LANDOVER, Md. — Bryson Daily buys West Point and Army football. West Texas, who plays his quarterback like a defensive end-hunting quarterback, found time in the cadets’ constant routine to absorb the history of the Army-Navy rivalry.
He benefited from Rollie Stichweh, whom he considered a friend and advisor. Stichweh emphasized that leading a team is “above all else, keeping everyone’s level through all the highs and lows,” and Stichweh knows more about the game than anyone else. If you don’t know the name, there is a key legend about the Army and Navy. One of the most memorable versions of the game was when Roger Staubach and Navy beat Army in 1963. The game was postponed a week due to the assassination of President John F. Kennedy Jr. down to the final possession. Navy’s 21-15 victory was its fifth straight win in the series and capped a season in which the Midshipmen finished second in the standings and Staubach won the Heisman Trophy.
The other quarterback was Stichweh. Much more people knew a year later, when both were seniors, Stichweh beat Staubach to end the streak before serving in Vietnam and earning a bronze and air medal. In the 125th game held at Northwest Stadium last Saturday, Army Daily was a senior star who had to endure the bitter experience of being called ‘singing first’ at the last opportunity.
Blake Horvath was more than just another quarterback.
The Navy junior entered his name into the annals of this game and many more households, rushing for 196 yards and two touchdowns, passing for 107 yards and two touchdowns, and contributing significantly to the stunning 31-13 victory and celebrations. I uploaded it. matches.
“You know you’re talking about a guy who didn’t even get an honorable mention in the whole meeting, right?” Navy coach Brian Newberry said it was a contrast to Daily, who won AAC Offensive Player of the Year honors and finished sixth in Heisman Trophy voting. “And he outperformed the guy on the other side today, actually.”
Bryson Daly’s 16 pass attempts were the second-most pass attempts this season. (Patrick Smith/Getty Images)
And he felt it, as they all did, as they always did. This caps off a season with the most combined national relevance for these programs in decades, and while the rest of the sport plays its annual roster Etch A Sketch, it will be interesting to see both continue to develop their players and chemistry over the years. no see. Horvath and Navy (9-3) have put college football teams on notice that they need to watch out for Horvath and Navy in 2025.
But who cares? This is a moment they will talk about for the rest of their lives. It’s just as important to everyone who plays and everyone who serves, and the rest of college football will be impressed. The reason the Army-Navy Games are more likely to be on your bucket list than parasailing in Hawaii is because each game offers an intersection of intensity, extravagance, history and humanity that you won’t find anywhere else.
Like the young men who signed up to defend their country, the cadets from West Point and the midshipmen from Annapolis march onto the field before games with breathtaking precision and order. This felt like a typical football afternoon, passing through the Army Rangers tailgate with George Thorogood’s “One Bourbon, One Scotch, One Beer” blaring from the speakers and people singing and drinking. There is nothing out of the ordinary inside the stadium. College football is a high-level competition, but this is not it.
Then you’re reminded that it’s the 18 to 22-year-olds who sit in their seats and chant “Sweet Caroline” or sing for someone to take their shirt off or collectively groan when something goes wrong on the pitch. That happened often with the Saturday cadets. Their 11-1, AAC champions, and no. 22 The Black Knights were fooled early, fooled late and often outplayed in a game that lived up to its reputation as being the most physical you can find in the sport. .
“It makes the season a little disappointing, to be honest. That’s the truth about this game,” Army coach Jeff Monken said after his team lost 378-178 a week after beating Tulane to win its first conference AAC title. . Winner in school history.
The sad or surprising reality of Army-Navy is that Army would trade any win right now for a win on Saturday. As Horvath took the final snap on his final lap in victory formation, the kids were blown away by the order, precision and intensity. Horvath was running around and asking the midshipmen to make more noise. Mt., Pennsylvania. Lebanon junior fullback Alex Tecza made his first big play of the game, a backflip from 32 yards on a throwback screen on a play that looked like a speed option going the other way.
He turned to his backfield partner and high school friend, Eli Heidenreich. He made an even bigger play with 52 yards and a touchdown on a catch-and-run, putting Navy up 21-10 and giving Horvath a share of the school’s single-season record. He shared the record for passing touchdowns (13) and his own touchdown catches (6). Heidenreich spiked the ball after the touchdown. Later he said: “It was kind of an out-of-body experience.” Now he was looking for someone to hug.
