This Saturday marked the 117th meeting between the Military Academy and the Naval Academy in football. The rivalry has stood the test of time and seen World Wars and changes throughout the landscape of America. For one day, two military branches battle against one another to decide who has which is the superior branch. This game also marks the end of the regular season for FBS College Football. The game is rotated between being hosted in Philadelphia and Baltimore. The tale may have been told 117 times, but like all good tales told, a surprise can come at any moment.
This year’s story began before either team took the field. The Navy Midshipmen had fourteen straight Army-Navy games coming into this weekend. Army appeared to have a curse put upon them through the fourteen years as they saw blowouts and close games slip through their fingers. In 2012, Army had a chance to win the game late, but fumbled the football near the end zone. In 2014, Navy’s firepower was too strong for the Black Knights to withstand as they fell 34-7 to the Midshipmen. Despite this, Army comes back every year with a renewed confidence to beat Navy. For 2016, the tale of the tape saw an advantage for Army going in. The week before, the Naval Academy lost its starting quarterback in the American Conference Championship against Temple. To add to this, Army also had a bye going into this week. Where Navy had a streak to keep alive, Army had nothing to lose and everything to gain.
This game had all the makings of a classic that would be written on the pages of this rivalry. Army went up 14-0 against Navy mostly on turnovers in the first half. Coming out of halftime, Navy recollected itself and was able to put 10 on the board by and shutting Army out in the third. In the 4th quarter, Navy scored to go ahead of Army 17-14 with 12:42 left in the game. With their backs against the wall, the Black Knights forged an offensive drive that proved to be the most important drive of the game. Starting at the twenty-yard line, Army drove eighty yards down the field in 6:42 to gain the lead 21-17. Navy attempted to mount a response but fell short. And for the first time in 14 years, the Military Academy won the Army-Navy game. The death of a streak and perhaps the beginning of a new one.
The streak is not the only thing we bid farewell to. A man by the name Verne Lundquist stepped away from college football commentary. Verne had long been a college football sportscaster for CBS. He helped provide commentary for SEC football games, and became a face that every household in the south knew. In his final statement after the Army-Navy game, he recollected his first game he provided commentary for. It was for the Ohio Bobcats and the Kent State Flash. He remembered seeing a certain graduate assistant on the field who would later become Alabama head coach Nick Saban. As Lundquist was saying goodbye, the viewer could see a man that was happy for the times he had, but also a man that was sad to leave a sport he truly loved like many in America. And what better way to send of a great man than with a great game.
