Shoe is now on the other foot in rivalry series

Black Knights have won three straight over Mids

PHILADELPHIA – For the first nine years of his head coaching tenure, Ken Niumatalolo came to the annual ArmyNavy game press conference and was asked questions about “The Streak.”

Niumatalolo provided a standard answer year after year as Navy’s winning streak in the series reached historic proportions — a record 14 straight wins over Army.

Now the shoe is on the other foot and Navy suddenly finds itself facing a threegame losing streak to Army. Niumatalolo has not changed his tune one bit.

“I don’t really look at the past, and I know I say that every year. People keep asking me the same questions and I keep answering the same way: What matters is what happens this year,” Niumatalolo said Wednesday at Lincoln Financial Field. “Nothing that has happened in the past is going to have any bearing on this game. This year’s game will be decided on December 14th between the players and coaches that each team has now.”

History could be made again this year when the Midshipmen meet the Black

Knights two Saturdays from now in the City of Brotherly Love.

Army is hoping to send its senior class out with a fourth consecutive victory over Navy. The West Point Class of 1997 was the last to accomplish that feat as Army won five in a row against Navy from 1992 through 1996.

“It’s a very small fraternity of Army football players who can say their senior class went 4-0 against Navy. This senior class is very excited to join that exclusive brotherhood,” Army linebacker Cole Christiansen said.

Christiansen, a rare two-time captain at a service academy, takes pride in being a member of the Army team that ended the ignominious losing streak to Navy. The Suffolk, Virginia native is not surprised the Black Knights have turned the tables on the Midshipmen.

“That’s what we were recruited to West Point to do, to beat Navy. That’s what has been pumped into our heads since we were plebes, that’s what we’ve been raised with going through this program. It’s really our duty to beat Navy,” said Christiansen, who leads the team with 103 total tackles.

Navy now finds itself trying to end its longest losing streak to Army since the aforementioned five-game skid that concluded in 1996. Obviously, Navy’s current seniors do not want to join the Class of1997 as the first to graduate without a football win over the archrival.

“I remember being on a recruiting visit and one of the biggest points the players and coaches made was that Navy does not lose to Army,” Navy senior outside linebacker and captain Nizaire Cromartie said. “I definitely wasn’t expecting things to go this way.”

Navy quarterback Malcolm Perry has enjoyed an incredible senior season and that was recognized on Wednesday when he was named American Athletic Offensive Player of the Year.

Perry, who has accounted for 2,527 total yards from scrimmage and 25 touchdowns, did not even want to contemplate another loss to the archrival. The 5-foot-9, 185-pounder only has one goal going into his final Army-Navy game.

“Just to have no regrets, either as an individual or as a team. To leave it all out on the field and have no regrets whatsoever when the game is over,” Perry said.