Setting the Stage
•    Navy and #22 SMU meet on the gridiron for the 22nd time overall and the sixth time as American Athletic Conference foes when they square off on ESPN2 on Saturday night (7:30 pm) at Ford Stadium in Dallas. The state and local authorities are allowing 25 percent capacity at SMU's 32,000 seat stadium.
•    Navy leads the all-time series 13-8, including a 4-1 mark against the Mustangs in AAC games. Navy's only loss to SMU in league play was a 31-30 overtime setback in the Mids' last trip to Dallas (Sept. 22, 2018). Navy is 6-4 all-time against the Mustangs in Dallas and has won six of the last seven. The last three games in the series have been decided by a total of 11 points (43-40 Navy in 2017, 31-30 OT SMU in 2018 and 35-28 Navy in 2019).
•    Since 2015, when Navy joined the American Athletic Conference, the Mids have compiled a 30-14 (.682) conference record which is the third-best mark in the league behind Temple (31-12) and Memphis (31-12).
•    Navy enters the weekend with a 3-1 record in the AAC and alone in fourth place. The top-two teams will play in the American Athletic Conference Championship game on Dec. 12 or Dec. 19. The Mids no longer control their own destiny in the race for the top two as Navy has already lost to one of the three undefeated teams (Houston) and does not play another (Cincinnati).  The Mids are slated to play undefeated Tulsa next Saturday. SMU and Memphis are tied for fifth place, 1/2 game behind Navy.
•    Navy started three different quarterbacks in its first three games of the season for the first time since 1992 - Jim Kubiak (Virginia), Brian Ellis (Boston College), Jason Van Matre (Rutgers). That 1992 team finished 1-10.
•    13th-year Navy head coach Ken Niumatalolo earned his 100th-career victory when the Mids defeated Temple in Annapolis on Oct. 10. He is the 24th active coach with 100-career wins and just the sixth active coach to achieve it at one school. Please see page 12 of the notes for charts on where Niumatalolo stands nationally in wins among active coaches.
•    Navy's three wins this fall have been by a total of 9 points (defeated Tulane by 3, Temple by 2 and ECU by 4). It's the first time each of Navy's first three wins of the season were by 4 points or less since 1971 when Navy defeated Virginia 10-6, Duke 15-14 and Syracuse 17-14. Those three games were the 1971 team's only wins of the season as it finished 3-8.
•    Navy is 42-27 (.609) in the Niumatalolo era in one-score games (8 points or less), including 3-0 in 2020. Forty-two percent of Navy's games in the Niumatalolo era (69 of 164) have been decided by one possession.
•    Navy has had 23 different players make their first-career start this year, which is the most in the country. Senior defensive end Jackson Perkins is the only player on the Navy defense to start all six games. The Mids have started four different nose guards and three different quarterbacks.
•    Navy's last win over a top-25 team was last year, when the Mids knocked off #21 SMU 35-28. Niumatalolo has led Navy to five top-25 wins during his tenure, which are the second most in school history. Eddie Erdelatz beat 10 top-25 teams from 1950-58.

Navy vs. SMU - The Last Meeting
Nov. 23, 2019 // Annapolis, Md. // NMC Memorial Stadium
•    (AP) Navy quarterback Malcolm Perry generated 357 yards of total offense and scored the game-winning touchdown in a 35-28 victory over No. 21 SMU on Senior Day at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium.
•    Perry found a seam and scampered 70 yards with just over six minutes remaining to break a tie. He finished with 195 yards on 38 carries with two touchdowns on the ground and completed 9 of 15 passes for 162 yards and another score.
•    CJ Sanders had a 100-yard kick-off return for SMU, tied for the longest in the 60-year history of Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium.
•    After trailing 21-10 at the half, the Mids cut into the margin on a 1-yard plunge by Perry and a 24-yard field goal by Bijan Nichols on their first two possessions of the third quarter.
•    Navy forced a pair of three-and-outs to help shift the momentum and its deliberate running attack began to wear down SMU's defenders.
•    As the Mustangs stacked the box, Perry hit Ryan Mitchell with a 13-yard scoring pass, Mitchell's first career touchdown reception. Navy added a two-point conversion to regain the lead at 28-21 with 14:19 left.
•    SMU tied it at 28-all on a 61-yard touchdown pass from Shane Buechele to Rashee Rice.
•    After Perry's long run broke the tie, the Midshipmen came up with a huge stop on a fourth-and-4 from their own 12 with 2:36 remaining.
•    Navy entered the game leading the nation with 349.3 yards rushing per game and finished with another 378 yards on the ground.
•    Buechele, a transfer from Texas, was 16 of 28 for 251 yards and two touchdowns.
•    The Mids outgained the Mustangs 540 to 344 and dominated time of possession 39:40 to 20:20.

Broadcast Coverage
•    ESPN2 will carry Saturday's game with Anish Shroff, Tom Luginbill and Ian Fitzsimmons 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 5:30-6:30 pm with Wylie Baker and Bill Lusby serving as the hosts.
•    The Navy Football Pregame Show with Medhurst, Miller, Mills and Wykoff will get underway at 6:30 pm on the Navy Radio Network, followed by game action beginning at 7:30 pm with Medhurst and Miller on the call.
•    Following the contest, Medhurst, Miller, Mills and Wykoff will recap the day's events in a 30-minute postgame show.

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 7-1 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).

