Navy (3-3, 2-2 AAC) vs. #22 Air Force (6-0, 4-0 Mountain West)
When	Saturday, Oct. 21, 2023 | 12:00 pm (ET)
Location	Annapolis, Md. | Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium | Parking & Fan Guide
Television	CBS (Rich Waltz, Aaron Taylor, Amanda Guerra)
Live Video Stream	CBS
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 (Norfolk, Va.) | WJGM 105.7 GM (Jacksonville, Fla.) | Satellite: Sirius 158 or 201, SXM App 964 | Apps: Audacy (WNAV) and TuneIn (WBAL)
Live Stats	Navy Athletics
Game Notes	Navy | Air Force | AAC
Season Statistics	Navy | Air Force | AAC
Social Media	@NavyAthletics | @NavyFB | Facebook | Instagram

Opening Kick
•    Navy and #22 Air Force meet for the 56th time on the gridiron when the two square off on Saturday afternoon (12 noon) at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium (34,000) in Annapolis. The contest marks the first leg in the battle for the Commander-In-Chief's Trophy and is presented by USAA and supported by Optum Serve and ManTech.
•    Navy has won the Commander-In-Chief's trophy 11 of the last 20 years and has won 28 of the last 41 Service Academy contests against Air Force and Army, but is just 1-5 in those games over the last three years.
•    Navy has won the trophy a total of 16 times in school history: 1973, 1975, 1978, 1979, 1981, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2012, 2013, 2015 and 2019.
•    The Oct. 21 meeting matches the latest date Air Force and Navy have played. The two teams also squared off on Oct. 21, 1972, a game in which Navy upset #16 Air Force 21-17.  
•    Navy will be looking for its third-straight win for the first time since 2019 when the Mids finished the season winning four in a row and included wins over Army and Kansas State in the Liberty Bowl.
•    The Mids will play the longest regular-season schedule in the country this year. Navy played the nation's first regular-season college football game of the season on August 26 against Notre Dame at Aviva Stadium in Dublin, Ireland and will play the final regular-season game of the year on Dec. 9 vs. Army at Gillette Stadium in New England.
•    Air Force enters Saturday's game winners of 11-consecutive games which is tied with Penn State for the fourth-longest streak in the nation. Only Georgia (24), Washington (14) and Florida State (13) have longer streaks.
•    Navy is 12-9 all-time against Air Force at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium.
•    The home team is 9-1 in the last 10 Navy-Air Force games.  The only road team to win during that stretch was Air Force in 2021 (23-3).
•    Air Force enters Saturday's game ranked #22 in the country in the Associated Press Poll. It's the first time Air Force has been ranked in the AP Poll since the end of the 2019 season (#22). Navy finished the 2019 season ranked #20.
•    Saturday marks the first time Air Force has been ranked in the AP top 25 entering the Navy game since 1997 when #19 Air Force defeated Navy in Annapolis 10-7. Air Force was ranked #25 in the Coaches Poll in 2003 when the Mids defeated Air Force 28-25 at FedExField. Navy also beat a ranked Air Force team in 1972 when the Mids went to Colorado Springs and defeated #16 Air Force 21-17.  
•    Navy, Air Force and Penn State are the only 3 teams in the country that have not thrown an interception this year. The Mids are also 9th in the country in passing yards per completion, averaging 15.28. Air Force is #1 in the country in passing yards per completion, averaging 23.40.
•    Navy is 5th in the country in rushing, averaging 235.7 yards per game, while Air Force is #1, averaging 334.2 yards per game.
•    The Air Force offense has been a machine. Not only is it leading the nation in rushing and passing yards per completion, the Falcons are also leading the nation in third down conversions (.594), fewest tackles for a loss allowed (2.50), passing team efficiency (258.97) and time of possession (34:44).  
•    The Air Force defense has been equally impressive as it ranks 4th in fewest first downs allowed (85), 6th in passing yards allowed (163.0), 5th in rushing defense (77.0), 9th in scoring defense (14.7) and 3rd in total defense (240.0).
