Army tries to turn the tables on No. 22 Navy when they renew their rivalry in Baltimore

BALTIMORE — At most schools, players try to stay hyper-focused on the task at hand. Future opponents can wait. No looking ahead.

It is, needless to say, different at Army and Navy.

“We say ‘Beat Navy’ for 365 days of the year,” Army linebacker Gavin Shields said. “It’s the whole motto of our team.”

Army and Navy meet Saturday in Baltimore for their annual clash. It’s the game players think about all season, and the one coaches have an eye on, too.

“This game is thought about far more than just the days leading up to it,” Army coach Jeff Monken said. “Our academy opponents are different. Defending them is different. Because they know us so well, trying to have a game plan prepared on offense is different. It’s an effort throughout the year.”

The importance of this rivalry hasn’t prevented Army (6-5) and No. 22 Navy (9-2) from being successful against other teams as well. Both have secured bowl bids: the Black Knights to the Fenway Bowl and the Midshipmen to the Liberty Bowl. Navy finished tied for first in the American Conference, missing out on the league title game because of tiebreakers.

Last year, Army won the AAC for the first conference title in the program’s storied history. The Black Knights were in the Top 25 before losing 31-13 to Navy. So this year is a chance for Army to turn the tables.

The rivalry is what draws viewers in December, but the football during the other months also has been pretty good of late.

Even if that’s all very much in the past now.

“If you don’t win Army-Navy, your season, it’s considered kind of a loss when you think about it. We have nine wins right now, and if we lose to Army, it kind of seems all for naught,” Navy receiver Nathan Kent said. “Army won the American last year, Army had 11 wins last year. But they didn’t win the Army-Navy game, so it doesn’t seem like they had a winning season.”

Rotating venues

For a second straight season, this game is being played in Navy’s back yard. The Midshipmen won in Landover, Md., last year. Now the game is being played in Baltimore for the first time since 2016.

On the call

CBS is airing Saturday’s game, as it has done every year since 1996. It will be a record 17th call of this matchup for analyst Gary Danielson, who is retiring.

Nobody has called more Army-Navy games on TV than Danielson. Verne Lundquist did it 11 times: nine on play by play and twice as a sideline reporter.

Additional stakes

This game will determine the winner of the Commander-In-Chief’s Trophy, which goes to the winner of the annual round-robin competition of Army, Navy and Air Force. Navy won it last year by sweeping the other two academies.

If all three teams go 1-1 against each other, the previous year’s winner retains the trophy, but Army and Navy scored narrow wins over Air Force this season, making this week’s game winner-take-all.

History

Army has not defeated an AP-ranked Navy team since 1955. The Midshipmen were in the CFP rankings — but not the AP Top 25 — when they lost to Army in 2016.

Finalists

Navy quarterback Blake Horvath and Army linebacker Andon Thomas were finalists this week for the William V. Campbell Trophy, also known as the Academic Heisman. The honor, ultimately, went to Vanderbilt tight end Eli Stowers.

Horvath is the first quarterback in the FBS to produce 1,000 yards passing and 1,000 yards rushing in back-to-back seasons since Lamar Jackson of Louisville and Quinton Flowers of South Florida did it in 2016 and 2017.