The Army-Navy game has been played 123 times since the schools’ first meeting in 1890. But Saturday’s clash between the Black Knights and the Midshipmen made history, as it was the first-ever meeting between the schools to go to extra time. (There were seven ties before overtime was introduced to college football in 1996.) It was eventually settled in double overtime, when Navy fumbled a yard from the end zone on their drive, letting Army play for a game-winning field goal (which defensive lineman Trey Solia is seen celebrating above):
That came after the Midshipmen and Black Knights entered overtime at 10-10, then exchanged touchdowns in the first overtime period:
On the day, Navy rushed for 259 yards and a touchdown on 57 carries (4.54 yards per carry), while Army collected 125 yards and a touchdown on 48 carries (2.6 yards per carry). So the Midshipmen were better from the run of play. But the Black Knights got key plays at key moments, including from Markhel Johnson (who had40 yards and a touchdown on just six carries). And that helped them get revenge for last year’s loss and pick up their third win in the last five games in this series.
Army’s win here means they’re 6-6 on the season. Meanwhile, the loss has Navy ending the year 4-8. And the Navy series lead is now down to 62-54-7. We’ll see where both these service academies go from here. But it should also be noted that this is a series that means a lot to many, as CBS’ intro to this game showed:
[ESPN; photo from Danny Wild/USA Today Sports]
About Andrew Bucholtz
Andrew Bucholtz has been covering sports media for Awful Announcing since 2012. He is also a staff writer for The Comeback. His previous work includes time at Yahoo! Sports Canada and Black Press.