Navy Coach Brian Newberry Loves Challenge in Facing Great Army Team

The Navy Midshipmen are preparing to face one of the best teams in the country in the Army West Point Black Knights.

Sep 21, 2024; Annapolis, Maryland, USA; Navy Midshipmen head coach Brian Newberry walks the field before the game against the Memphis Tigers at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium. / Tommy Gilligan-Imagn Images

Brian Newberry knew his Navy Midshipmen would be better this year. Deep down, he knew that the Army West Point Black Knights would be better, too.

But he seems energized by the challenge that awaits him and his Midshipmen (8-3) when they face the Black Knights (11-1) at 3 p.m. eastern on Saturday in Landover, Md.

Navy had a week off to get healed up and prepare for Army. Meanwhile, the Black Knights were capping off perhaps the biggest season in program history since their glory days when they were winning national championships.

Army beat Tulane, 35-14, in the American Athletic Conference championship game, marking the program’s first league title ever. The Black Knights were in their first year in the AAC as an affiliate member. Before that, Army had only been a member of a conference for seven years from 1998-2004 when it was in Conference USA.

Otherwise, Army was an independent.

Newberry seems to love the fact that Army is so good this year.

“The fact is that we're playing a really, really good Army football team,” he said. “I'd rather play an 11-1 conference champion Army team than a 6-6 Army team. So it's gonna be a great challenge. We’ve got our hands full, but we're excited about it.”

Last year’s game was a battle of average teams. Army won the game and finished 6-6 for the season. Navy wrapped up a 5-7 campaign in Newberry’s first year at the helm.

Now, both teams are improved. The Midshipmen are improved by three games. Newberry saw it coming last season and he helped Navy win its first six games of the season, moving into the AP Top 25 before it lost to Notre Dame.

“We were going to be an improved football team, but we weren’t sure exactly what that was going to look like,” Newberry said. “I think certainly we've improved in a lot of different areas. So I’m excited about the season we've had. There are some games that we would have liked to have been more competitive in — obviously Notre Dame and Tulane were disappointing games and we didn't feel like we played well enough to give ourselves a chance in those games. Outside of that, it's been a positive season.”

It only gets more positive with a win over the Midshipmen’s arch rivals. Navy has a bowl game set up later this month when it faces Oklahoma at the Armed Forces Bowl.

But, right now, Newberry says the team’s entire focus is on the Black Knights. It’s the biggest game of the year. And he and his players know it.