The Navy Midshipmen have jumped out to a 9-2 record, good for third place in the American Conference, while the Army Black Knights are hovering above .500, with a record of 6-5.

Regardless, the winner takes home the Commander-in-Chief Trophy, an accomplishment either side would love to flaunt in spite of the other.

But for either team to win, they’ll have to lean on their strengths.

Here are the keys to the game that will provide a route to victory for the Midshipmen or Black Knights.

Offense

The Midshipmen’s rushing offense is impressive, ranking first in Football Bowl Subdivision college football with an average of 298.4 yards per game. Their passing, however, ranks 132nd, with the team only accruing an average of 136.4 yards per game.

Meanwhile, the Black Knights’ rushing attack isn’t too far off, ranking 5th in college football with an average of 256.9 yards per game. The team accounts for far less passing yards than the Midshipmen, however, only throwing for 78.3 yards per game on average.

Both teams have a record of possessing the ball for long periods of time.

The Black Knights rank No. 1 in time of possession in college football with an average of 35:16 per game, while the Midshipmen rank 17th with an average of 32:20 per game.

It’s likely that whoever dominates the time of possession will hold a distinctive advantage over the other.

Overall, the Midshipmen have a more experienced, balanced offense, with senior quarterback Blake Horvath — who led the Midshipmen to victory over the Black Knights last year in the Army-Navy game — leading the charge.

Horvath is the first quarterback in Midshipmen history to post back-to-back seasons with 1,000 yards passing and 1,000 yards rushing.

On the year, Horvath has rushed for 1,040 yards and 14 touchdowns, and passed for 1,390 yards with nine touchdowns and five interceptions.

Meanwhile, junior Army quarterback Cale Hellums — who only got the starting job in the sixth game of the season after Dewayne Coleman was sidelined with injuries — has impressed in his short time playing. At 5-foot-10 and 205 pounds, Hellums leads his team with 1,078 rushing yards and 15 rushing touchdowns. He has thrown for 504 yards, three touchdowns and two interceptions.

Defense

Neither team has a particularly potent defense.

The Midshipmen’s overall defense ranks 92nd in college football — allowing an average of 398.7 yards per game — and 57th in rushing with an average of 143.2 yards per game.

Meanwhile, the Black Knights have a better overall defense, ranked 56th, but still give up an average of 357 yards per game. Their rushing defense ranks 63rd, allowing 147.1 yards per game.

An interesting wrinkle that will undoubtedly play out during the game — the Black Knights allow opponents to convert third downs 44.9% of the time, ranking 123rd in that category. That porous protection will have to contend with a Navy offense that converts 49.6 of their third downs, which ranks 12th in that category in college football.

What else to watch

Navy racks up a good amount of penalties, averaging 54.8 penalty yards per game, while Army is much more disciplined, netting only 24.1 penalty yards on average per game.

The Midshipmen’s star senior nose guard Landon Robinson, who was named the American Conference Defensive Player of the Year and a First-Team All-American by Sports Illustrated and USA Today, has had a monster campaign, totaling 54 tackles, 8.5 tackles for a loss, 6.5 sacks and seven hurries.

The Black Knights’ senior linebacker Andon Thomas is no slouch either, totaling 96 tackles this year.

Scoreboard

At the end of the day, all that matters for each team is notching more points than the other when the clock strikes triple zeros.

How the Black Knights or Midshipmen accomplish that feat is up to them, but it would appear that controlling the time of possession and running the ball as much as possible will net an advantage over the other.

The Army-Navy game kicks off Saturday, Dec. 13, at 3 p.m. EST at M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore, Maryland, and will be broadcast on CBS.

Amid this backdrop came the game of the century that, albeit briefly, delivered a respite from the far-flung battles across the globe and drew attention back to a good, old-fashioned American football rivalry.

“The Army-Navy game symbolized the continuation of peacetime rivalries in a time of national crisis,” author Randy Roberts wrote in “A Team for America: The Army-Navy Game That Rallied a Nation at War.”

“In a very real sense, it stood for exactly what Americans most desired, a return to the normality of American life.”

Yet the matchup almost didn’t happen. A little less than three years earlier, when the Japanese assault on Pearl Harbor plunged the U.S. into World War II, there were calls from politicians and those within the military for Americans to set aside peacetime frivolities, according to the Wall Street Journal.

“You can’t train a man to be a fighter by having him play football and baseball,” said Cmdr. James Joseph “Gene” Tunney, the Navy’s director of physical training and boxing’s former heavyweight champion. College football, he said, “has no place in war or preparing for war.”

Others disagreed.

