (1997) on the elite list.

Perry Scoring Touchdowns
•    Senior quarterback Malcolm Perry ran for 21 touchdowns (126 points) in 13 games this season.
•    His average of 9.7 points per game tied for the ninth-best mark in the FBS.
•    Teammate Jamale Carothers was 11th in the country, averaging 9.6 points per game.
•     Perry's 21 rushing TDs tied for the third most in the FBS, while Carothers tied for 16th with 14.  
•     Perry's 40 career rushing touchdowns are the fourth most in school history.
•     Perry was responsible for 318 career points, the fourth most in school history, while his 258 career points scored are the fifth most in school history.

Dropped For A Loss
•    The Mids finished the 2018 season (13 gms) with 37 tackles for a loss and 10 sacks.
•    In 13 games this year, Navy recorded 80 tackles for a loss and 30 sacks.
•    The 80 tackles for a loss are the fifth most in school history and the most since the 1999 team had 85.
•    The 30 sacks are tied for the third most in school history and the most since Navy recorded 31 in 2005.  

Tough Against The Run
•    The Navy defense, despite facing the #2, #3 and #11 rushing offense's in the country, allowed just 105.8 yards per game on the ground, which was the 10th-best rushing defense in the country.

Creating Turnovers
•    Navy forced 22 turnovers in its 13 games this season (10 fumble recoveries and 12 interceptions) with two of those turnovers resulting in touchdowns (Tony Brown fumble return vs. Air Force and Diego Fagot interception return against Tulane).  
•    Navy came up with at least one turnover in every game except two (Tulsa and Notre Dame) and recorded eight turnovers of the last three games: 1 vs. Holy Cross, 2 vs. East Carolina, 1 vs. Memphis, 3 vs. Air Force, 1 vs. USF, 1 vs. Tulane, 3 vs. UConn, 1 vs. SMU, 5 vs. Houston, 2 vs. Army and 1 vs. Kansas State.

Get 6
•    Navy defensive coordinator Brian Newberry has challenged his defense to "Get 6" every game this fall.
•    What does Get 6 mean? It's a combined total of six three-and-outs, fourth down stops and turnovers.
•    If that turnover is returned for a score, it counts as an extra point towards the goal of six.
•    Newberry believes that if his defense can accomplish the challenge, the Mids will have a great chance to win.
•    In Navy's 45-7 win over Holy Cross, the Mids got two three-and-outs, a fourth down stop and one turnover for a total of four in nine possessions.
•    In Navy's 42-10 win over East Carolina, the Mids came up with five three-and-outs and two turnovers for a total of seven in 11 possessions.
•    In Navy's 35-23 loss at Memphis, the Mids came up with three three-and-outs, a fourth down stop (Memphis missed FG) and one turnover for a total of five in 10 Memphis possessions.
•    In Navy's 34-25 win over Air Force, the Mids forced three three-and-outs, had a fourth down stop, came up with two turnovers (had three turnovers, but fumbled the ball back to Air Force on a fumble recovery return) and returned one of the fumbles for a touchdown for a total of seven in 13 possessions.
•    In Navy's 45-17 win over Tulsa, the Mids forced five three-and-outs and had two fourth down stops for a total of seven in 14 possessions.
•    In Navy's 35-3 win over USF, the Mids forced three three-and-outs, had two fourth down stops (downs and a missed field goal) and an interception for a total of six in 11 possessions.
•    In Navy's 41-38 win over Tulane, the Mids forced three three-and-outs, had a fourth down stop (missed FG) and two turnovers, one of which was returned for a touchdown to give the Mids a total of seven in 12 possessions.
•    In Navy's 56-10 win over UConn, the Mids fell short of the goal getting just five in 11 UConn possessions (three turnovers, one three-and-out, one fourth down stop).
•    In Navy's 52-20 loss at Notre Dame, the Mids got one three-and-out and one fourth down stop for a total of two stops in 10 Notre Dame possessions.
•    In Navy's 35-28 victory over SMU, the Mids got one turnover, one stop on downs and four three-and-outs for a total of six in 10 possessions.
•    In Navy's 56-41 shootout win against Houston, Navy recorded four turnovers and a fourth-down stop (missed FG) for a total of five in 12 possessions. The Navy special teams came up with a fumble recovery on a kickoff return as well, which got the team to six on 13 possessions.
•    In Navy's 31-7 rout of Army, Navy recorded four three-and-outs, a fourth down stop and two turnovers for a total of six in nine Army possessions.
•    In Navy's 20-17 Liberty Bowl victory over Kansas State, the Mids recorded two three-and-outs, a fourth down stop and turnover for a total of four in just seven K-State possessions.
•    Navy was 8-0 when the Mids managed to "Get 6" this year and 3-2 when it didn't.