Army-Navy Football Arouses Familiar Fervor
Every year the Army-Navy Football game arouses familiar fervor in the Navy team and it’s fans. Summer workouts were punctuated with the yell: “Beat Army!” That time has finally arrived as Navy (6-5) faces a tough Amy squad (8-3) in Philadelphia for Saturday’s 3 pm game. The contest will be televised on CBS.
The game should be a treat for those who enjoy smash-mouth football as Army leads the nation in rushing at 368 yards per game and Navy is No. 2 at 347 yards per game. The Mids played a particularly grueling schedule this year with three of its losses coming to teams in the final top 25 football rankings.
Navy vs. Virginia
Although this game is a highlight for the teams, both will continue their season with bowl games. Navy will be playing a local team, University of Virginia (6-6), in the Military Bowl. The game will be played in Annapolis, making it essentially a home game for the Midshipmen. Army will be playing San Diego State on Dec. 23 in the Lockheed Martin Armed Forces Bowl. That game will be played in Ft. Worth and televised at 3:30 ET.
For the first time since 2012, the winner of this year’s Army-Navy football game will take home the Commander in Chief trophy. The honor is given to the service academy that wins the football competition. Navy has won the trophy 10 times in the last 14 years.
Because of the tradition of this great rivalry, ESPN will broadcast it’s Game Day telecast across the field from Lincoln Financial Stadium, the site of the Army-Navy football game. Other pre-game festivities will include the Corp of Cadets marching onto the field at 12:16, followed by the Midshipman 30 minutes later. The game will begin at 3:05. This will be the 118th meeting of the two teams.
10th Military Bowl
The Military Bowl can’t match the tradition of the Army-Navy game but does offer the intrigue of two teams from neighboring states – the Midshipmen from Annapolis and the University of Virginia Cavaliers from Charlottesville, Va. The 10th military bowl, presented by Northrup Grumman, will mark the 40th meeting between the two schools, but the first since 1994. The game will begin at 1:30 and be televised by ESPN.
This will be Navy’s third appearance in the Military Bowl and its 14th bowl appearance in the last 15 years. The game will mark Virginia’s first bowl game since 2011 and its first appearance in the Military Bowl.
As usual, the Bowl Game will be the focus of several tailgate events including one sponsored by the Naval Academy Business Services Division, which will be open from 10:30 AM-1:30 PM
Don’t forget to stop by Naval Bagels on your way to the games, GO NAVY!
