In what is described as the greatest rivalry in sports, Navy defeated Army 31-13 on Saturday to take home the ‘Commander-In-Chief’s Trophy’, giving the Midshipmen bragging rights for the next calendar year.
It’s hard to describe what this game means to both teams, but with fans packed into Northwest Stadium in the nation’s capitol this afternoon, we were once again treated to another thrilling game between the two that has so much more on the line than just a trophy.
For 60 minutes, players from Army and Navy battled on the field while fans at home or inside the stadium watched on as the young men fought for their respective units. It’s hard not to get emotional as the opening intro is played, leading to a shot of both teams taking the field carrying American flags.
While the emotions were certainly high for this contest, both teams had put together a successful season that will lead them to a postseason bowl game. For Navy, its rushing attack was too much for the opposing defense, putting up more than 260 yards on the day, led by quarterback Blake Horvath.
While passing yards are never going to stick out for the Midshipmen, Blake Horvath actually threw two touchdowns, while also rushing for 204 yards, leaving Army gassed after multiple drives. If you’re an avid viewer of this game, it should not come as a surprise that both teams’ gameplan consisted of either rushing it up the middle, or in Army’s case, running the triple-option.
Unfortunately, the triple-option did not do much to throw-off the Navy defense on Saturday, as Army rushed for just more than 130 yards on the day.
There was nothing fancy about what Navy was doing for much of this game, just taking advantage of an Army defensive line that struggled to contain the quarterback. But, with the game still within reach in the fourth quarter, the Midshipmen decided to pull-out one of their trick plays to seal the win, and it came from the most unlikely person on the field.
A 300-Pound Navy Fake-Punt Seals The Win Over Army
You didn’t think that Navy quarterback Blake Horvath was going to get all the love on the ground against Army, right?
Leading 21-13 with 11:10 remaining in the game, Army thought it was going to get the ball back with an opportunity to tie it up. That was until Navy head coach Brian Newberry decided he was ready to seal this win up, but he needed help from 305-pound defensive lineman Landon Robinson on a fake punt.
It was a thing of beauty, watching the 285-pound defensive lineman rushing down the field. Thankfully, his teammates were there to pick up the ball when he put it on the ground after taking a hit. But that was it, leading to a touchdown a few plays later.
After four consecutive losing seasons, Navy finished this year with a 9-4 record, with one more game to go against Oklahoma in the ‘Armed Forces Bowl’.
While we watched both teams battle on the field, these players are the ones giving their lives for us, and will go back to preparing to fight for this country tomorrow morning.
Just as it always does, this game delivers, no matter the final score.
