G5 Football Daily

TAKEAWAYS: Army's Offense Dominates in Win Over Navy In Boston

Army are able to win and mark back-to-back wins over their rivals for the first time since 2016

Kevin Barral

© Danny Wild-USA TODAY Sports
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The 124th edition of the yearly matchup between Army and Navy was a chess match between both defenses. However, at the end of the day, Army stood on top as their offense dominated in the run game, along with a successful passing game making an impact towards the middle of the game, plus the defense putting the icing on the cake with a takeaway which led to a 17-11 victory.

Army's offense with a strong first half

It didn't take long for Army take the lead first, as quarterback Bryson Daily connected with tight end Tyson Riley for the only touchdown of the first half.

Both teams were going run heavy early on, but only Army found success as they had 153 total yards of offense, but 99 of those yards were rushing yards. Running back Kanye Udoh's 33 rushing yards and quarterback Bryson Daily's 46 rushing yards led the way for Army in the first half of action.

ESPN's Pete Thamel reported prior to kick-off that Navy would be going with multiple quarterbacks. That was certainly the case as Xavier Arline got the start and after not completing either of his two passes and throwing an interception, Navy went with sophomore Eli Heidenreich.

Despite going with those two quarterbacks, they still relied on quarterback Tai Lavatai. but he was soley used in the run game, where towards the end of the first half, Navy had Lavatai essentially running a wild cat offense.

Although there wasn't much action through the air, Daily connected with wide receiver Casey Reynolds for a gain of 14 on a first and 15. Daily followed it up with another completion to Ay'Jaun Marshall who set up a first down and then a field goal to give Army a 10-0 lead as they entered the half.

After Daily threw only one pass in their last game against Coastal Carolina, he completed 7 of 11 passes for 54 yards a touchdown in the first half of action alone.

Army's win streak continues

Late in the fourth quarter, Lavatai was stripped by Kalib Fortner, who took the recovered fumble 44 yards to the end zone to put some added distance between them and the Mids. 

Despite Navy making things interesting with a field goal and a touchdown thanks to Lavatai completing a 14-yard pass to Jayden Umbarger to make it 17-9, the Navy two-point conversion and onside kick were unsuccessful. 

As for Army, Bryson Daily threw for 54 yards, one touchdown and an interception. Daily completed seven of 14 passes. He also ended the night with 77 rushing yards.

The Army rushing offense dominated throughout the entirety of the game, as they had a total of 206 rushing yards, thanks to Kanye Udoh and Bryson Daily who combined for 173 rushing yards.

Despite being sacked three times, Lavatai was able to attempt to rally a fourth quarter comeback with under a minute remaining. Lavatai ran the ball for nine yards, followed it up with a 28 yard pass, marking the longest offensive play of the game. Lavatai was then able to connect with another receiver for a nine-yard gain and another 10-yard gain put them in the red zone, but they weren't able to score. A Lavatai sneak was stopped less than a yard shy of the goal line. 

Army took over and Daily ran out the clock by taking a safety, ending the game.

Lavatai finished with 16 completions on 29 attempts for 179 passing yards and a touchdown. Lavatai also rushed for 74 yards on the day.

Army's win marks the end of a back and forth wins, which began in 2019. Army now has back-to-back wins for the first time since 2016, which began a three year winning streak. It also means Army takes sole possession of the Commander-In-Chief's trophy

With Army making its way to the AAC, both teams will still play this game, but as a non-conference matchup, so it still has the same value as it has always had in future years.

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Kevin Barral
KEVIN BARRAL

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