Heartbreak in Baltimore: Navy Rallies to Edge Army 17-16 in Commander-in-Chief Thriller

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BALTIMORE, MD — The 126th installment of the Army-Navy Game delivered a classic rivalry battle, ending in bitter disappointment for the Army Black Knights (6-6) as the #22 Navy Midshipmen (10-2) staged a thrilling fourth-quarter rally to secure a dramatic 17-16 victory on Saturday at M&T Bank Stadium.

The loss for Army seals their second straight defeat in the series and, most painfully, hands the Commander-in-Chief’s Trophy to Navy for the second consecutive year.

The Black Knights’ First-Half Dominance

For nearly two-and-a-half quarters, it was all Army. The Black Knights’ defense successfully contained Navy’s explosive Wing-T offense and capitalized on Midshipmen mistakes to build a comfortable lead.

Marathon Opening Drives: True to form, the game began with two grueling, clock-killing touchdown drives. Navy struck first with a 7:44 drive capped by a 5-yard run from QB Blake Horvath. Army immediately responded with a 7:21 drive that ended with a 2-yard score from QB Cale Hellums, tying the game at 7-7.
The Turnover Advantage: Army’s defense forced the first turnover of the game, recovering a Horvath fumble late in the second quarter. This led to a 45-yard field goal by Dawson Jones as time expired in the half, giving Army a 13-7 lead.
A Nine-Point Cushion: Army’s lead extended to nine points early in the third quarter after an interception by the Black Knights led to a career-long 48-yard field goal from Jones, pushing the score to 16-7. At this point, the upset seemed firmly within Army’s grasp.

The Midshipmen’s Clutch Fourth-Quarter

Army’s offense completely stalled in the second half, managing just 27 total yards over the final 30 minutes. This opened the door for Navy, which slowly chipped away before delivering the decisive blow.

The Game-Changing Interception: With Army clinging to a 16-10 lead in the fourth, Hellums underthrew a corner route at midfield, resulting in an interception by Navy’s Phillip Hamilton. This turnover gave the Midshipmen the ball near the 50-yard line with just over 11 minutes to play.
Fourth-Down Heroics: The drive was filled with drama. Navy drove inside the 5-yard line, where Horvath fumbled on a goal-line keeper. Miraculously, the ball was recovered by Navy receiver Eli Heidenreich back at the 8-yard line. Facing 4th-and-Goal from the 8, Horvath dropped back and fired a strike to Heidenreich over the middle for the game-winning touchdown. The extra point gave Navy its first lead since the first quarter: 17-16 with 6:32 remaining.

The Final Heartbreak

The Black Knights got one final opportunity but were forced to punt after a three-and-out.¹⁴ Navy then executed a masterclass in clock management.

The Controversial Fumble: Facing 3rd-and-3 near midfield with under two minutes left and Army out of timeouts, Horvath fumbled on a run. He managed to catch the ball out of the air but fumbled a second time after reaching for the first-down marker, with Army recovering. However, a review determined Horvath was down by contact just short of the line to gain before the second fumble, overturning the recovery.
Sealed by a Sneak: With the clock still running, Navy converted the subsequent 4th-and-1 with an Alex Tecza run, allowing them to kneel out the final seconds and seal the dramatic one-point victory.

The loss is a particularly tough pill to swallow for the Black Knights, who controlled the game defensively but could not generate the offense needed to finish the job. Army finishes the season $6-6$ and now prepares to face UConn in the Fenway Bowl on December 27th.