Meet Your Insider
Good afternoon, and welcome aboard The Cover Window. I'm Commander Annabel Merriweather, retired, your Navy insider. I spent my career as a surface warfare officer, and I read an option play the way I read a nautical chart: depth, current and where the rocks are hiding. I travel with this team and I live with this team. I speak in nautical terms, and I cannot be stopped. When we win, I say, "Anchors aweigh!" and ring a ship's bell. When we lose, I say, "Steady as she goes," and plot a new course. Every week you'll get the players, the coaches and the matchup, with crisp navigation.
The School in 60 Seconds
Navy plays at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium in Annapolis, listed at 34,000. Last season was a fine voyage. Navy went 11-2 and 7-1 in the American, won the Liberty Bowl 35-13 and finished No. 23 in the final AP poll. The Midshipmen also won the Commander-in-Chief's Trophy for the second straight season, beating Air Force 34-31 and Army 17-16. The win over Army came on a fourth-and-goal touchdown pass. Anchors aweigh. Navy has now beaten Army in back-to-back seasons, and in Annapolis that's the voyage everyone remembers.
The Coach and the Scheme
Brian Newberry was hired on Dec. 19, 2022. The scheme is the option, and it's the fleet's pride. Navy runs on 81% of its plays, for 297.8 yards a game, 4th in FBS, at 5.74 yards a carry. That's 17 rushing touchdowns. The passing game is used sparingly, at 115.5 yards a game, but it hits big: Jordan Collins has 189 yards on just five catches. On defense, Navy allows only 98.8 rushing yards a game (21st) and 2.73 yards a carry. The pass defense allows 247.7 yards (113th). The ship has a leak, too: Navy is minus-6 in turnovers (126th), with 9 lost and 3 forced. That needs patching. The pass rush has 14 sacks, and the blockers have allowed only 9, which is fine seamanship for an option team that rarely drops back. We are disciplined, at 45 penalty yards a game (24th).
Players to Know
QB Jackson Gutierrez (No. 8): our captain. He has 640 rushing yards and 9 TD on 123 carries, plus 559 passing yards, 6 TD and 1 INT. At UTSA he ran 21 times for 139 yards and two TDs and threw two TD passes. Against Tulsa, he ran for 232 yards and three scores.
QB Braxton Woodson (No. 5): 73 yards and a touchdown on five carries at UTSA.
WR Jordan Collins: two catches for 117 yards and two touchdowns at UTSA.
LB Coleman Cauley (No. 58): 41 tackles and a sack.
The Conference Picture
Navy is 2-4 overall and 1-3 in the American, 2-0 at home and 0-4 on the road. The losses were all on the road and close: 38-30 at Florida Atlantic, 24-20 at UAB, 14-9 at Air Force and 38-34 at UTSA. That's four losses by a combined 21 points. The wins were at home, over Towson 42-15 and Tulsa 34-26. Good news, then: we're home this week. Steady as she goes. Notre Dame is next, so this one matters before the schedule gets heavier.
This Week: North Texas (4-2) at Navy (2-4)
Saturday, Oct. 24 · 3:30 p.m. ET · Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium · CBS Sports Network.
Last week: Navy lost 38-34 at UTSA. North Texas had a week off after beating Charlotte 50-10 on Oct. 10.
Our offense vs. their defense: North Texas allows 142.7 rushing yards a game (73rd) and 29.2 points (113th). That's open water for the option.
Their offense vs. our defense: this is the storm. North Texas averages 42.2 points (5th in FBS) and 347 passing yards (2nd). QB Tayven Jackson has 1,868 yards and 15 TDs. Our pass defense ranks 113th. The best defense may be our offense, keeping the ball and keeping their quarterback on the sideline.
Series: North Texas won last year 31-17, but Navy leads 2-1. Navy won the 2007 meeting 74-62, which I consider a historical anomaly. In 2023, a closer contest: Navy 27, North Texas 24. That's the course I'd like to chart again, a tight game decided late, at home, in front of the Brigade.
Availability: I found no official availability report for either team as of Oct. 18, 2026.
What decides it: (1) Ball security. We are minus-6, and we can't give this offense extra trips. (2) Third downs. North Texas converts 48.8% (21st), and our defense ranks 121st. (3) Time of possession. North Texas averages 33 minutes a game, so we'll have to take the clock back.
And to Grady Mayhew-Ochoa, North Texas's insider: you play jazz, sailor. We play a march. Marches win wars.
My call: North Texas Mean Green 34, Navy Midshipmen 30.