Throughout Saturday’s 125th Army-Navy game, Landon Robinson led the way for Navy’s defense. But on one play early in the fourth quarter, the 6-foot, 285-pound nose guard seized a moment of special teams glory that will live on in Naval Academy football history.
The Midshipmen appeared to be stopped at their own 47, facing a fourth-and-5 that looked like it could be the stop Army needed to give themselves a chance to tie the game. Navy lined up to punt and the Corps of Cadets were in high spirits – many of them turning their back on the field to chant at fans in the second level above them.
But when the direct snap went to Robinson, those chants fell silent. The big man broke through the line and saw nothing but open green. He rumbled 29 yards to the Army 27-yard line, picking up a first down that broke the collective back of the Black Knights. The ball came out as Robinson was knocked to the ground, but senior linebacker Colin Ramos jumped on the fumble to ensure Navy picked up the crucial first down.
The play led to a touchdown that gave Navy a 15-point lead with a little less than nine minutes to go in the game. It was a lead they would not relinquish.
Robinson’s jaunt down the sideline all but confirmed an upset win for Navy (9-3) over their archrival, going on to win the game 31-13 and taking home the Commander-in-Chief’s Trophy having defeated West Point and the Air Force Academy this season. It was the first time Navy had won the CIC in five years, allowing the team’s seniors to get a key goal checked off before graduation.
It was a gutsy play call from a Navy staff that had two weeks to prepare for the game, something head coach Brian Newberry alluded to when speaking to CNN leading up to the matchup. That preparation showed as Navy forced Army (11-2) out of its comfort zone and forced the run-happy Black Knights into seeking big plays through the air.
Robinson’s 13 tackles led a defensive line that stymied the top rushing attack in the country, holding Army to 113 yards on the ground when they typically average more than 300. The Navy defense’s play was so strong that the Black Knights were often forced into the uncomfortable position of having to throw the ball to get anything going on offense.
Army quarterback Bryson Daily will be disappointed at his performance in his final Army-Navy game, throwing three crushing interceptions – the first that led to a Navy first-half touchdown and the second in the fourth quarter when he threw across his body into heavy coverage, a pick that led to another Navy touchdown that put the game out of reach.
From the start, Navy looked to have their rivals’ number.
The game started very much in the way the Midshipmen wanted it – a 12-play, 65-yard drive that ended in a Blake Horvath touchdown run and ate up more than six minutes of game time. Navy’s rushing attack may not have been as potent as Army’s before the game but the Horvath-led ground game cut through Army’s impressive defense to pace Navy out to an early 7-0 lead after the game’s first drive.
Army was simply unable to get much of anything going in the first quarter, with quarterback Bryson Daily unable to find many holes in the Navy defensive line. The Black Knights were only able to pick up a single first down on their first possession. Their second ended in calamity after Daily threw behind his intended receiver and into the waiting arms of Navy’s Deshaun Peele. Two plays later, Horvath used his arm to put the Midshipmen on the board again, throwing an 18-yard touchdown pass to a wide-open Brandon Chatman to put Navy up 14-0 early in the second quarter.
Newberry had told CNN ahead of the game that the Midshipmen would be ready for Army’s run-heavy offense and the Black Knights did not look like the team that ran all over Tulane a week ago in the American Athletic Conference championship game. But Daily – who attempted eight passes in the first half, more than he threw in all by four complete games all season – and offensive coordinator Cody Worley decided to rely on their senior’s arm in critical moments.
First, it was a pass for 18 yards on a critical fourth-down play that kept the touchdown drive going. It was the first real spark of the game for Army and two plays later, Daily threw for the 23-yard score that put Army on the scoreboard for the first time, cutting Navy’s lead in half. It was exactly what Army needed with a little more than six-and-a-half remaining in the first half.
Navy looked like it might score again on the ensuing drive, with Horvath breaking loose for a 37-yard run to put the Midshipmen in a threatening position. But the stout Army defense knocked Navy back and they’d eventually punt.
Army got the ball first in the second half, marching down the field bit by bit on the ground. The biggest play came on a fourth-and-one play from the Navy 49-yard line when Daily overthrew splitback Noah Short, but the referees threw a flag for pass interference on Navy cornerback Andrew Duhart. The penalty gave Army a first down in a dangerous position, but the Black Knights’ drive eventually stalled out and kicker Trey Gronotte nailed a 39-yard field goal to make the score 14-10 in favor of the Midshipmen.
A big return on the ensuing kickoff gave Navy the ball in favorable field position, but the Army defense looked like it was starting to clamp down as it had all year long. But on third down and four, Horvath connected with Eli Heidenreich at the Army 42. Heidenreich avoided Army cornerback Donavon Platt, watching the defender fly past him before he ran untouched into the end zone for a 52-yard score that put Navy up 21-10.
The Navy half of the stadium exploded while the West Point side fell silent, having seen a massive chance to get back in the game go by the wayside in the span of about two minutes on the game clock.
Army moved down the field – aided by another penalty on a fourth-down play, this time a roughing the passer call on Navy striker Kenneth McShan – but once again saw its drive stall in the red zone early in the fourth quarter. The nation’s top running offense increasingly turned to the pass to try and overcome a stiff Navy defense. Daily missed a wide-open Casey Reynolds in the end zone, a chance that had the senior from Texas crouched over with his head in his hands. The Black Knights kicked a field goal to cut the Navy lead to eight.
But after that came Robinson’s heroics and another rushing touchdown by Horvath, who soundly outplayed his Army counterpart, accounting for more than 311 total yards and four touchdowns. After Daily’s second interception, Horvath gashed through Army’s defense for a 48-yard gain that would essentially put the game out of reach for Army. Navy added a field goal to make the score 31-13 with just under four minutes to go.
A third pick from Daily on the ensuing drive sent the Navy fans into hysterics and the Brigade of Midshipmen broke out into taunting chants of “Overrated!” at their rivals.
The defeat to Navy puts a damper on what was a historic season for Army. After defeating Tulane for the AAC conference championship last week, the Black Knights hoped to achieve the first 12-win season in school history. They will have one more chance to achieve that in the Independence Bowl. Their planned opponent, Marshall University, pulled out of the game because so many of its players transferred after the team’s head coach left for a new job. Louisiana Tech will now take Marshall’s place.
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