Army player will remember breaking streak ‘rest of my life’
For 14 years, Army found itself on the wrong side of its heated rivalry with Navy.
The Black Knights lost 14 consecutive games against the Midshipmen between 2002 and 2015, with an average margin of defeat of 19.9 points. Though the venue for the annual rivalry game changed repeatedly during that span, the result remained the same.
Then, in 2016, Army finally got its breakthrough. The Black Knights jumped out to a 14-0 lead, then gave up 17 unanswered points before an Ahmad Bradshaw touchdown run with six minutes to play helped seal a 21-17 victory. They’ve won every game against Navy since.
Arizona Cardinals offensive lineman Brett Toth started at right tackle for Army in that pivotal game. In a conversation with Bob McManaman of
The Arizona Republic, he looked back on that day:
Q: What was so special about Army-Navy?
A: A huge part of it was just coming into that program and we were on a 14game losing streak. It was the biggest focus point for the entire year. I mean, it always is, but that one, oh man. It was Dec. 10, 2016. I’ll have that one down for the rest of my life. That ended the streak.
Q: What do you remember most about it?
A: Just watching fans from even the upper decks in Baltimore just pouring down onto the field. It was awesome.
Q: What was that like to see? A: Me personally, I was just trying to take it all in. It was hectic, for sure. One of my buddies, Mike Hiltner, our right guard, had a random lady come up and kiss him. There’s a funny picture of that out there somewhere. That game attracts military personnel from all over the world. I think she was someone who (was) from the French military. It was crazy.
Q: Did you witness the kiss?
A: No, I wasn’t. But it was right there in the papers the next day. It was crazy.
Q: Did anybody come up and give you a hug, by chance?
A: I had a grown man hug me, and he was crying. I don’t know who it was and I don’t remember the face, but I remember a grown man hugging me, crying, and thanking (us) for ending the streak.
Q: How important was it for you guys to do that?
A: It’s a testament to coach (Jeff ) Monken’s staff, just the culture change for sure. The big thing they preached before that game was we weren’t a part of those 14 games. Like, you come in and everyone’s, ‘Well, Army football has lost 14 years straight,’ and you’re like, ‘That’s crazy. I haven’t even played in a game yet.’ Two years prior, my freshman year, I didn’t play on the varsity team. Sophomore year, I got hurt at the beginning of the season, and junior year was my first year playing. So, I’m undefeated against Navy.
Q: What do they tell you about the Navy game when you play for Army? What do they tell you about the importance of that game?
A: They don’t even have to tell you. It’s plastered all over the campus. It’s ‘Go Army, Beat Navy.’ It’s everywhere.