Foxboro, MA – At the 124th annual meeting between these radiational rivals, Army stopped Navy at the one-yard line with :03 left to win the first game ever played between them here, 17-11. The final outcome included controversies and question marks while the rivals fought typically hard until the the dire end. The primary deciding play came on a strip of Navy QB Tai Lavatai by Army LB Kalib Fortner who knocked it loose and picked it up to race 44 yards to give the Cadets (6-6) a 17-3 lead with 4:49 left to play. For collegefootballfan.com, our 19th meeting of this rivalry leaves many great memories and experiences despite rooting for Navy due to ties going back 45 years.
Defense dominates
The teams played a scoreless first quarter. Army moved the ball, but Navy (5-7) did not. Before a sellout crowd of 65,878 at Gillette Stadium, home of the New England Patriots, the Mids under Senior QB Xavier Arline totaled 25 yards on 14 plays all in the first half. They resulted in three punts and one badly thrown interception. That turnover resulted in a 65-yard, 12-play scoring drive with Army QB Bryson Daily tossing a four-yard TD pass to Tyson Riley. We figured Arline played because Tai Lavatai, another senior Navy QB, fell injured. However, he entered the game on Navy’s next drive, and carried Navy on ten straight runs for 46 yards before ending with a turnover on downs. We couldn’t figure what Navy Head Coach Brian Newberry was thinking regarding his starting QB. In the past four years having seen Navy play, Arline never showed the skills Navy needed at QB. In the final series before the half, Army PK Quinn Maretzki booted a 47-yard field goal as time expired score. Halftime ended in favor of Army, 10-0.
Divine Providence
Memorable time in New England for first Army-Navy game ever played there. Before hotel properties in Boston were closed to accommodate the homeless from other countries, we booked an apartment for four of us in Providence, RI. Not only is Foxboro less than half an hour away, Providence featured many great eating and drinking establishments within walking distance from were we stayed. Great Italian restaurants lined Atwell’s Street. The Trinity Pub near the Amica Mutual Pavilion (The AMP) where Providence College plays basketball lies a little further away. On Friday, Les, Frank, Bill and I enjoyed lunch at Angelo’s Restaurant on Atwell’s before venturing to Trinity for drinks. There, we watched busloads of Midshipman arrive to bed down that evening at the Providence Civic Center.
Italian fest!
That evening on the way back to our apartment, we stopped by Venda Ravioli Italian Deli to order great sandwiches the next day for our tailgate feast. When we picked up the next morning, we also ordered olives, cheeses, sausages, peppers and cannoli’s to add to our extreme Italian smorgasbord for the day. In addition, the apartment owners gifted us with a certificate for an Italian bakery nearby, La Salle’s. What a great comp! We ordered Italian pastry favorites “lobster tails ” and something Bill referred to as “Squiggly-jigglies.” The counter guy knew what he was talking about as he said that was about the tenth name he ever heard them called. Our great Italian feast started right after we arrived in parking lot 50A. Bloody Mary’s at the ready!
Influencing Army-Navy action
Like the first quarter, the third quarter went scoreless. To be honest, our group had something to do with this. At Navy-Marine Corps Stadium, when the opposition comes up for a third down, the PA announcer belts out in a booming voice, “It’s third Down!!“ Bill was spot on imitating today’s missing announcements. And each time he did so, Navy stopped Army to force a punt. Into the fourth, Navy concluded a 70-yard drive to the Army 19. There, the Mids finally got on the board with a 37-yard FG by Nathan Kirkwood to trail, 10-3. The back breaker play for the comeback occurred following three punt exchanges. At the Army 48, Fortner knocked the ball from Lavatai’s hand, and he was off with it to a 17-3 Army lead. With 4:49 left, this game was not over.
Unusual for Navy, they went strictly to the air – successfully. On a 4th and seven at the Army 43, Lavatai completed a 15-yard pass to Jayden Umbarger for the first down. Then we took over what was left behind at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial. I’d set it up for Bill with, “And that is another Navy…!” – “FIRST DOWN!!!” Bill would respond. It worked! Two consecutive passes to Umbarger went for a first down and then a touchdown.
Two instead of one too early?
With 2:47 left, Navy trails by eight. Tight late in the game, and you get within eight,17-9, don’t try for two! Navy did just like the others and failed. Instead of being down by seven, when give your team incentive to get the ball to tie with seven or to win by eight, you take the pressure off until then. With the way the Navy offense played, they might be better off to play for the tie if they score again. Great comeback! However, hold off on that two-point option until later to set something up. This offense had just gotten started. Their confidence needed to be built back up.
IT’S THIRD DOWN!!!
Three Army plays and two final Navy time-outs later, Army punts back to Navy at the 37. The Mids take over at their 27 with 1:20 remaining. To this point for some reason, every Army punt made has backspin on it as if the punter avoids having the ball go into the end zone. Weird because in most cases, it wasn’t necessary. Here comes Navy needing eight. Aside from Lavatai’s nine-yard run to start the drive, he goes totally to the air to assure the clock will stop. At first and goal at the six, two Navy passes fall incomplete. With seven seconds left, Navy gets to the Army four. Clock running. For some reason, the ball from the line of scrimmage rolls out five yards into the end zone. Ball gets reset, Lavatai tried to sneak it over the middle. He looks short. They review it. Stopped at the one. The clock should have stopped for the previous play to be reviewed to at least be reset when the clock read seven seconds before ball rolled into the end zone before the final snap. Did a player kick it? Penalty if an Army player did. Did the ref mishandle it? No whistle blew. Never know now, but at least the clock should have been reset the game clock to seven seconds due to some inadvertent movement. Game over. This rivalry is never dull, even with only ten points scored in the first three quarters!
Honored guests
After the eventual loss, we headed back in the dark to finish off our post game tailgate feast. We came prepared to wait out the traffic. Drinking, eating and analyzing while cars sat in line all around us, a few uniformed sailors and officers walked by. We invited them over to share in our Italian fest and libations. They traveled up from Norfolk, VA, members of the crew of the USS Massachusetts, a nuclear-powered submarine still being built. They visited as honorees for the game by the state for which the boat is named for. We had a great time hanging out with them talking football, about the Navy , their careers and experiences. All nice guys aged 20-42. Several were academy grads, but Christian graduated from Pitt, of all places. As a PSU fan, we had to exchange some laughs.
Eventually, they brought by their Commanding Officer of the sub who was nearby. As traffic moved on, we took a few pictures together, and they thanked us with mementos of stampings of their boat’s emblem. As we left, they moved on to another remaining group nearby singing Taylor Swift songs. We enjoyed meeting these guys currently serving our country. When the USS Massachusetts, SSN 798 christening take place up in Boston in 2025, we plan to head back up to Providence with our wives to go witness the occasion. We look forward to seeing that, hopefully some of them again, and enjoying great Italian cuisine once again in Providence. Great reason for another good time in the area.
Next!
Despite six wins for Army (6-6), the season appears to be bowless for them. Navy completed their season at 5-7. Regretfully, both finished their seasons. We at college footballfan.com settle in to our first bye weekend of the season this week since August 26. ArmyNavy counted as our 24th game of this season. We have plans for at least three more post-season games. We get back into action on December 23 when we venture to Birmingham, Alabama to watch Troy (11-2), champions of the Sun Belt battle the Duke Blue Devils (7-5) of the ACC, improved but no longer under the coaching prowess of Mike Elko who moved on to Texas A&M. The Liberty Bowl and Music City loom days later. Check us out!
