With its goal of claiming its fourth straight Commander-in-Chief?s Trophy complete, Navy can now concentrate on its final goal of the season: winning the Meineke Car Care Bowl.
But, for that to happen Dec. 30 in Charlotte, N.C., Navy (9-3) knows it must play better than it did Saturday in its 26-14 victory over Army (3-9) at Lincoln Financial Field. The Midshipmen did most of their damage in the second half as senior wide receiver Jason Tomlinson broke a 7-7 tie in the third quarter with a 33-yard touchdown on a reverse pitch.
Navy?s defense did the rest in the fourth quarter. There, an interception by safety Jeff Deliz led to a 35-yard Matt Harmon field goal; cornerback Keenan Little had a 40-yard interception return for a touchdown and linebacker Tyler Tidwell came up with a safety to put the game out of reach.
Those plays made up for an uncharacteristically sloppy game offensively for Navy, which committed four costly penalties, lost a fumble, and on the game?s opening possession came up short on a fourth and 1 at the Army 32. That miscue opened the door for Army to take a 7-0 lead following a 41-yard run by Jeremy Trimble with 8:45 left in the first quarter.
“I was really proud of our football team today,” Navy coach Paul Johnson said. “I don?t think we had our ?A? game, but you have to give Army some credit for that. But, we found a way to win without it.
“I thought we came out in the second half and our defense did a nice job. It was kind of a crazy game without a lot of possessions. You really needed to maximize when you had the chance with the ball.”
With the win, Navy?s senior class becomes the first in school history to go undefeated against fellow service academies Army and Air Force.
For Little, that accomplishment is something he will always look back on with a sense of pride, especially since the Midshipmen went 8-37 over the previous four seasons prior to their arrival.
“When we came in, it seems like things just turned around for Navy,” Little said. “We can always symbolize ourselves as the class that helped change things around. And to go 8-0, to go down actually in the history books, it just helps to show that there is something special about our class.”
