Navy Midshipmen 3-3 (3-1) at #22 / #23 SMU Mustangs
Saturday October 31
7:30 pm ET / 6:30 pm CT
Ford Stadium, Dallas, Texas

ESPN2 (Anish Shroff, Tom Luginbill, Ian Fitzsimmons)

Navy Radio Network (Pete Medhurst, Joe Miller, Keith Mills, Scott Wykoff)
• WBAL 1090 AM / 101.5 FM (Baltimore)
• WNAV 1430 AM / 99.9 FM (Annapolis)
• WJXL 1010 AM / 92.5 FM (Jacksonville, Fla.)
• WGH 1310 AM / 100.9 FM / 97.3 HD2-3 (Norfolk, Va.)
• KWFN 97.3 FM (San Diego, Calif.)
• KHKA CBS Sports Radio 1500 AM (Honolulu, Hawai’i)
• WFED 1500 AM (Washington, D.C.)
• WFED 104.5 FM (Western Fairfax / Loudon, Va.)
• WFED 820 AM / 94.3 FM (Frederick, Md.)
• WBQH 1050 AM / 93.5 FM (Washington, D.C. / No. Virginia)
• Sirius Ch. 113 / XM Ch. 207 / Internet Ch. 967

SETTING THE STAGE
• Navy and #22 SMU meet on the gridiron for the 22nd time overall and the sixth time as American Athletic Conference foes when they square off on ESPN2 on Saturday night (7:30 pm) at Ford Stadium in Dallas. The state and local authorities are allowing 25 percent capacity at SMU’s 32,000 seat stadium.
• Navy leads the all-time series 13-8, including a 4-1 mark against the Mustangs in AAC games. Navy’s only loss to SMU in league play was a 31-30 overtime setback in the Mids’ last trip to Dallas (Sept. 22, 2018). Navy is 6-4 all-time against the Mustangs in Dallas and has won six of the last seven. The last three games in the series have been decided by a total of 11 points (43-40 Navy in 2017, 31-30 OT SMU in 2018 and 35-28 Navy in 2019).
• Since 2015, when Navy joined the American Athletic Conference, the Mids have compiled a 30-14 (.682) conference record which is the third-best mark in the league behind Temple (31-12) and Memphis (31-12).
• Navy enters the weekend with a 3-1 record in the AAC and alone in fourth place. The top-two teams will play in the American Athletic Conference Championship game on Dec. 12 or Dec. 19. The Mids no longer control their own destiny in the race for the top two as Navy has already lost to one of the three undefeated teams (Houston) and does not play another (Cincinnati). The Mids are slated to play undefeated Tulsa next Saturday. SMU and Memphis are tied for fifth place, 1/2 game behind Navy.
• Navy’s three wins this fall have been by a total of 9 points (defeated Tulane by 3, Temple by 2 and ECU by 4). It’s the first time each of Navy’s first three wins of the season were by 4 points or less since 1971 when Navy defeated Virginia 10-6, Duke 15-14 and Syracuse 17-14. Those three games were the 1971 team’s only wins of the season as it finished 3-8.
• Navy has had 23 different players make their first-career start this year, which is the most in the country. Senior defensive end Jackson Perkins is the only player on the Navy defense to start all six games. The Mids have started four different nose guards and three different quarterbacks.
• Navy started three different quarterbacks in its first three games of the season for the first time since 1992 - Jim Kubiak (Virginia), Brian Ellis (Boston College), Jason Van Matre (Rutgers). That 1992 team finished 1-10.
• Navy’s last win over a top-25 team was last year, when the Mids knocked off #21 SMU 35-28. Niumatalolo has led Navy to five top-25 wins during his tenure, which are the second most in school history. Eddie Erdelatz beat 10 top-25 teams from 1950-58.

(Last year's banner tweet - I didn't get on the Yard this week)

