LANDOVER, Md. — This isn't the earliest time I've arrived at a sports competition.
That honor will go to the American Grand Prix in October of this year. I parked my rental car at the Circuit of the Americas just before 8 a.m. local time and took part in the race, which started just after 3 p.m. that day. I was early enough that I was able to get one of the spaces closest to the paddock entrance, but “closest” is a relative term and I didn't have to take the shuttle to that entrance. In some cases.
Thankfully, the Aston Martin team members, although a bit sleepy themselves, were rather friendly despite an anxious day as we rode together towards the paddock.
Still, there's more than a fair amount of power in the air in a sleepy paddock on race day, and it only increases throughout the day as teams, fans, and eventually drivers start arriving. Once all the electricity is built up, five lights go out and 20 turbocharged engines roar to life.
I thought there was nothing better than this kind of electricity. But just before noon Saturday, a red line formed along the corner of the end zone at Northwest Stadium and a crowd of photographers waited near the tunnel.
Shortly after, the Army marching band appeared and took up position in the end zone, followed by a growing wall. The corps of cadets marched in formation along the naval sideline and quickly engulfed the entire competition. Northwest Stadium surface:
Just as they marched onto the field, the Corps of Cadets marched out, disappearing momentarily beneath the stands at Northwest Stadium, then filling the section below us in the press box, forming a long gray line. made their way through the stands toward their assigned rows.
Next came the Cadet Brigade, their distinctive dress-like white hats glinting in the sunlight, mirroring the procession of the Cadet Corps. Their pace was also fast, as they were behind schedule according to their pregame timesheets. Eventually, everyone was in position, including the field at Northwest Stadium, just as their compatriots from West Point had been minutes earlier.
It was just after 1 p.m. Eastern time. There were two hours left until kickoff for the 125th Army-Navy Game.
But the electricity was unlike anything I had ever seen.
After all, Army and Navy are a football game, and they're good at it. The Midshipmen entered Saturday's game with an 8-3 record, and with two wins in their final two games of the season (against Army and against Oklahoma in the Almond Force Bowl), they improved their school total to six. He can secure his second double-digit victory. history.
As for the 22nd-ranked Black Knights, they needed only one more win, with a win over Tulane in the AAC Championship Game, either on Saturday against their rival or against Marshall (or the team that would replace Marshall) in the Independence Bowl. Considering it was reported Saturday that the Thundering Herd had opted out of the game, they will set a new school record with 12 wins in a season.
There's also a big trophy at stake: the Commander-in-Chief Trophy, awarded to the winner of the games between the Army, Navy, and Air Force. Saturday's winner will take home that trophy outright, as Army and Navy defeated Air Force earlier in the season.
Still, ornate decorations are everywhere. In the minutes before kickoff, teams from both schools completed the game ball run, and the Army marathon team completed its 300-mile journey from West Point. At the same time, Navy Squadron 13 (minus some football players and band members) completed its journey from Annapolis.
Parachute teams from both schools then land near midfield, a coin is tossed by the Secretary of Defense, and then a corps of cadets lose their minds in a “tsunami.'' Just before kickoff:
The game is finally starting.
With Army holding off the first kickoff, the Midshipmen started with great field position as the kickoff went wide, giving Navy scores on first-and-10 at their own 35-yard line.
Sixty-five yards later, Blake Horvath dove in with one foot and the Midshipmen reached the end zone.
Army's offense will be centered on quarterback Bryson Daly, the AAC Offensive Player of the Year and the No. 6 vote-getter in Heisman Trophy voting. After being serenaded by Bryson Daley's changeover, the Black Knights' offense first began to dominate the game, but Army went 3-and-out and the game ended shortly after.
The first big decision of the game came on the first play of the second quarter. With Army facing No. 4 just inches from its own 21-yard line, head coach Jeff Monken took a break between quarters to plan for a fourth down.
He left the offense on the field. Daly got the first down on an inside dive, and the corps of cadets roared in approval.
Or maybe he breathed a sigh of relief, but it was hard to tell from my vantage point in the press box.
That sense of relief didn't last long, however, and after a few plays Daly and his team faced the No. 3 team for an extended period of time. Army's QB dropped into the pocket and looked for Casey Reynolds along the right side, but Navy cornerback Dashawn Peel stepped in front of the throw and his interception marked the first turnover of the game.
and sent the cadet brigade into a frenzy.
What you can't tell from watching an Army-Navy game from home, but what you can't escape from watching in person, is the absolute commitment that the Corps of Cadet Corps and the Brigade of Cadets have to their respective institutions and their respective branches. I'm proud of it.
That pride is evident not only in every snap of the game, but also in every video shown on the scoreboard. Commercials featuring members of their respective branches receive the same roar as first downs, and images of the Secretary of the Navy or the Secretary of the Army receive the same approval as Horvath's touchdown run or Daley's touchdown toss.
But you can really see it in every snap. The Midshipmen and Midshipmen treat every down as if it were their last game, or the game that would decide their match against their biggest rival. Every play counts.
It starts to make sense when you think about what awaits them.
Daly's turnovers gave Navy incredible field position and it didn't take long for the Midshipmen to take advantage. Navy took a 14-0 lead early in the second quarter on a quick three-play drive that featured two runs from quarterback Blake Horvath and an 18-yard touchdown from Horvath to Brandon Chatman.
