2021 American Athletic Conference football standings

	Conf.							Overall
Team		W		L					W		L
No. 4 Cincinnati y$^		8	–	0					13	–	1
No. 17 Houston y		8	–	0					12	–	2
UCF		5	–	3					9	–	4
East Carolina		5	–	3					7	–	5
Tulsa		5	–	3					7	–	6
SMU		4	–	4					8	–	4
Memphis		3	–	5					6	–	6
Navy		3	–	5					4	–	8
Tulane		1	–	7					2	–	10
South Florida		1	–	7					2	–	10
Temple		1	–	7					3	–	9
Championship: Cincinnati 35, Houston 20
^ – College Football Playoff participant $ – Conference champion y – Championship game participant Rankings from AP Poll

The 2021 Navy Midshipmen football team represented the United States Naval Academy as a member of the American Athletic Conference (AAC) in the 2021 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Midshipmen were led by 14th-year head coach Ken Niumatalolo and played their home games at Navy–Marine Corps Memorial Stadium.

The American Athletic Conference preseason media poll was released at the virtual media day held August 4, 2021.^[1] Cincinnati, who finished the 2020 season ranked No. 8 nationally, was tabbed as the preseason favorite in the 2021 preseason media poll.

Media poll
Predicted finish	Team	Votes (1st place)
1	Cincinnati	262 (22)
2	UCF	241 (2)
3	SMU	188
4	Houston	181
5	Memphis	168
6	Tulsa	153
7	Tulane	132
т-8	East Carolina	85
т-8	Navy	85
10	Temple	46
11	South Florida	43

Date	Time	Opponent	Site	TV	Result	Attendance
September 4	3:30 p.m.	Marshall*	Navy–Marine Corps Memorial Stadium Annapolis, MD	CBSSN	L 7–49	30,131
September 11	3:30 p.m.	Air Force*	Navy–Marine Corps Memorial Stadium Annapolis, MD (Commander-in-Chief's Trophy)	CBS	L 3–23	36,997
September 25	7:00 p.m.	at Houston	TDECU Stadium Houston, TX	ESPNU	L 20–28	25,054
October 2	3:30 p.m.	UCF	Navy–Marine Corps Memorial Stadium Annapolis, MD	CBSSN	W 34–30	30,871
October 9	3:30 p.m.	No. 24 SMU	Navy–Marine Corps Memorial Stadium Annapolis, MD (Gansz Trophy)	CBSSN	L 24–31	28,563
October 14	7:30 p.m.	at Memphis	Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium Memphis, TN	ESPN	L 17–35	30,042
October 23	12:00 p.m.	No. 2 Cincinnati	Navy–Marine Corps Memorial Stadium Annapolis, MD	ESPN2	L 20–27	32,004
October 29	7:30 p.m.	at Tulsa	H.A. Chapman Stadium Tulsa, OK	ESPN2	W 20–17	16,279
November 6	3:30 p.m.	at No. 10 Notre Dame*	Notre Dame Stadium Notre Dame, IN (rivalry)	NBC	L 6–34	77,096
November 20	3:30 p.m.	East Carolina	Navy–Marine Corps Memorial Stadium Annapolis, MD	CBSSN	L 35–38	28,001
November 27	12:00 p.m.	at Temple	Lincoln Financial Field Philadelphia, PA	ESPNU	W 38–14	16,708
December 11	3:00 p.m.	vs. Army*	Metlife Stadium East Rutherford, NJ (Army–Navy Game, College GameDay)	CBS	W 17–13	82,282
*Non-conference game Rankings from AP Poll and CFP Rankings after November 2 released prior to game All times are in Eastern time

^[2]

