Navy (1-0, 0-0 American) vs. FAU (0-1, 0-0 American)
When	Saturday, Sept. 12, 2026 | 7:30 pm (ET)
Location	Boca Raton, Fla. | Flagler Credit Union Stadium | Game Day Fan Guide
Television	ESPNU (Courtney Lyle, Rene Ingoglia)
Live Video Stream	WatchESPN
Listen	Navy Football Radio Network (Joe Miller, Mike James, Keith Mills, Scott Wykoff) WBAL 1090 AM / 101.5 FM (Baltimore) | WFED 1500 AM (Washington, D.C.) | WFED 104.5 FM (Western Fairfax / Loudon, Va.) | WNAV 1430 AM (Annapolis) | KWFN 97.3 FM (San Diego) | WGH 1310 AM / 100.9 FM (Norfolk, Va.) | WJGM 105.7 FM (Jacksonville, Fla.) | KIKI 990 AM (Honolulu, Hawai'i) | Satellite: Sirius 167, SXM App 968 | Apps: Audacy (WNAV and KWFN) and TuneIn (WBAL)
Live Stats	StatBroadcast
Game Notes	Navy | FAU | American Conference
Season Statistics	Navy | FAU | American Conference
Social Media	@NavyAthletics | @NavyFB | Facebook | Instagram

