Navy (2-6, 2-4 AAC) at #8 Notre Dame (7-1)
When	Saturday, Nov. 6, 2021 | 3:30 pm (ET)
Location	South Bend, Ind. | Notre Dame Stadium
Television	NBC (Mike Tirico, Drew Brees, Kathryn Tappen)
Live Video Stream	Peacock Premium
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 | WFED 104.5 FM (Western Fairfax / Loudon, Va.) | WNAV 1430 AM, 99.9 FM (Annapolis) | WBQH 93.5 FM (Washington, DC / No. Virginia) | WJBT 100.3 FM (Jacksonville) | KWFN 97.3 FM (San Diego, Calif.) | WGH 1310 AM, 100.9 FM, 97.3 HD2-3 (Norfolk, Va.) | Sirius 111 / XM 202 / SXM App 965
Live Stats	Navy Athletics
Game Notes	Navy | Notre Dame | AAC
Season Statistics	Navy | Notre Dame | AAC
Social Media	@NavyAthletics | @NavyFB | Facebook | Instagram

Opening Kick
•    Navy and No. 8 Notre Dame meet for the 94th time in series history when the two square off on Saturday afternoon (3:30 pm ET) at Notre Dame Stadium (77,622) in South Bend, Ind. The two programs are among the winningest FBS teams in college football history. Notre Dame ranks sixth all-time with 925 wins, while Navy ranks 23rd with 727.
•    The two schools had played 93-consecutive times, which was the longest intersectional rivalry in college football, until last year when the COVID-19 pandemic caused the game to be canceled. The two schools were originally scheduled to open the 2020 season in Dublin, Ireland. Travel restrictions, however, forced the game to be moved to Annapolis for what would have been the first game in series history to be played at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium before the contest was ultimately canceled. The 2022 Navy-Notre Dame game will be played on Saturday, Nov. 12 at M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore.
•    Notre Dame leads the series 79-13-1 and has won three in a row over the Mids. Navy head coach Ken Niumatalolo has beaten Notre Dame three times and has lost four other times by 10 points or less in his 12 games against the Irish.  
•    Navy is playing the third-toughest schedule in the country this year based on opponent winning percentage from the previous year. The Mids' 12 opponents this fall combined for a 72-42 (.632) record in 2020. Only Arkansas (.644) and UMass (.644) have tougher slates based on last year's results.
•     Navy's eight opponents it has faced to date (does not include games against Navy) are a combined 39-17 (.696), which is tied for the ninth-toughest schedule in the country based on opponent winning percentage. If you include Navy's entire 12-game slate, the combined record is 57-30 (.655), which is tied for the eighth most difficult schedule in the country based on opponent winning percentage.
•     Saturday will be the second time in three weeks Navy has faced a top-10 opponent, as the Mids lost to No. 2 Cincinnati 27-20 on Oct. 23.  
•     Notre Dame will be Navy's fourth opponent this year that is currently ranked in the top 25. Navy lost at No. 19 Houston 28-20 after leading 17-7 at the half and lost to No. 24 SMU 31-24 after leading 21-7.
•     Niumatalolo has beaten five Associated Press Top-25 opponents during his tenure with the last coming on Nov. 23, 2019, when the Mids defeated No. 21 SMU 35-28. Niumatalolo beat No. 19 Notre Dame 23-21 in 2009. The highest-ranked team a Niumatalolo-led Navy team has defeated came in 2016 when the Mids stunned No. 6 Houston 46-40.
•     Navy has defeated four Notre Dame teams ranked in the top 25: 1936 over No. 13 Notre Dame 3-0; 1944 over No. 2 Notre Dame 32-12; 1957 over No. 5 Notre Dame 20-6 and in 2009 over No. 19 Notre Dame 23-21.
•    Navy is 32-21 (.604) in the American Athletic Conference since joining in 2015, which is tied with Cinicinnati for the fifth-best mark in the conference during that time. Only Memphis (35-17), Temple (32-19), UCF (34-19) and Houston (32-19) have been better. Navy has defeated every team in the conference at least once.
•    Navy defeated Tulsa last Friday night without completing a pass (0-4). It was the seventh time in the Niumatalolo era and the first time since 2018 against UCF that Navy has gone an entire game without completing a pass. Not completing a pass in a game is not necessarily a bad thing for the Mids, as they are 6-1 under Niumatalolo in games they don't complete a pass. In two of those games, 2009 vs. Wake Forest and 2008 against SMU, the Mids never attempted a pass. Both of those games were played in torrential downpours with Navy beating Wake Forest 13-10 and SMU 34-7.
•    Niumatalolo is the eighth-longest tenured coach in the FBS, while Notre Dame head coach Brian Kelly is 11th.
•    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 44-31 (.587) in the Niumatalolo era (2008-present) in one-score games (8 points or less).

