Army Edged by Navy in Rivalry Game

Saturday, December 11

East Rutherford, N.J.

3:00 p.m. ET

Army West Point

8-4

Navy

4-8

1st

2nd

3rd

4th

Army

Navy

Army Edged by Navy in Rivalry Game

December 11, 2021 | Football

Box Score

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. – In the 122nd edition of America's Game, presented by USAA, the Army Black Knights fell to service academy foe Navy by a narrow margin of 17-13 at MetLife Stadium.

The Midshipmen (4-8) scored 10 unanswered points in the second half to pull away from the Black Knights (8-4), who led by 13-7 at halftime.

Linebacker Kemonte Yow had a game-and career-best 13 tackles while linebacker Arik Smith and nose tackle Nolan Cockrill rounded out Army's top three tacklers with nine and eight stops, respectively. Cockrill additionally contributed a four-yard sack and a QB hurry en route to finishing with 1.5 TFLs.

Both offenses got to work early in the rivalry game, as touchdowns were recorded on back-to-back possessions to start things off. On the fourth snap of the game, quarterback Christian Anderson broke free with a 56-yard touchdown run as the Black Knights scored on their seventh opening drive of the season. Navy responded by stringing together an 11-play, 83-yard drive that chewed up nearly six minutes and ended with an eight-yard run into the end zone that knotted up the score at 7-7.

Army continued its attack on the next possession, quickly driving down to the 14-yard line. However, the Black Knights settled for a 31-yard field goal, which kicker Cole Talley knocked in to put the Cadets back on top at 10-7 as the first quarter concluded.

The majority of the second stanza was spent trading possessions, as Army punted twice and the Midshipmen missed a game-tying 53-yard field goal. Eventually, the Black Knights added to their lead with another field goal from Talley, as he connected a 32-yard field goal that sent the team into the locker room with a 13-7 edge. At the half, Army held an additional advantage in total yards at 175-130.

In the second half, the Black Knights saw their lead slowly vanish as the Mids controlled the game down the stretch. After a 26-yard run on fourth-and-four extended a drive, Navy quarterback Tai Levatai knotted things up at 13-13 with his second rushing strike of the night. The following PAT put Navy ahead 14-13 with nine minutes remaining in the third quarter.

Army's offense attempted to respond but had limited time with the ball as Navy took advantage of the clock. The Mids pushed their lead to 17-13 with a 43-yard field goal that erased nine minutes at the start of the fourth quarter, and though there were glimmers of hope for the Cadets, they were ultimately unable to respond as Navy held on for just its second victory over Army in six years.

QUOTABLE
Head Coach Jeff Monken
(On trouble rushing the ball on offense)
"They [Navy] beat the blocks, they just destroyed blocks. We weren't able to move their guys. They just did a much better job defending us than we did them. We tried a lot of different things and none of them worked for us."

(On preparing for Armed Forces Bowl)
"Hopefully there are some things we can learn from the film and get ready for the next game. I am glad we don't have to finish the season on a disappointing loss. We get a chance to play again, and our guys will be highly motivated to go to work tomorrow…we will get a workout in tomorrow and try to improve."

Quarterback Christian Anderson
(On first play of the game and inconsistency of offense)
"It was just a play we practiced throughout the week. The [offensive] line did a great job blocking…it just kind of opened up. Throughout the game, in the second half especially, we just didn't execute as well as we could have. We didn't maintain blocks…I missed a couple of throws…I don't think we were as efficient as we could have been. Credit to them [Navy], they did a good job filling gaps and tackles."

Linebacker Arik Smith
(On learning from this game in preparation for Armed Forces Bowl)
"Just as always, if you ever make a mistake, it is a learning tool. The things we didn't do and didn't execute well today, we must go back in, just as every week, look at the film and figure out how we can execute our job better. The next team we play is a different team, but it is still about figuring out detail wise what we can fix to get us back in the right direction.

WHAT'S NEXT
For the fifth time in six years, Army's season will end at a Bowl game as the Black Knights are slated to take on Missouri in the Armed Forces Bowl on Wednesday, December 22 at TCU's Amon G. Carter Stadium. The kick-off is slated for 8 p.m. ET in Fort Worth, Texas and the action will be carried on ESPN and the Army Sports Network. Army will look to add to its all-time advantage in Bowl outings, which currently stands at 6-3.

FOLLOW ALONG
For complete coverage of Army West Point Football, follow the Black Knights on Twitter and Instagram at @ArmyWP_Football and online at www.goarmywestpoint.com.