2024 Game of the Slot: Army-Navy
God bless America, God bless our troops, and gentlemen, start your engines
It’s not quite postseason time. Instead, it’s time for the greatest celebration of American football there is. Of course, I’m talking about Army-Navy.
Army-Navy is a game with a lot of history, with the two schools meeting for the 125th time this weekend. The Commander-In-Chief’s Trophy, which is awarded to the head-to-head winner of all the service academy games, is up for grabs after both programs beat Air Force earlier this season. What’s more? This is the first time the Commannder-In-Chief’s Trophy is up for grabs in Army-Navy since 2017.
This year’s contest has plenty of glitz and glamor worthy of the 125th anniversary of the game. For instance, the programs’ combined 19-4 record is the most wins ever coming into the Army-Navy game. And with two surprisingly powerful offenses, the traditional hammer the under and enjoy the slog may be a thing of the past.
As expected, the triple-option behemoths come in with two of the top eight rushing offenses in the nation and bottom-ten passing offenses. This is service academy football, after all. Both teams are led by their starting quarterbacks, who are the best service academy quarterbacks in recent memory. No. 19 Army has wrecking ball Bryson Daily, who boasts a whopping 1,480 rushing yards and 29 touchdowns. Navy’s Blake Horvath is no slouch either, with 895 rushing yrads and 13 scores. But Horvath has passed the ball well, with 1,154 yards and a 11 to four touchdown to interception ratio.
For uniform fans, Army-Navy is often one of the nation’s best uniform matchups, as the programs wear specalized sets to recognize various historical units from their branch of the service.
Army will wear an all-black set honoring the 101st Airborne Division, better known as the “Screaming Eagles.” The 101st Airborne Division were deployed in World War II’s Western Theater in the Battle of the Bulge against Nazi Germany. They endured three weeks of horrendous close-quarters combat with the Nazi forces and their refusal to surrender and will to fight played a significant role in the demise of Nazi Germany’s last offensive.
Navy will counter with an all-white ensemble honoring the “Jolly Rogers” - the Navy’s most lethal squadron. The unit was first commissioned in 1943 amidst World War II to take the skies over the Pacific Theater. Their skull and crossbones insignia - emblazoned on this year’s helmet - quickly became feared, racking up over 150 kills over the Pacific. The Jolly Rogers are still in action to this day.
When
Time: Saturday, December 14, 2024 - 3:00 p.m., EST
Where: Landover, Maryland - Northwest Stadium
TV: CBS; Brad Nessler, Gary Danielson, Jenny Dell
Radio: Westwood One; John Sadak, Mike Mayock, Tina Cervasio
Army Black Knights Notes
Army is the reigning American conference champion after a 35-14 domination over Tulane last weekend at West Point. This is the Black Knights’ first year in the conference.
Army quarterback Bryson Daily is one of the nation’s best at finding the end zone. Daily’s 29 rushing scores are tied with Boise State’s Ashton Jeanty for the nation’s lead - despite playing two less games - and he set an American Conference record in last week’s win over Tulane. With one more rushing score, Daily will become the sixth player in NCAA history to score 30 or more rushing touchdowns in one season.
Daily can’t do everything on his own and will lean on his Joe Moore-finalist offensive line. The Joe Moore Award is awarded annually to the nation’s top offensive line unit. Army is one of three finalists, along with Oregon and Texas.
Army is far and away the nation’s best rushing offense, averaging an astounding 312.5 yards per game. For reference, no other team in the FBS averages more than 260.0 rushing yards per contest.
The Black Knights rely on their rushing attack and their offense to win games. Since 2020, Army is 19-3 when logging at least 400 yards of total offense. They’ve reached that mark in eight of 12 contests this season and notched 400 or more rushing yards in three.
That’s not to say that Army’s defense isn’t stifling, because they are. The unit ranks seventh in the nation in scoring defense, allowing only 15.0 points per game.
