NR Navy Midshipmen 2-6 (2-4) vs #10/#8/#8 Notre Dame Fighting Irish 7-1
Saturday 6 November 2021 3:30 pm ET
Notre Dame Stadium, South Bend Indiana

TV: NBC
Online: Peacocktv.com (premium)
Play-by-Play: Mike Tirico, Analyst: Drew Brees, Sideline: Kathryn Tappen

Radio: Navy Radio Network
Play-by-Play: Pete Medhurst, Analyst: Joe Miller, Sideline: Keith Mills, Studio: Scott Wykoff, Pregame Commentary: John Feinstein
• Satellite: Sirius 111, XM 202, SXM App 965
• 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 (W. Fairfax / Loudon, Va.)
• WNAV 1430 AM / 99.9 FM (Annapolis)
• WBQH 93.5 FM (Washington, D.C.)
• WJBT 100.3 FM (Jacksonville)
• KWFN 97.3 FM (San Diego)
• WGH 1310 AM / 100.9 FM / 97.3 HD2-3 (Norfolk)

OPENING KICK
• Navy and No. 8 Notre Dame meet for the 94th time in series history when the two square off on Saturday afternoon (3:30 pm ET) at Notre Dame Stadium (77,622) in South Bend, Ind. The two programs are among the winningest FBS teams in college football history. Notre Dame ranks sixth all-time with 925 wins, while Navy ranks 23rd with 727.
• The two schools had played 93-consecutive times, which was the longest intersectional rivalry in college football, until last year when the COVID-19 pandemic caused the game to be cancelled. The two schools were originally scheduled to open the 2020 season in Dublin, Ireland. Travel restrictions, however, forced the game to be moved to Annapolis for what would have been the first game in series history to be played at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium before the contest was ultimately cancelled. The 2022 Navy-Notre Dame game will be played on Saturday, Nov. 12 at M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore.
• Notre Dame leads the series 79-13-1 and has won three in a row over the Mids. Navy head coach Ken Niumatalolo has beaten Notre Dame three times and has lost four other times by 10 points or less in his 12 games against the Irish.
• Navy is playing the third-toughest schedule in the country this year based on opponent winning percentage from the previous year. The Mids’ 12 opponents this fall combined for a 72-42 (.632) record in 2020. Only Arkansas (.644) and UMass (.644) have tougher slates based on last year’s results.
• Navy’s eight opponents it has faced to date (does not include games against Navy) are a combined 39-17 (.696), which is tied for the ninth-toughest schedule in the country based on opponent winning percentage. If you include Navy’s entire 12-game slate, the combined record is 57-30 (.655), which is tied for the eighth most difficult schedule in the country based on opponent winning percentage.
• Saturday will be the second time in three weeks Navy has faced a top-10 opponent, as the Mids lost to No. 2 Cincinnati 27-20 on Oct. 23.
• Notre Dame will be Navy’s fourth opponent this year that is currently ranked in the top 25. Navy lost at No. 19 Houston 28-20 after leading 17-7 at the half and lost to No. 24 SMU 31-24 after leading 21-7.
• Niumatalolo has beaten five Associated Press Top-25 opponents during his tenure with the last coming on Nov. 23, 2019, when the Mids defeated No. 21 SMU 35-28. Niumatalolo beat No. 19 Notre Dame 23-21 in 2009. The highest ranked team a Niumatalolo-led Navy team has defeated came in 2016 when the Mids stunned No. 6 Houston 46-40.
• Navy has defeated four Notre Dame teams ranked in the top 25: 1936 over No. 13 Notre Dame 3-0; 1944 over No. 2 Notre Dame 32-12; 1957 over No. 5 Notre Dame 20-6 and in 2009 over No. 19 Notre Dame 23-21.
• Navy is 32-21 (.604) in the American Athletic Conference since joining in 2015, which is tied with Cinicinnati for the fifth best mark in the conference during that time. Only Memphis (35-17), Temple (32-19), UCF (34-19) and Houston (32-19) have been better. Navy has defeated every team in the conference at least once.
• Navy defeated Tulsa last Friday night without completing a pass (0-4). It was the seventh time in the Niumatalolo era and the first time since 2018 against UCF that Navy has gone an entire game without completing a pass. Not completing a pass in a game is not necessarily a bad thing for the Mids, as they are 6-1 under Niumatalolo in games they don’t complete a pass. In two of those games, 2009 vs. Wake Forest and 2008 against SMU, the Mids never attempted a pass. Both of those games were played in torrential downpours with Navy beating Wake Forest 13-10 and SMU 34-7.
• Niumatalolo is the eighth-longest tenured coach in the FBS, while Notre Dame head coach Brian Kelly is 11th.

Is this the home or away team thread? lol