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| Gabe was thrilled to see this Blue Angel up close and personal at the football stadium! |
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| USNA mascot: Bill The Goat |
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| USNA players' warm up. |
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| Bill the Goat, human version, with live goat mascots on the field. |
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| Go Navy! The fans. |
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| I like the gold helmets. |
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| Midshipmen in summer whites fill the field. |
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| How do the reserved bleachers hold this sea of midshipmen, flowing in like a continuous tide? Somehow they were all contained, without any more ebb or flow of bodies. They all stood in uniform, literally. Marshal said it wasn't comfortable or easy trying to keep those whites spotless. |
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| Smoke and thunder: The rush onto the field with cannon fire... |
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| ...and a fly over by F-18s, the "River Rattlers." |
Game Day Festivities
• Pregame festivities will get underway at approximately 1:00 pm with the Navy Football Team Walk. Originating at the Blue Angel in the southwest corner of the stadium, the team will make its way down the sidewalk and through NavyFest before walking up the drive to the stadium. Fans are encouraged to line up on both sides of the sidewalk to cheer for the team.
• The March-On of the Brigade of Midshipmen will take place at 3:09 pm. The march-on will be broadcast live for Navy All-Access subscribers.
• Saturday's fly-over will be two F-18's and will take place at 3:31:10 pm. The pilots are from VFA-204 "River Rattlers" out of New Orleans, La.
• At the third timeout of the first quarter, the Naval Academy Athletic Association will recognize Lt. Brad Snyder who recently won two gold medals and one silver at the Paralympic Games in London.
• Snyder is a 2006 graduate of the Naval Academy and served as team captain his season year. Snyder's service assignment was Explosive Ordnance Disposal Officer and he served a tour in Iraq before returning to the U.S. and then began serving a tour in Afghanistan in April, 2011.
• On September 7, 2011, Snyder was providing aid to two Afghan soldiers who were victims of an improvised explosive device explosion when he detonated an IED himself. The blast was centered on his face and resulted in him losing his eyesight in both eyes.
• Snyder resumed swimming in the fall of 2011 and qualified for the 2012 Paralympics after shaving more than 40 seconds off his time. On the first day of competition in the Paralympics, he won the gold medal in the 100-meter freestyle and the silver medal in the 50-meter freestyle.
• On Sept. 7, 2012, one year to the day of losing his eyesight, Snyder competed in and won the gold medal in the 400-meter freestyle. The following day, Snyder was selected by his teammates to carry the U.S. flag during the closing ceremonies of the Paralympic Games. He then helped to present the flag to the President when all Olympians and Paralympians visited the White House.
• Between the first and second quarter, the Naval Academy Athletic Association will honor the Navy women's lacrosse team. Head coach Cindy Timchal guided the Mids to their third straight Patriot League title and an NCAA Tournament appearance in 2012. Navy (18-3, 6-0 Patriot League) won a program-record 18 games and finished the season ranked No. 14 in the national RPI rankings and No. 19 in the deBeer Media Poll.
• In 2012, Timchal became the first college lacrosse coach to win 400 games and earned induction into the National Lacrosse Hall of Fame.
• Timchal was also named the 2012 Patriot League Coach of the Year. Junior attacker Jasmine DePompeo was named the Patriot League Offensive Player of the Year and to the IWLCA All-South Region squad, Loren Generi was named the league's rookie of the year and Kathy Young was the MVP of the league's postseason tournament. Also, six Midshipmen earned first or second-team all-league honors.
• The Naval Academy Drum and Bugle Corps will perform at halftime.
P.S. I enjoyed the game and learned a thing or two about football to boot!
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