Midshipmen Edge Black Knights to Keep Commander-in-Chief’s Trophy in Annapolis

Navy edged Army 17–16 on Saturday afternoon at M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore, claiming the 126th meeting between the two service academies in front of a crowd of 70,936. The win secured the Commander-in-Chief’s Trophy for the Midshipmen for a second straight year, something the program had not accomplished since the 2012–13 seasons.

Navy struck first with a methodical opening drive that set the tone for a fast-moving first quarter, which lasted just 25 minutes. Quarterback Blake Horvath capped a 13-play, 75-yard march with a 5-yard touchdown run midway through the first quarter to give Navy a 7–0 lead.

Army responded early in the second quarter behind quarterback Cale Hellums, who finished the day with 100 rushing yards on 25 carries. Hellums capped Army’s own 13-play drive with a 2-yard touchdown run to tie the game at 7–7. Army added two Dawson Jones field goals before halftime, including a 45-yard kick as time expired, to take a 13–7 lead into the break.

Brian Newberry

“Wasn't the prettiest today, a lot of mistakes, a couple of turnovers, some missed opportunities,” Navy head coach Brian Newberry said. “But really, really proud of our guys for finding a way, being down at halftime. They kept battling and found a way to get it done in the end.”

Army continued to control field position coming out of halftime, extending its lead to 16–7 with a 48-yard Jones field goal early in the third quarter. Navy answered late in the period with a 21-yard field goal by Nathan Kirkwood after a 13-play drive that trimmed the deficit to six.

Despite a pair of early turnovers, Horvath settled in and kept Navy within reach. “Blake didn’t play his best game,” Newberry said. “Had a couple misreads early on, a couple turnovers and some missed throws, but the kid is special. Just doesn’t faze him one bit.”

Blake Horvath

That composure showed in the fourth quarter. Horvath led a nine-play, 50-yard drive that ended with an 8-yard touchdown pass to Eli Heidenreich with 6:32 remaining. The catch gave Heidenreich 72 receiving yards on the day and pushed his season total to 837, breaking a Navy receiving record that had stood since 1967.

Navy’s defense sealed the win from there, holding Army scoreless in the fourth quarter and forcing a late punt before running out the clock. The Midshipmen finished with 190 rushing yards, led by Horvath’s 107 on the ground, while Army totaled 120 rushing yards and controlled possession for long stretches.

“You need your seniors to have big moments in games like this,” Newberry said. “It’s a special senior class. They’ve worked their tails off, and this group is going to leave a legacy behind.”

The victory gave Navy its first back-to-back 10-win seasons in school history and kept the Commander-in-Chief’s Trophy in Annapolis for another year. “The only bad thing about this game is that somebody has to sing first,” Newberry said afterward. “I think anybody watching that game, if you're American, you're super proud of what you saw on the football field.”

Navy (10-2) will now turn its attention to the AutoZone Liberty Bowl against Cincinnati on January 2, while Army (6-6) faces Connecticut in the Wasabi Fenway Bowl on December 27.