Navy (2-0, 1-0 AAC) vs. Memphis (3-0, 0-0 AAC)
When	Saturday, Sept. 21, 2024 | 3:30 pm (ET)
Location	Annapolis, Md. | Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium | Parking & Fan Guide
Television	CBS Sports Network (Carter Blackburn, 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) | KWFN 97.3 FM (San Diego) | WGH 1310 AM / 100.9 FM (Norfolk, Va.) | WJGM 105.7 GM (Jacksonville, Fla.) | KIKI 990 AM (Honolulu, Hawai'i) | Satellite: Sirius 113 or 201, SXM App 963 | Apps: Audacy (WNAV) and TuneIn (WBAL)
Live Stats	StatBroadcast
Game Notes	Navy | Memphis | AAC
Season Statistics	Navy | Memphis | AAC
Social Media	@NavyAthletics | @NavyFB | Facebook | Instagram

Opening Kick
•    Navy (2-0, 1-0 AAC) and RV / #23 Memphis (3-0, 0-0 AAC) will meet on the gridiron for the 10th time, all as conference foes, when the two square off on CBS Sports Network on Saturday afternoon (3:30 PM) at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium in Annapolis. Saturday's contest is presented by USAA and supported by ManTech. Navy and Memphis are two of the remaining three undefeated teams in the American Athletic Conference. The Tigers enter the game winners of five-straight contests dating back to last year, the nation's fourth-longest winning streak.
•    Navy is just 3-6 against Memphis all-time. The Mids won 3 of the first 4 contests, while the Tigers have won each of the last 5 against Navy. Memphis is the only team in the AAC the Mids have played every year since joining the league in 2015. 
•    Memphis is one of the few teams that have had success against the Navy defense, averaging 33.3 points per game in the 3 contests with Seth Henigan at quarterback. Henigan is 55-81 (.679) for 848 yards with 5 touchdowns and 2 interceptions against the Mids. He threw for 415 yards and 2 touchdowns in his only game at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium. 
•    Henigan, who is the only current quarterback in the FBS to be the starting QB at the same school all 4 years, has thrown a touchdown pass in 40-consecutive games, which is tied with Baker Mayfield for the third-longest streak in FBS history. He is one away from tying Marcus Mariota for second. Memphis has scored 20 points or more in 30-consecutive games, the longest streak in the FBS.
•    As good as the Memphis offense is, the defense is every bit as good. The Tigers completely dominated Florida State last Saturday, coming up with 4 sacks, registering 12 tackles for loss, forcing 3 turnovers and holding Florida State to 238 yards of offense in a 20-12 win in Tallahassee.
•    Navy last beat a ranked opponent on Nov. 19, 2022, when the Mids went to Orlando and knocked off #17 / #18 UCF 17-14.  Navy's last win at home over a ranked opponent came on Nov. 23, 2019, when the Mids defeated #21 / #21 SMU 35-28.  
•    A win over Memphis would give Navy a 3-0 start for the first time since 2017 when the Mids started 5-0 en route to a 7-6 record. Navy has not started 2-0 in the league since 2020 when it began the season 3-0 before losing its final 4 AAC games. 
•    Navy has gone to a bowl game the last 5 times it started the year 3-0. The last time the Mids started 3-0 and did not go to a bowl game was in 1979 when Navy started 6-0 before finishing 7-4.  Navy has started 3-0 just 15 times since 1943.
•    Navy's 49 points in the opener against Bucknell are the most by a Navy team since hanging 53 on Tulsa on Oct. 8, 2022.
•    The 38 points against Temple were the most points Navy has scored in an AAC opener since 2019 when the Mids beat East Carolina 42-10.
•    Navy has scored 87 points the first 2 games (49 / 38), which are the most since 2019 when the Mids also scored 87 points (45 / 42). The 2019 team finished 11-2, won the Commander-In-Chief's Trophy and defeated Kansas State in the Liberty Bowl. Navy did not score 87 points last year until week 5.
•    According to ESPN Stats and Info, Blake Horvath (Jr. / QB) is the first Navy quarterback to throw 3 touchdown passes in the first 2 games of the season (2 vs. Bucknell, 1 vs. Temple). Horvath has 6 touchdowns through the first 2 contests, 3 rushing and 3 passing.
•    Eli Heidenreich (Jr. / Snipe) has 3 touchdown catches this season and 7 touchdown catches in his career. The school record for touchdown catches in a season is 6, while the school record for touchdown catches in a career is 13.
•    High school teammates Alex Tecza (Jr. /  FB) and Heidenreich made their first-career starts last year at Memphis. At least one of the two (and sometimes both) has scored a touchdown for Navy in 9 of the last 12 games. Heidenreich has 8 touchdowns in 12 games (1 rushing, 7 receiving), while Tecza has 7 (all rushing).
•    Navy achieved its "Get 6" goal in each of its 2 games this season with 9 against Bucknell and Temple. The 9 tied for the second most since Brian Newberry brought the concept to Navy in 2019. Against Temple, the Mids recorded 3 three-and-outs, 2 turnover on downs, 3 turnovers and a safety. 
•    In Newberry's 5 years at Navy, the Mids are 21-5 (.808) when they "Get 6" (8-0 in 2019 / 2-0 in 2020 / 2-2 in 2021 / 2-1 in 2022 / 5-2 in 2023 / 2-0 in 2024) and 8-27 (.229) when they don't.
•    Navy has won 70-consecutive games at home when leading after 3 quarters, which is the longest current streak in the FBS.

