Army sinks Navy on missed field goal, wins Commander-in-Chief’s Trophy
PHILADELPHIA — The Navy football team had plenty to wash away with this year’s ArmyNavy game: The sting of last year’s loss to Army that ended a 14-year win streak, the bruising slide they’ve been on since Oct. 14, during which they’ve notched just one win.
Instead of a cleansing rain, the Midshipmen got snow, wind and finally, pain. Placekicker Bennett Moehring missed a 48-yard field goal as time expired to give Army a 14-13 victory and possession of the Commanderin-Chief ’s Trophy for the first time since 1996.
Navy quarterback Malcolm Perry was left doubled over with the agony of the loss, his head lolling back in disbelief as he walked off the field supported by another teammate. His performance as starting pivot had been stunning: The sophomore rushed for 250 yards on 30 carries, including a 68-yard touchdown, and averaged 8.3 yards per attempt.
Navy Coach Ken Niumatalolo, who boasted two productive quarterbacks in Perry and junior Zach Abey, did not reveal who would be his started in the days leading up to the game. Abey, who started the first eight games of the season, was hardly needed. Perry, a Clarksville, Tennessee, native who wore the unit patch of the USS Tennessee on his jersey in his second 200-plus yard rushing game this season, carried the Midshipmen all day.
He pieced together a final drive to get Navy to Army’s 23-yard line with less than a minute remaining, but consecutive false-start penalties bumped the Midshipmen (6-6) back to Army’s 31 and took 10 seconds off the clock, leaving them just 22 seconds on third down.
The Black Knights (9-3) stuffed Perry at the line of scrimmage, and Moehring was left with the game in his hands. A field goal from 48 yards would have tied the longest field goal of his career. The kick was long enough, but was wide left. Instead, it was a one-yard score from Army quarterback Ahmad Bradshaw with 5:10 remaining that decided the game.