Navy (0-3, 0-1 AAC) vs. UCF (2-1, 0-0 AAC) |
When |
Saturday, Oct. 2, 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 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 134, XM 207, SXM App 967 |
Live Stats |
Navy Athletics |
Game Notes |
Navy | UCF | AAC |
Season Statistics |
Navy | UCF | AAC |
Social Media |
@NavyAthletics | @NavyFB | Facebook | Instagram |
Opening Kick
•   Navy and UCF meet for the third time in series history when the two square off on Saturday afternoon (3:30 pm ET) at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium. Saturday's game is presented by Truist.
•   UCF is the only team Navy has not beaten since joining the AAC in 2015. Navy has also played fewer games against UCF than it has against any other team.
•   The UCF game is the second of five-consecutive games in which the Mids will play the top-five teams in the AAC Preseason Poll. UCF was picked second behind Cincinnati in the preseason poll.
•   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.
•   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) 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.
•   The Naval Academy Athletic Association will retire Chet Moeller's No. 48 on Saturday. 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. 30) and Keenan Reynolds (No. 19).
•   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 at one school.
•   Navy is 42-29 (.592) 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 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.
•   The National Anthem will take place at 3:21:30 pm, followed by a flyover and a parachute jumper (3:28 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 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. Â
•   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.
Honoring Chet Moeller
•   Naval Academy Director of Athletics
Chet Gladchuk announced on May 25th that the Naval Academy Athletic Association would retire Chet Moeller's No. 48. Moeller is the fifth Navy football player to have his number retired and the first on the defensive side of the football.
•   Moeller, the 1975 East Coast Athletic Conference (ECAC) Player of the Year and First Team All-American, revolutionized the position of safety on his way to becoming one of the most decorated football players in Navy history.
•    A two-time All-East selection, Moeller is one of only six Midshipmen to be selected as a unanimous All-American. He served as co-captain his senior year and registered 275 tackles during his career. He recorded a school record 25 tackles for a loss as a junior.
•    Moeller, a 1976 graduate of the Naval Academy, was awarded the Naval Academy Athletic Association Sword, which is presented to the midshipman of the graduating class declared by the Association's Athletic Committee to have personally excelled in athletics during his years of varsity competition. Moeller was a star in the classroom as well, earning Second Team Academic All-America honors as a senior.
•    In 2009, Moeller was selected to the Navy-Marine Corps Memorial All-Stadium Team.
•    Moeller was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2010. He was the 22nd Navy player or coach to be inducted into the Hall of Fame and the first since former quarterback and head coach George Welsh was inducted in 2004.
•    Moeller was a recipient of the Bronko Nagurski Legends Award in 2016, which recognizes outstanding defensive football players from the past 40 years.
•    Moeller joins Roger Staubach (No. 12), Joe Bellino (No. 27), Napoleon McCallum (No. 30) and Keenan Reynolds (No. 19) as Navy football legends that have had their number retired.
Scouting UCF
2-1 Overall | 0-0 AAC
Head Coach: Gus Malzahn
•   UCF enters Saturday's game with a 2-1 record, featuring an impressive 36-31 win over Boise State, as well as a 63-14 blowout of Bethune-Cookman. Its only loss was a 42-35 heartbreaker at Louisville. UCF is sixth in the country in points per game (44.3) and third in total offense (559.3 yds/gm).
•   The Knights' roster features 23 transfers from FBS schools, including 16 from the Autonomy Five. UCF has 13 more transfers from the FCS / junior college / prep school ranks. Â
•   UCF has one of the top quarterbacks in the country in Dillon Gabriel, but it appears that Gabriel will not play on Saturday after breaking his clavicle on the final play of the Louisville game. Freshman signal caller Mikey Keene is expected to get the start.
•   Northwestern transfer Isaiah Bowser is the team's leading rusher, carrying the ball 51 times for 268 yards and 5 touchdowns. His 5 rushing touchdowns are the 20th most in the country.
•   Sophomore speedster Johnny Richardson has run for 134 yards on just 15 carries (8.9 yds/carry). Richardson is also a threat in the return game where he is ranked 19th nationally in kickoff returns (26.0 yds/return). UCF ranks 12th nationally in rushing offense (252.3 yds/gm).
•   Junior Ryan O'Keefe (15 catches / 229 yds / 1 TD), Tennessee transfer
Brandon Johnson (15 catches / 151 yds and 3 TDs) and Oklahoma transfer Jaylon Robinson (12 catches / 234 yds and 2 TDs) lead the UCF receiving corps.
•   The UCF offense has not lost a fumble all year.
•   Sophomore defensive back Quadric Bullard leads the team with 25 tackles, while Kennesaw State transfer linebacker Bryson Armstrong has 18 tackles and a tackle for loss.
•   Junior Dyllon Lester is averaging 1.3 pass deflections per game, which ranks 25th nationally.
•   The UCF defense ranks 16th nationally against the run, giving up just 78.3 yards per game.
Â