“The British are going all out for sports as a morale builder, despite their proximity to the Luftwaffe and robot bombs,” Rep. Samuel A. Weiss, D-Penn, said in 1944. “Why, they have scheduled sixty-five sports events over there, thirteen of them major events expected to draw between 65,000 and 125,000 people. Our government realizes that if the British feel the need for public sports events so keenly, we certainly ought to do the same thing when we’re practically out of danger here.”

Cmdr. Thomas J. Hamilton, the head of the Navy’s Pre-flight and Physical Training program and a former head coach at Annapolis, felt similarly to Weiss, and, since he had the ear of much of the military brass, managed to shoehorn collegiate sports back on the menu.

The war itself had been a boon to both of the service academies’ football programs.

According to SB Nation, a dismal 1-7-1 record in 1940 prompted the United Press to describe the U.S. Military Academy Cadets as “a national calamity,” and military officials seriously considered mothballing the football team.

However, due to the war, the widespread influx of young men into the ranks of the U.S. military meant a swell of talent.

Further still, West Point, determined to snap its five-game losing streak against the U.S. Naval Academy Midshipmen, hired Earl “Red” Blaik in 1941, who was, according to SB Nation, “spartan and abstemious by nature.” His most profane epithet was a blistering “Geez, Katy.”

Yet his soft-spoken manner belied spectacular football acumen. His insistence on clean fundamentals and timing earned him the title of “that metronomic drill devil,” but his team was the better for it.

Interest in the game, originally set for Dec. 2, 1944, at the Naval Academy’s 12,000-seat stadium, swelled, with the rivalry matchup relocating to the 66,000-seat Municipal Stadium in Baltimore just a mere two weeks before kickoff. Tickets sales went toward war bonds and sold out in 24 hours, raising $58.6 million for the war.

One of the country’s preeminent sports writers at the time, Grantland Rice, wrote that it would be “one of the best and most important football games ever played.”

Army entered the contest with an undefeated 8-0 record, while Navy, coached by Cmdr. Oscar Hagberg, who had just returned from a Pacific submarine command, came in at 6-2.

Led by running backs Felix “Doc” Blanchard and Glen Davis — known as Mr. Inside and Mr. Outside, respectively — Army had decimated their opponents throughout the 1944 season, outscoring them 481-28. In fact, their last defeat had come in 1943 — at the hands of the Midshipmen.

Not to miss out on the spectacle was that of Army Chief of Staff Gen. George C. Marshall, Gen. Hap Arnold, commander of the Army Air Forces, and Adm. Ernest King, chief of naval operations.

And, while not televised — that would come the following year when Army was ranked No. 1 and Navy No. 2 — the eyes and ears of millions of Americans at home and abroad turned their attention from the battlefield to the gridiron.

“Win for all the soldiers scattered throughout the world,” came the pregame telegram from Army Gen. Robert Eichelberger, a former West Point superintendent stationed in the South Pacific.

Both teams entered the field that day in spectacular fashion, with the Navy contingent sailing across the Chesapeake Bay to arrive at the field, while the Army men were carried in on troopships escorted by Navy destroyers.

Winning the toss and electing to kick off, the Cadets struggled to get anything going offensively in the first quarter. So too did the Midshipmen. However, the defensive slog, noted New York Times sportswriter Allison Danzig, meted out “unusual ferocity of the give and take.”

By the end of the third quarter it was a mere 9-7 with Army in the lead after a safety. The game finally broke up in the fourth quarter with Army scoring two more touchdowns to win 23-7 against their archrival.

Despite throwing five interceptions and fumbling the ball three times, Army kept control, outgaining the Midshipmen 181-71 on the ground with Navy only completing 14 of 24 passes for 98 yards.

“It’s just about the best Army team that I have ever seen,” said Hagberg between bites of a post-game ham sandwich. “Our offense just couldn’t get going. They whipped us, and that’s just about all there is to it.”

“I think it was just a case of the No. 1 team in the country beating the No. 2 team in the country,” Blaik stoically stated in the aftermath.

Gen. Douglas MacArthur, supreme allied commander of the Southwest Pacific Area, was much less impassive in his praise, famously wiring Blaik: “The greatest of all Army teams. … We have stopped to war to celebrate your magnificent success.”

The Under Armour-made football jerseys and helmets include elements that honor the USS Chesapeake, USS Congress, USS Constellation, USS President, USS United States and USS Constitution, the only remaining frigate of them all and the world’s oldest commissioned warship still afloat.

The font for the jersey’s wordmark and numbers are inspired by the “Act to Provide Naval Armament” document that authorized the invention of the first fleet.

The Navy’s original frigates are also represented through six ropes woven into the sleeves and collars of the uniform, with 250 knots that embody the service’s anniversary.