Name	Position	Seasons at Navy	Alma mater
Ken Niumatalolo	Head coach	24 (14 as HC)	Hawaii (1989)
Offensive staff
Ivin Jasper	Offensive coordinator / quarterbacks coach	22	Hawaii (1994)
Joe DuPaix	Slotbacks coach	7	Southern Utah (1998)
Ashley Ingram	Running game coordinator / offensive centers and guards coach	14	North Alabama (1996)
Jason MacDonald	Fullbacks Coach	3	Springfield College (MA) (2004)
Danny O'Rourke	Special teams coordinator / offensive tackles coach	20	West Georgia (1999)
Mick Yokitis	Wide receivers coach	11	Navy (2006)
Billy Ray Stutzmann	Offensive assistant coach	3	Hawaii (2013)
Defensive staff
Brian Newberry	Defensive coordinator / safeties coach	3	Baylor (1998)
James Adams	Cornerbacks coach	2	Wake Forest (2006)
Kevin Downing	Defensive ends / raiders coach	3	North Carolina Central (2004)
Robert Green	Defensive assistant coach / Director of Racial Equality	9	Navy (1998)
Joe Coniglio	Defensive assistant coach	1	Miami University (2006)
Steve Johns	Strikers Coach	14	Occidental (1991)
Jerrick Hall	Nose Guards / defensive tackles coach	3	NC State (2004)
P.J. Volker	Linebackers coach	3	Mount St. Joseph (2005)
Support staff
Brian Blick	Director of football operations	5	Navy (2012)
Va'a Niumatalolo	Assistant to the director of football operations	2	BYU (2018)
Bryan Fitzpatrick	Associate director of athletics – Football Strength, Conditioning & Sports Performance	10	Towson (2005)
David Mahoney	Recruiting coordinator	5	Navy (2007)
Bryan Miller	Associate football strength and conditioning coach / sports science coordinator	7	North Park
Omar Nelson	Director of player personnel	5	Navy (1997)
Capt. Donald Bowers, USMC	Director of player development	2	Navy (2011)
Kevin Slattery	Director of Football Creative Design	3	York College (PA) (2016)
Hanna Kotlarek	Director of Football Creative Services	1
Laura Webb	Administrative assistant to the head football coach	2

Source:^[3]

Ranking movements
Legend: — = Not ranked

	Week
Poll	Pre	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	Final
AP	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
Coaches	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
CFP	Not released															Not released

Marshall at Navy

1 2 3 4 Total • Thundering Herd 14 7 7 21 49 Midshipmen 0 0 0 7 7 Date: September 4, 2021 Location: Navy–Marine Corps Memorial Stadium Annapolis, MD Game start: 3:30 p.m. EDT Elapsed time: 3 hours, 18 minutes Game attendance: 30,131 Game weather: 76 °F (24 °C) • Weather: Sunny, clear skies • Wind: SW 5–10 MPH Referee: Scott Hardin TV announcers (CBS Sports Network): Chick Hernandez (play-by-play), Randy Cross (analyst) & Sheehan Stanwick Burch (sideline)

Pregame line	Over/Under
MARSHALL -3.0	47[4]

Statistics	Marshall	Navy
First downs	23	24
Total yards	464	398
Rushing yards	101	337
Passing yards	363	61
Turnovers	2	2
Time of possession	18:41	41:19

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Marshall	Passing	Grant Wells	20/30, 333 yards, 2 INT
	Rushing	Rasheen Ali	14 carries, 59 yards, 4 TD
	Receiving	Talik Keaton	5 receptions, 100 yards
Navy	Passing	Maasai Maynor	2/6, 27 yards
	Rushing	James Harris II	11 carries, 80 yards
	Receiving	Mychal Copper	2 receptions, 30 yards

Air Force at Navy

1 2 3 4 Total • Falcons 0 7 7 9 23 Midshipmen 0 3 0 0 3 Date: September 11, 2021 Location: Navy–Marine Corps Memorial Stadium Annapolis, MD Game start: 3:30 p.m. EDT Elapsed time: 3 hours, 8 minutes Game attendance: 36,997 Game weather: 78 °F (26 °C) • Weather: Partly cloudy • Wind: S 6 MPH Referee: David Alvarez TV announcers (CBS): Brad Nessler (play-by-play), Gary Danielson (analyst) & Jamie Erdahl (sideline)