•    Navy's defense ranks 2nd in the country in fumbles recovered with 8, tied for 2nd in turnovers lost with 3 and tied for 3rd in turnover margin at +1.50.
•    Xavier McDonald (Sr. / Striker) is tied for 5th in the country in forced fumbles per game (0.50), while Luke Pirris (So. / Raider) and Justin Reed (Jr. / DE) are tied for 3rd in the country in fumbles recovered (2).   
•    Alex Tecza (So. / FB) leads the nation in rushing yards per carry (8.1).
•    Safety Rayuan Lane (Sr.) is tied for 2nd in the nation in passes defended (1.7 per game).     
•    Over the last 3 games (USF, North Texas and Charlotte), Navy has been called for 21 penalties while the opposition has been called for just 6. North Texas was the first Navy opponent not to be penalized in a game since Army in the 2016 Army-Navy Game presented by USAA.

Broadcast Coverage
•    CBS will broadcast Saturday's game with Rich Waltz, Aaron Taylor and Amanda Guerra 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 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 Timeline
•    9:35-9:45 am - The Navy football team will arrive at the Blue Angel on the West (Blue) side of the stadium. 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.
•    11:44 am - March-on of the Brigade of Midshipmen
•    11:54 am - National Anthem, followed by a flyover
•    Saturday's flyover will feature two F-35A Lightning IIs from the "Mighty Gorillas" of the 58th  FS, based out of Eglin Air Force Base, Fla. and two F-35C Lightning IIs from the "Rough Raiders" of VFA-125, based out of Naval Air Station Lemoore, Calif. Piloting the lead aircraft will be Lt. Cmdr. Michael "Danica" Dodenhoff, USNA Class of 2013. The right-wing aircraft will be piloted by Major Michael "Forge" Swartz, USAFA Class of 2013. The left-wing aircraft will be piloted by Capt. Quinn "AWOL" Labowitch. The slot aircraft will be piloted by Cmdr. Eric "Sweet Cheeks" Wilckens, USNA Class of 2008. Providing ground control support will be Lt. Cmdr. Alex "Mom" Daie, USNA Class of 2011, and Lt. Dan "SKAP" Barringer, USAFA Class of 2014. The "Rough Raiders" are the Navy's only F-35C Fleet Replacement Squadron, training the fleet's newest fighter pilots to prepare for combat around the globe. The "Mighty Gorillas" are the Air Force's premier F-35A formal training squadron, training student pilots for the Combat Air Force.   
•    12:06:20 pm - Navy will take the field with Air Force to follow
•    12:09 pm - Kickoff
•    3rd Timeout of 1st Quarter - Recognition of Roger Staubach's #12 being placed on the field to go alongside Joe Bellino's #27. Staubach will be surrounded on the field by his teammates from the 1963 team that was ranked as high as #2 in the country and played Texas in the Cotton Bowl. Saturday is their 60th reunion.
•    1st/2nd Quarter Break - Recognition of Navy winning the Patriot League Presidents' Cup for the ninth-consecutive year. Navy claimed its ninth-consecutive Patriot League Presidents' Cup by winning a school-record 11 conference championships during the 2022-23 academic year. Navy's current streak of nine-consecutive overall titles is the most in Patriot League Presidents' Cup history. Navy has won 10 President Cup titles overall and has finished first or second in each of the last 16 years. Prior to Chet Gladchuk becoming the Director of Athletics, Navy never finished higher than fifth (once in 1999-00). The Mids compiled 155.75 points, winning league titles in men's and women's cross country, men's soccer, men's and women's swimming and diving, men's and women's indoor track and field, men's and women's outdoor track and field, women's rowing and men's tennis. Over the last 10 years, Navy has won 75 conference championships, the next closest school is Boston with 35.
