Army ends Navy’s 14-year winning streak

Army ends Navy’s 14-year winning streak

Army ended Navy's 14-game winning streak during their annual football game Saturday at M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore. Army fans will long remember that the Black Knights did it the hard way, mounting a 12-play, 80-yard, fourth-quarter scoring drive to claim a 21-17 victory in the 117th edition of one of the most respected rivalries in sports.

"To come from behind was fantastic," said Army coach Jeff Monken. "It was just a very fitting end to the game. (Navy) gained some momentum in the second half but momentum is just an attitude. Our guys bared down and were determined to win; we didn't let them take the game over. We just kept battling.

"It was a big deal to put that (14-game losing) streak to an end. I try not to put pressure on our own team to worry about the past 14 teams. They're not responsible for those teams, they're responsible for the 2016 team and that game was today. This team right here is 1-0 against Navy and will never play in this game together again."

Down 17-14 after giving up 17 straight points, Army took possession on its own 20 after losing the lead. Quarterback Ahmad Bradshaw wasted no time responding to falling behind; he found wide receiver Edgar Poe with a 29-yard pass in the right flat. It was the first completion of the day for Bradshaw, who struggled much of the game, finishing with two completions for 35 yards and one interception on just four attempts while adding 51 yards rushing on nine carries.

The reception by Poe seemed to unite the Black Knights, who had started the second half with four ineffective drives of five plays or less. Seven straight runs by Andy Davidson, Darnell Woolfolk, Kell Walker (who finished with a game-high 94 yards on 16 carries) and Jordan Asberry moved the ball to the Navy 24. On the next play, with Navy linebackers closing in, Bradshaw pushed a shovel pass to Joe Walker, who gained another six yards. Two more rushes by Davidson, who finished with 87 yards on 28 carries, brought Army to the Navy 9. The next snap saw Bradshaw cut right, found a hole off right tackle and charged the final nine yards into the end zone.

"I told the guys to just be prepared — they may try to makes us do something foolish to draw a (penalty) flag," Bradshaw said of the final scoring drive. "I told them to keep their composure and protect the ball and focus on ourselves. It was a great feeling to score the TD (touchdown). I can't describe it; it felt amazing. Our team worked really hard for it to happen."

On the ensuing possession, the cadets capitalized on the inexperience of Navy quarterback Zach Abey — a sophomore who was thrust into his first starting role after senior signal caller Will Worth sustained a season-ending injury in a loss last week to Temple — as Army's Jeremy Timpf and Alex Aukerman broke through for a sack and a six-yard loss. Abey followed with an 11-yard completion to Shaun White, but when White could run for only a yard on the next play, Navy was looking at a fourth-and-four situation from its own 39.

After a punt, Army gained two first downs and ran out the clock to seal the win and set off a celebration among the crowd of 71,600 that saw Army fans storm the field, jumping and hollering with happiness over having finally beaten Navy for the first time since 2001.

For the entire Army team, the joyous occasion was something unknown. To put it in perspective, most of the seniors on the Army team were 6 years old the last time the Black Knights had beaten their rivals to the south.

"It was exciting for me," said freshman Kell Walker, who was just 3 years old when Army claimed the 2001 victory. "I had the opportunity to step up as a freshman. I couldn't be scared; I just had to step up. I appreciate the coaches for giving me the opportunity and for my teammates for trusting me with the ball. We had a lot of emotions going into the game. A lot of the team was feeling that we had to go out in a good way. It was a nice a little spark for the younger guys."

"It's surreal," senior Edgar Poe said. "It still doesn't feel like it's real. We're starting our own (winning) streak now."

Even in the loss, Navy coach Ken Niumatalolo was proud of his team’s effort.

"I'm still proud of them," Niumatalolo said. "We knew we lost four starters on offense last week. The guys fought against a real good (Army) team. Monken has done a real good job. Our kids battled to the end. We'll just keep pressing forward."

While the Navy winning streak in the series is over, the 2016 season is not over for either team. Army faces North Texas on Dec. 27 in the Zaxby's Heart of Dallas Bowl at the Cotton Bowl. Navy faces Louisiana Tech on Dec. 23 in the Armed Forces Bowl at Amon Carter Stadium in Ft. Worth, Texas.