Heidenrich House Call!
Navy increases its lead! pic.twitter.com/23muqMib0l— CBS Sports (@CBSSports) December 14, 2024
He hasn’t been able to get to Brandon Chatman yet. Because Chatman was making the most of the moment by standing in the stands with several other Navy players. Chatman is also “Snipe Z,” a junior in the Navy offense to Heidenreich’s “Snipe A,” and caught Horvath’s 18-yard touchdown pass in the game. Chatman grew up in difficult circumstances in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. He agreed to live in the garage so his mother could rent his room, and he was sleeping with a fan inches from his face so he wouldn’t wake up sweaty.
He tried to play slot receiver at Warner University, an NAIA program in Lake Wales, Fla., but Navy discovered him and decided he would be a good fit for that type of offense. His resolve was tested when a close friend returned home and he stayed in Annapolis, although he was unable to attend the funeral during “plebe summer,” basic training for new recruits.
“This place basically saved me,” Chatman said.
“The thing about Chat is that no matter what happens in his life, he always has a smile on his face,” Tecza said of Chatman. “The happiest child I’ve ever met, the one who never complains.”
This is the kid’s first win over Army since Army won two in a row and went 8-6. The same was true for nose guard Landon Robinson, another junior who was Horvath’s co-MVP in the game. All he did was rack up 13 tackles on defense and make a play on special teams that opened the game. On a Navy punt, Army got the look they wanted, calling for a direct snap and rumbling 29 yards. Senior linebacker Colin Ramos attacked Robinson’s fumble at the end, turning the play into a stand.
Robinson, whose father was a gymnast at Kent State, was named to Bruce Feldman’s annual Freaks List for her 450-pound bench press and 650-pound squat. He was the only nose guard in the country to play on the kickoff team in 2023. Perhaps the Navy offense can find more work for him in 2024 after he takes a big step forward in versatility.
“We’re going to work on ball security,” Horvath joked.
The initial Navy celebration had to be paused briefly to allow the Midshipmen to line up behind the Black Knights and show their respect while the Army and cadets sang their alma mater. Their faces were somber and stayed that way during the long walk from the field to the tunnel and locker room.
Navy celebrated its third win over Army in the last nine meetings. (Patrick Smith/Getty Images)
Daley, who had 52 yards rushing, 65 yards and a touchdown pass, led the team with three interceptions when Army was forced to go out of character when facing a deficit. Meanwhile, Navy took second place for the first time in three years and has since reignited the party.
“There’s a pain that comes with singing first in this game,” Horvath said. “We didn’t want to do it again.”
The Midshipmen players were still making all kinds of noise when they finally got to the tunnel and locker room. One person shouted: “Do they have a soccer team?!” It’s an apparent reference to a joke Monken made at Navy’s expense during an interview with ESPN’s Pat McAfee earlier this season. Newberry entered the postgame press conference with two loud words: “Hell yeah!”
But it was mostly respect on and off the field, and it wasn’t manipulated because that can’t be. Newberry has enjoyed success with these programs and in college football, winning a record 20 games this season. “With the changes in college football these days, it’s difficult to really build a culture that’s built on love and trust.”
Pure joy.
Navy gets the second right to sing. pic.twitter.com/NfIE3gmeiI— CBS Sports College Football 🏈 (@CBSSportsCFB) December 14, 2024
I agree every day. He has a strong sense of the history of this rivalry and strong feelings about its future. athletic Latest: “This is 100% in our favor. We’ve known who we’ll be fighting every day for years. And the biggest key is being able to hold each other accountable. Men don’t take up arms or get emotional when called upon. “This can only happen if you have a relationship that lasts for many years.”
Now, Daily graduates to this rivalry at 2-2 overall and 1-1 as a starting quarterback. They will play for him in 2025 just as he played for them before him. He walked away with a few words for the Black Knights, who can enjoy more of this great game with an advisor like Stichweh on Saturday night.
He said to them: “Feel this loss, feel this pain, and make sure it never happens again.”
(Top photo by Blake Horvath: Patrick Smith / Getty Images)
