The Navy Midshipmen took the game’s opening kickoff and their drive was a reflection of what the 1st half temperament would be.
Simply put, whatever rankings or accolades the Black Knights were coming into this 125th Edition of the Army-Navy game, it obviously didn’t phase the Midshipmen.
In front of a packed house at Northwest Stadium – Landover, Maryland, Navy went on a 12-play, 75-yard drive against No. 19 Army, that was over 6 minutes, and perhaps before anyone truly got settled in their seats, the Midshipmen were up 7-0.
But it just wasn’t the initial score, but more so, the execution that Navy displayed. However, the same could not be said for the Army offense in their first offensive possession, which saw QB Bryson Daily tossing up an INT and put the Midshipmen back in business at Army’s 44-yard line.
Three plays later, QB Blake Horvath ran a very effective play-action pass for Navy’s 2nd TD in their first two possessions and an early 14-0 lead.
Army’s Resilience
It appeared that the Black Knights took a deep breath and realized that if they were not bringing their ‘A’ game, this could actually turn into a blowout. Because at this point, they were being outplayed by a Navy team that appeared to have the edge both mentally and physically.
On Army’s ensuing offensive possession, they responded with a classic Black Knights’ drive that went for 65 yards and ended with Daily running play action pass of his own, where he hit running back Hayden Reed, who was wide open after the Navy DB bit on the play fake.
This closed Navy’s lead to 14-7 as the teams headed to their respective locker rooms and perhaps anyone who watched the 1st half could easily project that this was going to be a nail-biter.
2nd Half - Glimmer of Hope (Albeit Briefly)
Well, Army came out strong or slightly, as they went on a 47-yard, 11-play drive in slightly over 7 minutes but had to settle for a field goal and close the Navy lead to 14-10.
However, this was a Navy team that appeared unphased and equally prepared on all levels and answered immediately as Horvath found an open receiver in the flat, coupled with a missed open field tackle by CB Donavon Platt which netted the Midshipmen a 52-yard touchdown and a 21-10 lead.
Honestly speaking, it was pretty apparent that Navy was one step ahead of Army in every facet of the game, and by the 6:36 mark of the 3rd quarter, if felt that the Black Knights were stepping into desperate mode.
The teams entered the 4th quarter with Navy leading 21-10, but the Midshipmen remained in 5th gear, while Army just did not capitalize on the few opportunities that were presented to them. On 2nd & 10 at the Navy 14-yard line to start the last quarter, Daily missed a wide-open Casey Reynolds and once again, Army had to settle for 3-points.
Slightly still in the game, the Black Knights defense held at the 11:22 mark of the game and on 4th & 5 and in punt formation. Navy Head Coach Newberry made what could be the call of the game and the Midshipmen executed the fake punt perfectly for 29 yards and 3 plays later, Navy hit pay dirt to finish off a 10-play 75-yard drive, while upping the score to 28-13 with 8:50 remaining.
At this point … that final touchdown by the Midshipmen was the exclamation point, as Navy’s defense remained very aggressive as they had been throughout the contest and that’s all she wrote for the Black Knights.
Navy held the nation's leading rushing attack to just 113 yards on the day.
But let’s turn this over to GBK Sr. Analyst, Joe Iacono for his post-game analysis.
GBK's Joe Iacono Post-Game Analysis
Post-Game with Army players and Head Coach Jeff Monken
Score By Quarter
Breaking Down The Scoring
Notable:
It was announced during today's game that Marshall University, Army's opponent in the upcoming Independence Bowl (Dec. 28) has withdrawn from the bowl claiming it had lost too many players to the transfer portal. Louisiana Tech (5-7) will now serve as the replacement team for the bowl game.
**To chat with other Army fans about this article and more, please visit The 12th Knight message board**
• WATCH the latest videos from GoBlackKnights.com and subscribe to our YouTube channel
