Army-Navy Game: A bold fake punt against an unlikely hero seals the Navy’s victory in the 125th game of the rivalry

Landover, Maryland
CNN
—

During Saturday’s 125th Army-Navy game, Landon Robinson led the way on Navy’s defense. But on a play early in the fourth quarter, the 6-foot-1, 285-pound nose guard secured 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 points and faced a fourth-and-5 that looked like it might be the stop Army needed to give itself a chance to tie the game. The Navy lined up to punt, and the cadet corps was in high spirits – many of them turning their backs on the field to chant slogans to the fans in the second level above them.

But when the direct snap went to Robinson, those chants fell silent. The big man broke the line and saw nothing but open green. He rumbled 29 yards to the Army 27-yard line for a first down that broke the Black Knights’ backs. The ball came out when Robinson was thrown to the ground, but senior linebacker Colin Ramos jumped on the fumble to ensure Navy secured the crucial first down.

The play resulted in a touchdown that gave Navy a 15-point lead with just under nine minutes to play. It was a lead they didn’t want to give up.

Robinson’s trip to the sideline all but confirmed a surprising win for Navy (9-3) over its archrival. They then won the game 31-13 and took home the Commander-in-Chief’s Trophy after defeating West Point and the Air Force Academy that season. It was the first time in five years that Navy won the CIC, giving the team’s seniors a major goal to check off before graduation.

It was a bold call to action from a Marine staff who had two weeks to prepare for the game, which head coach Brian Newberry alluded to on CNN ahead of the game. That preparation showed when Navy Army (11-2) forced itself out of its comfort zone and forced the running Black Knights to attempt big plays through the air.

Robinson’s 13 tackles led a defensive line that contained the best rushing attack in the country and held Army to 113 yards on the ground while averaging more than 300 yards. The Navy defense’s play was so strong that the Black Knights were often forced into uncomfortable positions, having to throw the ball to get something going on offense.

Army quarterback Bryson Daily will be disappointed with his performance in his final Army-Navy game, when he threw three devastating interceptions – the first leading to a Navy touchdown in the first half and the second in the fourth quarter 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, the Navy seemed to be their rivals’ number.

The game started exactly as the Midshipmen wanted it to – a 12-play, 65-yard drive that ended with a Blake Horvath touchdown run and consumed 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 ground game led by Horvath broke through Army’s formidable defense and gave Navy an early 7-0 lead after the first drive of the game.

Army simply wasn’t able to get much of anything going in the first quarter as quarterback Bryson Daily couldn’t find many holes in Navy’s defensive line. The Black Knights were only able to get a single first down on their first possession. Their second attack ended disastrously after Daily threw behind his designated receiver and into the waiting arms of Navy’s Deshaun Peele. Two plays later, Horvath used his arm to get the Midshipmen on the field again, throwing an 18-yard touchdown pass to a wide-open Brandon Chatman to give Navy a 14-0 lead early in the second quarter bring.

Newberry had told CNN before the game that the Midshipmen were ready for Army’s run-heavy offense and the Black Knights didn’t look like the team that ran over Tulane in the American Athletic Conference championship game a week ago. But Daily — who attempted eight passes in the first half, more than he threw in total in four full games of the season — and offensive coordinator Cody Worley decided to rely on their senior’s arm in critical moments.

First, it was an 18-yard pass on a critical play on fourth down that kept the touchdown drive going. It was the first real spark of the game for Army and two plays later Daily threw the 23-yard score that put Army on the scoreboard for the first time and cut Navy’s lead in half. It was exactly what Army needed with just over six and a half remaining in the first half.

It looked like Navy would score again on the ensuing drive when Horvath broke free for a 37-yard run, putting the Midshipmen in a threatening position. But the Army’s strong defense threw the Navy back and they finally struck.

In the second half, Army got the ball first and marched down the field little by little. The biggest play came on a four-and-one play from the Navy 49-yard line when Daily overthrew splitback Noah Short, but the referees threw a pass interference flag on Navy cornerback Andrew Duhart. The penalty gave Army a first down in dangerous position, but the Black Knights’ drive eventually stalled and kicker Trey Gronotte hit a 39-yard field goal to make it 14-10 in favor of the Midshipmen.

A big return on the ensuing kickoff put Navy the ball in favorable field position, but the Army defense seemed slower to take action, as it has been all year. But on third and fourth down, Horvath connected with Eli Heidenreich at the Army 42. Heidenreich evaded Army cornerback Donavon Platt and watched the defender fly past him before running untouched into the end zone for a 52-yard score that brought Navy to 21-21. 10.

The Navy half of the stadium exploded while the West Point team fell silent after throwing away a great chance to get back into the game with about two minutes left on the game clock.

Army moved down the field – aided by another penalty on a fourth-period play, this time a rough tackle by the passer on Navy forward Kenneth McShan – but again found their push in early in the fourth quarter stalled in the red zone. The country’s strongest offensive increasingly used the pass to overcome the Navy’s rigid defenses. Daily missed a wide-open Casey Reynolds in the end zone, a chance that left the Texas senior cowering with his head in his hands. The Black Knights kicked a field goal, cutting Navy’s lead to eight.

But that was followed by Robinson’s heroics and another rushing touchdown by Horvath, who significantly outscored his Army counterpart, totaling more than 311 yards and four touchdowns. After Daily’s second interception, Horvath tore 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 with just under four minutes left to make it 31-13.

A third pick by Daily on the ensuing drive sent Navy fans into hysterics and the Brigade of Midshipmen erupted in mocking cries of “Overrated!” at their rivals.

The loss to Navy puts a damper on a historic season for Army. After defeating Tulane for the AAC conference championship last week, the Black Knights were hoping to achieve the first 12-win season in school history. They have another chance to do that in the Independence Bowl. Their scheduled opponent, Marshall University, withdrew from the game because so many of their players transferred after the team’s head coach left for a new job. Louisiana Tech will now take Marshall’s place.