Another game week has arrived in the Denton Desert, and once again a ranked opponent stands in front of the Mean Green’s quest to go 1-0 this week. This time, it’s the undefeated, 23rd-ranked Navy Midshipmen coming to town.

Despite both teams entering with 7 wins, they couldn’t be more different in how they’ve gotten there. North Texas boasts the nation’s sixth-ranked passing attack and No. 1 scoring offense, led by sensational freshman quarterback Drew Mestemaker and a deep receiving corps featuring Wyatt Young and Cam Dorner.

Navy, on the other hand, comes in with the 118th-ranked passing defense — a matchup UNT will look to exploit. It’ll be fascinating to see how Mestemaker follows up his record-breaking 608-yard passing performance against Charlotte last week.

Where Navy holds the clear edge is on the ground. The Midshipmen own the nation’s top rushing offense, averaging 318 yards per game and 28 rushing touchdowns on the season. That happens to be UNT’s biggest weakness — the Mean Green are 120th nationally against the run, allowing just under 200 yards per game. North Texas has already surrendered 200+ rushing yards five times this year and eclipsed the 300-yard mark twice (against Army and USF).

Navy’s rushing attack is led by veteran quarterback Blake Horvath, who doubles as the team’s leading rusher with 814 yards and 12 touchdowns on the year.

This matchup will truly be one of strength vs. weakness — UNT’s high-flying aerial assault against Navy’s disciplined ground game. It’s also the only FBS matchup this weekend featuring two seven-win teams, and with conference title and playoff hopes on the line, plenty of eyes will be on Denton this Saturday.

Navy leads the all-time series 2–0. In the most recent meeting, the Midshipmen edged North Texas 27–24 in Annapolis, with current Navy running back Alex Tecza rushing for 137 yards and two touchdowns. The only other matchup came in 2007, the last time these teams met in Denton — a legendary 74–62 Navy victory that, at the time, set the FBS record for the most points scored in a single game. It still ranks fifth all-time in FBS history.

This one could once again come down to which weakness holds up better. Can UNT’s struggling run defense slow down Navy’s relentless ground game? Or can Navy’s leaky secondary contain the Air Raid attack of Eric Morris and his rising star, Drew Mestemaker?

If both offenses have their way, we could be in for another Denton shootout — though it’s hard to imagine anything quite reaching the fireworks of 2007.