Scouting SMU
•    SMU is off to a 5-1 start and 2-1 mark in the AAC with wins over Texas State, North Texas, Stephen F. Austin, then #25 Memphis and Tulane. The Mustangs' only blemish came last Saturday when they lost to then #9 Cincinnati 42-13. SMU is ranked 22nd in the Associated Press Poll and 23rd in the USA Today Coaches Poll.
•    SMU is led by quarterback Shane Buechele, who has completed 142 of his 221 pass attempts for 1,926 yards with 13 touchdowns and three interceptions. He is ranked eighth nationally in passing touchdowns (13), eighth in passing yards per game (321.0), 12th in completions per game (23.67), 14th in total offense per game (329.7), 22nd in yards per attempt (8.71), 24th in pass efficiency (154.2) and 25th in passing yards per completion (13.56).
•    Buchele's favorite target is Rashee Rice, who has 29 catches for 475 yards and 2 touchdowns, while Danny Gray has 23 receptions for 342 yards and 4 touchdowns. Gray's 4 receiving touchdowns is ranked 19th nationally.  SMU lost its top receiver, Reggie Roberson Jr. for the year.
•    The SMU ground attack is led by Ulysses Bentley, who has rushed for 546 yards and 8 touchdowns on 90 carries. He is averaging 6.07 yards per game which ranks 20th nationally, while his 8 rushing touchdowns are the fourth most.
•    Delano Robinson leads the SMU defense with 44 tackles and 2 sacks, while Richard McBryde has recorded 32 tackles, 5 tackles for a loss and a sack. Brandon Crossley leads the nation in interceptions with 3, while Brandon Stephens ranks 23rd in passes broken up (1.3 per gm)
•    Kicker Chris Naggar is 12-15 on field goals and 26-27 on extra points, while also averaging 38.4 yards per punt. He stands fifth in the country in field goals per game (2.00).
•    SMU's offense is 11th in total offense (517.7), 13th in passing offense (335.2), 21st in third down conversions (.495), 21st in scoring offense (37.7), 23rd in passing yards per completion (13.77), 23rd in team passing efficiency (155.67) and 24th in turnover margin (+0.83).
•    The defense is fourth in fumbles recovered (6), seventh in turnovers gained (12) and 14th in interceptions (6).

AAC Notebook
•    Cincinnati won a showdown of top-25 teams, while Houston and Tulsa also scored key conference wins to remain unbeaten in American Athletic Conference play.
•    Cincinnati demonstrated the balance befitting a top-10 team as the No. 9 Bearcats took a 42-13 victory on the road against No. 16 SMU late Saturday. Cincinnati's defense did its part, limiting the Mustangs, who had averaged 42.6 points and 563.2 yards entering the game, to 290 yards and 1 touchdown. The offense was paced by QB Desmond Ridder, who rushed for a career-high 179 yards and 3 touchdowns on only 8 carries, including a backbreaking 91-yard score that effectively put the game away in the fourth quarter. He also completed 13 of 21 passes for 126 yards and a touchdown as Cincinnati improved to 4-0 overall and 2-0 in The American.
•    The win marked Cincinnati's most lopsided victory against a top-25 opponent in program history and was the Bearcats' second win against a top-25 team this season (Army).
•    Tulsa, which was playing its third-consecutive road game to start the 2020 season, was impressive in a wire-to-wire 42-13 win at USF Friday night. RB Deneric Prince and RB Corey Taylor II both had 2 rushing touchdowns as Prince ran for a career-high 109 yards on 15 carries. The defense was led by LB Zaven Collins, who had 6 tackles, a forced fumble and a 38-yard interception return for a touchdown as the Golden Hurricane limited the Bulls to a touchdown and 2 field goals.
•    Houston topped Navy 37-21 in a battle of teams that were unbeaten in conference play as Cougars QB Clayton Tune went 24-for-34 for 316 yards and 3 touchdowns. Tune became the first Houston player since Case Keenum in 2011 to throw for at least 300 yards in 4-consecutive games. WR Marquez Stevenson finished with 129 yards and 2 touchdowns on 9 catches as the Cougars improved to 2-0 in The American.
•    UCF bounced back from its first 2-game slide since the 2016 season with a return to form in a 51-34 victory against Tulane. The Knights, who entered the game as the national leader in total offense (636.3 ypg), improved on their season average by gaining 689 total yards with 36 first downs. QB Dillon Gabriel went 26-of-40 for 422 yards and 5 touchdowns, giving him 1,023 yards and 10 TDs in his last 2 games.
•    Memphis trailed Temple 15-10 into the third quarter, but the Tigers exploded for 17 quick points to take the lead for good on their way to a 41-29 victory at Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium. QB Brady White thew for 313 yards and 4 touchdowns, while WR Calvin Austin III had 6 receptions for 184 yards and a TD as the Tigers won their 12th consecutive home game.
•    The Week 9 schedule includes another top-25 matchup as Cincinnati hosts Memphis. The Bearcats bring a 16-game winning streak at Nippert Stadium into the contest, but the Tigers took both head-to-head meetings last year.

Navy Wins Against Ranked Opponents
•    Navy's 35-28 win over No. 21 SMU marked the third time in the last five years that Navy has defeated a Top 25 opponent.
•    Navy has not beaten more than one ranked team in a season since 1957, when it defeated No. 5 Notre Dame (20-6), No. 10 Army (27-20)  and No. 8 Rice (20-7) in the Cotton Bowl.