Nov 16, 2024; Annapolis, Maryland, USA;  Tulane Green Wave quarterback Darian Mensah (10) scores a touchdown during the first half against the Navy Midshipmen at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Tommy Gilligan-Imagn Images

No. 25 Tulane dominates Navy 35-0, wins eighth straight

Makhi Hughes rushed for two touchdowns and No. 25 Tulane’s defense smothered Navy 35-0 in Annapolis, Md., in their American Athletic Conference showdown on Saturday.

Darian Mensah threw for 138 yards and two scores and also ran for a TD for Tulane (9-2, 7-0 AAC), which clinched a berth in next month’s conference title game against No. 24 Army.

The Midshipmen (7-3, 5-2) played most of the game without star quarterback Blake Horvath, who left with a rib injury after a 9-yard rush during Navy’s third possession.

Horvath, a threat running and throwing, returned briefly before halftime but absorbed a bruising 9-yard sack on the first play. That possession ended in a three-and-out, and Horvath was done for the day. His only pass was an incompletion, and he had 25 yards on five rushes.

Hughes, who began the day fourth in the FBS with 1,209 yards rushing, finished with 82 yards on 22 carries. He capped a 65-yard drive to open the third quarter with a 1-yard scoring run to extend Tulane’s lead to 21-0.

Mensah’s 1-yard touchdown throw to Alex Bauman made it 28-0 with 9:19 left in the game.

Braxton Woodson, who came on for Horvath, turned the ball over twice in a rough outing. He completed 3 of 10 passes for 13 yards with an interception and rushed 13 times for 24 yards while fumbling the ball away deep in Navy territory.

Mensah turned that giveaway into another 1-yard scoring pass, this one to Arnold Barnes III, with 7:38 left in the game.

After finishing with 90 yards in the first half, the Midshipmen had a mere 113 for the game. Tulane amassed 358 yards in winning its eighth straight game.

After going three-and-out on its first two possessions, Tulane capitalized on the only turnover of the first half.

Woodson was picked off by Sam Howard, giving the Green Wave the ball at their own 37. On the second play, Mensah hit Dontae Fleming for a 44-yard pass. Three plays later, Mensah scrambled up the middle for a 14-yard touchdown and a 7-0 lead.

Navy tried to answer, converting a fourth-and-1 at the Tulane 44 on its next possession. But on a fourth-and-3 at the 35, the Green Wave’s Caleb Ransaw broke up a 5-yard pass play that would have yielded a first down.

Tulane then marched 65 yards on 11 plays, chewing up more than six minutes, and capped by Hughes’ 14-yard touchdown run.

–Field Level Media

Oct 26, 2024; East Rutherford, New Jersey, USA;  Notre Dame Fighting Irish running back Jeremiyah Love (4) rushes for a touchdown during the first half against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish at MetLife Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

No. 12 Notre Dame rolls past No. 24 Navy with 51-14 win

Riley Leonard passed for two touchdowns and rushed for one more, and No. 12 Notre Dame rolled to a 51-14 win over No. 24 Navy on Saturday afternoon at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J.

Jeremiyah Love added 12 carries for 102 yards and two touchdowns for Notre Dame (7-1), which won its sixth game in a row. Beaux Collins and Kris Mitchell had one touchdown reception apiece, Kedren Young rushed for a score, and Jaylen Sneed had a fumble recovery for a defensive touchdown.
Blake Horvath completed seven of 13 passes for 88 yards and an interception for Navy (6-1), but he proved effective on the ground with 14 carries for 129 yards and a touchdown. Eli Heidenreich had 11 carries for 51 yards and a score.

Navy finished with six turnovers, compared with zero turnovers for Notre Dame. The Fighting Irish outgained the Midshipmen 466-310.

Notre Dame led 14-0 at the end of the first quarter and 31-7 at halftime.

Leonard played a key role in both of the Fighting Irish’s early scores. He rushed for a 1-yard touchdown and threw a 6-yard pass to Mitchell for a touchdown in the first quarter.

