For the third-straight year, Army (10-2) got to sing second after the Army-Navy Game. Army notched its third consecutive victory over Navy (3-10) with a 17-10 victory in Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia on Saturday afternoon.
Army scored a touchdown on the opening possession with Kelvin Hopkins completed a big pass on an early third down and ending the drive with a 10-yard touchdown run with a 51-yard run by Kell Walker between those two plays. The defense took care of things from there as neither team managed to get much going on offense for the majority of the game, but Army’s defense had the stronger outing in holding Navy to just 77 yards of offense through the first three quarters of play. Navy also had four turnovers, including a costly fumble by senior Garrett Lewis deep in the Army end in the fourth quarter.
Lewis would make up for his fumble on Navy;'s next possession. After forcing Army to go three-and-out following the Navy turnover, Lewis capped a quick drive with a one-yard push for a touchdown. Malcolm Perry ignited the drive right from the start with a 43-yard run from the Army 48-yard line. Now with a spark of life, Navy’s defense forced Army to punt the ball away again on the ensuing possession after a three-and-out, giving Navy the ball at their own 34-yard line to start the drive. But a false start penalty on a 3rd & 7 backed Navy up five more yards and a third down pass was broken up on the sideline. Knowing that a punt may not give Navy a chance to get the ball back, Ken Niumatalolo wisely chose to go for it on 4th & 12, but Zach Abey had the ball knocked out of his hand by Kenneth Brinson, who recovered the loose ball on the ground at the Navy 22-yard line.
Navy fumbles on fourth down, Army ball. https://t.co/435WAu5BvI
— Kevin McGuire (@KevinOnCFB) December 8, 2018
The running trio of Walker, Hopkins and Darnell Woolfolk powered Army for much of the game, doing enough damage to give Army a two-score lead and running clock, although Navy eventually started to lock in a bit better.
The win for Army gives the Black Knights the first back-to-back 10-win seasons in school history, and now Army has a chance to record the first 11-win season in school history with an upcoming bowl game. The job continuing to be done by Army head coach Jeff Monken remains one of the best in the nation. Monken took over an Army team that had won more than three games just twice since 2006 and was in the midst of an extended 14-game losing streak to Navy. It took a few years, but Monken now has Army situated in the better spot with a top 25 team and back-to-back 10-win seasons, but the three-game winning streak over Navy is what Army fans will get to brag about for the next 365 days.
Army now has its longest winning streak against Navy since winning five straight meetings between 1992 and 1996.
This is Army’s longest winning streak against Navy since winning five straight from 1992 through 1996. Four of those games were played in Veterans Stadium. The other was played in Giants Stadium.
— Kevin McGuire (@KevinOnCFB) December 8, 2018
Army’s season will see one more game played with the Black Knights heading to the Lockheed Martin Armed Forces Bowl in Fort Worth, Texas. Army will play one of Navy’s AAC West Division foes, the Houston Cougars, in the Armed Forces Bowl on Saturday, Dec. 22. Houston leads the all-time series with Army, 5-2, with the most recent game being played when both teams were members of Conference USA in 2004.
Navy’s season is now officially over. The Midshipmen are staying home for the bowl season for the first time since 2011 and just the second time since Paul Johnson coaches his first season in Annapolis in 2002. Navy’s 2019 season opener will be played on Saturday, Aug. 31, 2019 against Holy Cross.
Next season’s Army-Navy Game is scheduled for Saturday, Dec. 14, 2019. It will once again be played in Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia.