Navy (0-0, 0-0 AAC) vs. Marshall 0-0, 0-0 C-USA)
When	Saturday, Sept. 4, 2021 | 3:30 pm (ET)
Location	Annapolis, Md. | Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium | Parking & Fan Guide | Clear Bag Policy
Television	CBS Sports Network (Chick Hernandez, 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 1050 AM, 93.5 FM (Washington, D.C.) | 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 Ch. 85 / XM Ch. 85
Live Stats	Navy Athletics
Game Notes	Navy | Marshall | AAC
Season Statistics	Navy | Marshall | AAC
Social Media	@NavyAthletics | @NavyFB | Facebook | Instagram

Opening Kick
•    Navy and Marshall meet on the gridiron for the first time when they square off on CBS Sports Network on Saturday afternoon (3:30 pm) at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium. Saturday's game is presented by Navy Mutual.
•    Former Naval Academy Athletic Director and Marshall football coach Jack Lengyel will be honored at Saturday's game. Lengyel will be part of the coin toss and will also be recognized at the first media timeout. Lengyel took over the Marshall football program 50 years ago this year after the tragic Southern Airlines crash on Nov. 14, 1970, that killed all 75 people on board following Marshall's football game at East Carolina. It has been recognized as the worst sports-related air tragedy in U.S. history. Lengyel served as Navy's first civilian athletic director from 1988-2001.
•    Navy is 7-6 in season openers under 14th-year head coach Ken Niumatalolo, including a 5-1 mark when opening the season at home.
•    Senior safety Kevin Brennan, senior wide receiver Mychal Cooper, senior linebacker Diego Fagot and senior slot back Chance Warren have been selected as team captains for the 2021 season.
•    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) 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.
•    Navy will play the third-toughest schedule in the country 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 will kick off and end CBS Sports college football coverage in 2021 as the Navy-Air Force game on Sept. 11 will be the first regular-season game aired by CBS, while the Dec. 11 Army-Navy Game presented by USAA will be the final regular-season game on CBS.
•    The Naval Academy Athletic Association will retire Chet Moeller's No. 48 on Saturday, Oct. 2 during the UCF football game. Moeller will be the first defensive player to have his number retired at Navy, joining Joe Bellino (No. 27), Roger Staubach (No. 12), Napoleon McCallum (No. 27) and Keenan Reynolds (No. 19).
•    Navy returns 23 players - 10 on offense, 13 on defense - that started multiple games in 2020.
•    Navy saw 26 players make their first-career start during the 2020 campaign which tied for the most in the country.
•    In each of its last three games of the season, the Navy defense held the opposition to under 300 yards of total offense (205 by Memphis, 296 by Tulsa and 162 by Army). It marked the first time a Navy defense held the opposition to under 300 yards total offense in three-straight games since 1997 when the Mids did it in seven-consecutive games.
•    Head coach Ken Niumatalolo earned his 100th-career victory last fall 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.
•    Navy is 42-28 (.600) in the Niumatalolo era (2008-present) in one-score games (8 points or less), including 3-1 (.750) in 2020.

