Navy takes home this year’s Commander-in-Chief’s Trophy after defeating Army 31-13. The dominant victory saw the unranked Midshipmen defeat the Black Knights, who are ranked No. 22 in the CFP poll, for the first time in three seasons.
Navy quarterback Blake Horvath had a huge performance on Saturday, throwing for 107 yards and two touchdowns, while also putting up 204 rushing yards and two more touchdowns on the ground. But the Midshipmen’s defense also came up big, forcing three interceptions and holding Army to six points in the second half.
Navy struck first against the AAC champions, scoring a touchdown on the very first drive of the game. The Midshipmen picked up another on a big interception from cornerback Dashaun Peele. With the ball in prime position, Horvath threw a well-placed pass to Brandon Chatman to take a 14-0 lead.
Later in the second quarter, Army quarterback Bryson Daily threw a well-placed touchdown of his own to make it 14-7 at halftime.
Army settled for two field goals in the second half, but Navy continued to build a lead and buy time off the clock. In the third quarter, Horvath and running back Eli Heindenreich set up the 52-yard touchdown after Heidenreich was able to shake off an Army defender and stay in bounds.
On their next drive, the Midshipmen picked up another touchdown through a series of strange circumstances. On fourth-and-5, Navy went for a fake punt and passed the ball to Landon Robinson — a 6-foot-1, 285-pound nose tackle. After a long gain, Robinson fumbled the ball, but Navy was able to retrieve it.
WHAT A WILD GAME – Navy calls a fake punt on big man Landon Robinson!
He takes the first one, fumbles, but Marines keep him! pic.twitter.com/2GfXhypE9i
— CBS Sports College Football 🏈 (@CBSSportsCFB) December 14, 2024
Horvath then led the team down the field and ran the final yard to get another touchdown, leading 28-13.
With seven minutes left in the game, the Navy defense pulled off another wild interception. In a true team effort, cornerback Andrew Duhart started from the pick but lost control of the ball, with Kenneth McShan stepping in to finish the turnover.
A third interception by Daily in the fourth quarter sealed things for Navy.
Army ranks second in the nation in rushing yards per game, averaging 314.4 yards per game. But on Saturday, Navy held them to 113 rushing yards and 178 total yards.
Navy is also a rushing team and has put up 271 yards on the ground, which is 30 yards more than the rushing average this season. But when Horvath threw the ball, he did so with impressive efficiency. Horvath went 4-for-9 passing Saturday; two of those completions were touchdowns. The Navy set up a total of 378 assault yards.
Navy will now face Oklahoma in the Armed Forces Bowl. Army, meanwhile, will play Louisiana Tech in the Independence Bowl after Marshall withdrew due to a lack of players.
