The Cougars arrived in Annapolis the 18th-best scoring team in America (37.5 points per game) and 20th in total yards (457 per game) in just two contests.
For a while, Navy’s defense faced the Cougars with eyes open. But towards the end of the game, as Houston threatened to carve out a lead near-impossible to overcome, the defense began to drowse.
Unlike the first half, when Navy held the Cougars to mostly field goals, Houston almost exclusively marked its second-half drives with touchdowns — other than one turnover on downs. The defense surrendered far too many “ex-plays,” what defensive coordinator Brian Newberry calls explosive plays.