THE GANSZ TROPHY
• The SMU and Navy Athletic Departments created the Gansz Trophy in 2009, a traveling trophy to honor the late coaching legend Frank Gansz. Navy is 7-1 in Gansz Trophy games since the trophy was created.
• Considered perhaps the top special teams coach in the history of the NFL, Frank Gansz spent time at both SMU and the Naval Academy. Gansz was starting his second season as special teams coach on the Hilltop when he passed away on April 27, 2009. As a collegian, Gansz played center and linebacker for the Naval Academy from 1957 to 1959 and graduated in 1960. He also spent four seasons as an assistant coach at Navy.
• In all, Gansz was a veteran of 38 seasons of coaching - 24 in the NFL and 14 in the collegiate ranks.
• Prior to coming to SMU in 2008, Gansz was with the Jacksonville Jaguars, where he was special teams coordinator in 2000 and 2001. Prior to his time with the Jags, he served as the special teams coach of the St. Louis Rams for three seasons, helping the team to its victory in Super Bowl XXXIV.
• In 1986, Gansz’s first year as the assistant head coach/special teams for Kansas City, the Chiefs blocked or deflected an NFL-record 10 kicks and scored five touchdowns. Because of his success with the special teams, Gansz was promoted to head coach of the Chiefs, a role he served from 1987 to 1988.
• He left the Chiefs to become the special teams coach of the Detroit Lions from 1989 to 1993, a period in which Mel Gray developed into the NFL’s all-time leader in combined kick return yardage. In 1989, Gansz was named NFL Special Teams Coach of the Year by his peers. Gansz then spent three years as the assistant head coach/special teams for the Atlanta Falcons from 1994 to 1996.
• Gansz’s NFL career began in 1978 as special teams coach for the San Francisco 49ers. He coached special teams and tight ends for Cincinnati (1979-80), Kansas City (1981-82) and Philadelphia (1983-85).
• After serving as a pilot in the U.S. Air Force for nearly seven years, Gansz began his coaching career at the Air Force Academy (1964-66). He also had coaching stints at Colgate (1968), Navy (1969-72), Oklahoma State (1973, 1975), Army (1974) and UCLA (1976-77).

(10-31-2020 10:32 AM)slhNavy91 Wrote:  THE GANSZ TROPHY
• The SMU and Navy Athletic Departments created the Gansz Trophy in 2009, a traveling trophy to honor the late coaching legend Frank Gansz. Navy is 7-1 in Gansz Trophy games since the trophy was created.
• Considered perhaps the top special teams coach in the history of the NFL, Frank Gansz spent time at both SMU and the Naval Academy. Gansz was starting his second season as special teams coach on the Hilltop when he passed away on April 27, 2009. As a collegian, Gansz played center and linebacker for the Naval Academy from 1957 to 1959 and graduated in 1960. He also spent four seasons as an assistant coach at Navy.
• In all, Gansz was a veteran of 38 seasons of coaching - 24 in the NFL and 14 in the collegiate ranks.
• Prior to coming to SMU in 2008, Gansz was with the Jacksonville Jaguars, where he was special teams coordinator in 2000 and 2001. Prior to his time with the Jags, he served as the special teams coach of the St. Louis Rams for three seasons, helping the team to its victory in Super Bowl XXXIV.
• In 1986, Gansz’s first year as the assistant head coach/special teams for Kansas City, the Chiefs blocked or deflected an NFL-record 10 kicks and scored five touchdowns. Because of his success with the special teams, Gansz was promoted to head coach of the Chiefs, a role he served from 1987 to 1988.
• He left the Chiefs to become the special teams coach of the Detroit Lions from 1989 to 1993, a period in which Mel Gray developed into the NFL’s all-time leader in combined kick return yardage. In 1989, Gansz was named NFL Special Teams Coach of the Year by his peers. Gansz then spent three years as the assistant head coach/special teams for the Atlanta Falcons from 1994 to 1996.
• Gansz’s NFL career began in 1978 as special teams coach for the San Francisco 49ers. He coached special teams and tight ends for Cincinnati (1979-80), Kansas City (1981-82) and Philadelphia (1983-85).
• After serving as a pilot in the U.S. Air Force for nearly seven years, Gansz began his coaching career at the Air Force Academy (1964-66). He also had coaching stints at Colgate (1968), Navy (1969-72), Oklahoma State (1973, 1975), Army (1974) and UCLA (1976-77).

You make the most informative gameday threads on the board sir.

Looking forward to the game tonight.

(10-31-2020 05:09 PM)PuddlePirate Wrote:  You make the most informative gameday threads on the board sir.

Looking forward to the game tonight.

Thanks.
I would be remiss if I didn't give credit to our outstanding SID at Navy. Game Notes each week make it easy.

And then the csnbbs twitter embed allows me to double tap what I was tweeting anyway.

Playing on Halloween has been a nightmare for the Mids as Navy is just 2-12-1 on Oct. 31. Seven of those losses came at the hands of Notre Dame.

Navy last played on Oct. 31 back in 2015 when it defeated USF at home, 29-17.

McMorris is our best cover corner.
Tuitele is one of our important pieces at linebacker.

Danny Gray out for SMU

(10-31-2020 06:20 PM)Pony94 Wrote:  Danny Gray out for SMU

Bummer - I thought he was back...

(10-31-2020 06:23 PM)slhNavy91 Wrote:  

(10-31-2020 06:20 PM)Pony94 Wrote:  Danny Gray out for SMU

Bummer - I thought he was back...

His wrist is still too sore

Navy has won the toss and deferred.
First time we've won the toss this year.

I'm now less likely to post...

End 1Q. Navy 7-0.

The thing about this tempo...not just what it does to the defense, but I don't ever get to see any replays of anything.

Nice recovery from SMU. Hopefully an exciting second half. SMU needs to tackle better.

Huge difference in how SMU ends the half between this game and last week. That was perhaps their best 2Q of the season. [/i]