• Army went 4-12 on 3rd down conversions and 0-1 on 4th down. Navy wasn’t much better on 3rd down as they went 6-15 but converted 2-2 key 4th downs that led to 10 points. Army’s inability to get off the field on 4th down on those two drives may have been the difference in the game as neither team turned the ball over nor made any major errors.

• Army rushed for only 124 yards on 33 carries. If you take away Christian Anderson’s 56-yard touchdown run on the first drive of the game, they ran for 68 yards on 32 carries for a dismal 2 yards/carry.

• Outside that run, Anderson ran 8 times for 11 yards.

• Fullback Ja’Kobi Buchanan rushed only 4 times despite averaging 6 yards/carry for 24 yards total.•

• Kemonte Yow led the team in tackles filling in at Linebacker for the injured Spencer Jones. He had 13 total tackles.

Both teams traded touchdowns to start the game on their opening drives

• Navy won the coin toss and deferred to the second half. Army received the opening kick, and on the fourth play from scrimmage, Quarterback Christian Anderson found a hole in the left side of the line on a midline option play and scampered 56 yards for a touchdown.

• On the Midshipmen’s ensuing possession, they put together an 11-play, 83-yard drive to answer right back with a touchdown of their own. The drive was highlighted by an 18-yard pass from QB Tai Lavatai to Mark Walker to the Army 40. After Army held Navy the next two plays to force a 3rd and 5, Jayden Umbarger took a reverse right at Andre Carter and Carter “whiffed” on the tackle. Umbarger went 27 yards to give Navy a first-and-goal at the Army 8-yard line. Two plays later on 3rd and 8, Lavatai split and ran

• Army answered by piecing together a 12-play, 61-yard drive that ate 7:09 of the clock but ended in a 31-yard Cole Talley field goal. The key play of the drive was a 35-yard pass from Anderson to WR Isaiah Alston. After Anderson led the team to the Navy 16-yard line on a 12-yard completion to Fullback Cade Barnard, Tyhier Tyler came in at Quarterback and the offense bogged down at the 13-yard line. This would become a common theme.

Army puts together another nice drive but must settle for another field goal

• Both teams traded four consecutive 3-and-outs to begin the 2nd quarter. Then Navy drove 30 yards on 5 plays but missed a 53-yard field goal. The miss gave Army a short field and they put together an 8-play, 49-yard drive. After Christian Anderson completed a pass to Tyrell Robinson for 23 yards to set Army up at the Navy 15-yard line, Tyhier Tyler came in at Quarterback and the offense gained no yards on the next 3 plays. Talley came in to kick a 32-yard field goal and give Army a 13-7 lead at halftime. We felt like if Army could have finished this drive with a touchdown, it would have given them a somewhat comfortable lead and broke Army’s spirit. As it was, they took a tenuous 6-point lead into the locker room.

Navy dominates Army on both sides of the ball and takes a 14-13 lead

• Navy started the 2nd Half with a “statement drive.”They went 10 plays for 74 yards and took 5:58 off the clock. The drive was highlighted by one of those two 4th down conversions. Army’s defense had held Navy to a 4th and 4 at the Army 28. Rather than bring Kicker Bijan Nichols in to attempt a 46-yard field goal, Coach Niumatalolo rolled the dice and ran another reverse. This time to Slotback Chance Warren. Warren broke contain and rumbled 26 yards for his career-high run to the Army 2-yard line. There were multiple missed tackles on this play by the Army defense, another consistent theme throughout the game.

• The Black Knights ran for 1 yard on the next 3 plays and had to punt. This was not the answer Army was looking for.

• After Army’s defense forced another punt, they gained 11 yards on 5 plays and punted the ball right back to Navy.

Navy puts together a classic clock-eating drive and kicks a field goal to salt the game away after their defense made two more key stops

• Navy put together the type of drive Army is used to putting on their opponents in the 4th quarter. They went 15 plays in 49 yards. LB Diego Fagot converted a successful fake punt for Navy’s second down conversion to keep this drive alive in Navy territory. Army’s defense finally stopped Navy at the 26-yard line and Bijan Nichols kicked a 43-yard field goal to make the score 17-13 Navy with a little over 6 minutes left.

• Army’s ensuing possession was critical to keeping their hopes alive. Unfortunately, after Buchanan converted a 3rd and 1 with a 13-yard physical run to set Army up with a 1st and 10 at their own 47-yard line with 4:15 left to play, Army ran an ill-advised QB throwback pass from Robinson to Christian Anderson on 3rd and long that fell incomplete.

• To Army’s defense’s credit, they held Navy to a 3-and-out and gave the ball back to their offense with over 2 minutes left and decent field position. Army took over at their own 33-yard line with 2:53 left. They converted one first down and found themselves in 4th and 3. Navy stopped Anderson 1 yard short of a first down and the game was over.

• Army Head Coach Bob Sutton used to say, “the most desperate team wins the Army-Navy game.” Navy was the more desperate team today. Various Black Knights fans commented in the chat that they were the tougher team and wanted it more today. While we typically don’t like to write about intangibles like that in our analysis, based on the lack of mistakes by both teams, I would have to agree with this sentiment.

• In his post-game presser, Coach Monken commented that Army was outplayed and outcoached. We agree with this sentiment. We can’t begin to try and figure out why Navy was more prepared for this game and displayed all the traits in key down-and-distance situations in the 2nd half that Army usually displays, but they did.

• Maybe Coach Niumatololo was coaching for his job. We can’t say. One thing is for sure. In the last 3 Army-Navy games, Army has scored one offensive touchdown in each game. This won’t be enough to win consistently. Army used to have this problem with Air Force, but now they have it with Navy. The Army coaching staff will have to figure out how to score more on Navy Defensive Coordinator Brian Newberry’s defense or they could be in trouble the next few years.

• Army’s outside linebackers also must do a better job tackling and defending reverses and outside runs. Andre Carter II is a great pass rusher, maybe one of the best in the nation, but he and his fellow outside backers have lost contain on a number of touchdowns and long runs on 3rd and 4th down in some key games this year (Navy and Wisconsin just to name two). This is an area the Black Knights defense will need to improve before the bowl game or in the offseason before next year.

• This was a frustrating loss for many of the Black Knights’ supporters, and we’re sure it was more frustrating for the Army team and coaching staff. This is the first time in a while that a superior Army team got “whipped” and “out-toughed” by Navy, so maybe that’s where the frustration comes from. One thing is for sure. Navy was the more desperate team today.

Next up for the Black Knights: Army travels to Ft. Worth, TX for the Armed Forces Bowl against 6-6 SEC Opponent Missouri.

**To chat with other Army fans about this article and more, please visit The 12th Knight message board**

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