Game Day Timeline
•    1:15 pm - 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.
•    3:10 pm - March-on of the Brigade of Midshipmen
•    3:21:30 pm - National Anthem, followed by a flyover
•    Saturday's fly-over will feature F/A-18, EA-18 and F-35 aircraft from the "Salty Dogs" of VX-23, based out of Patuxent River, Md. Piloting the lead aircraft will be Lt. Cmdr. Christopher Polhemus, Naval Academy Class of 2010 and Lt. Cmdr. William Peabody, Class of 2012. The wing aircraft will be piloted by Col. Jay Zarra, Class of 2001; Lt. Col. Michael Lippert, Class of 2005; Mr. Adam Kassulke, Class of  2006; Lt. Evan Davis, Class of 2015 and Lt. Lucas Papadakis, Class of 2015. Providing ground control and support will be Maj. Mark Moeller, Class of 2013. VX-23 supports the research, development, test and evaluation of Navy and Marine Corps fixed wing tactical aircraft with a focus on flying qualities, performance, shipboard suitability, mission systems, stores compatibility and ballistics.   
•    3:28:20 pm - Navy will take the field with Memphis to follow.
•    3:32 pm - Kickoff / please note there is a chance the timeline, starting with the March-On, will be pushed back 5 minutes if the football game between Army and Rice on CBS Sports Network runs long. That decision will be made prior to the 60-minute clock starting. 
•    1st/2nd Quarter Break - The Navy men's and women's cross country and indoor and outdoor track & field teams will be honored. The men's cross country team and all 4 track & field teams won Patriot League Championships last year and also defeated Army. The track & field programs have combined to beat Army 20-straight times.  
•    Halftime - The Naval Academy Drum and Bugle Corps will perform.
•    3rd/4th Quarter Break - The pilots from the pregame flyover will be recognized.
•    Postgame - 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.

Broadcast Coverage
•    CBS Sports Network will carry Saturday's game with Carter Blackburn (play-by-play), College Football Hall of Famer Randy Cross (color) and Lacrosse Hall of Famer Sheehan Stanwick Burch (sidelines) on the call.
•    The Navy Football Insider Show with Scott Wykoff on WBAL Radio (1090 AM) will start at 2:00 pm.
•    The Navy Football Pregame Show with Pete Medhurst, Joe Miller, Keith Mills, Scott 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.
•    Following the contest, Medhurst, Miller, Mills and Wykoff will recap the day's events in a 30-minute postgame show.

Familiar Faces
•    Cam Nichols (So. / OG), who is expected to make his second-career start on Saturday, will see a familiar face on the other sideline as his brother, Jaylen, is a graduate student offensive lineman at Memphis after transferring from South Carolina. Nichols is listed as a co-starter at left tackle for the Tigers. Nichols played in 37 games, starting 18, for the Gamecocks.
•    Memphis redshirt junior linebacker Braunson White is the nephew of former Navy great slot back Shun White (2005-08). White is listed as the second-team SAM linebacker for the Tigers and also plays special teams. He has played in 23-career games, including all 3 this year. Shun White ranks 9th on Navy's career rushing list with 2,311 yards and 20 touchdowns. He averaged a school-record 8.9 yards per carry in his career. He holds the school record for rushing yards in a single game, running for 308 yards against Towson in 2008.

Quick Strikes
•    Navy has scored a touchdown on the first play of a drive 4 times in the first 2 games.  
•    Daba Fofana (Sr. / FB) scored on a 49-yard run against Bucknell, while Brandon Chatman (Jr. / Snipe) scored on a 42-yard screen pass from Blake Horvath (Jr. / QB). 
•    Horvath and Alex Tecza (Jr. / FB) scored on back-to-back runs of 62 and 65 yards against Temple. 
•    The 4 touchdown scores on the first play of a drive are the most in the FBS.

Piling Up the Points
•    Navy is averaging 43.5 points per game, which is the 17th-best scoring average in the country. The Memphis scoring defense is ranked 16th in the nation, giving up just 9.7 points per game.
•    A big reason for Navy's scoring outburst is the play of the offensive line. Navy is tied for 15th in the country in sacks allowed (0.5) and tied for 1st in tackles for loss allowed (1.0).
•    Navy will have its hands full this weekend, as Memphis ranks 6th in the nation in tackles for loss per game (9.3).

Winning the Turnover Battle
•    Navy has recovered 3 fumbles this fall, which is tied for the 10th most in the country. Navy is forcing 2 fumbles per game, which is tied for the 4th-best average in the country.
•    Navy is tied for 14th in the country in turnover margin at +1.50.
•    Last year, the Mids finished 2nd in the nation in fumble recoveries with 14 and were 4th in turnover margin (+0.92 / gm). The 24 turnovers the Mids came up with were the 12th most in the country.
•    Navy's 5 interceptions thrown in 2023 were tied for the 12th fewest in the country, while its 13 total turnovers ranked 18th.
•    Navy's defense came up with 2 turnovers in the 2024 opener against Bucknell, both on forced fumbles, and then forced 3 turnovers against Temple (1 fumble, 2 interceptions).