LANDBAR, Md. — Bryson Every day is about West Point and Army football. The West Texas native plays quarterback, more of a defensive end and quarterback hunter, but he still finds time in his relentless routine as a cadet to join the Army. It also absorbs the history of naval conflicts.
He counts Laurie Stikwe as a friend and advisor, and he gets help in that regard. Daly said Stishve knows the game better than anyone, stressing that leading the team is “above all about keeping everyone at the same level through all the highs and lows.” he said. For those of you who don't know their names, here are some important Army and Navy legends. One of the most memorable editions of the game saw Roger Staubach and the Navy defeat the Army in 1963, but it was postponed for a week due to the assassination of President John F. Bush. Kennedy Jr. finally got possession. Navy's 21-15 victory marked the fifth straight year in the series and capped a season in which the Midshipmen ranked No. 2 and Staubach won the Heisman Trophy.
The other quarterback was Stishwe. A year later, with both players now seniors, more people learned of this when Stichwe defeated Staubach to end his winning streak and then went on to serve in Vietnam, where he won the Bronze Star medal and the Air Medal. . On Saturday, in the 125th edition of the match, held at Northwest Stadium, Army's Daly was the senior star who had to endure the bitter experience of “singing first” in his last chance.
Blake Horvath wasn't just a quarterback.
The Navy junior not only set the record straight for this game with 196 yards and two touchdowns rushing, 107 yards and two touchdown passes, a stunning 31-13 victory, and a huge contribution to the celebration. , and also etched his name into the records of several households. Match.
“You're talking about a guy who wasn't even named all-conference honorable mention, right?” Navy coach Brian Newberry said. Of course, that's in contrast to Daley, who won AAC Offensive Player of the Year and finished sixth in Heisman Trophy voting. “And to tell you the truth, he outplayed the other team today.”
Bryson Daly's 16 pass attempts were the second-most this season. (Patrick Smith/Getty Images)
And he felt it, as they all do, as they always do. This is the most nationally relevant season these programs have had in decades, with the rest of the sport playing their annual roster of etch-a-sketch. This is notable as both players continue to grow their chemistry with each other over the years. Horvath and Navy (9-3) warned that college football should keep an eye on Horvath and Navy in 2025.
But who cares? These are the moments they will talk about for the rest of their lives. It matters so much to everyone who plays, it matters so much to everyone who serves, and the rest of college football sucks. The reason why the Army-Navy game is more on the bucket list than parasailing in Hawaii is because each game is a unique intersection of intensity, glamor, history, and humanity.
West Point cadets and Annapolis cadets march onto the field before the game in a breathtaking display of precision and order by the young men signed up to protect our country. George Thorogood's “A Bottle of Bourbon, a Bottle of Scotch, a Bottle of Beer” is blasting out of the speakers as they walk past an Army Rangers tailgate, with people singing along and drinking. It felt like an afternoon of football. There is nothing ordinary inside the stadium. College football is full of spectacular performances at a high level, but this is not one of them.
And when they take a seat and yell “Sweet Caroline,” or yell for someone to take off their shirt, or collectively groan when something goes wrong on the field, when they're 18 ~ Reminds me of being 22 years old. That happened a lot to the cadets on Saturday. The 22nd-ranked Black Knights, the 11-1 AAC champions, lived up to their reputation as the most physical in the sport, outscoring them early, deceiving them late, and forcing them over again and again. .
“Quite frankly, the season is a little disappointing. That's the truth of this game,” Army coach Jeff Monken said after his team lost 378-178. It was one week after the team defeated Tulane to win the AAC championship in its first conference game. Winning in school history.
The sad or wonderful reality for Army and Navy is that Army will trade every win now for a win Saturday. When Horvath took the final snap of a final knee kick in the victory formation, the order, precision and intensity drove the kids insane. Horvath jumped up and down and asked the cadets to make more noise. Junior fullback Alex Tekza of Mount Lebanon, Pa., made the first big play of the game, gaining 32 yards on a throwback screen and backflip on what looked like a speed option in the opposite direction. I decided.