Pregame line	Over/Under
AIR FORCE -6.0	40[5]

Statistics	Air Force	Navy
First downs	14	6
Total yards	225	68
Rushing yards	176	36
Passing yards	49	32
Turnovers	0	1
Time of possession	36:48	23:12

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Air Force	Passing	Haaziq Daniels	3/10, 49 yards
	Rushing	Brad Roberts	29 carries, 97 yards, 2 TD
	Receiving	Micah Davis	1 reception, 27 yards
Navy	Passing	Maasai Maynor	3/5, 32 yards,
	Rushing	Xavier Arline	16 carries, 31 yards
	Receiving	Mychal Copper	1 reception, 15 yards

Since this game was on the 20th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks, both teams donned special commemorative uniforms. The Air Force Falcons were designed to honor a B-52 bomber crew that flew in Operation Linebacker II during 1972. While the Midshipmen's uniform celebrated the United States Marine Corps, inspired by the iconic "Dress Blue A" uniform, with white gloves, black cleats, red trim, and royal blue pants. The helmet, shoulder and pant designs feature an Eagle, Globe and Anchor, as well as, the battle cry "OORAH", on the front of the helmet. The back of the helmet reads "Semper Fi", the Marine Corps motto abbreviated from Semper Fidelis, meaning "always faithful." The red stripe on the pants is known as the "Blood Stripe," a way to honor fallen and injured Marines.^[6][7]

Navy at Houston

1 2 3 4 Total Midshipmen 7 10 0 3 20 • Cougars 7 0 7 14 28 Date: September 25, 2021 Location: TDECU Stadium Houston, TX Game start: 6:02 p.m. CDT Elapsed time: 3 hours and 8 minutes Game attendance: 25,054 Game weather: 85 °F (29 °C) • Weather: Sunny • Wind: E 6 MPH Referee: Hank Johns TV announcers (ESPNU): Tiffany Greene (play-by-play) and Hutson Mason (analyst)

Pregame line	Over/Under
HOUSTON –2.0	47

Statistics	Navy	Houston
First downs	16	20
Total yards	300	384
Rushing yards	202	127
Passing yards	98	257
Turnovers	1	0
Time of possession	33:21	26:39

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Navy	Passing	Xavier Arline	3/6, 83 yards
	Rushing	Xavier Arline	19 rushes, 64 yards, 1 TD
	Receiving	Mychal Cooper	3 receptions, 83 yards
Houston	Passing	Clayton Tune	22/30, 257 yards, 1 TD
	Rushing	Alton McCaskill	17 rushes, 74 yards
	Receiving	Christian Trahan	4 receptions, 65 yards

Central Florida at Navy

1 2 3 4 Total Knights 13 10 7 0 30 • Midshipmen 7 10 0 17 34 Date: October 2, 2021 Location: Navy–Marine Corps Memorial Stadium Annapolis, MD Game start: 3:30 p.m. EDT Elapsed time: 3 hours, 14 minutes Game attendance: 30,871 Game weather: 74 °F (23 °C) • Weather: Blue skies • Wind: SE 13 MPH Referee: Tim Rich TV announcers (CBS Sports Network): Chick Hernandez (play-by-play), Randy Cross (analyst) & Sheehan Stanwick Burch (sideline)

Pregame line	Over/Under
UCF -15.0	53

Statistics	UCF	Navy
First downs	17	26
Total yards	326	406
Rushing yards	148	348
Passing yards	178	58
Turnovers	2	2
Time of possession	20:42	39:18

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
UCF	Passing	Mikey Keene	16/26, 178 yards, 2TD, INT
	Rushing	Johnny Richardson	11 carries, 59 yards
	Receiving	Brandon Johnson	4 receptions, 79 yards, 2 TD
Navy	Passing	Tai Lavatai	2/4, 58 yards
	Rushing	Carlinos Acie	11 carries, 85 yards
	Receiving	Chance Warren	1 reception, 49 yards

