Navy (2-4, 2-2 AAC) vs. Houston (3-3, 1-1 AAC)
When	Saturday, Oct. 22, 2022 | 12:00 pm (ET)
Location	Annapolis, Md. | Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium | Parking & Fan Guide | Clear Bag Policy
Television	ESPNU (Clay Matvick, Rocky Boiman, Dawn Davenport)
Live Video Stream	WatchESPN
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) | KWFN 97.3 FM (San Diego) | WGH 1310 AM / 100.9 FM / 97.3 HD2-3 (Norfolk, Va.) | WJGM 105.7 GM (Jacksonville, Fla.) | Satellite: Sirius 138 or 202, SXM App 965 | Apps: Audacy (WNAV) and TuneIn (WBAL)
Live Stats	Navy Athletics
Game Notes	Navy | Houston | AAC
Season Statistics	Navy | Houston | AAC
Social Media	@NavyAthletics | @NavyFB | Facebook | Instagram

Opening Kick
•    Navy (2-4, 2-2 in the AAC) and Houston (3-3, 1-1 in the AAC) meet for the ninth time overall and the eighth time as American Athletic Conference foes when the two square off on Saturday afternoon (12-noon) on ESPNU at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium (34,000) in Annapolis. Saturday's contest is presented by USAA and supported by Optum Serve.
•    Navy enters Saturday's contest with a 2-2 conference mark and is in a three-way tie for fourth place with East Carolina and Memphis (Navy beat ECU, ECU beat Memphis, Memphis beat Navy), while Houston and SMU are tied for seventh at 1-1. Tulane leads the American Athletic Conference with a 3-0 record, while Cincinnati and UCF are both 2-0. The top-two teams in the standings will play in the AAC Championship Game on Saturday, Dec. 3 at the home of the highest remaining seed.
•    Saturday's game will mark the second-consecutive week Navy is playing an opponent that will have more than one week to prepare.
•    Houston leads the all-time series 6-2 and has won two in a row over the Mids, including a 28-20 win last year in Houston.
•    Navy is 1-2 against Houston all-time in Annapolis, with the only win coming in 2016 when the Mids shocked the #6 Cougars 46-40.
•    Five of Houston's 6 games this year have been decided by 7 points or less (3-2), while 4 of Navy's 6 games have been decided by 7 points or less (1-3).
•    Navy starts just 4 seniors on offense and defense, a mark that is tied with North Texas for the third fewest in the country.   
•    This is the 142nd year of Navy football. The Mids have produced an all-time record of 731-589-57.
•    The 731 wins are tied with Wisconsin for the 24th most in history among schools in the Football Bowl Subdivision.
    
Broadcast Coverage
•    ESPNU will carry Saturday's game with Clay Matvick, Rocky Boiman and Dawn Davenport on the call.
•    The Navy Football Pregame Show with Pete Medhurst, Joe Miller, Keith Mills, Scott Wykoff and special commentary from John Feinstein will get underway at 11:00 AM on the Navy Radio Network, followed by game action beginning at 12:00 noon with Medhurst, Miller and Mills on the call.
•    Following the contest, Medhurst, Miller, Mills 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 9:30 am. 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 11:41 am.
•    The National Anthem will take place at 11:51:30 am, followed by a flyover at the conclusion of the national anthem and two parachute jumpers (11:54 am).
•    Saturday's flyover will feature two Boeing F/A-18F Super Hornets from the "Red Rippers" of Strike Fighter Squadron ELEVEN based out of Naval Air Station Oceana, Virginia Beach, Va. Aircrew for the lead aircraft will be Lt. Cmdr. David "NITRO" Williams, Class of 2008 and Lt. Cmdr. Jon "BG" Weissburg, Class of 2010. The wing aircraft will be crewed by former Navy football player Lt.  Pat "KIDSBOP" Hoffman, Class of 2017 and Lt. Abby "TARA" Mesaros, Class of 2018.  The Red Rippers are one of the Navy's premier strike fighter squadrons.  The squadron's mission, as part of Carrier Air Wing One, is to serve as the tip of the sword for the carrier fleet to include air superiority, strike and maritime superiority, as well as close air support in defense of our nation's interests. Last month, the Rippers returned from an extended nine-month deployment in support of NATO strengthening and support operations amidst the Ukrainian conflict.      
•    Navy will take the field at 11:58:20 am, while Houston will follow at 11:59 am.
•    Kickoff on Saturday is slated for 12:02 pm.
•    Between the first and the second quarters, the men's gymnastics team will be recognized for qualifying for last year's NCAA Championship.
•    The Naval Academy Drum and Bugle Corps will perform at halftime.  
•    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 Houston
3-3 Overall  |  1-1 AAC
Head Coach: Dana Holgorsen

