The Navy Midshipmen (3-6) visit the Southern Methodist Mustangs (6-3, 4-2 Conference USA) this Saturday, Nov. 12, hoping for a win in order to keep their hopes of making a bowl game alive. Navy must finish at .500 or better to qualify for a bowl game, and it stands at three games below that mark with three to play.
Navy ended its six-game losing streak in its last outing, defeating the Troy Trojans, 42-14, in a dominant offensive performance. The Midshipmen gained 517 yards on offense--390 on the ground--as they executed their option offense to perfection: four players scored rushing touchdowns, and four players tallied between 52-80 yards rushing.
The Mustangs are fresh off a 45-24 drubbing of the Tulane Green Wave. Zach Line tallied 25 carries for 143 yards and three scores, while J.J. McDermott tossed three touchdowns and no interceptions. Southern Methodist limited Tulane to 57 yards rushing on 30 carries.
Navy owns a narrow edge in the all-time series with Southern Methodist, 8-7, and has won each of the last four meetings by an average of 17 points. In the last matchup, the Midshipmen rallied from a 14-0 deficit to win, 28-21. Alexander Teich scored the go-ahead touchdown on a four-yard run with 1:38 remaining.