Horvath put Navy on the scoreboard with a 47-yard touchdown run early in the second quarter. That cut the deficit to 14-7.

Notre Dame answered with two more touchdowns and a field goal before the half. Love burst through a hole for a 64-yard touchdown and added a second score on a 2-yard run to make it 28-7 with 5:05 left before the break.

Zac Yoakam finished the first-half scoring with a 32-yard field goal.

Navy pulled within 31-14 on Heidenreich’s 1-yard touchdown with 8:44 remaining in the third quarter.

The Fighting Irish piled on three more touchdowns to put the score out of reach.

Leonard hit Collins for a 37-yard touchdown with 5:35 to go in the third quarter.

On the following drive, Horvath fumbled the ball near the end zone. Sneed spotted the loose ball as he rushed the passer and pounced on it for a touchdown to boost Notre Dame’s lead to 44-14.

Young put the Fighting Irish above the 50-point mark with 7:08 remaining. The freshman scored on a 4-yard rush for his first career touchdown.

–Field Level Media

Oct 19, 2024; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish coach Marcus Freeman on the sideline against the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets in the fourth quarter at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images

No. 12 Notre Dame bids to stay ‘disciplined’ vs. No. 24 Navy

Typically, Notre Dame coach Marcus Freeman tells his players on defense that he wants them to play loose and free and not get too caught up in technical details.

Freeman senses an exception to the rule, however, as No. 12 Notre Dame (6-1) prepares to kick off against No. 24 Navy (6-0) on Saturday afternoon at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J.

Technical details are vital to stopping Navy’s triple-option offense, Freeman said, so playing “fit ball” could take priority over playing “football” for once.

The undefeated Midshipmen are averaging 44.8 points per game, good for fourth in the nation. The only teams with higher-powered offenses this season are Indiana (48.7 ppg), Miami (48.3) and Boise State (46.8).

“I don’t want to get caught up by playing just ‘fit ball’ defensively, but you’ve got to be disciplined,” Freeman said. “It’s really hard to simulate in practice the speed at which they run their offense. So it can take a little time, especially for guys who have not faced that type of offense, to realize the speed at which they run their offense.

“And then, all of a sudden when you’re trying to adjust to the speed, you can lose your eyes — keeping your eyes on your assignment. We have to be disciplined. We have to practice until we can’t get it wrong, but then we’ve got to understand that it’s going to take a little time to catch up to game speed on Saturday.”

Navy coach Brian Newberry said his team could perform even better. The Midshipmen are looking for their first 7-0 start since 1978.

“I don’t think we’ve peaked yet,” Newberry said. “I don’t think we’ve really come close to our ceiling.”

The Fighting Irish are no slouches on offense, either, averaging 34.6 points per game.

Riley Leonard leads Notre Dame with 1,182 passing yards, six touchdowns and three interceptions to go with 456 rushing yards and 10 touchdowns on the ground. Jeremiyah Love is the No. 1 running back with 462 rushing yards and seven scores.

By comparison, Navy quarterback Blake Horvath has passed for 888 yards and 10 touchdowns, with one interception, and has rushed for 621 yards and 10 scores. Alex Tecza ranks second in rushing with 306 yards and seven touchdowns.

Notre Dame linebacker Jack Kiser provides a steadying influence over the rest of the defense, Freeman said. Kiser, a senior, ranks second on the team with 34 tackles.

“He’s a problem solver when he’s out there,” Freeman said. “The ability for him to communicate and get other people lined up … is tremendous.

“My challenge to Jack, I keep reminding him he’s gone in a couple games, this is it. Now you’ve got to challenge that room to step up. You can’t always make all the calls and the checks. Your job is to leave that room better than how you found it.”

Navy’s defense is led by Justin Reed (team-high four sacks) and Dashaun Peele, who leads the group with three interceptions. Linebacker Colin Ramos has a team-best 68 tackles.

This will be the 97th all-time meeting between the programs. Notre Dame leads the series 82-13-1 and has won the past six matchups.