He found a backfield partner and high school friend, Eli Heidenreich. He made even bigger plays. He caught and ran for 52 yards and a touchdown, giving Navy a 21-10 lead and giving Horvath a share of the school's single-season record. Achieved passing touchdowns (13 times) and also achieved first place in the touchdown catch record (6 times). Heidenreich spiked the ball after the touchdown — “It was kind of an out-of-body experience,” he later said — but now he was just looking for someone to hug.
House call to Heidenreich!
Navy expands its lead! pic.twitter.com/23muqMib0l— CBS Sports (@CBSSports) December 14, 2024
Chatman was in the stands with several other Navy players, making the most of the moment, so he couldn't get close to Brandon Chatman just yet. Chatman also serves as Snipe Z, a junior to Heidenreich's Snipe A, in the Navy offense, and caught an 18-yard touchdown pass from Horvath in the game. Chatman grew up in tough conditions in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, agreeing to live in a garage so his mother could rent him a room of her own, and holding a fan inches from his face so he wouldn't wake up in a pool of sweat. I put it on a spot and slept.
He was scheduled to play as a slot receiver at Warner University, an NAIA program in Lake Wales, Florida, when Navy spotted him and found his place in this type of offense. His resolve is tested when a close friend is shot and killed in his hometown and he remains in Annapolis, unable to attend the funeral during Plebe Summer, a basic training program for freshmen.
“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,” Tekuza said of Chatman. “He's the happiest kid I've ever met, and he never complains.”
The boy who won against Army for the first time after Army won two consecutive games and six out of eight games. The same was true for another junior, Horvath's co-MVP in this game, nose guard Landon Robinson. All he did was rack up 13 tackles on defense and make some special teams plays to break up the game — getting the look he wanted from Army on Navy punts and calling for direct snaps. , rumbled 29 yards. Senior linebacker Colin Ramos pounced on Robinson's fumble in the final seconds of the game, returning the play to the stands.
Robinson, whose father was a gymnast at Kent State University, was named to Bruce Feldman's annual Freaks List after benching 450 pounds and squatting 650 pounds. He was the only nose guard in the nation to play on the kickoff team in 2023. Perhaps this Navy offensive line, which took a big step forward in versatility in 2024, can find more work for him.
“We're going to work on that ball security,” Horvath joked.
The first Navy celebration had to be briefly interrupted as the cadets lined up behind the Black Knights to pay their respects while the Army and cadets sang the alma mater song. Their faces were grim, and they remained so throughout the long walk from the field to the tunnel and locker room.
Navy celebrated its third victory over Army in the past nine meetings. (Patrick Smith/Getty Images)
Dailey was limited to rushing for 52 and 65 yards and one touchdown pass, but he showed his ability when Army was behind and had three interceptions when forced to make good plays. But he also led the team in his efforts. Meanwhile, Navy sang second for the first time in three years, and then reignited the party.
“It hurts to sing first in this game,” Horvath said. “We didn't want to do that again.”
When the Midshipmen players finally made it to the tunnel and locker room, they were still making all kinds of noise. One person exclaimed, “They have a soccer team?!” This was apparently a reference to a joke Monken made at Navy's expense in an interview with Pat McAfee on ESPN earlier this season. Newberry entered the postgame press conference with two big words: “That's right!”
But it's mainly about respect on and off the field, and it's not a fabrication because that can't happen. Newberry highlighted how these programs and their 20-win record this season are making strides toward success in college football, saying, “The changes in college football allow us to truly build a culture based on love and trust.'' “It's difficult to build in these days.”
Pure joy.
Navy earns the right to sing second. pic.twitter.com/NfIE3gmeiI— CBS Sports College Football 🏈 (@CBSSportsCFB) December 14, 2024
I agree every day. He said he sees a strong history in this rivalry and has strong aspirations for the future. The Athletic Lately: “This works 100% in our favor. We know who we're going to be up against every day for years. And the biggest key to that is holding each other accountable. A man doesn't stand up or get emotional when called out. That only happens if you have a relationship that lasts for years.”
Now, Daley is out of that rivalry and is 2-2 overall and 1-1 as a starting QB. They will be playing for him in 2025, just as he has played for previous players. He left Saturday night with words for the Black Knights, who can now enjoy even more of this great game by mentoring alumni like Stikve.
“I feel this loss, I feel this pain,” he told them. “And we just don’t let it happen again.”
(Top photo of Blake Horvath: Patrick Smith / Getty Images)
