This game is different.
It is not simply a football game.
This Army-Navy match-up gives us a field featuring 100% of student-athletes willing to give their lives for total strangers in order to protect our freedoms.
There is no NIL (name, image, and likeness).
No transfer portal.
It is a true football game, one that celebrates our military.
That places a spotlight on the cadets and the midshipmen who should always have a spotlight on them for the incredible sacrifice they are willing to make for us.
Add in that for this, the 125th installment of the Army-Navy Game, the Commander-in-Chief Trophy was on the line after both teams defeated the Air Force in the regular season, and the stage was set for an exciting new chapter to America's Game.
Army won the toss and deferred to the second half.
Junior fullback Alex Tecza caught a pass from junior quarterback Blake Horvath for a 31-yard gain that brought the Midshipmen into the Black Knights' redzone on the first possession of the game.
Navy's first drive would total 65 yards over 12 plays and would take 6:04 off the clock, ending in a one-yard keeper by Horvath to give Navy the first lead of the day, 7-0, at the 8:56 mark of the first quarter.
Army's first possession would end in a punt after the Midshipmen prevented the Black Knights from crossing the 50-yard line.
Horvath's pitch to the backfield would fall onto the field and he would recover the live ball on the Midshipmen's second drive that would conclude in a punt shortly after.
At the end of the first quarter, the game remained 7-0 Navy.
The Black Knights' second possession of the day would continue when senior quarterback Bryson Daily would gain a yard on a quarterback keeper to start the second quarter, but Daily's pass three plays later would end this drive when senior cornerback Dashaun Peele intercepted the ball, returning to two yards to the Black Knights' 44-yard line.
Navy would score off of this turnover when Horvath found junior slotback Brandon Chatman for an 18-yard pass-play that moved the Midshipmen ahead 14-0 with 11:30 to go before halftime.
On Army’s third drive of the day, Daily found senior wide receiver Casey Reynolds for an 18-yard gain on a 4th-&-3 attempt.
Daily would rush for a five-yard gain on the following play, and then, on the next play, faked the run and tossed the ball out to junior running back Hayden Reed for a 23-yard pass-play that saw the Black Knights in the end zone for the first time in the game, down 14-7 with 6:29 before the break.
A fake early on in his keeper aided Horvath to a 37-yard gain to the Army 33 on Navy's fourth drive of the game.
However, this drive would end with the Midshipmen punting the ball away.
A pass on 3rd-&-9 by Daily would fall incomplete, leading to the Black Knights' second punt of the day.
The Midshipmen would get the ball with 1:25 to go in the opening half, starting on their own 35.
Army sophomore outside linebacker Elo Modozie sacked Horvath for a two-yard loss to bring up 2nd-&-12 on the following drive for Navy, the Midshipmen's fifth possession of the game.
Shortly after, Navy would punt the ball back to Army, giving the Black Knights 25 seconds from their own nine-yard line.
The Black Knights would take a knee, ending the first half down seven, and getting the first possession of the second half after deferring to start the game.
Recapping the first half, Navy's possessions ended in this order: touchdown, punt, touchdown, punt, punt.
Army's drives in the first half concluded like this: punt, interception, touchdown, punt, kneel to end the half.
In the first half, the Midshipmen took the ball 174 yards on 31 plays, while the Black Knights amounted 105 yards on 28 plays. Navy had 119 rushing yards on 23 carries to Army's 55 yards on 20 carries in the first half. The Midshipmen had 55 passing yards to the Black Knights' 50.
Army's first drive of the second half would end just short of a touchdown when a pass from Daily to junior slotback Noah Short would hit the ground just outside the end zone.
The Black Knights would get points, however, thanks to the leg of senior kicker Trey Gronotte who connected from 39 yards out on his field-goal attempt to make it 14-10 Navy at the 8:15 mark of the third quarter.
Navy responded with a three-play drive for their opener of the second half that concluded with the Midshipmen back in the end zone on a 52-yard pass-play from Horvath to junior slotback Eli Heidenreich to bring the score to 21-10 Navy at the 6:34 mark. This touchdown pass tied Horvath with the most passing touchdowns in a single season for a Midshipmen quarterback, with 13.
On 4th-&-6 from their own 45-yard line on their second drive of the second half, the Black Knights got some aid from the Midshipmen who committed two penalties on the play, roughing the passer and pass interference. The roughing-the-passer penalty was accepted, giving Army 15 yards and a first down to the Navy 40-yard line.
This drive by the Black Knights would go 11 plays before the end of the third quarter, with the Black Knights continuing the drive at the Midshipmen 14-yard line on 2nd-&-9 at the start of the fourth quarter, with the score at 21-10 Midshipmen.
Daily opened up the fourth quarter on the next play of this drive with a wide-open Reynolds in the end zone, but the two did not link up.
Army would conclude this drive with a field goal, this from 31 yards away for Gronotte to bring the score to 21-13 Navy with 14:44 to go.
On the Midshipmen's second drive of the second half, they faked the punt on 4th-&-5 and junior nose guard Landon Robinson barreled forward for a 29-yard gain and a first down. Robinson fumbled, forced by senior running back Tyrell Robinson, and recovered by senior linebacker Colin Ramos for the Midshipmen at the Black Knights' 24-yard line.
This drive would end with Horvath rushing the ball four-straight times, the final for a one-yard touchdown to elevate Navy to a 28-13 advantage with 8:50 to play.
Midshipmen junior cornerback Andrew Duhart stepped in front of Daily's receiver and got his hands on the ball, bobbled it, and his teammate Kenneth McShan, a junior linebacker, caught the ball as it came off of the body of Duhart to secure the interception at the Midshipmen 48.
Horvath would come out with the Navy offense, carrying the ball seven yards followed by a keeper that he took 48 yards to the 12-yard line of Army.
On the very next play, Heidenreich would get in the end zone once again, but a holding penalty would negate this score and move the Midshipmen back to the Black Knights' 22-yard line.
Navy would finish this drive with their first field-goal attempt, and make, of the game, from junior kicker Nathan Kirkwood from 27 yards out to make it 31-13 Navy with 3:45 remaining.
On the first play of Army's next drive, Daily threw his third interception of the contest, this to the hands of junior linebacker Luke Pirris at the Army 37-yard line.
Three plays and three kneel-downs would do it as the Midshipmen secured the victory, 31-13.
The Black Knights came in having won six of the last eight meetings in the Army-Navy Game, dating back to 2016, but the Midshipmen were the victors here in 2024, ending a two-game losing streak in this, America's Game.
Navy improves to 9-3 on the season, while Army moves to 11-2 overall, and the Midshipmen will have the Commander-in-Chief trophy back in their possession.
Regardless of whoever won this game, America is the true winner when you look to the people on this field as well as the men and women overall that represent the Army, Navy, and all of our military.
As a proud grandson and grandnephew of incredible family members that served in the Army, Navy, and throughout the military, this moment is and will always be special to me.
To be here representing my family, here in honor of my grandfathers and great uncles who were watching from heaven today as I chase my own dreams.
Dreams that are aided by those who fight for all of us to have the freedom to be who we want to be and do what we want to do.
This was a moment, a moment of emotion for me as I look at the sons and daughters throughout this stadium that are living their lives in service to others.
On days like this I am reminded, America is still beautiful, still strong, still proud, still free.
On days like this I stop and reflect.
On days like this I see the heart of Jesus, real and beating, true and free, for the whole world to see.
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