•    1st Timeout of 2nd Quarter - Paul Johnson will be recognized on the field for being inducted into the National Football Foundation College of Hall of Fame in December.
•    Halftime - The Naval Academy Drum and Bugle Corps will perform
•    3rd/4th Quarter Break - The pilots from the pregame flyover will be recognized
•    Postgame - Both teams' alma maters will be played, losing team first followed by the winning team.  It is the best traditions in all of sports.

Scouting Air Force
6-0 Overall  |  4-0 Mountain West
Head Coach: Troy Calhoun

•    Air Force comes to Annapolis on Saturday with a 6-0 record and ranked #22 in the AFCA Coaches Poll and #22 in the Associated Press Poll.
•    The Falcons have earned victories over Robert Morris (42-7), Sam Houston State (13-3), Utah State (39-21), San Jose State (45-20), San Diego State (49-10) and Wyoming (34-27).
•    Fifth-year senior quarterback Zac Larrier has been sensational for the Falcons, throwing for 468 yards and 4 touchdowns while completing 71.4 percent of his passes with 0 interceptions. He is also the second-leading rusher for Air Force, rushing for 473 yards and 4 touchdown on 82 carries.  Larrier did leave the Wyoming game late in the fourth quarter with an injury and was replaced by senior Jensen Jones.
•    Fifth-year senior fullback Emmanuel Michel is Air Force's leading rusher. Michel has run for 497 yards and 8 touchdowns on 113 carries. His 8 rushing touchdowns rank 9th in the country.
•    Receiver Jared Roznos has been the Falcons' big play man through the air. He has 9 catches for 279 yards (31.0 yds/catch) with 2 touchdowns.
•    Air Force's offensive line has been dominant and is led by senior center Thor Paglialong and fifth-year senior tackle Kaleb Holcomb. Air Force leads the nation in SEVEN offensive categories.
•    Senior linebacker Alec Mock has been an outstanding defensive player for the Falcons over his career. He leads Air Force with 47 tackles, 4 tackles for loss, 2 sacks and 2 forced fumbles. Fifth-year senior safety Trey Taylor is 2nd on the team in tackles with 38 to go along with 4.5 tackles for loss, 0.5 sacks and 2 interceptions. Mock is 15th in the nation in solo tackles per game (5.2).
•    Senior defensive end PJ Ramsey is 25th in the country in sacks per game (0.75), while fifth-year senior outside linebacker Bo Richter has been extremely disruptive with 7.5 tackles for loss and 4 sacks.

Commander-In-Chief's Trophy
•    The Commander-In-Chief's Trophy is presented annually to the winner of the football competition among the three major service academies — Army, Navy and Air Force — and is named in honor of the President of the United States.
•    Navy has won the trophy 11 of the last 20 years and has won 28 of the last 41 Service Academy games against Air Force and Army.
•    Navy has won the trophy a total of 16 times in school history: 1973, 1975, 1978, 1979, 1981, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2012, 2013, 2015 and 2019.
•    When there is no clear-cut winner,  the trophy remains with the winner of the previous year's competition.  
•    The three-sided trophy stands two-and-a-half-feet tall and is engraved with the academy seals.  Reproductions of the three mascots — the Army Mule, the Navy Goat and the Air Force Falcon — are ensconced on the respective sides of this bauble.  The trophy is sponsored by the West Point Association of Graduates, the Naval Academy Alumni Association and the Air Force Association of Graduates.
•    The year in which the trophy is won is engraved on a plate gracing the respective academy's side of the trophy.

Woodson Comes Off The Bench To Lead Navy To a 14-0 Shutout of Charlotte
•    Braxton Woodson (Fr. / QB) became the second quarterback in as many weeks to come off the bench to lead Navy to a win.
•    Two weeks ago it was Tai Lavatai (Sr.), who replaced an injured Blake Horvath (So.), who came off the bench and led Navy to a 27-24 win over North Texas.