–Field Level Media

A Navy fan urges on the Midshipmen as the Army-Navy game goes to overtime for the first time in the rivalry's history. Army won 20-17 in the second overtime.

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Army, Navy expect competitive fight in Foxborough

Saturday marks the 124th clash between Army and Navy and a preview of a budding conference rivalry.

Army is slated to join Navy in the American Athletic Conference next season, shedding its independent status.

“I just thought it was the right move for Army football at this time,” Black Knights coach Jeff Monken said. “Navy has proven a service academy can be competitive in the AAC.”

The Black Knights and Midshipmen will meet at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Mass., a first-time venue for a series that began in 1890. Identical 5-6 records and recent history suggests it will be a competitive contest.

Army earned a 20-17 victory in double overtime in last season’s game to trim Navy’s all-time edge in the series to 62-54-7. Seven of the past nine meetings have been decided by seven points or fewer.

The Black Knights carry a three-game winning streak into the game but have been idle since a 28-21 home win against Coastal Carolina on Nov. 18.

Army, which tweaked its style of option football before the season, rushed for 365 yards on 62 carries against the Chanticleers while attempting only two passes — one for an interception. Tyson Riley (12 carries, 112 yards), Bryson Daily and Ay’Jaun Marshall all ran for scores.

Navy last played on Nov. 25, when it fell 59-14 at SMU for its third loss in the past five games. The Midshipmen trailed 52-14 at halftime and were outgained 452-139 in the first two quarters.

Navy, which also is working through a new offense this season, was led by quarterback Braxton Woodson, who rushed for 104 yards and a touchdown and passed for 71 yards.

Navy coach Brian Newberry, the program’s former defensive coordinator, is eager for his first game as head coach in the series.

“It’s a lot of fun preparing for this game and game-planning,” Newberry said. “You want to make sure you do everything that you can to make sure your players are prepared.”

Army can capture its first Commander-in-Chief’s trophy since 2020 with a victory. A Midshipmen win would give them a share of the trophy with Air Force.

–Field Level Media

Sep 10, 2022; Annapolis, Maryland, USA;  Navy Midshipmen head coach Ken Niumatalolo walks through the bench during the first half against the Memphis Tigers at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports

Navy coach Ken Niumatalolo out after 15-plus seasons

Navy parted ways with football coach Ken Niumatalolo after 15-plus seasons on Sunday.

His tenure ended with Midshipmen’s 20-17 double-overtime loss to Army on Saturday in Philadelphia.

That defeat capped a second straight 4-8 season for Navy and left Niumatalolo with a 109-83 record. He is the winningest head coach in the history of the U.S. Naval Academy.

“Our sincerest gratitude to Coach Ken for what has been a distinguished and impactful legacy at the Naval Academy,” athletic director Chet Gladchuk said in a news release. “Navy football flourished for many years under his leadership. He will forever be remembered for the influence he has had on the lives of those who played for him. We all have great respect and appreciation for his 25 years of service to the Academy.”

Niumatalolo, 57, was promoted to head coach on Dec. 8, 2007 and lost in the Poinsettia Bowl that season.

The Middies went 6-5 in bowl games and posted three seasons with double-digit wins (2009, 2015, 2019) under his direction.

He was the American Athletic Conference Coach of the Year in 2015, 2016 and 2019 but Navy produced only one winning season in the past five years.

“The Naval Academy will now move forward with continued high ambitions and embrace a new era of reaffirmed expectations for Navy football and our midshipmen,” Gladchuk said.

Before replacing Paul Johnson as head coach, Niumatalolo worked as an assistant coach at Navy (1995-98, 2002-07) and UNLV (1999-2001).

–Field Level Media

Dec 14, 2019; Philadelphia, PA, USA; (editors note; tilt shift lens used to create effect) General view as Army Cadets march onto the field before a game between the Army Black Knights and the Navy Midshipmen at Lincoln Financial Field. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports

‘Electricity’ awaits as Army, Navy meet for 123rd time

The Commander-in-Chief’s Trophy will not be on the line, but that will not lessen the mystique or the emotions of the annual Army-Navy game when the two service academies take the field Saturday in Philadelphia.