Opening Kick
•    RV / RV Navy (1-0) and FAU (0-1) will meet on the gridiron for the fourth time in series history (Navy leads the series 3-0) when the two square off on ESPNU on Saturday night (7:30 pm) at Flagler Credit Union Stadium (30,000) in Boca Raton, Fla. It is the first conference game of the year for both teams. USF and Army open up conference play earlier in the day at West Point.
•    Navy won last year's game 42-32 in Annapolis as Blake Horvath ran for 174 yards and four touchdowns, while Brandon Chatman rushed for 141 yards. Coleman Cauley (Sr. / LB) made his first career start and recorded nine tackles, forced a fumble that he recovered and intercepted a pass. He was named American Conference Defensive Player of the Week.  Malcolm Johnson (So. / OT) also made his first career start. 
• The Mids beat FAU in 2012 (24-17) in Annapolis and won in Boca Raton in 2017 (42-19) in what was Lane Kiffin's first game as FAU's head coach. The Owls finished 11-3 that year and won the Conference USA Championship.
•    Florida Atlantic is the only team in the FBS to return its entire coaching staff and its starting quarterback (Caden Veltkamp). Veltkamp threw for 299 yards and two touchdowns last year against the Mids and is considered one of the top quarterbacks in the American Conference entering the 2026 season.  
•    Navy received 10 voting points in the Associated Press Preseason Poll and three in the AFCA Coaches Preseason Poll. Navy's 10 points in the AP poll are tied with South Carolina for the 31st-highest total. Boise State, with 43 points, is the only other non-autonomy team that received more votes than Navy. The Mids' three points in the coaches poll are tied with Western Michigan for the 49th-highest total. Boise State (24 pts), UNLV (17), Memphis (9), James Madison (6) and New Mexico (4) are the non-autonomy teams that received more votes than Navy. The Week 1 poll does not come out until Tuesday, Sept. 8, which is after publication of the game notes.
•    Navy will not play another home game until Oct. 10 when it plays host to Tulsa. Navy travels to FAU this weekend, UAB on Sept. 25 and Air Force on Oct. 3. It is the first time Navy will play three-consecutive true road games since 2010 when the Mids played at Louisiana Tech (W, 37-23), at Air Force (L, 14-6) and at Wake Forest (W, 28-27). Navy finished that year with a 9-4 record, which included a 31-17 win over Army.    
•    This will be the first time Navy has played three of its first-four games of the season on the road (not counting neutral site games) since 1997, when the Mids played at San Diego State (L, 45-31), home vs. Rutgers (W, 36-7), at SMU (W, 46-16) and at Duke (L, 26-17). That team finished 7-4, which included a 39-7 win over Army, but did not go to a bowl game because two of those seven wins were against FCS teams.
•    Navy is one of five schools in the country that will play three-consecutive road games in 2026, joining Western Kentucky, Syracuse, UNLV and Cal.
•    Navy has won nine-straight games in August and September over the last three seasons (2024-26).
•    Braxton Woodson (Sr. / QB) started his senior year off with a bang, rushing for a career-high 200 yards and a career-high three touchdowns on 23 carries in Navy's 42-15 win over Towson. Woodson's previous high was 180 yards in last year's season opener against VMI. It was also the fourth time in Woodson's career he has scored multiple touchdowns in a game.
•    Woodson's 200 yards rushing were the most by a Navy player since Blake Horvath rushed for 211 yards against Memphis on Sept. 21, 2024, in a 56-44 win.
•    Navy ran for 506 yards on 73 carries in the win over Towson. The 506 rushing yards are the 12th most in school history and the most since Navy ran for 559 yards against SMU in 2017.
•    Last weekend against Towson, Woodson and Jackson Gutierrez (Jr. / QB / RB) became the first pair of Navy quarterbacks to run for two or more touchdowns in the same game since the 2017 Military Bowl. Woodson scored a career-high three rushing touchdowns, while Gutierrez ran for the first two rushing touchdowns of his career. In the 2017 Military Bowl, starter Malcolm Perry ran for two touchdowns before leaving with an injury, while Zach Abey ran for five in a 49-7 rout of Virginia.
•    Gutierrez was listed on the depth chart at two different positions in 2025 and is again playing two different positions in 2026. He was the only player in the FBS to be listed on the three-deep depth chart at quarterback and at another position (running back) in 2025 and the same holds true in 2026.
•    The last six times Navy has won the season opener, it has gone on to play in a bowl game.
•    Navy has gone to a bowl game in 12 of the last 13 years it has won its season opener.
•    Navy has won 79-consecutive games at home when leading after 3 quarters, the nation's longest streak. The last time Navy lost at home when leading after 3 quarters was Oct. 23, 1999, when the Mids led Akron 29-13 and lost 35-29.
•    The Navy defense has held four-straight opponents (Memphis, Army, Cincinnati and Towson) to under 300 yards of total offense. That is the longest streak by a Navy defense since 1997 when Navy held seven-straight opponents under 300 yards.
•    Navy is an extremely young team, ranking 134th out of 138 FBS teams in career snaps played entering the 2026 season.
•    Navy's 22-5 record (.815) over the last two years is the eighth-best winning percentage in the FBS and the best among the non-autonomy four. 
