Army and Navy will renew their annual rivalry on Saturday with the historic 125th edition of the Army-Navy Game. The victor will be rewarded with the coveted Commander-in-Chief Trophy. Army has won two consecutive contests against their bitter rival. Both were decided by one-score outcomes, including a 20-17 victory that required double overtime in 2022. The last three meetings have been decided by six points or less.
The Black Knights are currently 11-1 but out of contention for the College Football Playoff. They'll square off with Marshall in the Independence Bowl later this month. Army’s lone defeat of the 2024 campaign was to No. 5-ranked Notre Dame, who are postseason bound.
Historical rivalries will be renewed at West Point. We've identified three must-watch players in college football's annual and oldest rivalry game.
Bryson Daily, QB, Army
Army quarterback Bryson Daily has been an expert at executing the program's triple-option offense this season. The dual-threat signal-caller is tied for the national lead in rushing touchdowns with Boise State running back and Heisman candidate Ashton Jeanty with an unfathomable 29 scores. Daily has rushed for 1,480 yards and thrown for 877 yards this season.
Though Daily's scrambling ability remains his biggest threat, his passer rating has improved from 123.3 to 183.4 this campaign. Daily has already been named American Athletic Conference Player of the Year. Against UTSA in late November, among Army’s stiffest scheduled tests of the campaign, he threw for 190 yards and a touchdown and rushed for 147 yards with two additional scores. His performance is crucial to keeping Army's two-game win streak over Navy going.
Kalib Fortner, LB, Army
Off-ball linebacker Kalib Fortner is an outstanding defender for the Black Knights. The Knoxville, Tennessee native was named MVP of last year’s Army-Navy Game after he led the defense in tackles with 10 takedowns and forced a strip-sack that he returned for a game-changing touchdown. Fortner currently ranks second on the defense in tackles with 61 (33 solo).
Fortner was selected to the All-AAC preseason third team in August. His ability to defend within the numbers is partially why the Black Knights are allowing just 15.0 points and fewer than 300 yards per contest. Army is fielding a stout run-stopping defense and that begins with Fortner's ability to navigate traffic.
Langdon Robinson, NT, Navy
Army enters Saturday's showdown averaging a nation-best 314.4 rushing yards per contest. If the Midshipmen are to contain Daily and Army running back Kanye Udoh on the ground, it'll be because nose tackle Langdon Robinson controls the line of scrimmage. Robinson was one of three Navy players named First-Team All-AAC.
Robinson is listed at a low-center-of-gravity 6-foot, 285 pounds. The Fairlawn, Ohio native has started every game for the Midshipmen this season, recording 43 tackles, 4.5 tackles for loss, and four sacks. Two of Robinson's quarterback takedowns occurred in two of Navy's last three games, wins over South Florida and East Carolina. He holds the keys to stifling Army's rushing attack.