PHILADELPHIA – It may not have the assorted athletes of the BCS conference title games, or quite the local draw of the Rutgers-West Virginia Big East bout. But when it comes to pageantry and passion, today’s Army-Navy clash doesn’t take a back seat to any rivalry in any sport.
After eight F-18 Hornets and four Cobra Attack Helicopters fly over a sold-out Lincoln Financial Field, they’ll face each other for the 107th time with Navy looking to put a rare stamp of dominance on this series.
The Midshipmen, 8-3 and headed to the Meineke Bowl, are aiming to be the first in school history to go 8-0 vs. the academies. Army, which started 3-3 but has lost five straight, can salvage its season and a share of the Commander-In-Chief’s trophy with an upset.
“This game means everything. It can make or break our season,” said Army LB Barrett Scruggs. “Ever since the end of the game last year, I’ve been thinking about it. I’ve been living every day since the game last year to get another chance at beating them.”
Until four years ago, the series was nearly even with the margin of victory less than a point. Since then, America’s Classic hasn’t been so classic, with Navy posting wins of 58-12, 34-6, 42-13 and 42-23. With the Midshipmen leading the nation with an average 333.2 yards on the ground, Army has its work cut out again.
“I’d love to have this win. It’d mean a lot to a lot of people – our players, our troops, our school and our Corps. It’s very important to me,” said Army coach Bobby Ross. “I’d like to see our rivalry get back to what it was. That’s our responsibility. We have to play better.”
Despite senior QB Brian Hampton’s season-ending knee injury, Navy hasn’t skipped a beat behind backup Kaipo-Noa Kaheaku-Enhada (416 rushing yards and a team-high 10 TDs on the ground) and FB Adam Ballard (team-high 782 rushing yards, 5.1 per carry).
Ross is undecided at QB between David Pevoto and freshman Carson Williams, who chose Army over Arkansas. Adding intrigue, Army had two players held out of the opener for eligibility issues, and some thought Navy was responsible.
“They can think whatever they want. Maybe Navy was, but it wasn’t me. I didn’t have any idea about it,” said Navy coach Paul Johnson. “In a game like this, after the first lick is delivered and the snot bubbles start flying, ain’t nobody going to care about any of that.”
