Army beat Navy 20-17 on Saturday in a double overtime thriller that saw the underdog Black Knights make numerous clutch plays in key situations. The 123rd edition of America’s Games was the first ever competition where play extended beyond regulation, bringing a thrilling conclusion to his game in the final regular season of the 2022 college football season.
The Army kicked a field goal in under two minutes in regulation to force overtime, scored a touchdown on the first play of the first OT period, and forced a fumble on the Navy’s second OT possession before fielding the field goal. Kicked the goal to win the fifth game in the last seven editions of college football’s longest-running rivalry.
While this Army and Navy game was one where the Black Knight’s attacks got stuck in the mud for most of the contest, the Cadets had far more success on the ground. Made big plays when needed.
Given the Army’s struggling offense, it’s a testament to its defense that this went into overtime in the first place. In fact, Army’s only offensive touchdown didn’t come until on the first play of overtime, when Markell’s Johnson passed his A gap untouched and into the end his zone he took off 25 yards. did. The only touchdown in regulation came as a result of a blocked punt jumping in the end zone.
The Army finished with just 153 yards, which paled in comparison to the effort put together by the Navy. The cadets rumbled his 284 yards in this game when Anton Hall took off on his 73-yard touchdown run in the third quarter to give Navy his 10-7 lead. I played the biggest offensive play.
Unfortunately, the play was only Hall’s second most impactful touch in the game. His fumble on the goal line in the second OT gave Army a chance to win the game with a walk-off field goal.
Quinn Maltezky, who had only eight field goal attempts all season, made a successful 37-yard attempt with 1:53 remaining, before dropping a 39-yarder just minutes later to seal the victory for Army. trained. Q4 to force overtime.
Here are some points from the latest edition of army navy games.
1. The Importance of Special Teams
Certainly, special teams are important in many games, but games like this are especially important. These are two service academies that run similar option offenses that feature many run plays and require long drives to score touchdowns. but not in a game like this.
Teams like the Army and Navy spend an entire season practicing against optional attacks and are more ready to stop them than anyone else. increase. The Army’s offense was the underdog of his two units, but that special team was superior and proved to be the difference in the game.
Not only did the first touchdown take a head at halftime with Army blocking a punt, Marecki’s field goal won the game. Army also averaged 42.4 yards per punt compared to his 37.7 for Navy, and Army’s punt returns averaged 18.3 yards per return against his 9.8 for Navy.
The Navy had a field position advantage overall (its average field position starting was a unique 34 compared to the Army starting at 25), but without the performance of the Army’s special teams , the field would have tilted further in favor of the Navy. Considering that Armie struggled to move the ball, it’s hard to imagine the Cadets would have been in a position to reach extra time, let alone win the game, without a special team.
2. Xavier Arlene’s injury played a big role
The Navy quarterback came out limping after tripping over a tackle late in the first half. Arline gained his 28 yards, which may not have had much impact on the score at the time, but was taken down for an illegal (uncalled) trip that impacted the game. Arline has clearly limited mobility in the second half, so he didn’t look like the same player. He still finished with 102 yards rushing on 28 carries and threw a 25-yard touchdown to McElhaywood (his only completed pass) in his first overtime, but he is less than 100%. It was clear.
3. Hall feels bad
After the game moved in Army’s favor, it was Hall’s 77-yard touchdown run in the third quarter that gave Navy life. I took Hall fumbled at the half-yard line while reaching the end zone in Navy’s second overtime. Army recovered and the field put him in a position to win the game with a goal.
4. The first ever overtime
There were seven draws in the first 122 meetings between the Army and Navy, but the last occurred in 1981, 15 years before college football eliminated draws and introduced overtime into the sport. That’s it. It’s crazy to think it’s been over 40 years since this game required overtime.
5. The Army did not win the Commander-in-Chief Trophy
It was already over when the Air Force beat out both Army and Navy earlier this season. It was the first time the Air Force had won the trophy since 2016, and the Falcons weren’t shy about that fact on kickoff.
