Navy embarrassed Florida Atlantic by 10 the last time these teams met. The Midshipmen are coming back to Boca Raton with a new quarterback and even bigger goals.
Bush’s Picks
NAVYFAU
NAVYFAU
OverUnder
Best BetNavy
Navy is the significantly more proven team walking into this one — an 11-2 season, a bowl win, and a roster that returns 11 starters gives the Midshipmen a real floor even with a new starting quarterback. FAU is still finding its footing under Kittley after a 4-8 debut season, and Navy has beaten this program in all 3 all-time meetings, including last year's 10-point win. Back Navy to win outright here.
Navy
+went 11-2 in 2025, ranked 23rd nationally
+won Liberty Bowl 35-13 over Cincinnati
+11 returning starters including 4 O-linemen
−lost QB Blake Horvath and 2 NFL draftees
−Woodson has only 3 career starts
Florida Atlantic
+Veltkamp returns healthier after shoulder injury
+Messer led FBS with 104 catches in 2025
+added Texas Tech transfer WR Kelby Valsin
−finished 4-8 overall in Kittley's debut season
−Veltkamp threw 17 interceptions in 2025
−lost last 3 meetings with Navy, including by 10
Braxton Woodson takes over at quarterback for a Navy team that just won 11 games, and he doesn't get an easy trial run. FAU's Caden Veltkamp is one of the most productive passers in the American after throwing for 3,641 yards a season ago, even while working through a shoulder injury for much of the year. Woodson only started 3 games the last 3 seasons combined, but he ran for 414 yards and 6 touchdowns as Blake Horvath's backup, and he was voted a team captain for 2026 before ever throwing a pass as the full-time starter.
FAU head coach Zach Kittley is entering year 2 after a rough debut in Boca Raton, and the roster around Veltkamp looks different. Wideout Easton Messer led the entire FBS in catches with 104 last season, and Texas Tech transfer Kelby Valsin joins the receiving corps to give Kittley's pass-heavy system more juice. Navy, meanwhile, returns 11 starters off last year's 11-2 squad, including 4 offensive linemen and 6 defensive starters, giving Woodson a veteran group to lean on early.
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NAVY Navy
FAU Florida Atlantic
The two programs know each other well at this point. Navy has won all 3 meetings in this series, and the most recent one wasn't particularly close — a 42-32 shootout last October where Horvath ran for 4 touchdowns as part of Navy's 7-0 start and eventual 10-game win streak. FAU's defense has some rebuilding to do if it wants to keep this one from looking similar.
Navy Midshipmen
Sep 5?vs Towson—
Florida Atlantic Owls
Sep 5?@ Florida—
Recent form.
Navy's motivation goes beyond just avenging last year's American Conference tiebreaker loss to North Texas that kept the Midshipmen out of the league championship game despite an 11-2 record and a Liberty Bowl win over Cincinnati. Newberry has made no secret that reaching the conference title game is the priority in 2026, and an early, comfortable win over an AAC newcomer would set the right tone. FAU, for its part, is looking for any sign of progress after finishing 4-8 in Kittley's first season, with the 3-5 conference mark at least representing a 2-game improvement from the year before he arrived.
Navy Midshipmen
(0)
Fully healthy — no injuries on ESPN's report
Florida Atlantic Owls
(0)
Fully healthy — no injuries on ESPN's report
Injury report — info via ESPN.
This is an early litmus test for both programs. Navy needs to show its triple-option identity survives the departures of Horvath and NFL draftees Landon Robinson and Eli Heidenreich, while FAU needs its healthier version of Veltkamp to look like the record-setting passer he was down the stretch and not the guy who threw 17 interceptions a year ago. Saturday, September 12 in Boca Raton should answer some of that early.