Their defense also ranks first in the American and 10th in the nation in total defense, allowing only 297.9 yards per game.
Defensive coordniator Nate Woody’s scheme has been lights out - especially against other triple-option teams. Against Air Force, the Black Knights have not allowed a touchdown in nine quarters. Woody is a semi-finalist for the Broyles Award awarded annually to the nation’s best assistant coach.
Overall, Army has played some of the best football across the nation this season. According to Pro Football Focus, Army grades as the nation’s best offense with a 94.4 mark. Their 93.1 overall team grade is the fourth-best in the nation.
Navy Midshipmen Notes
Navy was expected to finish towards the bottom of the American, but rallied behind head coach Brian Newberry to take the conference by storm, finishing tied for third place.
Despite the game being in Landover, the Midshipmen are comfortable away from home. The Midshipmen have been in Annapolis only twice in their final nine weeks.
Navy quarterback Blake Horvath may not have the gaudy stat lines of Daily, but don’t count him out. Pro Football Focus grades Horvath as the sixth-best runner in the nation with at least 125 attempts.
Horvath has his eyes on the record books as well. His 11 passing scores are third in the Navy record books. He needs two more to tie the program record and three to break it. He is also 105 rushing yards away from being the first 1,000-yard rusher for the Midshipmen since 2019.
It’s not just Horvath looking to ement his name in the record books. Junior snipe Eli Heidenreich is one touchdown catch away from tying the program record with six total receiving scores. Four Navy players have met that mark in the past.
Expect the Midshipmen to try to strike first and fast. Navy has scored a touchdown on the first play of a drive five times this season, the third best mark in the nation. They rank seventh in the country in explosive plays, with 11 plays of 50 yards or more this season.
Where Army relies on a potent offense, Navy’s defense is the name of their game. The unit boasts five all-American players in nose tackle Landon Robinson (first team), linebacker Colin Ramos (first team), safety Rayuan Lane III (first team), defensive end Justin Reed (second team), and cornerback Dashaun Peele (second team)
Navy’s games have all but been decided by the turnover battle. In their eight wins, Navy has outscored their opponents 94-7 in points off turnovers. In their three losses, the Midshipmen have been bested 48-0 in points off turnovers.
Up Next
Army will head to the Radiance Independence Bowl in Shreveport, Louisiana, Saturday, December 28 to take on Marshall at 9:15 p.m.
Navy will take on Oklahoma in the Lockheed Martin Armed Forces Bowl, Friday, December 27 at 12 p.m.
What I’m Reading:
Three-Point Stance by Tyler Schuster: Three-Point Stance is your favorite independent college football newsletter. Come for in-depth analysis and bold commentary, stay for the jokes and memes. An idea hatched after years of 12-hour days glued to the couch, Tyler Schuster puts his passion for the sport on full display, delivering big-picture ideas, weekly previews and gambling nuggets directly to your inbox.
An idea hatched after years of 12-hour days glued to the couch, Tyler Schuster puts his passion for the sport on full display, delivering big-picture ideas, weekly previews and gambling nuggets directly to your inbox.
Tailgators Setup by Brian Lennon, John Crimella, and Gary McDaniel: I’ll be a little selfish on this one and plug a great college football podcast that I was lucky enough to join a few weeks back to talk UEC and SID Sports! Brian, John and Gary are a ton of fun to listen to and break down the weekend to come in a very easy to digest and entertaining way. Be sure to tune into the Tailgators' Setup podcast and subscribe for more great content from them!
Split Zone Duo by Alex Kirshner, Steven Godfrey, and Richard Johnson: You can't beat Alex, Richard and Godfrey. They're on the front lines breaking news and creating the best content in the game. I 100 percent recommend SZD for anyone into college football and Steven Godfrey hating your team. They’re mostly a podcast publication, but sometimes being able to listen to three well-informed guys talking about college football is what you need in your life.
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