•    Houston games certainly have not been boring this year, as 5 of its 6 games have been decided by 7 points or less. Additionally, Houston is the only team in the country to have played 3 overtime games this year. Last game against Memphis, Houston rallied from 19 points down to win 33-32.
•    Houston owns wins over a very good UTSA squad (37-35, 3OT), future AAC member Rice (34-27) and a Memphis team that beat Navy (33-32). Houston has lost to Texas Tech (33-30, 2OT), a resurgent Kansas team (48-30) and the AAC's current first-place team Tulane (27-24, OT).
•    Houston is once again led by senior quarterback Clayton Tune, who has completed 141 of his 218 passes for 1,567 yards with 12 touchdowns and 4 interceptions. Like last week's opposing quarterback, Tanner Mordecai from SMU, Tune can also beat you with his legs, as he is third on the team in rushing with 211 yards and 3 touchdowns on 66 carries.
•    Tune is 19th in the nation in completions per game (23.5).
•    Redshirt freshman running back Brandon Campbell, a transfer from USC, leads the Houston rushing attack with 296 yards and 3 touchdowns on 67 carries, while senior running back Ta'Zhawn Henry, a transfer from Texas Tech, has carried the ball 51 times for 220 yards and 3 touchdowns.
•    For the second-consecutive week, the Navy defense will have to face one of the top wide receivers in the country, this time it's junior Nathaniel "Tank" Dell, who has 43 catches for 534 yards and 6 touchdowns. Freshman Matthew Golden has 17 catches for 233 yards and 2 touchdowns.
•    Dell is 13th in the country in touchdown catches (6), while he is 20th in receiving yards (89.0) and eighth in receptions per game (7.2).
•    The Houston offense ranks 25th in the nation in third down efficiency (.478).
•    Senior linebacker Donovan Mutin leads the Houston defense with 33 tackles and 4 tackles for loss, while senior defensive back Gervarrius Owens has 32 tackles and an interception. Senior defensive lineman D'Anthony Jones is ninth in the country in forced fumbles per game (0.3), while junior defensive back Alex Hogan, a transfer from Texas Tech, is third in the country in passes defended (1.7 per contest).
•    The Houston defense ranks 14th in the country in sacks per game (3.0) and ninth in tackles for loss per game (8.0).
•    The Houston special teams have been outstanding, ranking sixth in kickoff returns (27.0) and seventh in net punting (42.9). Senior kicker Bubba Baxa, a transfer from Miami (Fla.), is 21st in the country in field goals per game (1.5). Junior wide receiver Peyton Sawyer is 17th in kickoff returns, while senior defensive back Jayce Rogers has returned a kickoff for a touchdown. Sophomore punter Laine Wilkins from Perth, Australia is ninth in the country in punting, averaging 45.7 yards per punt.
•    Houston has 44 transfers on its team, including 17 from the autonomy 5.

Navy's Recent Offensive Outburst
•    Navy's 53 points against Tulsa were the most by the Mids since scoring 56 at Houston in 2019. The 53 points equaled the Mids' total points scored in its first-four games.
•    Navy's 26 points in the second quarter against Tulsa were more points than Navy had scored in each of the first-four games.
•    Navy's 455 yards rushing against Tulsa were the 25th most in school history and the most since rushing for 484 yards against Lehigh in 2018.
•    Navy's 510 yards of total offense against SMU were the most by Navy since recording 554 yards against Houston in 2019.
•    Navy ran 101 plays against SMU, the most since running 106 plays in a triple-overtime loss at Toledo in 2013. The Mids also picked up 32 first downs against the Mustangs, the most since posting 35 in that same Toledo game.