Broadcast Coverage
•    CBS Sports Network will carry Saturday's game with Chick Hernandez, 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 Scott Wykoff 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.
•    There will be a moment of silence at 3:20:30 for Michelle Cummings, mother of freshman offensive lineman Trey Cummings, who on June 29 was fatally struck by a stray bullet while in town with her husband, Leonard, for the Naval Academy's Induction Day.
•    The National Anthem will take place at 3:21:30 pm, followed by a flyby at the end of the National Anthem.
•     Saturday's flyby will feature four Boeing F/A-18 Hornets from the "Fighting Omars" of VFC-12 based out of Naval Air Station Oceana (Virginia Beach, Va.). The Fighting Omars are a Navy Reserve fighter squadron, comprised of selected reservists, full-time reservists and active duty personnel. The squadron's primary focus is support to the Strike Fighter Advanced Readiness Program, which provides adversary training to East Coast air wings.  
•    There will be a parachute jumper at 3:24 pm.
•    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 (Holy Cross at UConn) is running long. That decision will be made before the 60-minute clock starts at 2:32 pm.
•    The Patriot League Presidents' Cup will be presented between the first and second quarters by Patriot League Commissioner Jennifer Heppel. Navy captured its seventh-consecutive Patriot League Presidents' Cup, and eighth in the last nine years, by winning 6 league championships during the 2020-21 academic year. Navy's current streak of 7 overall titles ties Bucknell (1998-2004) for the most consecutive Presidents' Cup titles in league history. The Mids accumulated 107.25 points with league titles in women's golf, men's and women's outdoor track and field, women's rowing, men's tennis and women's soccer. Navy won the Presidents' Cup despite the conference not holding championships in sports Navy is traditionally dominant in: men's and women's swimming & diving and men's and women's indoor track & field. Navy was also unable to compete in the Patriot League Men's and Women's Cross Country Championship due to a restriction of movement at the Academy and the women's basketball team did not compete in the Patriot League Tournament due to Covid-19. Navy has not finished lower than second in each of the last 15 seasons and since 2003-04, the Mids have won 40 more conference championships (111) than the next closest school (71 by Bucknell). Navy had never won the Presidents' Cup prior to Director of Athletics Chet Gladchuk's arrival in 2001.
•    The pilots from the pregame flyby 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 Marshall
0-0 Overall  |  0-0 C-USA
Head Coach: Charles Huff

•    Charles Huff, a native of Denton, Md., will make his head coaching debut on Saturday in Annapolis. Huff came to Marshall from Alabama where he  was the running backs coach for Nick Saban in 2019 and '20. Huff boasts 16 years of coaching expereince on both the NFL and college levels with stops at Mississippi State (2018), Penn State (2014-17), Western Michigan (2013), the Buffalo Bills (2012), Vanderbilt (2011), Hampton (2010), Maryland (2009) and Tennessee State (2006-08).  
•    The Thundering Herd posted a 7-3 record last year and were ranked as high as No. 15 in the country after starting the year 7-0, which included a big 17-7 win over Appalachian State. Marshall lost to UAB 22-13 in the Conference USA Championship Game and to Buffalo 17-10 in the Camellia Bowl.
•    Quarterback Grant Wells is back for Marshall after a stellar freshman campaign. Wells completed 165 of his 270 pass attempts for 2,091 yards with 18 touchdowns and 9 interceptions. He was named the Conference USA Fresham of the Year and became the first freshman quarterback in Conference USA history to be named first-team all-conference.  
•    Wells' favorite target, Corey Gammage, returns after leading Marshall with 35 catches for 409 yards and 4 touchdowns last fall. Tight end Xavier Gaines also returns after catching 28 passes for 404 yards and 4 touchdowns.
•    Sheldon Evans, who rushed for 327 yards and 4 touchdowns on 72 carries a year ago, is Marshall's leading returning rusher.
•    Marshall returns three starters on an offensive line that was fourth in the nation in fewest tackles for a loss allowed and gave up just 1.2 sacks per game.
•    Marshall fielded one of the best defensive units in the country a year ago, finishing No. 2 nationally in yards allowed (279 yds/gm) and No. 1 in scoring defense (13.0 points/gm). The Thundering Herd gave up just 95.5 yards per game on the ground, which was the fourth-best mark nationally,  and allowed more than 17 points just once.
•    Linebacker Eli Neal, who finished second on the team in tackles in 2020, is back after recording 75 tackles and 5 tackles for loss, while safety Nazeeh Johnson is also back after posting 59 tackles and picking off 2 passes a year ago. Linebacker Abraham Beauplan (55 tackles, 5.5 tackles for loss, 3 forced fumbles) and all-conference defensive linemen Jamare Edwards (30 tackles, 3.5 tackles for loss) are also players to watch on the stout Marshall defense.
•    Kicker Shane Ciucci (7-10 field goals) and punter Robert Lefevre (42.5 yds/punt) give Marshall two dangerous weapons in the kicking game.

