Foxborough, Massachusetts (AP) – The Army held its ground on defense in the closing seconds to send the Navy mascot Bill the Goat – and Navy fans – home disappointed.
Crucial Applause
Army player Caleb Fortner scored in the fourth quarter after intercepting the ball and helped stop quarterback Tai Lavatai just inches from the goal line with 3 seconds left, leading the Black Knights to a 17-11 victory over Navy on Saturday and winning the 124th meeting of the nation’s oldest service academies.
New Champions
Bryson Daily ran for 84 yards and threw Army’s first touchdown pass against Navy since 2015, helping the Black Knights claim the coveted bragging rights for the sixth time in eight attempts. Kani Odufu ran for 88 yards for Army, which also earned the Commander-in-Chief’s Trophy awarded to the team with the best record in head-to-head matchups against other service academies. (Army surprised No. 17 Air Force last month.)
The Big Game
Lavatai came off the bench in the second quarter, running for 74 yards and completing 16 of 26 passes for 176 yards – the most passing yards by Navy against Army since 2010. Jaden Umbarger caught six passes for 75 yards and a touchdown that made it 17-9 with 2:47 remaining.
Appreciation and Respect
Navy coach Brian Newberry said, “This game, in the grand scheme of things, is about more than football. It celebrates some of the best young people in the country on the field, and then it celebrates and acknowledges all those who have devoted their lives to service, who have served and are serving your country. It highlights them, celebrates them, and shows gratitude for their sacrifice and commitment. That’s what it’s all about.”
History and Tradition
The game brought the champions to the championship stage six times and stumbled at a record of 3-10 – suffering shutouts twice at home for the first time in the team’s history. New England is headed toward its worst season in three decades for Bill Belichick as head coach in the NFL, diminishing the shine of the faithful Navy man that is part of the discussion about the greatest eras.
Military Victory
The Army took pride in opening a 17-3 lead with less than five minutes to go before Lavatai guided Navy to score one touchdown and then took the Midshipmen to the Army 6 in the final minute. He threw two incomplete passes before reaching Alex Teich, who was tackled at the 2.
Final Moments
With no chances and no opportunity to throw the ball – it was fourth down – Navy rushed to the line to get the play off. Lavatai advanced as his entire team pushed, both in front of him and behind him, but Army held onto the ball; a review confirmed that the ball did not cross the goal line.
To kill the remaining 3 seconds, Daily took a snap from the shotgun, hesitated, and stepped out of the end zone for a deliberate safety.
Military students began storming the field before being sent back for another review to check if time had expired. The confirmation from the officials triggered another wave of Army fans onto the field.
Army player Leo Lewin said, “It felt really good to have a pressure-free game. But it speaks to the Army-Navy rivalry: they don’t quit; we don’t quit.” “I am so proud to be part of this team, to say that I was an Army football player.”
History and Tradition
This was only the second time since 1926 that the America’s Game left the Northeast and its first visit to Massachusetts, where George Washington led the Continental Army, and the U.S. Navy’s USS Constitution – the world’s oldest commissioned naval vessel – was docked.
Organizers held a weekend of activities at historical sites in the area, including a rally and discussion at the Finneuil Hall, a party to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the Boston Tea Party, and a duel at the Old North Bridge in Concord, the site of “the shot heard round the world.”
Nearly 100 buses transported students from West Point and Annapolis to Foxborough, where they took to the field in their gray and blue uniforms in “the march of the battalion of midshipmen and cadets.” Super running teams kicked footballs from their campuses, and parachute teams landed on the 50-yard line. New recruits were sworn in during a timeout in the third quarter.
Academy representatives came to midfield to toss coins. Army battalions spelled out “EAT SQUID” with yellow tape on their gray coats, and the Navy responded with “NUKE ARMY.”
The Army wore a golden uniform in tribute to the dog-faced soldiers of the 3rd Army Division, and the Army took a 10-0 lead against the Navy, who did not complete a pass in the first half. Lavatai replaced Xavier Arline at the start of the second quarter and led the Navy to a field goal position early in the fourth to make it 10-3.
But with about five minutes remaining, Fortner hit the ball, caught it on a bounce, and ran 44 yards for a touchdown that gave the Army a 17-3 lead.
“I hit the ball. It was almost how I planned it, the way it bounced into my hands, and I just started running. I saw a sea of golden jerseys behind me on the display,” Fortner said. “It’s a surreal moment.”
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College Football AP: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-football-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-football
Source: https://apnews.com/article/army-navy-patriots-c559c366fdd5652e499e6c6450a270c4
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