Air Force won the three-way rivalry’s trophy for the first time since 2016 by beating Army (5-6) and Navy (4-7) earlier this season.

Still, Navy coach Ken Niumatalolo has seen the Army-Navy row up close for 15 years and knows what it means.

“They’re representing our country … It’s not a regional game,” said Niumatalolo, who is 10-4 against Army. “What I think both schools represent, what both schools’ players will do after they play and it being a game that touches all of America, it makes it different. It makes it special.”

Part of the tradition is the collision of two triple-option flexbone offenses, which keep the ball on the ground most, if not all, of the time. Army ranked second in FBS in rushing yards per game this season (304.4), while Navy was seventh (239.5). Sportsbooks have pinned the over/under at 33 points; only once in the past five editions of the series has either team eclipsed 17.

Navy leads the series 62-53-7. The Midshipmen have won two of the past three meetings after Army pulled off a three-game winning streak (2016-2018).

Navy has been idle since Nov. 19, when it dominated then-No. 20 UCF on the ground and earned a 17-14 upset win.

The Midshipmen have used Xavier Arline and Maasai Maynor at quarterback since starter Tai Lavatai sustained a season-ending injury in late October. Fullback Daba Fofana leads the team with 749 rushing yards and six touchdowns.

Army softened the end of a disappointing season with consecutive wins over UConn, 34-17, and UMass, 44-7. Quarterback Tyhier Tyler leads the Black Knights with 601 rushing yards and 12 rushing scores, including five touchdowns in his past two games.

“It’s an intense, incredible contest,” Army coach Jeff Monken said. “From the moment that the competitors arrive at the stadium, there’s an electricity there that is unrivaled. It’s truly awesome and I’m looking forward to being out there and just having a chance to compete.”

Army’s uniforms honor the 1st Armored Division and feature a “mud splatter” effect. Navy unveiled an astronaut-themed uniform, noting that 54 academy graduates have become astronauts, the most of any institution.

The game returns to Philadelphia for the first time since 2019 and is there for the 90th time overall.

–Field Level Media

Nov 19, 2022; Orlando, Florida, USA; Navy Midshipmen quarterback Xavier Arline (7) hands off to Navy Midshipmen fullback Daba Fofana (45) during the first quarter at FBC Mortgage Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mike Watters-USA TODAY Sports

Navy’s potent rushing attack sinks No. 20 UCF

Daba Fofana ran 20 times for 114 rushing yards and John Marshall set a single-game program record with four sacks as Navy upset No. 20 UCF 17-14 on Saturday in Orlando, Fla.

The Midshipmen (4-7) defeated UCF for the second straight season. Fofana fronted a Navy rushing attack that wound up with 248 yards on 63 carries.

UCF (8-3) entered Saturday as the highest-ranked Group of Five team in the College Football Playoff rankings. But Navy’s defense kept the Knights at bay and put a dent in their chances of reaching the AAC championship game.

Starting quarterback John Rhys Plumlee was ineffective in the first half and UCF replaced him at halftime with Mikey Keene looking to spark a comeback. Keene finished with 123 yards and a touchdown on 11-for-18 passing. Javon Baker caught six passes for 101 yards and a touchdown.

Navy was a perfect 4 for 4 on fourth-down conversions, including one on its final drive that chewed up the final 5:54 of game clock to secure the win.

Set up by a 46-yard dash by Fofana on the opening drive, quarterback Xavier Arline — who threw one pass the entire game — powered in for a touchdown on fourth-and-goal from inside the 1.

UCF reached the red zone on its second and third drives, but Navy stuffed the Knights and forced them to settle for 21- and 31-yard field goals by Colton Boomer.

After the second field goal cut it to 7-6, the Midshipmen responded with a 13-play, 84-yard drive that ate up 6:47 of clock. Vincent Terrell Jr. ran around the left end for an 8-yard touchdown with 1:33 before halftime. Terrell finished with 41 yards on eight carries.