•    Last week, Woodson, who replaced an injured Lavatai after the first series of the game, led Navy to the win over Charlotte. Woodson settled down after the first half and played well in the second half, throwing a 69-yard touchdown pass to Eli Heidenreich (So. / SB) for the first points of the game.  Woodson finished the day with 85 yards passing and 58 yards rushing.

Home-Opening Win A Shutout; Mids Record Second Shutout Against Charlotte
•     Navy shut out Wagner 24-0 for its first win of the year.
•     It was Navy's first win in a home opener since 2019 when it walloped Holy Cross 45-7.  
•     It was the Mids' first shutout since Dec. 6, 2008 when Navy stomped Army 34-0.
•     It was the first home shutout since Oct. 15, 1994 when the Mids beat Lafayette 7-0.  
•     Navy recorded its second shutout of the year and first against an AAC opponent last Saturday at Charlotte (14-0).
•     It was the first time since 2008 that Navy has recorded 2 shutouts in a season (Northern Illinois and Army in back-to-back games).
•     Navy hasn't recorded 3 shutouts in a season since 1978 when the Mids shut out 4 teams (Virginia, Connecticut, William & Mary and Army). That team finished 9-3 and knocked off Jim McMahon and BYU in the inaugural Holiday Bowl.

Roger Staubach and Paul Johnson to Be Honored At Air Force Game
•    Naval Academy Director of Athletics Chet Gladchuk announced that Roger Staubach and Paul Johnson will be honored in a "Day of Legends" at Saturday's contest against Air Force. The legendary 1963 Navy football team that posted a 9-2 record, defeated Notre Dame and Army among those 9 wins and rose to #2 in the Associated Press Poll before losing to Texas in the Cotton Bowl will also be on hand for its 60th reunion.
•    Staubach's #12 will be placed on the turf at the 12-yard line on the opposite ends of Joe Bellino's #27 that was placed on the turf in 2019. Bellino (1960) and Staubach (1963) are Navy's only two Heisman Trophy winners.
•    Known as "Roger the Dodger," Staubach has scrambled his way to success as a college athlete, an All-Pro NFL quarterback and as a successful businessman.
•    In 1963, Staubach became the second Naval Academy football player in four years to win the Heisman Trophy. It was his junior season with the Midshipmen, and all he did was lead Navy to a ranking of second in the country and a berth in the Cotton Bowl, where he set Bowl records for pass completions (21 of 31) and yards passing (228). The Midshipmen posted wins over West Virginia, Michigan, Notre Dame and Maryland that season. He completed 106 passes in 161 attempts for 1,474 yards, while earning consensus All-America honors, as well as the Maxwell Trophy and Walter Camp Memorial Trophy.
•    At one time, Staubach, who was hampered by injuries in his senior season of 1964, had set 28 Naval Academy records in football. He also had some outstanding performances as a varsity baseball player and a brief but significant moment as a varsity basketball player. He lettered in baseball three-straight years (1963-65) as an outfielder and pitcher. In 1963, he hit .420, and in 1965, he was the team captain. He also won a letter in basketball in 1962-63.
•    Staubach was the recipient of the Naval Academy's Thompson Trophy Cup for three-consecutive years and was the 1965 winner of the Naval Academy Athletic Association Sword. He was the first sophomore to win the Thompson Trophy Cup and is its only three-time winner. He was only the fourth midshipman since 1900 to win both the Thompson Trophy Cup and NAAA Sword.
•    After four years in the United States Navy, including a tour in Vietnam, Staubach joined the Dallas Cowboys and led that team to unprecedented heights. Again, displaying the daring play he had shown at Navy, Staubach directed the Cowboys to 23 fourth-quarter comeback wins, including 14 in the final two minutes of a game or in overtime. He played 11 seasons with the Cowboys and led them to the Super Bowl four times, including world championships in 1972 and 1978. The Cowboys were 90-31 with Staubach as their starting quarterback.
