The Army Black Knights and Navy Midshipmen faced off for the 126th time Saturday, and just like last year’s Army-Navy clash, Navy emerged victorious.
However, unlike last year when Navy won 31-13, this year’s game was very close. Navy won 17-16 in the final minutes.
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When Navy took the lead early on, Army responded immediately and continued to score, seemingly having a chance to escape early.
But Navy fought back and, despite some late-game drama and a fumble scare, eventually retook the lead and held on for the win. Navy improved its season record to 10-2, while Army dropped to 6-6.
Both teams struggled with turnovers. They also ran the ball a lot.
The game between the two teams was also very even.
Army quarterback Cale Hellums passed for 82 yards and one interception, while Navy quarterback Blake Horvath also threw for 82 yards and one touchdown and one interception.
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Both quarterbacks also racked up over 100 yards and a rushing touchdown.
Navy star wide receiver Eli Heidenreich caught the ball for 72 yards and a touchdown, and Army receiver Noah Short had a 51-yard catch to end the night.
The biggest difference, however, is each team’s rushing game, with Navy rushing for 190 yards and Army rushing for just 120 yards.
Here’s a breakdown of the game.
first half
Army won the coin toss and elected to take the ball after the second half.
Navy established their running game early on, ranking No. 1 in college football in rushing yards per game.
Heidenreich gained about 7 yards early.
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Horvath gained about 14 yards.
That rhythm continues. The ground game continued and the Army defense was unable to get Navy off the field on its first possession.
In the end, Horvat rushed 5 yards for a touchdown, which was a good extra score.
Navy led 7-0 — but not for long.
Once the Army offense got on the field, Hellas finished with a 26-yard rush on the opening drive, letting everyone know that he and his team — which ranked fifth in college football in rushing yards per game — were in the game.
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Army continued to pound the ball and didn’t back down early when faced with fourth down, chasing it down and converting it.
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Hellems eventually rushed for a touchdown and Army tied the game at seven.
Army’s defense solidified on Navy’s second possession, forcing a defensive play around the 12-minute mark of the second quarter.
Army continues to pound the run game, picking up small blocks of yards here and there.
But naval defense remained difficult.
However, on third down, Hellams threw a 21-yard pass to Short to the Navy 31-yard line.
Hellams then ran for about 11 yards and went on to get the first down.
Army found itself facing fourth-and-2 near the red zone and elected to keep fighting.
They managed to get first place.
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Despite the modifications, Navy’s defense was still able to bend without being breached, denying Army a field goal.
The score is 10-7.
Army ran into some long yardage situations on its next drive but continued to pull rabbits out of the hat.
Third and sixteenth? no problem.
Horvath found Heidenreich for a 21-yard field goal.
Things seemed to be going Navy’s way when Horvath fumbled around the Army 35-yard line.
The army took over.
Hellams then passed about 24 yards to Army wide receiver Brady Anderson, putting Army at Navy’s 31-yard line in the final minutes of the second quarter.
Army took a field goal in the end zone and expected a pass interference call after some contact between players in the end zone, but no penalty was called.
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Army hit a field goal to take a 13-7 lead with seconds left.
second half
On the first play of the third quarter, Hellams passed the ball to Short and completed a reception of about 29 yards.
Soon, facing third-and-8 behind Navy’s solid defense, Army was forced to give up.
A few plays later, before Navy could really get going, Horvath called a bad throw that bounced off a Navy receiver and into the hands of Army cornerback Justin Weaver.
For a minute, Weaver appeared to take the ball into sixth gear, but upon further inspection, his knee proved to be down after the interception, so Army had to win the six points the old-fashioned way.
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Army tried to capitalize on the turnover but was stopped and had to field a field goal on fourth-and-12.
The two sides battled to a score of 16-7, with Army in the lead.
Navy went back to their bread and butter, getting a couple of catch-and-run plays in the hands of Horvath.
They faced a series of first downs, and Horvath ran 37 yards.
However, the Army defense made adjustments, tightening up on the run holes and pass coverage, while Navy was forced to settle for field goals.
Army led 16-10 in a one-possession contest.
The navy was within striking distance.
In the next attack, Hellems and Ajun continued to run with the ball.
But in the critical third down, a penalty kick dropped them from three draws and three points to three draws and eight points.
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Hellams then dropped back to throw the ball, but was shocked by the Navy defense, which sacked him and recovered the ball.
But Navy couldn’t convert the opportunity into points, and after a failed third down conversion, they gave the ball back to Army again.
Army tried to move down the field and score more points to make the game a two-possession game, but Hellems made a costly mistake and threw an interception.
Navy seized on the momentum and ran the ball all the way to the Army goal line.
Horvat tried to rush for a touchdown and fumbled the ball.
Army briefly gained possession, but the ball eventually bounced back to Navy, who retained possession and escaped disaster.
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For Army, Navy went on a brutal drive soon on fourth down, with Horvat throwing a seed to Heidenreich in the end zone to give Navy a 17-16 lead.
Army regained possession but was unable to do anything and was forced to punt the ball back to Navy.
With time running out, Navy just needed a few more first downs to close out the game.
All the Army can count on is turnover.
For a moment, it seemed like their prayers had been answered.
Horvath rushed forward and was pinned by Army’s Kalib Fortner. Horvath dropped the ball in the air, but miraculously, he caught his fumble and returned it to the ground, ending the game.
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What seemed like a terrible mistake turned out to be a close call.
The Navy quickly got the first kill it needed and won another year of victory.
After the game, Navy coach Brian Newberry praised his team and Horvath’s performance.
The coach told reporters on the sidelines that Horvat is a fighter who found a way to win games despite not playing at his best.
“What a game,” Newberry said. “Our guys found a way.”