Depth Chart Dominated by Sophomores and Juniors
•    Navy has just 4 seniors listed on its offensive and defensive two-deep depth chart (2 offense, 2 defense).
•    The Mids have 21 juniors (12 offense, 9 defense), 18 sophomores (7 offense, 11 defense) and 1 freshman (1 offense) on the two-deep.
•    Note that none of these players were redshirted or "turned back" in Service Academy terms. Both Army and Air Force have players on their current rosters who have received a turn back year, while Navy does not redshirt.

Navy Defense Tough Against The Run
•    The Navy defense ranks seventh in the country against the run, giving up just 89.5 rushing yards per game.
•    Navy is the only team ranked in the top 20 to have played a triple option team. If you remove the Air Force game from the equation, the Mids are giving up just 67.4 yards per game on the ground and would rank #2 in the country behind James Madison.
•    Opponents are averaging just 3.07 yards per rush on the Mids, which ranks 15th nationally, while the 5 rushing touchdowns allowed are tied for the 17th fewest in the country.
•    Navy gave up 13 yards on 29 carries to Delaware, 91 yards on 32 carries to Memphis, 103 yards on 28 carries to East Carolina, 200 yards on 47 carries against Air Force (the #1 rushing team in the country, 359.9 yds/gm), 25 yards on 18 carries against Tulsa and 105 yards (74 on one run) on 21 carries against SMU.

Slow Starts Hurt Mids
•    Navy is 2-0 this year when the opposition did not score on its opening drive and 0-4 when it has (TDs by Delaware, Memphis and Air Force, FG by SMU).  
•     The first quarter has been far and away the worst quarter for the Mids, as the opposition has outscored Navy 47-17.  
• Navy has outscored the opposition 39-13 in the second quarter and 60-48 in the fourth quarter / overtime.
• Navy has also started slow in the second half and has been outscored 37-24 in the third quarter.  

Narrow Victories
•    Since 2006, Navy has won 52 one-possession games, a mark that leads the country during that time period.  
•    The Mids are 1-3 in one-possession games this year, losing to Delaware by 7, beating East Carolina by 3 in double overtime, losing to Air Force by 3 and to SMU by 6.

Special Teams Doing the Job
•    Navy's kickoff team has done an outstanding job this year, limiting the opposition to just 13.7 yards per return, which ranks fourth nationally and second when you include teams that have had a minimum of 10 returns against it.  
•     The punt team is ranked 10th in the nation in return yards allowed, giving up just 1.7 yards per return, and is ranked sixth nationally when you only include teams with at least five returns against it.
•     The Mids rank 22nd nationally in net punting, averaging 41.1 yards per punt.

Navy's Trends Under Niumatalolo
•    Ken Niumatalolo, the longest-tenured coach in school history and in the American Athletic Conference, is in his 15th year as the Mids' head coach.  
•    With 107-career wins, Niumatalolo is the winningest coach in school history.
•    With his 10 wins against Army, he is the winningest coach in the history of the Army-Navy game.
•     With 7 wins against Air Force, he's the winningest Navy coach in the history of the Navy-Air Force game.  Air Force's Fisher DeBerry leads the Navy-Air Force series with 17 career wins.
•    Navy is 67-19 under Niumatalolo when scoring first.
•    Navy is 87-6 under Niumatalolo when entering the fourth quarter with the lead.
•    The Mids are 73-19 under Niumatalolo when scoring 30 or more points in a game.
•    Navy is 92-26 when holding the opposition to under 30 points.
•    The Mids are 56-24 at home under Niumatalolo.
•    The Mids are 100-56 when outrushing the opposition under Niumatalolo.
•    Navy is 76-12 when having more total offense than the opposition under Niumatalolo.
•    The Mids are 87-42 when winning the time of possession under Niumatalolo.
•    Navy is 62-23 under Niumatalolo when scoring on its first possession (regardless of who had the ball first).   
•    When Navy scores a touchdown on its first possession of the game (regardless of who had the ball first) in the Niumatalolo era, its record is 53-16.
•    When Navy starts the game with the ball in the Niumatalolo era and scores, the Mids are 19-6. When the Mids start the game with the ball and go down and score a touchdown, the record is even better at 14-3.
•    Navy is 39-60 under Niumatalolo when the opponent scores first in the game.