ANNAPOLIS, Md. — Way back in 1983, June Jones was the quarterbacks coach at Hawai'i, and one of his pupils was a freshman named Ken Niumatalolo.

Who would have ever thought that come 2008, Jones and Niumatalolo would be the head coaches at Southern Methodist University and Navy, respectively, when the two schools met today?

In an interesting twist, both men gained their current positions because of decisions made by former Navy head coach Paul Johnson. SMU hired Jones away from Hawai'i after failing to lure Johnson, a former UH offensive coordinator. When Johnson instead accepted the job at Georgia Tech, Niumatalolo was promoted at Navy after serving six seasons as assistant head coach.

"I remember coaching Kenny and I've gotten to know him better since. He is a first-class person and I was rooting for him to get the Navy job after Paul left," said Hawai'i's coach from 1999 through 2007.

It will be a battle of contrasting styles as SMU has transformed into a passing team since Jones arrived and installed the run-and-shoot system. Meanwhile, Navy continues to employ the running-based, triple-option offense that Niumatalolo learned from Johnson.

"Coach Jones has a great system and has used it to score a lot of points everywhere he has been," said Niumatalolo, a Radford High alum. "I don't remember much from my freshman year, but what I do know is that (Jones) is a very smart man, a great teacher."

While SMU did not necessarily have the type of personnel required for the run-and-shoot, Jones has nonetheless installed his high-powered passing attack and has not backed off one bit. The Mustangs (1-7) are throwing the ball 40 times a game and are averaging 302 passing yards.

Freshman quarterback Bo Levi Mitchell has completed 180 of 302 passes for 2,277 yards and 21 touchdowns. Emmanuel Sanders and Aldrick Robinson are the top wide receivers, combining for 105 catches totaling 1,732 yards and 18 touchdowns.

"They are putting up a ton of passing yards and scoring a bunch of points," Navy defensive coordinator Buddy Green said. "They spread you out, go at a quick tempo and really put a ton of pressure on your secondary."

The run-and-shoot is a high-risk offense and Mitchell, a true freshman, has lobbed 18 interceptions. The Mustangs' penchant for either scoring quickly or turning the ball over quickly has pressured the defense, which is giving up an average of 41 points and 501 yards per game.

Navy's triple-option has sputtered without starting quarterback Kaipo-Noa Kaheaku-Enhada, who will sit out today's game with a hamstring injury. Kaheaku-Enhada, a Kapolei High alum, has played the equivalent of eight quarters this season. He is the best quarterback Navy has had during the triple-option era in terms of making the reads and distributing the ball, Niumatalolo said.

Backup quarterback Jarod Bryant will make his fifth start this season and hopes to jump-start a ground game that has faltered of late. Navy (4-3) led the nation in rushing offense earlier this season, but has since fallen to fourth with an average of 296 yards per game. The Midshipmen were limited to a season-low 194 yards rushing in last Saturday's loss to No. 17 Pittsburgh.

"We're not a team that is looking for balance — 200 rushing, 200 passing. If we continue to rush for 200 yards, we're not going to win many more games," Niumatalolo said.