Oklahoma-Navy: Three Keys to the Game

These are the three keys to the Sooners to beat Navy in the Armed Forces Bowl on Friday: Don’t Get Bored, Protect the Nest, and Easy Does It.

Oklahoma Sooners quarterback Michael Hawkins Jr. / Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images

FORT WORTH — Oklahoma will play in the Armed Forces Bowl for the first time on Friday, but things in Fort Worth, TX, are all too familiar. 

The Sooners made six trips to Amon G. Carter Stadium to take on TCU when both OU and the Horned Frogs were in the Big 12, with Oklahoma winning four of those six meetings, and the crimson and cream have traveled to Fort Worth to take on TCU 10 times since the stadium opened in 1930. 

Oklahoma’s presence has seen the Armed Forces Bowl sellout the game for the first time ever, as the hordes of Sooners fans in the Dallas/Fort Worth metroplex have an easy opportunity to watch their team in the 2024 finale. 

OU’s opponent, Navy, is unfamiliar. 

The Sooners and the Midshipmen have battled just once before — a 10-0 Navy victory in Norman back in 1965.

Brent Venables’ Sooners (6-6) are looking to avoid a losing season by notching a bowl victory for the second time in three seasons, while Navy (9-3) is looking for the program’s first 10-win season since 2019, and it would be just the sixth time ever the Midshipmen have notched double-digit victories.

Oklahoma and Navy will lock horns at 11 a.m. on Friday, and the game will be broadcast on ESPN.

Here are three keys for Oklahoma to emerge victorious over Navy in the Armed Forces Bowl:

Don’t Get Bored

In some ways, Navy’s offense is what you’d expect. 

The Midshipmen run the triple option, relying on the toughness and intelligence that are required of every player admitted to the Naval Academy to level the playing field. 

But Navy head coach Brian Newberry has added some modern flare — an effective passing game — to the mix to devastating effect. 

Quarterback Blake Horvath has run for 1,099 yards and 15 touchdowns on 158 carries for the Midshipmen, but he’s also completed 57.5 percent of his passes to throw for 1,261 yards, 13 scores and just four interceptions. 

Oklahoma has had a few extra weeks to prepare for Navy’s offense as opposed to the usual one-week turnaround that can be hard when you’re not used to defending option football, but that doesn’t mean that the Sooners won’t get tested mentally for four quarters on defense come Friday. 

“You have to be disciplined every play. Literally,” OU linebacker Kobie McKinzie said on Thursday. “If you don't, if you aren't, it's a touchdown. It's a big play. I wouldn't necessarily say it's boring, but for the simple fact that you have to do the same job every play and if you don't something bad happens. 

“And that's how they get people. That's how they've won certain games that they've had because they'll run-run-run-run-run and then do something opposite. And so you just have to get really good at doing the same thing over and over. Keep it simple stupid.”

Army saw that firsthand this year. 

The Midshipmen first hit Army for an 18-yard touchdown pass to go up 14-0, and then Eli Heidenreich caught a back-breaking 52-yarder from Horvath to extend the lead to 21-10 and essentially end the contest midway through the third quarter of Navy’s 31-12 upset over the Black Knights. 

Oklahoma has been excellent against the run this year, allowing just 105.8 yards per game which ranks 11th nationally, but the Sooners know they’ll have an entirely different challenge on their hands in the Armed Forces Bowl.

“They’re a lot of fun to watch,” Venables said on Thursday. “… Love the passion and the toughness that they play with, the discipline, the ability to execute. They’ve got some of the best players in college football on their team—the quarterback is the No. 1 rated, I believe, running quarterback in the country. 

“So, really excited about the matchup and the challenge that they’ll present for us.”

Protect the Nest

The last time quarterback Michael Hawkins Jr. took a snap for Oklahoma, he was constantly under fire. 

The Sooners couldn’t block South Carolina, and the results were disastrous. 

Now, the freshman quarterback has a new quarterbacks coach in future offensive coordinator Ben Arbuckle, and a settled offensive line in front of him. 

Redshirt freshmen Logan Howland and Heath Ozaeta grew tremendously over the last month of the season on the left side of the line, and Troy Everett played better and better at center as he got back up to game speed following his injury in spring practice. 

Hawkins said his footwork got much better under interim quarterbacks coach Kevin Johns in the back half of the regular season, but he was never called upon to take actual snaps with Joe Jon Finley calling the plays. 

Now, Hawkins will have the chance to put his development on full display — which is especially important with Washington State transfer John Mateer arriving in Norman in January — but the Sooners have to protect Hawkins to see any sort of improvement.

“I can see his confidence going back up,” Everett said on Thursday of Hawkins’ showing during bowl practices. “He's getting back to where he was. He's out there. He looks great, slinging the ball, running around. I mean, I like to watch him run. Makes me look a lot better as well.”

Navy gets to opposing quarterbacks 2.1 times per game on average, and the Midshipmen front should be a group that OU’s offensive line can handle to help Hawkins out Friday morning. 

Easy Does It

Plenty of freshman are going to feature prominently for Oklahoma in the Armed Forces Bowl. 

Between injuries, opt outs and players stepping away from the team to enter the transfer portal, the Sooners’ young faces will be relied upon in much larger roles for the final game of the year. 

That presents a huge opportunity for those underclassmen who haven’t factored into the game plan much for the first 12 games. 

A strong showing can serve as a springboard into spring football, but OU’s freshmen can’t let the moment get too big on either side of the ball. 

The offense is likely to have limited possessions as Navy tries to run clock, making every snap that much more important. 

If the sold-out crowd gets a freshman defender running too hot, they could forget their assignment and allow the Midshipmen to pop a big play. 

The Sooners are by far the more talented team, but blown assignments or a penalty from an over-eager OU underclassman could be the difference between a nice and neat display to end the season and nervy four quarter war with Navy.