This was the Navy Midshipmen's first win since October 17, 2020 when they played at ECU. Navy snapped their losing streak and got their first win this season. Also during this game, the Naval Academy Athletic Association retired former All-American and College Football Hall of Fame safety Chet Moeller's number 48 jersey. Moeller, who was also the East Coast Athletic (ECAC) Player of the Year in 1975, played for the Midshipmen from 1972 to 1975. He is the first defensive player to have his number retired by the Midshipmen.^[8]

Southern Methodist at Navy

1 2 3 4 Total • No. 24 Mustangs 7 14 3 7 31 Midshipmen 7 14 3 0 24 Date: October 9, 2021 Location: Navy–Marine Corps Memorial Stadium Annapolis, MD Game start: 3:30 p.m. EDT Elapsed time: 3 hours, 5 minutes Game attendance: 28,563 Game weather: 72 °F (22 °C) • Weather: Partly cloudy • Wind: SE 10 MPH Referee: Luke Richmond TV announcers (CBS Sports Network): John Sadak (play-by-play), Randy Cross (analyst) & Sheehan Stanwick Burch (sideline)

Pregame line	Over/Under
SMU –13.5	57[9]

Statistics	SMU	Navy
First downs	22	12
Total yards	404	241
Rushing yards	80	177
Passing yards	324	64
Turnovers	2	0
Time of possession	27:41	32:19

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
SMU	Passing	Tanner Mordecai	30/40, 324 yards, 2 TD, INT
	Rushing	Tre Siggers	14 carries, 49 yards, TD
	Receiving	Reggie Roberson Jr.	5 receptions, 100 yards, TD
Navy	Passing	Tai Lavatai	4/7, 64 yards, TD
	Rushing	Tai Lavatai	24 carries, 53 yards
	Receiving	Kai Puailoa-Rojas	1 reception, 37 yards, TD

Navy at Memphis

1 2 3 4 Total Midshipmen 7 3 7 0 17 • Tigers 14 14 7 0 35 Date: October 14, 2021 Location: Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium Memphis, TN Game start: 7:30 p.m. EDT Elapsed time: 3 hours Game attendance: 30,042 Game weather: 78 °F (26 °C) • Weather: Cloudy • Wind: S 8 MPH Referee: Edwin Lee TV announcers (ESPN): Matt Barrie (play-by-play), Roddy Jones (analyst) & Harry Lyles Jr. (sideline)

Pregame line	Over/Under
MEMPHIS –11.0	56

Statistics	Navy	Memphis
First downs	17	15
Total yards	241	415
Rushing yards	198	200
Passing yards	43	215
Turnovers	0	1
Time of possession	39:19	20:41

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Navy	Passing	Tai Lavatai	3/4, 27 yards, TD
	Rushing	Isaac Ruoss	18 carries, 75 yards
	Receiving	Mychal Copper	1 reception, 21 yards, TD
Memphis	Passing	Seth Henigan	8/12, 215 yards, 2 TD, INT
	Rushing	Calvin Austin III	1 carry, 69 yards, TD
	Receiving	Eddie Lewis	3 receptions, 92 yards, TD

Cincinnati at Navy

1 2 3 4 Total • No. 2 Bearcats 7 6 14 0 27 Midshipmen 7 3 0 10 20 Date: October 23, 2021 Location: Navy–Marine Corps Memorial Stadium Annapolis, MD Game start: 12:00 p.m. EDT Elapsed time: 3 hours, 24 minutes Game attendance: 32,004 Game weather: 65 °F (18 °C) • Weather: Partly cloudy • Wind: WSW 5–10 MPH Referee: Tim Rich TV announcers (ESPN2): Dave Flemming (play-by-play), Rod Gilmore (analyst), and Stormy Buonantony (sideline) [1]

Pregame line	Over/Under
CINCINNATI -26.5	52.5

Statistics	Cincinnati	Navy
First downs	14	22
Total yards	271	308
Rushing yards	21	67
Passing yards	176	116
Turnovers	1	1
Time of possession	20:33	39:27