The atmosphere of the corps of cadets in front of me had completely changed, but Horvath's touchdown pass was his 12th of the season, and he was one step away from setting a new school record.
But there's a reason Daley received the sixth-most Heisman Trophy votes in the nation, and the Black Knights were soon on the scoreboard. Monken faced a 4-on-3 situation with Army in the middle of the second quarter and had to make a different decision, but the head coach trusted Monken, who had earned Heisman votes, and moved the offense to the field just inside Navy territory. left in.
He scored on a corner route to Casey Reynolds each day for a crucial 18-yard gain for the Black Knights. Two plays later, Daly gave the Midshipmen a quarterback draw, then pulled up and lofted a pass toward Hayden Reed for a 23-yard touchdown.
Game begins.
The final real flourish came at half-time. USMA Rock Bank's performance will be followed by a “crossover” in which Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin heads from the Navy sideline to the Army sideline. Salute to cadets and cadets:
All that remains is the small matter of deciding the winner and which team will take second place and sing their alma mater song.
On Army's first drive of the second half, kicker Trey Gronotte made a 39-yard field goal to cut Navy's lead to four points, 14-10.
But it didn't take long for the cadets to answer.
Isaiah Bryant's 42-yard kickoff return gave Navy a first down near midfield to begin the ensuing possession. Two plays later, Horvath connected with Eli Heidenreich for a 52-yard touchdown, putting the Midshipmen back up 21-10. excited the cadets:
With the touchdown, Horvath tied the Navy record for touchdown passes in a single season, and Heidenreich tied the school's record for touchdown receptions in a single season.
Heidenreich received an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty for his celebratory spike, but more importantly, it gave Navy a double-digit lead for the second time in the game. With just over six minutes left in the third quarter, can Army get back to competing against Daly?
The pivotal moment came late in the third quarter, when Monken ejected Daly and took over the offense on fourth-and-six with just over four minutes left in the quarter. Daly's pass was incomplete, but Navy linebacker Kenneth McShann was flagged for a roughing the passer penalty, giving Army another down.
Army's momentum continued and carried into the fourth quarter, where the frame began. Daly missed a wide-open Reynolds in the end zone on second-and-9. The subsequent throw into the end zone on third down fell incomplete, forcing Army to settle. Gronotte converted a field goal from just 31 yards out.
21-13 Navy, 14 minutes, 44 seconds left, everything.
Navy understood that, too, and when the Midfielders faced a fourth down near midfield, Navy called for a fake punt and had running back Landon Robinson snap it. Robinson advanced 29 yards and fumbled the ball at the end of the play, while teammate Noah Beck pounced on the loose ball and the Midshipmen had possession.
Horvath then scored four points to make it 28-13 with less than nine minutes left.
It would be too much for the Army to overcome. Daly took an ill-advised throw to the body on Army's next possession and was intercepted, giving Navy the opportunity to start the celebration early by spending the remaining time on more than just the football. Nathan Kirkwood made a field goal to give the Midshipmen a 31-13 lead, but Daly was intercepted for the third time on the first snap of Army's next attack.
The 'overrated' chant started with the Cadet Brigade and ended up being sung by the Navy as well. second of the night:
The Commander in Chief trophy returns to Annapolis.
“We knew if we had some explosive plays we could score points and have a chance to win. And part of the reason we're doing what we're doing offensively is because of these academy games,” he said after the game. , Navy head coach Brian Newberry said. “And in order to win, [Commander-in-Chief’s Trophy] That's part of the evolution of this attack.
“We're still working on it.”
That “work in progress” resulted in the job being completed on Saturday.
The atmosphere in the other press conference room was quite different.
Army is one game away from hitting 12 wins on the season, but Saturday's loss means a disappointing 2024 overall.
“It was a good season,” Army head coach Jeff Monken said. “When we lose this game, there's nothing great, nothing extraordinary, nothing outstanding, nothing amazing about it. Frankly, the season has been a little disappointing, but this game… This is the truth, and the fact of how great this rivalry is.
“Losing this game sucks for the season, and maybe I'm just bad at sports, but this is the biggest game of the year. I'm going to drive to West Point right now and look around and see the signs on campus. You can see it, the beat, and there's just one name behind it everywhere on campus. It's the biggest game of the year.”
Monken knows this feeling of loss will last for a while.
It will take me 365 days, probably a lifetime, to get through this game. I still have trouble sleeping when I think about the game I lost. I think about the games I lost more than the games I won. If I win, I'll just feel relieved. If we lose, we’ll wake up to the night game we lost 10 years ago, I promise. When you’re a competitor, that sticks with you,” Monken added.
“This stinks.”
As cliché as it sounds, Army and Navy are more than just a football game. This rivalry is steeped in tradition, more than a century in the making, with a consistent line running from the game's works of the year to heroes of the past, including the two units the team honored in uniform on this day. Followed by: Army's tribute to the 101st Airborne Division, for its heroism in the Battle of the Bulge and the defense of Bastogne during World War II, and the Navy's tribute to the most successful fighter aircraft, the Jolly Rogers, a historical squadron. .
There's also the fact that Saturday's rivals will be teammates on an even bigger roster in the coming weeks and months.
As far as football games go, the 125th Army vs. Navy game was special.
As for the experience, it was even better.
