The afternoon of the second Saturday of December is reserved for a historic rivalry. Army spends its entire season preparing to beat Navy, and Navy spend its entire season preparing to beat Army. But only
one of those goals can be accomplished in each calendar year.
The stage was set in Baltimore, MD with over 70,000 packing the stands to witness the 126th installment of the Army-Navy Game. And for the 64th time and the second-straight year, the Navy Midshipmen earned the right to sing their alma mater second. Navy outlasted Army 17-16 in a down-to-the-wire thriller, securing another 10-win season in the process.
Army led for the majority of the contest, clinging onto a 16-10 advantage in the fourth quarter. But Navy was ready to snatch the lead when running back Alex Tecza barreled down to the 5-yard line with under nine minutes to go. Navy decided to consume as much clock as possible between plays, limiting Army’s opportunities after it scored the go-ahead touchdown. But on 2nd and goal from the 1, that go-ahead touchdown became less of a certainty. Quarterback Blake Horvath fumbled the ball right before the goal line, and Army nearly recovered for a touchdown the other way. However, Navy’s trusty receiver Eli Heidenreich pounced on the ball eight yards shy of the end zone.
Two plays later, Navy faced a critical 4th and goal from the 8 with 6:45 remaining, knowing a field goal would be too risky in a game where possessions were at a premium. Horvath dropped back to pass out of shotgun and delivered a strike to the center of the end zone. The ball flew right over Army strong safety Casey Larkin and into the gloves of Heidenreich. Thanks to a successful extra point, Navy’s all-time leading receiver positioned the Midshipmen with a 17-16 fourth quarter lead, forever etching himself into the game’s lore. The Pittsburgh native collected 28 rushing yards, 72 receiving yards, and a touchdown in his penultimate college football game.
Navy’s defense only took the field one more time in the final six minutes and change. A holding penalty doomed Army’s drive before it developed, and the Black Knights were subject to a three-and-out, punting from their own 23 with roughly five minutes to go. The Midshipmen consumed those five minutes, but it wasn’t without more chaos. On 3rd and 3, Horvath attempted to plunge up the middle for a first down, but the ball was popped out by Army linebacker Kalib Fortner. Horvath caught the fumble in mid-air and dove for the sticks, falling a mere inches short of sealing the contest. The very next play on 4th and 1, he handed the ball off to Tecza, who powered his way through a sea of Black Knights for the punishing blow.
Horvath finished with 107 rushing yards, while Tecza added 50 as the No. 1 rushing attack in the nation out-gained Army on the ground, 190-170.
After trailing 7-0 due to an early Horvath touchdown, Army scored 16 unanswered points to take full control of the rivalry. Cale Hellums knotted the game at seven in the second quarter with a 2-yard touchdown run during his 100-yard outing. But each of Army’s next three scores were all field goals as Navy’s defense tightened up in critical moments. Early in the third quarter, ahead 13-7, Army cornerback Justin Weaver picked off Horvath and ran 32 yards for a touchdown. However, the pick-six was negated as Weaver’s knee contacted the ground the instant he secured the interception. Navy’s defense — led by inside linebacker Coleman Caulley and his 10 tackles — stymied the Black Knights thereafter, making Army’s lead 16-7 instead of 20-7.
Army scored a touchdown on its opening drive but never reached the end zone on its remaining seven tries. Each of the Black Knights’ final five series lasted four plays or fewer as Navy — with a time of possession of 34:35 — substantially outperformed the nation’s No. 1 clock-eater.
Army (6-6, 4-4 American) enters Bowl Season at .500, needing a win over UConn in the Fenway Bowl to seal its sixth-straight .500+ season under head coach Jeff Monken. The Black Knights waited all year to exact revenge on Navy in the intense rivalry but ultimately fell short in Baltimore. The clock now resets to December 2026 as Army prepares for an entire offseason with this result on the forefront of its mind.
Navy (10-2, 7-1 American) secures back-to-back 10-win seasons for the first time in school history. The Midshipmen retain the Commander-in-Chief’s Trophy after upending Army for the second-consecutive year. Currently No. 22 in the AP Poll, Navy can cap this historic season by tying its program record of 11 wins in the upcoming Liberty Bowl against Cincinnati. But through all the wins in this prosperous 2025, the one Navy will cherish the most transpired on a December evening in Baltimore, earning the right to sing second.
