SMU's first-half lead over Navy went south late Saturday afternoon at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium -- and so did its chances for an American Athletic Conference West Division championship.

With the assistance of a big run by quarterback Malcolm Perry midway through the fourth quarter, Navy earned a 35-28, come-from-behind win over SMU in a key AAC West Division clash at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium. The game was Senior Day for Navy, and the Midshipmen (8-2, 6-1 AAC) earned their 17th consecutive Senior Day victory.

It was also a game Navy trailed by 11 entering the second half, but a strong second half -- particularly a controlling third quarter -- helped turn the tables. With the loss, SMU fell to 9-2 overall and 5-2 in conference.

And with the loss, SMU has taken itself out of the running for the AAC West Division title.

Navy dominated the third quarter, as the Midshipmen had the ball for nearly 13 1/2 minutes of the quarter. SMU only had six plays in the third quarter and gained four yards.

With the game tied at 28, Perry found a hole in SMU's defense and raced 70 yards for what would be the game-winning touchdown with 6:11 in the fourth quarter. Perry rushed for 195 yards and two touchdowns on 38 attempts, and he also threw for 162 yards and a score.

Navy finished with 540 total yards of offense. SMU had 344 total yards and were held to 93 rushing yards.

Navy jumped on the board first with a 22-yard touchdown run by Chance Warren with 2:36 in the first quarter. On the ensuing kickoff, SMU tied the game with a 100-yard kickoff return from CJ Sanders.

The Mustangs grabbed their first lead of the game, 14-10, at the 6:22 mark of the second quarter. Shane Buechele connected with James Proche for an 8-yard touchdown pass to cap a 12-play, 75-yard drive that lasted more than five minutes.

On its next drive, SMU extended its lead to 21-10, as Xavier Jones scored on a 9-yard run with 4:01 left in the first half. The score was aided by a 33-yard pass from Buechele to Sanders.

Navy outscored SMU, 25-7, in the second half. Perry scored on a 1-yard run with 8:58 in the third quarter, then Bijan Nichols added three points at the 4:04 mark with a 24-yard field goal. The Midshipmen took the lead, 28-21, when Perry threw a 13-yard touchdown pass to Ryan Mitchell to cap a 10-play, 76-yard drive with 14:19 left in the game.

SMU had its chances to tie the game late. An SMU fourth-down pass attempt with less than three minutes to play fell incomplete and gave Navy the ball on turnover on downs at the 12-yard line. And with 1:05 left to play, on a fourth-and-2 play, Navy managed to pull SMU offsides, which resulted in a Navy first down and SMU out of timeouts. The Midshipmen went to formation to seal the win.

SMU now will look to rebound in its final AAC game of the year. The Mustangs will host Tulane next Saturday at Gerald J. Ford Stadium.