After beating Air Force earlier this season, Army won its third Commander-in-Chief’s Trophy in the last six seasons and claimed the award outright for the first time since 2020 on Saturday with a 17-11 takedown of Navy at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Mass.
The trophy, which is awarded to the service academy with the best head-to-head record against the others, was claimed by the Black Knights in the 124th edition of the Army-Navy rivalry game.
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“It is a source of pride for our entire team, our academy, our long great line of graduates (and) the Army,” Army coach Jeff Monken said postgame.
Down 17-9 on fourth-and-goal at the Army 2 with seconds to play, Navy quarterback Tai Lavatai ran and was stopped at the 1, where Army took over and ran out the three seconds left while taking a safety in the end zone.
The game was a true defensive battle until the fourth quarter, when 18 of the game’s 28 points were scored.
With 4:49 left to play, Army linebacker Kalib Fortner swiped the ball out of Lavatai’s hands, recovered it and ran it 44 yards for a touchdown to put the Black Knights up, with the made extra point, 17-3.
Navy responded quickly, with a seven-play touchdown drive lasting just over two minutes. The last three first downs of the drive took a total of 14 seconds off the clock and closed the gap to 17-9, with Navy failing to convert the 2-point attempt, with 2:47 to play. Army then recovered Navy’s onside kick with ease, but two straight false-start penalties put the Black Knights at first-and-20 on the their own 45. They punted on fourth down, but an unlucky bounce set Navy up on its own 27. The Midshipmen moved down the field quickly, but their final pursuit of victory ended on that 1-yard line.
This was Army’s last game as an independent. It joins the American Athletic Conference as football-only members next season.
What was the difference for Army?
This game so often comes down to inches, and it happened again. Two years in a row, the game came down to a play at the goal line. Last season, Navy fumbled at the goal line in overtime, and Army kicked a field goal to win. This season, Navy was stopped at the goal line on fourth-and-goal in the final seconds to secure an Army win.
Also for two years in a row, Army made the most consequential big play, as the Black Knights again scored a non-offensive touchdown. A year ago, it was a punt block return for a touchdown. This year, it was a fumble return touchdown with fewer than five minutes to play. This matchup is frequently low-scoring and close, and a few plays make the difference. Once again, the Black Knights scored a big play during the course of the game and made a goal line stop at the end of the game. — Chris Vannini, senior college football writer
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Will Army go to a bowl game?
No. Both teams came into this game at 5-6, but all bowl slots have already been filled, including one by 5-7 Minnesota. While Army is 6-6 after the victory, it has two FCS wins, meaning only one would’ve counted toward bowl-eligibility anyway. The season is over for both Army and Navy. — Vannini
Highlight of the game
ARMY SCOOP AND SCORE!
What a play by Kalib Fortner. pic.twitter.com/9HZcqU8siu
— CBS Sports (@CBSSports) December 9, 2023
Required reading
(Photo: Edward Diller / Getty Images)
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