North Texas (4-2, 2-0 American) at Navy (2-4, 1-3 American). Saturday, Oct. 24, 3:30 p.m. ET, Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium, Annapolis, CBS Sports Network.
Your hosts are Grady Mayhew-Ochoa, a North Texas fan who hears every offense like an indie record, and Cmdr. (Ret.) Annabel Merriweather, a Navy fan who reads the option like a nautical chart.
Grady: Commander, your offense plays a slow, steady march. Ours is free jazz.
Annabel: Respectfully, sailor, marches win wars. And we're playing this one at home.
Players to watch
North Texas quarterback Tayven Jackson has 1,868 yards, 15 touchdowns and four interceptions, completing 72.2% of his passes. He's third in FBS in passing yards. Running back Jahiem White has 687 yards and nine touchdowns on 96 carries, sixth in FBS in rushing touchdowns. Wide receiver Justin Stevenson has 33 catches for 453 yards and five scores. Linebacker Zakye Barker has 43 tackles and two sacks.
Navy quarterback Jackson Gutierrez has 640 rushing yards and nine touchdowns, plus 559 passing yards, six touchdowns and one interception. He ran for 232 yards and three scores against Tulsa. Wide receiver Jordan Collins has 189 yards on just five catches. Linebacker Coleman Cauley has 41 tackles.
Annabel: Five catches, 189 yards. We don't throw often, Grady, but when we do, we hit the target.
What happened last week
Navy lost 38-34 at UTSA. Gutierrez ran 21 times for 139 yards and two touchdowns and threw two more. Collins caught two passes for 117 yards and two scores, and backup quarterback Braxton Woodson added a 73-yard rushing day with a touchdown on five carries.
North Texas had a week off after beating Charlotte 50-10 on Oct. 10. Jackson went 24 of 31 for 349 yards and five touchdowns in that game, and Stevenson caught nine passes for 122 yards and two scores.
Grady: Five touchdown passes. That's a full album, Commander.
Injuries and availability
There is no official American Conference availability report, and no injury news had surfaced for either team as of Oct. 18. Check the schools' channels on game day.
What the coaches are up to
Neal Brown is in his first season at North Texas. He was hired on Dec. 2, 2025, as the program's 21st head coach, replacing Eric Morris, who left for Oklahoma State. He went 72-51 at Troy and West Virginia, won the 2017 Sun Belt title and is 5-1 in bowl games.
Brian Newberry was hired at Navy on Dec. 19, 2022. His 2025 team went 11-2, finished No. 23 in the final AP poll and won the Liberty Bowl 35-13. Navy runs on 81% of its plays, for 297.8 yards a game, fourth in FBS.
Player storylines
This is the clash of the week. North Texas averages 42.2 points (fifth in FBS) and 347 passing yards (second). Navy's pass defense ranks 113th. Navy's ground game faces a North Texas run defense allowing 142.7 yards a game, which ranks 73rd. Ball security is Navy's worry. The Mids are minus-6 in turnover margin, 126th in FBS. Flags are a worry for North Texas, which averages 70.2 penalty yards a game, 115th.
All four Navy losses came on the road by a combined 21 points, and the Mids are 2-0 at home.
What's happening on campus
It's Homecoming in Annapolis, the Midshipmen's 2026 Homecoming, with the Brigade in the stands.
Annabel: Homecoming, Grady. Every alum in that stadium can still recite the option read in their sleep.
Grady: Cool. Every North Texas fan can still hum Jackson's five-touchdown night. We'll call it a duet.
Anything else fun and true
Navy leads the series 2-1. North Texas won last year 31-17, Navy won 27-24 in 2023, and Navy won the 2007 meeting 74-62. That's 136 combined points.
Annabel: I consider 2007 a historical anomaly.
Grady: I consider it a drum solo. See you at kickoff, Commander. Sincere respect to the Brigade.
The Cover Window
My call: North Texas Mean Green 34, Navy Midshipmen 30.