Broadcast Coverage
•    Saturday's game will be televised by NBC with Mike Tirico, Drew Brees and Kathryn Tappen on the call, while Jac Collinsworth and Corey Robinson handle the pregame show.
•    The Navy Football Insider Show with Scott Wykoff will air on Thursday night from 7:00-8:00 pm on WBAL Radio (1090 AM, 101.5 FM). Pete Medhurst, Joe Miller and Keith Mills will also contribute to the show.
•    The Navy Football Tailgate Show on WNAV Radio 1430 AM / 99.9 FM will air from 1:30 pm-2:30 pm on Saturday with Wylie Baker and Bill Lusby serving as the hosts.
•    The Navy Football Insider Show with Scott Wykoff will air on Saturday afternoon from 2:00-2:30 pm on WBAL Radio (1090 AM, 101.5 FM). Pete Medhurst, Joe Miller and Keith Mills will also contribute to the show.
•    The Navy Football Pregame Show with Medhurst, Miller, Mills and 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, Miller and Mills on the call. Saturday's radio broadcast is presented by Navy Mutual and Navy Federal.
•    Following the contest, Medhurst, Miller, Mills and Wykoff will recap the day's events in a 30-minute postgame show.

Scouting Notre Dame
7-1 Overall  |  Independent
Head Coach: Brian Kelly

•    Notre Dame enters Saturday's game with a 7-1 record and is riding a three-game winning streak.
•    The Irish started the year 4-0 with wins over Florida State (41-38, OT), Toledo (32-29), Purdue (27-13) and Wisconsin (41-13).
•    Since dropping a 24-13 decision to Cincinnati of the American Athletic Conference, the Irish have defeated Virginia Tech (32-29), USC (31-16) and North Carolina (44-34).
•    Notre Dame has won 28 of its last 29 games at Notre Dame Stadium dating back to 2017. The only loss during that time period came this year when they lost to Cincinnati.
•    Notre Dame ranks among the top 25 nationally in the following defensive statistics: sixth in passes interepted (12), seventh in turnovers gained (18), 11th in turnover margin (+0.88) and 12th in defensive touchdowns (2).
•    Individuals on the Notre Dame offense rank among the nation's top 25 in the following statistics: Kyren Williams is 22nd in all-purpose yards per game (133.25) and 23rd in total touchdowns (10).
•    Individuals on the Notre Dame defense rank among the top 25 nationally in the following statistics: Isaiah Foskey sixth in sacks (1.06/gm), Foskey seventh in fumbles recovered (2), Foskey eighth in forced fumbles per game (0.38), Kyle Hamilton ninth in interceptions per game (0.4/gm) and JD Bertrand 14th in solo tackles per game (5.4/gm).
•    Individuals on the Notre Dame special teams rank among the top 25 nationally in the following statistics: Chris Tyree sixth in kickoff returns for a touchdown (1), Jonathan Doerer 20th in field goals per game (1.5) and Jay Bramblett 23rd in punting (45.1 yds/punt).
•    The Irish offense has been red hot of late, scoring 107 points over the last three games.
•    Running back Kyren Williams is an All-America candidate, rushing for 707 yards and 7 touchdowns on 143 carries, while catching 27 passes for an additional 257 yards and 3 touchdowns.  Over his last two games, he has rushed for 199 yards and a touchdown on 22 carries against North Carolina and 138 yards on 25 carries against USC.
•    Tight end Michael Mayer may be the top tight end in the country and presents nightmare matchup problems for opposing defensive coordinators. Mayer has 41 catches for 465 yards and 3 touchdowns on the year.
•    Isaiah Foskey has played like an All-American on the defensive line for the Irish with 9 tackles for loss and 8.5 sacks. He has also forced 3 fumbles and recovered 2.
•    Safety Kyle Hamilton is another All-America candidate, leading Notre Dame with 3 interceptions and and 4 pass breakups. He missed the North Carolina game with an injury.
•    Linebacker JD Bertrand is having a standout year, leading the Irish in tackles with 71, which is 32 more than the next closest player (Foskey).
•    Defensive lineman Myron Tagovailoa-Amosa, whose brother Adam Amosa-Tagovailoa played on the offensive line at Navy, has 6 tackles for loss for the Irish.
•    Notre Dame defensive coordinator Marcus Freeman stopped the option cold when he was at Cincinnati, as the Bearcats shut out Navy 42-0 in 2018. The Bearcats held Navy to 171 yards of total offense, including just 124 on the ground.