•    Among his awards were the NFL Players Association Most Valuable Player and The Sporting News NFL Player of the Year in 1971, Most Valuable Player of Super Bowl VI (1972), Washington Touchdown Club NFC Player of the Year in 1976 and 1978, NFC Pro Bowl selection five times, the Vince Lombardi Sportsman of the Year Award in 1975, NFL Players' Association NFC Offensive Player of the Year (1978), and the Byron "Whizzer" White Humanitarian Award in 1979.
•    Staubach was named the Walter Camp Foundation Man of the Year in 1985, selected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1985, his first year of eligibility, and inducted into the National Football Foundation and Hall of Fame in 1981.
•    The football locker room in Ricketts Hall was named in his honor in 1996, and in 2008, Staubach received the National Football Foundation's Gold Medal, the highest honor one can receive from that organization. Staubach has also been honored as a "Distinguished Graduate" of the United States Naval Academy.
•    Johnson, meanwhile, will be honored for being named to the College Football Hall of Fame Class of 2023. The Class of 2023 will officially be inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame during the 65th annual National Football Foundation Annual Awards Dinner Presented by Las Vegas on Dec. 5 at the ARIA Resort & Casino Las Vegas.
•    Capitalizing on his patented spread option offense – one of the most innovative offensive schemes in all of college football – Johnson took three programs to the top of their respective conferences and the national rankings, winning two national titles, five conference championships and making 18 bowl appearances at Georgia Southern, Navy and Georgia Tech. The Newland, North Carolina, native is the fifth coach from Navy to enter the College Football Hall of Fame.
•    Johnson took over at Navy prior to the 2002 season, with the Midshipmen coming off the worst two-year stretch (1-20) in the Academy's 123-year football history. After going 2-10 in his first season at the helm (Navy's 19th losing record in 21 seasons), Johnson steered Navy back into national prominence, compiling a 43-19 record (.694) with five bowl appearances and two bowl victories in his final five seasons in Annapolis (2003-07).
•    Overall, Johnson led Navy to a 45-29 record (.608) in six seasons. The Midshipmen never finished lower than third nationally in rushing offense during his six-year tenure and led the nation in rushing in each of his final three seasons at the helm (2005-07).
•    It took just two seasons for Johnson to lead Navy from a winless season the year prior to his arrival (0-10 in 2001) to a bowl appearance in 2003 (going 8-4 in the regular season before falling to Texas Tech in the Houston Bowl). The Midshipmen were just the sixth team in NCAA history to go from a winless season to a bowl game in two seasons or less.
•    Johnson was named the Bobby Dodd National Coach of the Year in 2004 after leading Navy to a 10-2 record, tying the school record for wins set in 1905, and only the fifth bowl victory in program history, a 34-19 win over New Mexico in the Emerald Bowl. The Midshipmen claimed the sixth bowl victory in Navy history a year later when they topped Colorado State, 51-30, in the 2005 Poinsettia Bowl.
•    In addition to turning around the Midshipmen's storied program, Johnson's stint at the Naval Academy is also best remembered for dominating the other two Service Academies. Navy went a combined 11-1 against Air Force and Army, including a perfect 6-0 against the Black Knights of the Hudson. After not winning Commander-in-Chief's Trophy (presented annually to the winner of the triangular series between the service academies) since 1981, Navy claimed the trophy in each of Johnson's final five seasons in Annapolis.
•    Johnson coached 11 First-Team All-Americans and one First Team Academic All-American in his three coaching stop
•    Johnson was recognized as the CBS National Coach of the Year in 2008, the Bobby Dodd National Coach of the Year in 2004, and the Eddie Robinson Award winner as the I-AA National Coach of the Year in 1998. He was twice named the AFCA NCAA Division I-AA National Coach of the Year (1999, 2000).
•    Before becoming a head coach, Johnson served as offensive coordinator at Navy (1995-96), Hawaii (1987-94) and Georgia Southern (1985-86) and as defensive line coach at Georgia Southern (1983-84).