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Cincinnati	Passing	Desmond Ridder	18/30, 176 yards, 2 TD, INT
	Rushing	Jerome Ford	15 carries, 90 yards, TD
	Receiving	Josh Whyle	4 receptions, 60 yards, 2 TD
Navy	Passing	Tai Lavatai	11/15, 116 yards, INT
	Rushing	Isaac Ruoss	19 carries, 80 yards
	Receiving	Kai Puailoa-Rojas	2 receptions, 47 yards

Navy at Tulsa

1 2 3 4 Total • Midshipmen 0 3 7 10 20 Golden Hurricane 0 3 7 7 17 Date: October 29, 2021 Location: Skelly Field at H. A. Chapman Stadium Tulsa, OK Game start: 7:30 p.m. EDT Elapsed time: 3 hours and 11 minutes Game attendance: 16,279 Game weather: 61 °F (16 °C) • Weather: Sunny • Wind: N 8 mph Referee: Nate Black TV announcers (ESPN2): Jason Benetti (play-by-play), Andre Ware (analyst), and Paul Carcaterra (sideline)

Pregame line	Over/Under
TULSA –11.0	46

Statistics	Navy	Tulsa
First downs	16	13
Total yards	302	294
Rushing yards	302	129
Passing yards	0	165
Turnovers	0	2
Time of possession	37:18	22:42

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Navy	Passing	Team	0/1, 0 yards
	Rushing	Carlinos Acie	3 carries, 80 yards
	Receiving	—	—
Tulsa	Passing	Davis Brin	13/23, 165 yards, TD, INT
	Rushing	Anthony Watkins	5 carries, 81 yards
	Receiving	Juancarlos Santana	7 receptions, 109 yards

Navy at Notre Dame

1 2 3 4 Total Midshipmen 3 0 3 0 6 • No. 10 Fighting Irish 0 17 0 17 34 Date: November 6, 2021 Location: Notre Dame Stadium Notre Dame, IN Game start: 3:30 p.m. EDT Elapsed time: 2 hours, 59 minutes Game attendance: 77,096 Game weather: 55 °F (13 °C) • Weather: Sunny • Wind: SW 3 MPH Referee: Henry Johns TV announcers (NBC): Mike Tirico (play–by–play), Drew Brees (analyst) and Kathryn Tappen (sideline)

Pregame line	Over/under
-21.0	48

Statistics	Navy	Notre Dame
First downs	11	21
Total yards	184	430
Rushing yards	166	150
Passing yards	18	280
Turnovers	0	0
Time of possession	34:33	25:27

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Navy	Passing	Xavier Arline	1/2, 18 yards
	Rushing	Isaac Ruoss	22 carries, 73 yards
	Receiving	Jayden Umbarger	1 reception, 18 yards
Notre Dame	Passing	Jack Coan	23/29, 269 yards, TD
	Rushing	Kyren Williams	17 carries, 95 yards, 2 TD
	Receiving	Kevin Austin Jr.	6 receptions, 139 yards, TD

East Carolina at Navy

1 2 3 4 Total • Pirates 14 10 0 14 38 Midshipmen 7 14 0 14 35 Date: November 20, 2021 Location: Navy–Marine Corps Memorial Stadium Annapolis, MD Game start: 3:30 p.m. EST Elapsed time: 3 hours, 10 minutes Game attendance: 28,001 Game weather: 47 °F (8 °C) • Weather: Chilly, clear skies • Wind: S 10–25 MPH Referee: Luke Richmond TV announcers (CBS Sports Network): John Sadak (play-by-play), Randy Cross (analyst) & Sheehan Stanwick Burch (sideline)

Pregame line	Over/under
ECU –3.5	46.5

Statistics	East Carolina	Navy
First downs	24	17
Total yards	563	382
Rushing yards	158	345
Passing yards	405	37
Turnovers	0	0
Time of possession	32:40	27:20

