Quinn Maretzki kicked a 39-yard field goal in the second overtime to give Army a 20-17 victory over Navy in the 123rd edition of the storied rivalry on Saturday in Philadelphia, Pa.
The game winner came after Army’s Austin Hill forced a fumble by Navy’s Anton Hall Jr. and Darius Richardson recovered for the Black Knights at the 1-yard line of the Midshipmen.
It was the fifth win in the last seven meetings in the series for Army (6-6) and came despite the Black Knights completing just 2 of 12 passes.
Navy (4-8) still leads the series 62-54-7. It was the first of the 123 games in the series to go to overtime.
Army struck first in the extra session as Markel Johnson bolted 25 yards on the opening play for a 17-10 lead.
But Navy countered immediately with its first completion of the game, a 25-yard touchdown pass from Xavier Arline to a wide-open Marquel Haywood.
Late in regulation, Navy appeared on the verge of closing out the game but a 15-yard pass interference penalty gave Army a first down at the Mids 28. Four plays later, Maretzki’s 37-yard field goal with 1:53 left sent it to overtime.
Both defenses were stout. Navy held Army to 153 yards and 10 first downs. Meanwhile, the Midshipmen managed to gain 284 yards and 11 first downs.
Army’s lone touchdown of regulation came at the end of the first half when Noah Short blocked a punt and Jabril Williams recovered in the back of the end zone for a 7-3 lead.
Navy regained the advantage in the third quarter, 10-7 as Hall, on his second carry of the game, blew the lid off the defensive standoff with a 77-yard touchdown run on a trap play.
In the first half, Navy dominated possession but the defense of Army stiffened when backed into its own territory. The Black Knights halted the first two Midshipmen possessions after Navy drove inside the Army 40.
The field position the Mids achieved finally paid off on their third possession, which didn’t produce a first down but did finish with a 44-yard field goal by Bijan Nichols.
–Field Level Media