•    Navy finished 6-0 at home in 2025. It is just the 6th time in school history Navy has gone undefeated at home in years it has played 5 or more home games. The Mids also went undefeated at home in 2019 (6-0), 2015 (7-0), 2013 (5-0), 2004 (6-0) and 1981 (5-0). 
•     Navy is now 14-3 (.824) at home under Brian Newberry. The Mids have won seven-straight home games dating back to the 2025 season and are 11-1 (.917) at home since 2024. Navy last won seven-consecutive home games in 2018-19. Navy won 14 straight at home from 2014-16.
•    Navy was 3-2 in true road games in 2025, beating Memphis, Temple and Tulsa and losing to North Texas and Notre Dame.
•    Navy is 9-0 over the last two seasons when scoring on the opening drive and has won 17 straight when scoring on the opening drive dating back to 2021. The last time Navy scored on the opening drive and lost was in 2021 at home to ECU (38-35).
•    Navy owns a 760-605-57 (.555) record over 146 seasons. The 760 wins are the 22nd most in the FBS and the most of any team not in the autonomy four. 
•    Brian Newberry started his head coaching career at Navy with a 20-10 record, which is the best 30-game start by a Navy head coach since Wayne Hardin went 20-9-1 from 1959-61. Ken Niumatalolo, the winningest head coach in school history, started his first-30 games at Navy with a 19-11 record. Newberry is currently 27-12 (.692) as a head coach and with a win over FAU it would give him the best record at Navy after 40 games since Bill Ingram started 27-9-4 (.725) from 1926-30. Niumatalolo started 27-13 (.675) in his first 40 games.
•    Navy's senior class has put together a 27-12 (.692) record over four seasons, including a 17-7 (.708) mark in the American Conference. The record for wins by a class is 37 by the Class of 2017. That class posted a 37-16 (.698) record in its four years.
•    Hoke Smith II (Sr. / OG) has the honor of wearing jersey No. 68 this season in memory of former Navy offensive lineman David Forney. Forney, who was a senior offensive lineman on the 2019 team, died on Feb. 20, 2020, after being found unresponsive in Bancroft Hall. He was 22 years old. Forney was a 3-year varsity letter winner for the Mids and played in 39-consecutive games over his final 3 seasons.
•    Navy's roster represents 31 different states, including 23 players from the state of Florida, the third most of any state (Georgia-28, Texas-27). Key players from Florida include Xavyer Arrington (Jr. / NG / Vero Beach), Isaiah Bryant (Sr. / Snipe / Mount Dora), Christian Cromer (So. / RB / Brooksville), Joshua Guerin (Sr. / WR / Fort Lauderdale), Sean Martin (Fr. / CB / Dunnellon) and Braxton Woodson (Sr. / QB / Altamonte Springs).
•    The Naval Academy Athletic Association (NAAA) and USAA have extended their historic partnership for an additional 10 years, continuing a longstanding relationship built on shared values of service, leadership and commitment to those who serve. As part of the expanded partnership, USAA has been named the Anchor Partner of Navy Athletics, the highest level of corporate partnership within the Naval Academy Athletic Association. Beginning with the 2026-27 academic year, the USAA logo will appear on jerseys for 30 Navy varsity sports, providing a visible representation of the continued collaboration between two organizations with deep connections to the military community.
•    Navy Athletics will celebrate the 100th anniversary of its only football national championship during the 2026 season, honoring a remarkable 1926 team that finished 9-0-1 and captured a share of the national title. The Midshipmen will wear a commemorative uniform with a special patch for the Notre Dame game in recognition of a team whose accomplishments remain one of the great chapters in Navy football history.
•    Navy Athletics named its home radio booth the Pete Medhurst Navy Radio Network Broadcast Booth in honor of longtime broadcaster Pete Medhurst prior to the season-opening game against Towson. A plaque honoring Medhurst will be displayed outside of the broadcast booth. Medhurst passed away in January of 2025, following a courageous battle with brain cancer. He was 55 years old.
•    2nd Lts. Eli Heidenreich and Alex Tecza of the United States Marine Corps made Naval Academy football history when they appeared for the Pittsburgh Steelers in a 28-27 preseason loss to the Buffalo Bills.Heidenreich and Tecza are believed to be the fourth pair of Naval Academy graduates to appear for the same team in the same NFL game. They are the second pair of former Navy football teammates, and the first pair of Marine Corps officers who graduated from the Naval Academy, to accomplish the feat.
•    Navy currently has four players on the active NFL rosters. 2nd Lt. Eli Heidenreich (RB / WR, Pittsburgh Steelers) and 2nd Lt. Landon Robinson (DL, Cincinnati Bengals) are both rookies, while 2nd Lt. Rayuan Lane (S, Jacksonville Jaguars) is in his second year. Joe Cardona (LS, Los Angeles Rams) is entering his 12th NFL season, surpassing Pro Football Hall of Fame quarterback Roger Staubach for the longest NFL career by a former Navy football player. Staubach played 11 seasons with the Dallas Cowboys from 1969 through 1979. 
•    Navy's four players on active 53-man NFL rosters are tied for the 10th most among non-autonomy 6 programs and believed to be the most from a service academy at one time in NFL history.

Broadcast Coverage
•    ESPNU will carry Saturday's game with Courtney Lyle (play-by-play) and Rene Ingoglia on the call.
•    The Navy Football Pregame Show with Joe Miller, Mike James, Keith Mills and Scott Wykoff will get underway at 6:30 pm on the Navy Radio Network, followed by game action beginning at 7:30 pm. Radio coverage for the FAU game is presented by Navy Exchange.
•    Following the contest, Miller, James, Mills and Wykoff will recap the day's events on the Navy postgame show.
•     Expanding upon an aggressive Navy-related programming lineup, WNAV (1430 AM) will broadcast the Sing Second Sports Podcast, followed by an encore airing of the Navy Sports Magazine five hours prior to kickoff (2:30 pm this week).
•    The Anchors Aweigh and Navy Football Podcasts will air four (3:30 pm) and three (4:30 pm) hours prior to kickoff, respectively, each week.
•    The WNAV Navy Tailgate Show will bring fans a live program from Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium two hours prior to kickoff for each home game and from the studio when the Mids are on the road.
•    WNAV will then join the national pregame show with Wykoff, Miller, James and Mills for all the exciting action on the Navy Football Radio Network.

Navy Radio Network
• WBAL 1090 AM and 101.5 FM (Baltimore) 
• WFED 1500 AM (Washington, D.C.)
• WFED 104.5 FM (W. Fairfax / Loudon, Va.)
• WNAV 1430 AM  (Annapolis)
• KWFN 97.3 FM (San Diego)
• WGH 1310 AM / 100.9 FM (Norfolk)
• WJGM 105.7 FM (Jacksonville, Fla.)
• KIKI 990 AM (Honolulu, Hawai'i)
• Satellite: 
    Navy Broadcast - 
    SiriusXM (Channel 167) and the SXM App (Channel 968)
    • Apps: Audacy (WNAV and KWFN) and TuneIn (WBAL)

Hitting the Road
•    After Navy opened the 2026 season at home against Towson on Sept. 5, the Mids will hit the road for three-straight games.
•    Navy travels to FAU on Sept. 12, UAB on Sept. 25 and Air Force on Oct. 3.
•    It will be the first time Navy has played three-consecutive true road games since 2010 when the Mids played at Louisiana Tech (W, 37-23), at Air Force (L, 14-6) and at Wake Forest (W, 28-27). Navy finished the year with a 9-4 record, which included a 31-17 win over Army.
•    It's also the first time Navy has played three of its first-four games of the season on the road (not counting neutral site games) for the first time since 1997, when Navy played at San Diego State (L, 45-31), Rutgers (W, 36-7), at SMU (W, 46-16) and at Duke (L, 26-17). That team finished 7-4, which included a 39-7 win over Army, but did not go to a bowl game because two of those wins were against the FCS.

Schools with 3-Straight Road Games in 2026
Team    Opponents
Western Ky.    Nevada, Georgia, Indiana (no byes)
Navy    FAU, UAB, Air Force
Syracuse    Pitt, UConn, Virginia
UNLV    Hawaii, North Texas, Akron
Cal    SMU, NC State, Virginia

Best Winning Percentage Over the Last Three Seasons (2024-26)
•    Navy's winning percentage of .815 (22-5) over the past three seasons (2024-26) is the eighth best in the FBS and the best among non-autonomy 6 schools.

Navy Hits The 500-yard Rushing Mark Against Towson
•    Navy ran for 506 yards on 73 carries in its 42-15 win over Towson.
•    The 506 rushing yards are the 12th most in school history and the most since the Mids ran for 559 yards against SMU in 2017.
•    The 73 carries are tied for the 8th most in school history and the most since 2022.

Double Trouble
•    In Navy's season-opening victory over Towson last Saturday, Braxton Woodson (Sr. / QB) and Jackson Gutierrez (Jr. / QB / FB) became the first pair of Navy quarterbacks to run for two or more touchdowns in the same game since the 2017 Military Bowl. Woodson scored a career-high three rushing touchdowns, while Gutierrez ran for the first-two rushing touchdowns of his career.
•    In the 2017 Military Bowl, starter Malcolm Perry ran for two touchdowns before leaving with an injury, while Zach Abey ran for five in a 49-7 rout of Virginia.

Scouting FAU
0-1 Overall  |  0-0 American
Head Coach: Zach Kittley

•    FAU enters Saturday's game 0-1 after falling to a very good Florida squad 66-21.
•    FAU has 63 transfers on its roster, including 29 from the autonomy 4.
•    Fifth-year running back Leonard Farrow, a transfer from Fairmont State, and sophomore running back Ethan Ervin lead the rushing attack. Farrow ran the ball 10 times for 51 yards against the Gators, while Ervin had 50 yards on 16 carries.
•    Graduate student quarterback Caden Veltkamp, a transfer from Western Kentucky, is one of the best quarterbacks in the American. He threw the ball 52 times last week against Florida, completing 34 for 276 yards with one touchdown and two interceptions.
•    Veltkamp's two favorite targets are senior Kelby Valsin (17), a transfer from Texas Tech, and fifth-year senior Ethan Messer (13), who came to FAU from Western Kentucky with Veltkamp. Valsin and Messer were targeted a combined 30 times against Florida with Valsin catching 10 passes for 92 yards and a touchdown, while Messer has seven catches for 73 yards. Messer was one of the top receivers in the American a year ago.
•    The defense is led by graduate student Leon Hart Jr. (seven tackles), a transfer from Marshall, and graduate student safety Jayden Sweeney (six tackles, a tackle for a loss and an interception), a transfer from Liberty.