Navy-Notre Dame Ties
•    Notre Dame defensive lineman Myron Tagovailoa-Amosa's brother, Adam Amosa-Tagovailoa, is a 2019 graduate of the Naval Academy and was a member of the football team as an offensive tackle. He earned varsity letters in 2016 and 2018. Myron went on an official visit to Navy before choosing Notre Dame.
•    The director for Saturday's NBC telecast is Annapolis native Charlie Dammeyer. Dammeyer's father, Chuck, was a longtime football statistician for the Navy sports information office and Charlie also helped out in the press box as a kid. Additionally, his grandfather, Bill, sold advertising for the Navy football programs.
•    Corey Robinson, son of Navy basketball great David Robinson, is part of the pregame show on NBC Sports. Robinson was recruited by Navy to play football before ultimately choosing Notre Dame.

Navy Defense Playing Its Best Football
• The Navy defense held No. 2 Cincinnati to 271 yards of total offense (95 rush, 176 pass). It's the fewest yards Cincinnati has gained over a 19-game span (Nov. 17, 2019 // Temple).
• The 27 points scored by Cincinnati were 16.5 points below its season average, while the 271 yards were 156 yards below its average.  
• The seven-point win by the Bearcats was their slimmest margin of the season, while only Notre Dame held Cincinnati to fewer points (24).  
• The defense came back last week against a Tulsa offense that was averaging 459.4 yards per game and held the Golden Hurricane to 294 yards and forced 2 turnovers in Navy's 20-17 win. Seven of the 17 points Tulsa scored came on a kickoff return for a touchdown.
• Navy has allowed just 138 first downs on the year, which is the 23rd fewest in the country.
• The Mids are now ranked 17th in the country in red zone defense, allowing scores just 74 percent of the time. Opponents have been held off the scoreboard 8 times in 31 red zone attempts.

Narrow Victories
•    Since 2006, Navy has won 50 one-possession games, a mark that leads the country.  

Youth Is Served
•    Navy is fielding one of its youngest teams in recent memory.
•    The Mids are starting 3 sophomores on offense and 3 sophomores and a freshman on defense.
•     Navy has one freshman and 11 sophomores on the offensive depth chart and 9 freshmen and 8 sophomores on the defensive depth chart (10 freshmen and 20 sophomores combined).
•    Those numbers do not include a sophomore kickoff specialist, a freshman long snapper, a freshman punter and a freshman kickoff return specialist.
•    The Mids are regularly starting 6 to 7 freshmen on the kickoff team.
•    As a reminder, Navy is not allowed to redshirt so those are all true freshmen and sophomores.

First-Time Starters
•    18 Navy players have earned their first-collegiate starts in the Mids' 8 games this season.