Navy vs. Conference USA
•    Navy is 14-10 all-time against schools who are current members of Conference USA.
•    The last time the Mids played a Conference USA team was on Sept. 1, 2017, when they scored a 42-19 win at Florida Atlantic in their season opener.

Lengyel A Legendary Figure At Both Institutions
 •    Former Naval Academy Athletic Director and Marshall football coach Jack Lengyel will be honored at Saturday's game between the Mids and the Thundering Herd.
•    Lengyel took over the Marshall football program 50 years ago this year after the tragic Southern Airlines crash on Nov. 14, 1970, that killed all 75 people on board following Marshall's football game at East Carolina. It has been recognized as the worst sports-related air tragedy in U.S. history.
•     The crash of Flight 932 so devastated the local community that it almost led to the discontinuation of Marshall's football program. However, Lengyel, Marshall University students and Thundering Herd football fans convinced acting Marshall President Donald Dedmon to reconsider canceling the program in late 1970.
•     The movie "We Are Marshall" depicts the aftermath of the plane crash and the rebuilding of the Marshall football program with Matthew McConaughey portraying Lengyel.
•     Lengyel, who arrived in Annapolis after serving as Director of Athletics at the University of Missouri, was Navy's first civilian athletic director from 1988 until retiring in 2001. He received the 2005 John L. Toner Award from the National Football Foundation and College Football Hall of Fame for his service at Navy. Since retiring, Lengyel has fulfilled the roles of interim director of athletics at Temple, Eastern Kentucky and Colorado. He also served for many years on the Board of Trustees for the Naval Academy Foundation.

Mask Protocols at NMCM Stadium
•    All fans who are not fully vaccinated and are unable to maintain appropriate social distancing (6 feet) are required to wear a mask covering their mouth and nose at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium. Fans who are fully vaccinated and prefer to not wear a mask may do so.
•     Masks are required, regardless of vaccination status, in all indoor spaces at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium which includes restrooms, elevators, the indoor section of the club level in Akerson Tower, inside suites and the press box.
•     All game day staff at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium will be required to wear proper personal protection equipment to protect our guests, the two teams and other staff members.  All game day staff will be required to complete a pre-event health screening questionnaire and temperature screening prior to entering the stadium.
•     A deep cleaning and sanitization of Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium will be conducted before and after every event. Additionally, throughout the game there will be a concentration of cleaning in all high touch point areas throughout the stadium.
•     Anyone with Covid-19, Covid-19 symptoms or has been exposed to Covid-19 should not come to the stadium.
•     These policies will be evaluated and some or all could be modified as conditions improve both locally and nationally.

Niumatalolo Spells Success
•    Ken Niumatalolo has been on the Mids' sideline as either an assistant (1995-98, 2002-07) or head coach (2008-current) for 23 of the last 26 years (this is his 24th).
•    During that stretch, Navy has compiled a 170-117 record (.592), won 11 Commander-In-Chief's Trophies, gone to 16 bowl games, won nine bowl games and either shared or won outright the American Athletic Conference West Division in three of its six years in the league.
•    Navy is 29-17 (.630) in Service Academy games with Niumatalolo on the coaching staff and has won 27 of the last 37 Service Academy games (.730). He has the most wins in the history of the Army-Navy game and is the winningest Navy coach in the history of the Navy-Air Force series.
•    In the 117 seasons without Niumatalolo, Navy has posted a 555-460-57 (.549) record, won five Commander-In-Chief's Trophies (in 26 yrs), gone to eight bowl games and won three of them. Navy is 54-64-7 (.460) in Service Academy games without Niumatalolo.