Army, Navy focus on annual game, not bowls

LANDOVER, Md. — Army and Navy have combined to win 19 of 23 games this season and re-emerged as nationally relevant college football programs. For the first time since 2017, the two military academies are both going to a bowl game.

None of that matters much to players and coaches — not with the 125th rendition of the Army-Navy game on deck Saturday.

“It’s a game and a season really all of its own,” Army coach Jeff Monken said Tuesday. “We’ve had a good year. You make it a great year by winning this game coming up on Saturday. Frankly, that’s just the way it goes around here.”

Monken’s Black Knights are ranked 19th in the country after routing Tulane to win the American Athletic Conference. They’re 11-1, unbeaten in the AAC in their first season in it and their only loss came to College Football Playoff -bound Notre Dame. Marshall awaits in the Independence Bowl.

Navy will face Oklahoma in the Armed Forces Bowl to cap its first winning season since 2019. Still, there’s no way the Midshipmen are looking past this rivalry to the Sooners.

“Oklahoma’s not on our mind right now because it’s all Army-Navy,” linebacker Colin Ramos said. “This is our No. 1 goal, and then after that, we’ll have about a week and a half, two weeks — whatever it is — to prepare. Right now, it’s Army-Navy.”

Ramos said beating Army would define Navy’s season even more than the previous eight victories. Fellow senior captain Daba Fofana notices that importance when he feels the intensity of each practice leading up to this game.

“It’s definitely amped up,” Fofana said. “We put a lot of emphasis on it naturally, but our mentality to deal with the big stage and just to play like we do, it’s another game. We’ve played this since we were young kids.”

Monken, in his 11th year at West Point, refuses to apologize for making the Army-Navy game a talking point 365 days a year. He ends some conversations with the phrase, “Beat Navy.”

Army would love to beat Marshall, too, but standout quarterback Bryson Daily has been proud of how he and his teammates have avoided getting ahead of themselves in recent months. He expects nothing less in the most anticipated showdown of the year.

“You come here to play in this game: the biggest stage possible, millions of people watching and a sold-out NFL stadium,” said Daily, whose 29 touchdowns are tied for the most in the NCAA’s Football Bowl Subdivision with Boise State Heisman Trophy finalist Ashton Jeanty. “Records don’t matter. Rankings don’t matter. All that goes out the window for the Army-Navy Game.”

Army is a 6 1/2-point favorite on BetMGM Sportsbook for the game at the Washington Commanders’ stadium in Landover, Maryland, a few miles outside the nation’s capital. All the success so far has not prevented athletic director Mike Buddie from feeling nervous about this weekend.

“Thrilled that we’ve had the season that we’ve had, but the beauty of this game is this is the one that matters,” Buddie said. “They know that this is big game, and our guys know this is a big game. We’re hoping we can stay focused the way we’ve been able to do so far and make Saturday really special, but it won’t be easy.”

Navy coach Brian Newberry called this “the most complete, well-rounded Army football team, the best Army football team” he has seen since arriving in Annapolis in 2019 as defensive coordinator. After a few games he’d like to have back, including a lopsided loss to Notre Dame, this is still a winner-take-all chance to capture the Commander-In-Chief’s Trophy that has gone to Army and Air Force in recent years.

“Winning the Commander-In-Chief’s Trophy, this game, is our most important goal in our program,” Newberry said. Facing a talented SEC opponent like Oklahoma in a bowl game in the fertile recruiting ground of Texas is important, too, but he added without hesitation, “We’ll worry about that on Monday.”