Navy (1-3, 1-1 AAC) vs. No. 24 SMU (5-0, 1-0 AAC)
When	Saturday, Oct. 9, 2021 | 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) | WFED 820 AM, 94.3 FM (Frederick, Md.) | WFED 1500 AM (Washington, D.C.) | WFED 104.5 FM (Western Fairfax / Loudon, Va.) | WNAV 1430 AM, 99.9 FM (Annapolis) | WBQH 93.5 FM (Washington, D.C.) | WJBT 100.3 FM (Jacksonville) | WGH 1310 AM / 100.9 FM / 97.3 HD2-3 (Norfolk, Va.) | Satellite: Sirius 137, XM 201, SXM App 964
Live Stats	Navy Athletics
Game Notes	Navy | SMU | AAC
Season Statistics	Navy | SMU | AAC
Social Media	@NavyAthletics | @NavyFB | Facebook | Instagram

Opening Kick
•    Navy and No. 24 SMU meet for the 23rd time in series history and the seventh time as American Athletic Conference foes when the two square off on Saturday afternoon (3:30 pm ET) at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium.
•    Navy leads the all-time series 13-9, including a 4-2 mark against the Mustangs in AAC games. Navy is 6-3 all-time in games played against SMU in Annapolis.
•    The SMU contest is the third of five-consecutive games in which the Mids will play against the top-five teams in the AAC Preseason Poll. SMU was picked third behind Cincinnati and UCF in the preseason poll.
•    Navy will play the third-toughest schedule in the country this year based on opponent winning percentage from 2020. The Mids' 12 opponents this fall combined for a 72-42 (.632) record last year. Only Arkansas (.644) and UMass (.644) have tougher slates based on last year's results.
•    Navy and SMU will play for the Gansz Trophy, created in 2009 by the SMU and Navy Athletic Departments. The Gansz Trophy is a traveling trophy to honor the late coaching legend Frank Gansz. Navy is 7-2 all-time in Gansz Trophy games. Considered one of 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.
•    Navy is 31-18 in the American Athletic Conference since joining in 2015. That record is tied with UCF for the third-best mark in the conference. Only Memphis (34-15) and Temple (32-16) have been better. Navy has defeated every team in the conference at least once.
•    Navy has beaten a ranked opponent five times under head coach Ken Niumatalolo (14 years). Prior to Niumatalolo, Navy had beaten a ranked opponent five times in the previous 30 years. The last time Navy beat a ranked opponent was in 2019 when the Mids defeated No. 21 SMU 35-28. Niumatalolo's five top-25 wins are the second most in school history.  Eddie Erdelatz beat 10 top-25 teams from 1950-58.
•    Senior corner Michael McMorris has forced three fumbles this year which is tied for the third most in the country.
•    Senior safety Kevin Brennan, senior wide receiver Mychal Cooper, senior linebacker Diego Fagot and senior slot back Chance Warren were selected as team captains for the 2021 season by their teammates. Being selected team captain is the greatest honor a Navy athlete can receive, to be chosen the leader of a group of leaders.
•    Cooper was also chosen to serve as the Captain of the Captains by a vote of the team captains of all 33 of Navy's varsity sports. It's the second time in three years that a football player has been selected. Ford Higgins was the Captain of the Captains for the 2019-20 academic year.
•    Fagot is on the "Watch Lists" for the 2021 Chuck Bednarik Award (Maxwell Football Club) and the Bronko Nagurski Trophy (Football Writers Association of America) which are presented to the top defensive player in college football.
•    Fagot was named a Third-Team Preseason All-American by Phil Steele's College Football Magazine, while Fagot (first team), senior corner Michael McMorris (third team), sophomore nose guard Donald Berniard Jr. (fourth team), senior safety Kevin Brennan (fourth team) and junior kicker Bijan Nichols (fourth team) were named to Steele's All-AAC team. Fagot is a two-time All-AAC performer, garnering second-team honors by the league's coaches as a junior and first-team recognition as a sophomore.
•    Head coach Ken Niumatalolo earned his 100th-career victory last fall (Oct. 10) when the Mids defeated Temple in Annapolis. He is the 24th active coach with 100-career wins and just the sixth active coach to achieve it all at one school.
•    Navy is 43-29 (.597) in the Niumatalolo era (2008-present) in one-score games (8 points or less).

Broadcast Coverage
•    CBS Sports Network will carry 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 also 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 on Saturday with Wylie Baker and Bill Lusby serving as the hosts.
•    The Navy Football Insider Show with Joe Miller will air on WBAL Radio on Saturday at 2:00 pm.
•    The Navy Football Pregame Show with Medhurst, Miller, Wykoff and special commentary from John Feinstein will get underway at 2:30 pm on the Navy Radio Network, followed by game action beginning at 3:30 pm with Medhurst and Miller on the call.
•    Following the contest, Medhurst, Miller and Wykoff will recap the day's events in a 30-minute postgame show.

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 3:10 pm.
•    The National Anthem will take place at 3:21:30 pm, followed by a flyover and a parachute jumper (3:28 pm).
•     Saturday's flyover will feature two Boeing F/A-18E Super Hornets from the "Ragin' Bulls" of Strike Fighter Squadron THREE SEVEN based out of Naval Air Station Oceana, Virginia Beach, Va. Piloting the lead aircraft will be Cmdr.  Patrick "Who?" Bookey, USNA Class of 2003. The wing aircraft will be piloted by Lt. Cmdr. Jeffrey "Donny G" Bosworth from the USNA Class of 2009. Providing ground control will be Lt. Nick Paratore.  
•     The Ragin' Bulls are one of the Navy's premier strike fighter squadrons. The squadron's mission, as part of the Carrier Air Wing, is to serve as the tip of the sword for the carrier fleet to include air superiority, strike, maritime superiority and close air support in defense of our nation's interests.  
•    Kickoff on Saturday is slated for 3:32 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 60-minute clock starts at 2:32 pm.
•    The pilots from the pregame 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
5-0 Overall  |  1-0 AAC
Head Coach: Sonny Dykes

•    SMU enters Saturday's game with a 5-0 record, including a 1-0 mark in the AAC. The Mustangs own victories over Abilene Christian (56-9), North Texas (35-12), Louisiana Tech (39-37), TCU (42-34) and USF (41-17). SMU is one of 17 teams nationally that remain undefeated.  
•    SMU is loaded on offense, ranking 23rd nationally in rushing offense (218.2 yds/gm), 14th in passing offense (314.2 yds/gm), fifth in total offense (532.4 yards per game) and seventh in scoring offense (42.6 pts/gm). The Mustangs are also first in sacks allowed (0.0), fourth in offensive first downs (137), seventh in team passing efficiency (173.6), 15th in tackles for a loss allowed (3.80 per game), 16th in pass completion percentage (.683) and 19th in third down conversions (.493).
•    The SMU defense ranks 56th in rushing defense (131.2 yds/gm), 117th in passing yards allowed (289.4 yds/gm), 101st in total defense (420.6 yds/gm) and 49th in scoring defense (21.8 pts/gm). It also ranks 10th in fourth down defense (.250), 18th in red zone defense (.700), 19th in interceptions (6) and 23rd in turnovers gained (9).
•    The punt return defense ranks No. 1 nationally (-2.00 per return).
•    SMU's roster features 37 transfers, including 18 from the Autonomy 5.
•    Sophomore running back Ulysses Bentley IV, who did not play on Saturday against USF, ranks 11th nationally in all-purpose yards (143.25 yds/gm) and is seventh in average yards per carry (7.60)
•    Oklahoma transfer junior Tanner Mordecai has been sensational at quarterback for the Mustangs, ranking first in points responsible for per game (30.0), first in passing touchdowns (24), seventh in completions per game (25.4), eighth in passing efficiency (180.1), eighth in passing yards per game (313.8), eighth in total offense per game (343.6) and 14th nationally in completion percentage (.702).
•    Senior wide reciever Danny Gray is fourth in the nation in receiving touchdowns (7), while junior wide receiver Rashee Rice stands sixth (6).
•    Senior linebacker Shaine Hailey is 21st in the country in forced fumbles per game (0.4), while freshman safety Isaiah Nwokobia is 24th nationally in interceptions per game (0.4).

Navy and SMU Battle for the Gansz Trophy
•    In 2009, the SMU and Navy athletic departments created the Gansz Trophy to honor the late coaching legend Frank Gansz. Navy is 7-2 in Gansz Trophy games.
•    Considered one of 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 the special teams coordinator with the Jacksonville Jaguars (2000 and '01). 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 5 touchdowns. 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 for 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. He 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 Air Force (1964-66). He also had coaching stints at Colgate (1968), Navy (1969-72), Oklahoma State (1973, 1975), Army (1974) and UCLA (1976-77).

Big Comeback
•    Navy outscored UCF 17-0 in the fourth quarter to come from 13 points down and stun the Knights 34-30 last Saturday at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium. The Mids never led in the game until senior fullback Isaac Ruoss scored from 4 yards out with 3:09 remaining.
•    It was the largest fourth-quarter comeback by a Navy team since 2008 when the Mids trailed Temple 27-7 entering the fourth quarter only to win 33-27 in overtime. Clint Sovie was the hero on that day, picking up a Temple fumble and returning it for a touchdown in the final seconds to tie the game at 27 and send it to overtime where Ricky Dobbs won it with a touchdown run.
•    The UCF game marked the first time Navy had come from double digits down in the fourth quarter since 2018 when Navy trailed Memphis 21-9 entering the fourth and won 22-21.  
    
Taylor Robinson Comes Up Big
•    Junior safety Taylor Robinson had a career day in Navy's 34-30 victory over UCF.
•    Robinson, making just his second-career start, recovered a fumble that Diego Fagot caused with 8:28 remaining in the game that gave Navy the ball back at its own 47 and set up the Mids game-winning touchdown.
•    After Navy scored to make it 34-30, UCF drove down to the Navy 12, but on fourth down Robinson picked off his first-career pass in the end zone to give Navy the win.

Navy vs. AAC
•    Navy owns a 56-45-1 (.554) all-time record against schools who are current members of the American Athletic Conference.
•    Since joining the AAC in 2015, the Mids have recorded a 31-18 (.633) mark in conference action.