12 Things to Know About the 126th Army-Navy Game

12 Things to Know About the 126th Army-Navy Game
Army West Point will sport marble-themed uniforms on Saturday, while Navy will honor the fleet's original six frigates as part of their gear. Both schools will pay tribute to 250 years of service by their respective branches. (Army Athletics/Navy Athletics)

MOAA won’t be taking sides in the coming Army-Navy showdown, but whether you’re rooting for the Black Knights or the Midshipmen, we’ve got everything you’ll need to keep up with your fellow fans … from the season-long die-hards to the boosters whose football interest starts and ends on the second Saturday of December.

 

Find a dozen or so details below, and if you’re heading to Baltimore this weekend, there’s a good reason to find us: MOAA representatives at M&T Bank Stadium on gameday and at pregame events sponsored by both the West Point Association of Graduates and the Naval Academy Alumni Association will have free entries to a raffle for a custom Bull-It Box.

 

1. Schedule Check: Army West Point (6-5, 4-4 American Athletic Conference) and Navy (9-2, 7-1 AAC) will face off Saturday afternoon in Baltimore with an expected 3:10 p.m. Eastern kickoff. March-ons begin at 12:10 p.m. with the Brigade of Midshipmen, followed by the Corps of Cadets at 12:40. CBS Sports Network will air coverage of the march-ons beginning at noon, while CBS-TV’s game coverage (also streaming on Paramount+) starts at 3 p.m.

 

2. Rivalry 101: Navy leads the series 63-55-7. The teams have split six previous meetings in Baltimore, the last one coming in 2016 – a 21-17 Army victory that ended Navy’s record-setting 14-game rivalry win streak.

 

[2024 MOAA INTERVIEW: Retired 3-Star Leads College Football Playoff] 

 

3. Even Higher Stakes: The winner of this year’s rivalry game also claims the Commander-in-Chief’s Trophy, which goes to the annual victor in the round-robin series between the Black Knights, Midshipmen, and Air Force Falcons. Both Army and Navy defeated Air Force this season. Navy claimed the trophy last year.

 

4. The Mids So Far: Navy’s ranked 22nd in the nation in the Associated Press poll and enters Saturday’s contest on a two-game win streak. The Mids’ 7-1 AAC finish landed them in a three-way tie for first, but they missed out on the AAC title game thanks to the league’s tiebreaking procedures. Their only losses this year came to North Texas and Notre Dame.

 

5. The Black Knights So Far: Army fought back from a 1-3 start (including a shocking season-opening, double-overtime loss at home against Tarleton State) to become bowl eligible with a 27-24 win over the University of Texas-San Antonio on Nov. 29. It was the fifth straight Army game decided by one touchdown or less.

 

6. The Gear: Uniforms for both teams will honor major milestones. Navy marks the service’s 250th birthday with gear inspired in part by the service’s original six frigates:

 

 

Army honors 250 years of service with a marble-themed salute:

 

7. When Navy Has the Ball: Senior Blake Horvath is the first Navy quarterback with more than 1,000 yards passing and 1,000 yards rushing in back-to-back seasons. He piled up 469 yards of total offense in a 34-31 win over Air Force, setting a school record. Senior Eli Heidenreich caught eight passes for 243 yards in that game and has been Horvath’s go-to target in the air all season, while senior Alex Tecza’s 772 rushing yards are second behind Horvath (1,040) and have helped the Mids claim the top spot in top-tier college football with 298.4 rushing yards per contest. Army senior linebacker and team captain Andon Thomas finished second in the AAC with 57 solo tackles.

 

8. When Army Has the Ball: Junior quarterback Cale Hellums has outgained Horvath on the ground this season (1,078 yards, second in the AAC) but has been less productive in the air (504 yards, three touchdowns, two interceptions). Senior Noah Short ran for 127 yards on 14 carries in Army’s win over Texas-San Antonio, including an 81-yard touchdown scamper. Running up the middle means dealing with Navy senior noseguard Landon Robinson, a 286-pounder (with a 465-pound bench press) who’s been named a semifinalist for both the Outland Trophy (best collegiate interior lineman) and the Bednarik Award (best collegiate defensive player).

 

9. Coaches’ Corner: Navy’s Brian Newberry could notch his second 10-win season in a row with a victory over the Black Knights. It’s his third season at the helm after four years as the team’s defensive coordinator. Army’s Jeff Monken has coached a dozen seasons at West Point, leading the Black Knights to the school’s first ever football conference championship in 2024.

 

 

10. Future Sites: The 2026 game will be held in East Rutherford, N.J., home of the NFL’s New York Giants and Jets, and the 2027 contest will return to Philadelphia for the 91st time. No future locations are set, though wherever the games are played, they’ll air on CBS through 2038.

 

11. Going Bowling: Army’s 2025 season will wrap up Dec. 27 in Boston’s Fenway Park, where the Black Knights will take on the University of Connecticut in the Wasabi Fenway Bowl (2:15 p.m. Eastern, ESPN). They will be the second service academy to play football at Fenway this year – the U.S. Coast Guard Academy dropped a 39-38 thriller to the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy on Nov. 15 in the annual Secretaries’ Cup clash. Navy will face Cincinnati on Jan. 2 in Memphis, Tenn., in the AutoZone Liberty Bowl (4:30 p.m. Eastern, ESPN).

 

12. Odds (and Ends): Navy is favored by six points (or slightly more). … President Donald Trump plans to attend the game; then-President-Elect Trump attended the last time the teams squared off in Baltimore. … Craving a spirit spot or “shout out” video? Here’s a running list for 2025, and a few highlights from previous years. … Mascot hijinks are in full effect – learn more about the goats and mules. … Want more Xs and Os? Check out gameday information from the official Army and Navy athletics sites. 

 

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About the Author

Kevin Lilley
Kevin Lilley

Lilley serves as MOAA's digital content manager. His duties include producing, editing, and managing content for a variety of platforms, with a concentration on The MOAA Newsletter and MOAA.org. Follow him on X: @KRLilley