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
East Carolina	Passing	Holton Ahlers	27/32, 405 yards, 3 TD
	Rushing	Keaton Mitchell	18 carries, 94 yards, TD
	Receiving	Tyler Snead	5 receptions, 137 yards, 2 TD
Navy	Passing	Tai Lavatai	4/4, 37 yards, 2 TD
	Rushing	Carlinos Acie	6 carries, 155 yards, TD
	Receiving	Mychal Copper	2 receptions, 31 yards, TD

Navy at Temple

1 2 3 4 Total • Midshipmen 7 10 7 14 38 Owls 0 7 7 0 14 Date: November 27, 2021 Location: Lincoln Financial Field Philadelphia, PA Game start: 12:00 p.m. EST Elapsed time: 3 hours, 2 minutes Game attendance:   Game weather: 39 °F (4 °C) • Weather: Cloudy • Wind: NW 18 MPH Referee: 16,708 TV announcers (ESPNU): Kevin Brown (play-by-play), Hutson Mason (analyst)

Pregame line	Over/under
NAVY –13.5	42.5

Statistics	Navy	Temple
First downs	21	11
Total yards	291	182
Rushing yards	219	84
Passing yards	72	98
Turnovers	1	3
Time of possession	37:11	22:49

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Navy	Passing	Tai Lavatai	5/11, 57 yards, TD
	Rushing	Carlinos Acie	10 carries, 86 yards, TD
	Receiving	Chance Warren	3 receptions, 43 yards, 2 TD
Temple	Passing	Mariano Valenti	10/14, 73 yards
	Rushing	Tayvon Ruley	9 carries, 68 yards, TD
	Receiving	Jose Barbon	5 receptions, 34 yards

Army vs. Navy

1 2 3 4 Total Black Knights 10 3 0 0 13 • Midshipmen 7 3 7 0 17 Date: December 11, 2021 Location: MetLife Stadium East Rutherford, NJ Game start: 3:00 p.m. EST Elapsed time: 3 hours, 9 minutes Game attendance: 82,282 Game weather: 61 °F (16 °C) • Weather: Overcast, wind gusts • Wind: S 10–15 MPH Referee: Charles Lamertina TV announcers (CBS): Brad Nessler (play-by-play), Gary Danielson (analyst), and Jamie Erdahl (sideline)

Pregame line	Over/under
ARMY –7.0	35.5

Statistics	Army	Navy
First downs	11	13
Total yards	232	278
Rushing yards	124	196
Passing yards	108	92
Turnovers	0	0
Time of possession	25:35	34:25

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Army	Passing	Christian Anderson	7/15, 108 yards
	Rushing	Christian Anderson	9 carries, 67 yards, TD
	Receiving	Isaiah Alston	1 reception, 35 yards
Navy	Passing	Tai Lavatai	4/6, 82 yards
	Rushing	Tai Lavatai	20 carries, 62 yards, 2 TD
	Receiving	Mychal Copper	1 reception, 28 yards

This year's Army-Navy Game uniforms for the Navy Midshipmen spotlight Naval Aviation, namely the carrier-based F/A-18 Super Hornet in a themed uniform named "Fly Navy". The color-rush navy kits feature the current active U.S. Military roundel national insignia, (a white star with white and red stripes), on each shoulder. On the left upper chest is a triangular squadron patch highlighting the Strike Fighter Wing, U.S. Atlantic Fleet based out of Naval Air Station in Oceana, Virginia. The pants have a red stripe between two white stripes running down the side, while the gloves have the "Fly Navy" script on the palms.^[10]

The right side of the helmet is emblazoned with "the roundel" while left side of the helmet has a hand-painted F/A-18 Super Hornet ("the Rhino"), which are operated by naval aviators and also the jet flown by the Navy's elite flight demonstration squadron, the Blue Angels. On the back of the helmet, three sets of gold wings are featured which are earned by naval aviators: Single Anchor–Navy Aviators (pilots); Double Anchor–Naval Flight Officers (navigators); and AC–Aircrew.^[11]

This year's exclusive Game Ball by Team Issue features the silhouette of an F/A-18 Super Hornet, the U.S. Military Roundel and color scheme, as well as an intricate stitching design around the laces.