The Athletic has live coverage of the Army-Navy game from Baltimore.
For the 126th time, Army and Navy will face off on turf, this year as bowl-bound programs with late-season momentum. Together, the rivals command a national audience and historic intrigue. Here’s what viewers should know ahead of Saturday afternoon’s kickoff:
How to watch Army vs. Navy
CBS is free over the air and also streams on Paramount+.
The teams
Army (6-5, 4-4 American)
The Black Knights got off to a slow start, but they went 5-2 from October onward, and they won three of their final four games to close out strong. Most of their losses were extremely close: an overtime finish with North Texas, a double-OT shocker to Tarleton State, and last-minute drama from Tulane and Tulsa.
Army averaged 256.9 ground yards per game, which was good for fifth in the nation. The junior under center, Cale Hellums, is really a nominal quarterback. He ran for more than 1,000 yards and attempted just 69 passes all season. His touchdown splits ended up at 15 rushing to three throwing. On the other side, senior linebacker Eric Ford paced the defense with four sacks and tied for the team lead with two forced fumbles.
Jeff Monken is the Black Knights’ head coach. His cousin, Todd Monken, is the offensive coordinator for the NFL’s Baltimore Ravens. After Saturday’s showdown, Army faces UConn in the Boston-based Fenway Bowl on Dec. 27.
Navy (9-2, 7-1 American)
The Midshipmen are favored this year, given their sharp conference record and their No. 22 AP ranking. Navy’s two losses were to 10-win Notre Dame and 11-win North Texas. It led all of FBS in rushing (298.4 yards per game) and topped 30 points in seven of 11 tries. Navy finished in a three-way tie for first place in the American Conference, but it was boxed out of the championship game because of Tulane’s higher College Football Playoff ranking and North Texas’ head-to-head win.
Like his QB counterpart Hellums, senior Blake Horvath is more likely to notch a carry than a dropback. His stat line: 1,390 yards through the air (on a sizable 10.6 yards per attempt), another 1,040 on the ground, 23 total TDs and an official Heisman Trophy candidacy.
Senior defensive tackle Landon Robinson anchors the pass rush with 6 1/2 sacks and a high motor. Sophomore tackle machine MarcAnthony Parker will stay busy against “flexbone” run formations. Navy picked up spirited November wins against South Florida and Memphis to hit Saturday’s main event with extra force. After this weekend, it goes to the Liberty Bowl, where it will face Cincinnati on Jan. 2. That game will be held at Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium in Memphis, Tenn.
The broadcast
CBS has had the annual rights to this game for the last 30 years. Brad Nessler is on play-by-play for the ninth time, which ties him with Verne Lundquist and Lindsey Nelson for the second-most Army-Navy calls. The current record belongs to Keith Jackson, with 10.
Gary Danielson is the color commentator and analyst; Saturday marks his 17th and final Army-Navy Game before retirement. In total, no one has been in the series’ booth more times than Danielson. Jenny Dell is the sideline reporter with field dispatches. Gene Steratore is the former ref who now elucidates challenges and close calls. CBS network pregame coverage begins with “College Football Today” at 2:30 p.m. ET.
As is customary, the Navy’s Brigade of Midshipmen and the Army’s West Point Corps of Cadets will each march the field during pregame. After the game is over, both bands will lead the crowd in their respective alma maters. The losing side goes first, which has prompted the victory rally cry of “sing second.”
The camera will definitely hover around the unique stadium concessions for this year’s matchup. Those in the Baltimore concourses can chow down on “chicken tender Humvees” and “crab destroyer nachos.”
The head-to-head history
Coming into Saturday, Navy leads the all-time series 63-55-7. Yes, that’s seven different ties across 125 years. The duel dates back to 1890, and it’s been a streaky back-and-forth affair of late. The Midshipmen stacked together 14 consecutive wins from 2002-15, but the Black Knights have six Ws in the last nine meetings. Navy won the 2024 edition 31-13.
The two service academies are going head-to-head for a rare Commander-in-Chief’s Trophy, the three-way rivalry totem split between this pair and Air Force. Because the Black Knights and Midshipmen both beat the Falcons (Mountain West Conference), Saturday’s victor walks away with the hardware. This is the ninth time that the trophy is up for grabs, and the fifth time since 2005. Navy has 17 trophy lifts to Army’s 10.
The recent sites have been a circuit of northeast NFL venues. Last year’s battle went down at Northwest Stadium, home of the Washington Commanders, and Gillette Stadium (New England Patriots) hosted the 2023 game. Before that, it was Lincoln Financial Field (Philadelphia Eagles) in 2022 and MetLife Stadium (New York Giants/Jets) in 2021.
This will be the seventh time the game has taken place in Baltimore and the fifth time at M&T Bank Stadium, home of the Ravens.
From the New York Times archives
1927: “Martial music and marching feet; gold braid and brass buttons; Bessie the Army mule and Bill the Navy goat; flags aflying and drums beating for today they play the thirtieth annual Army-Navy game at the Polo Grounds. On the long oval field beneath Coogan’s Bluff, football’s unique contest and most colorful pageant will be unfolded to the gaze of 75,000 persons, for whom a thoughtful weather man has promised a fair and balmy day with no rain to drench milady’s fur coat and no chilly winds to freeze the unwary spectator to the marrow of his bones.” — James R. Harrison
1949: “Midshipmen have been such constant burrs under the Army saddle of recent years that the Cadets rode all over them in bareback fashion on the frozen tundra at Municipal Stadium today. Before the festival was over the joyous West Pointers were virtually shouting in glee: “Look, no hands!” It was as easy as all that. The Black Knights went all out with a full-fledged cavalry charge, rolled up the second highest score of the ancient series and registered the greatest margin of points.” — Arthur Daley
1970: “Col. Gus Dielens, Army’s director of athletics, explained the Army‐Navy football rivalry as something rarely felt by athletes in any competition these days. He said it was a contest in which ‘you hit that other guy like it was the last time you’d hit anyone in your life.’” — Gordon S. White Jr.
Army vs. Navy odds
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