Plumlee was intercepted by Mbiti Williams Jr. on a Hail Mary bomb short of the end zone on the last play of the half, keeping it 14-6 Navy.

Keene came on to open the second half and guided the Knights 75 yards in five plays, tossing a 28-yard touchdown to Baker just 1:35 into the third quarter. Plumlee came in for the two-point conversion and connected with Baker to tie the game.

But on UCF’s next possession, Marshall strip-sacked Keene and Colin Ramos recovered for Navy at UCF’s 34-yard line. Four plays later, the Midshipmen went back ahead on a 45-yard field goal by Bijan Nichols.

Keene led another Knights drive in the fourth quarter, but on fourth-and-4 at Navy’s 43, his pass was broken up as Williams nearly grabbed his second pick of the game.

–Field Level Media

Nov 12, 2022; New Orleans, Louisiana, USA; UCF Knights running back Johnny Richardson (0) runs the ball against the Tulane Green Wave during the fourth quarter at Yulman Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Rebecca Warren-USA TODAY Sports

No. 20 UCF keeping focus squarely on Navy

By picking up its biggest win of the season, UCF took over the driver’s seat for the Group of Five conferences’ New Year’s Six berth.

After the Knights moved up two spots to No. 20 in Tuesday night’s rankings, they won’t get caught looking any further ahead than their next game against Navy on Saturday morning in Orlando, Fla.

The highest-ranked champion from the non-Power Five conferences will earn a berth to a New Year’s Six bowl. Last week, the team in line for that honor was then-No. 17 Tulane, but UCF went into New Orleans and pulled out a 38-31 victory.

Now UCF (8-2, 5-1 AAC) is tied with Cincinnati and Tulane atop the American Athletic Conference and owns the head-to-head tiebreakers over both. The Knights will host the conference championship game so long as they win out.

“That’s what I told our guys the other day: We’re not talking about anything (else),” UCF coach Gus Malzahn said. “We’ve got our hands full with this group (Navy). Last home game is really important for our seniors, really important for our program. It happens to be a really, really important game in the conference, so run with it.”

After missing the previous game due to injury, starting quarterback John Rhys Plumlee returned against Tulane and ran for 176 yards and two touchdowns on 18 attempts, in addition to throwing for 132 yards and another score. He broke off a 67-yard rushing score in the first quarter.

“There’s not a lot of quarterbacks around the country that are running like him as a run threat,” Malzahn said. “He’s really opened up things, and opened up some things on the perimeter later in the game. He played at a really high level.”

Navy (3-7, 3-4) knows a thing or two about running quarterbacks through its well-established triple-option offense. Malzahn pointed out that the Midshipmen are ranked not only 10th in FBS in rushing offense (238.7 yards per game) but also sixth in the country in defending the run (85.8 yards per game).

“You look at them this year, very similar,” Malzahn said. “Offensively they do a few more things. They’ve kind of opened up their offense a little bit as far as that goes.”

The main way the Midshipmen have opened it up has been by passing more often than normal. They’ve thrown for eight touchdowns, already higher than their total of six in each of the past two seasons. They’re on pace to attempt more passes than any season since at least 2016.

One week after Clemson was manhandled by Notre Dame and shut out for three quarters, Navy quarterbacks Xavier Arline and Maasai Maynor each threw for a touchdown before Notre Dame ultimately hung on 35-32. Notre Dame led 35-13 at halftime but Navy generated a stirring comeback that fell one score short.

UCF has a 2-1 edge in the all-time series, but in last year’s meeting, the Midshipmen rallied from a 30-17 fourth-quarter deficit to win 34-30 at home.

“We know (they have) a lot of good players, we know how fast they are,” Navy coach Ken Niumatalolo said. “We saw them in person last year, but again they’ve got some new players too. They’re playing really well now, that’s the tough part. They’re playing really well right now.

“So it’s gonna be a great challenge for us. We’re watching last year’s tapes … hopefully it’ll give us some tangible evidence that it can be done.”

–Field Level Media