In Army-Navy Game, ‘Execution More Important Than Emotion,” Says Newberry

After the experience of being a head coach in the Army-Navy game for the first time, Navy coach Brian Newberry learned some things.

Oct 5, 2024; Colorado Springs, Colorado, USA; Navy Midshipmen head coach Brian Newberry in the third quarter against the Air Force Falcons at Falcon Stadium. / Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images

Brian Newberry has been a part of the Army-Navy game for six years. For four of those seasons, he was the defensive coordinator under then-coach Ken Niumatalolo.

Last year, Newberry called the shots for the first time as head coach. Now, a year later, he admits he’s learned some things.

For one thing, behind the head coach in a game like Army-Navy — the eighth-longest rivalry in college football — is a lot different than being a coordinator.

For another, part of his job is helping his Midshipmen (8-3) manage their emotions against the Black Knights (11-1) in a game that both sites look upon as the biggest game of the year.

Newberry said it’s all about making sure his players are in the right head space.

“This can be a very emotional game, and you have got to be careful that you almost don't have to get them on for this game. You almost have to pull them back a little bit. You know, execution is more important than emotion in this game. We've got to be even keel. We’ve got to take it one play at a time and understand there's going to be some ups and downs in the course of the game. There's gonna be some adversity, and you’ve got to look at that, and you’ve got to move on to the next play.”

Navy has lost the last two matchups with Army. But the Midshipmen have improved by three wins over last year’s team and believe they have momentum going into this contest, along with rest.

While Army was playing Tulane in the American Athletic Conference championship game last Friday, Navy was on a bye.

Entering the Army game, Navy remains the only team in FBS that hasn’t played a one-score game this year. That’s a result by eight points or less.

That is, in part, because the Midshipmen have taken a huge leap when it comes to scoring. Last year, Navy scored 212 points in 12 games. In 11 games this season the Midshipmen have scored 355 games.

The Midshipmen are good at scoring at the start of a drive, too. Navy has scored a touchdown five times on the first play of a drive, which is third in FBS.

Navy is great in the red zone, as they’re scoring on 30-of-35 possessions inside the opponent’s 20-yard line. That makes the Midshipmen No. 2 in the country in red zone touchdown percentage. He also scored touchdowns on each of its first 20 red-zone trips.

And when Navy wins, the Midshipmen do a great job of scoring off turnovers. In their eight wins, the Middies have outscored opponents 94-7 in points off turnovers.

All of those played a role in Navy’s turnaround and bolster its chances against Army.