The Under Armour logo on the uniform is also adorned with copper, a nod to the chemical element that was pivotal in the construction of the six frigates, which were draped in copper to protect the wooden hulls from marine damage.

The USS Constitution, which was undefeated in battle, utilized 12,000 feet of copper for its lower hull and thousands of copper nails to extend its life at sea.

The stone-colored pants of the this year’s uniform recall the uniform of sailors during the time of the original frigates and are emblazoned with six ropes for the six frigates and 126 knots for the 126th Army-Navy game.

The copper-colored helmet is intricately detailed with a sketch of the USS Constitution on one side and “USN” on the other side.

Splitting the helmet down the middle is a wooden plank displaying six ropes with 126 knots, again in commemoration of the 126th Army-Navy game.

A hype video that accompanied the uniform release page depicts the USS Constitution firing its cannons alongside the other five original frigates, with intermittent clips of a Navy Midshipmen football player donning the new uniform.

The Army-Navy game will be held Saturday, Dec. 13, at M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore, Maryland, and will be broadcast on CBS. Kickoff is scheduled for 3 p.m. EST.

In its 10th season collaborating with Nike, the Army football program alongside the U.S. Military Academy’s Department of History and War Studies have unveiled its latest specialty uniform, 1775, for the Army-Navy game.

The uniform, from helmet to cleats, features details reflecting the history and traditions that have been the hallmark of the service for 250 years.

To celebrate the Army’s birth, the service academy is traveling back to 1775 to honor the ordinary citizens who “rendered extraordinary sacrifices for the nation,” according to the West Point uniform website.

Marbled white uniforms with their numbers stitched in purple honor “those who served and never returned,” according to West Point Athletics, and serve as a “symbol of strength of American democracy.” The purple stitching represents both the Military Badge for Merit that was issued by George Washington during the American Revolution and present-day sacrifices of soldiers, Gold Star Families and Purple Heart veterans wounded in service.

Emblazoned on the front of the Nike-made jersey is the West Point seal surrounded by a chain, representing the 65-ton iron barrier that stretched across the Hudson River at West Point, securing the entire river valley for the patriots. The “Great Chain” was one of the most significant engineering feats of the American Revolution and was a lifeline to Washington’s nascent Continental Army.

“The river,” writes Hudson Valley Magazine, “separated the northeast from the rest of the country. If the British took control of the river, the head would be cut off from the body, and both sides knew what would follow.”

The easily identifiable typography on the uniforms mirrors the style of the U.S. Constitution, which the players, upon graduation and commissioning, will swear to uphold in a compact that has “guided our nation throughout its vaunted history,” writes the West Point website.

The helmet features 1775, the year the Army was founded, on the back alongside the Army Seal, which “serves as a constant reminder that this team’s players represent more than just the [U.S. Military] Academy when they step on the field,” according to the Army’s website.

Etched atop the helmet is the espontoon, a spear point symbolizing the Army’s role as the tip of the spear for the nation’s military might.

In 2024, the school chose to honor the 101st Airborne Division, highlighting the unit’s service during its role in the Battle of the Bulge and the Defense of Bastogne during World War II.

Units honored with past West Point football uniforms include:

• 2016: 82nd Airborne Division
• 2017: 10th Mountain Division
• 2018: 1st Infantry Division
• 2019: 1st Cavalry Division
• 2020: 25th Infantry Division
• 2021: U.S. Army Special Forces Command
• 2022: 1st Armored Division
• 2023: 3rd Infantry Division
• 2024: 101st Airborne Division

The Army-Navy game will be held Saturday, Dec. 13, at M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore, Maryland, and will be broadcast on CBS. Kickoff is scheduled for 3 p.m. EST.

Starting Jan. 2, interested racers may register their intent to participate in the new Armed Forces Series Challenge, an undertaking that involves completing five service-led races: the Coast Guard Marathon, the Air Force Marathon, the Army Ten-Miler, the Marine Corps Marathon and the Space Force T-Minus 10-Miler.

After completing their final race, participants are awarded a special Armed Forces Series Challenge medal.

The races, which are open to the public and held annually between April and December, can be completed across multiple years, giving marathoners an extended window to achieve the feat.

However, only those races starting in 2024 count toward the series, Jill Huffman, the Air Force Marathon interim-race director, confirmed to Military Times. That means those who previously competed in the various runs need to re-lace their shoes to cross the finish line.

“It is a clean slate,” she said, adding that while virtual options had been created during the COVID-19 pandemic, for this challenge the runs must be completed in person.

In addition to registering for the challenge, runners must still sign up for each event separately. Although the dates are subject to change, the upcoming races for 2024 are slated as follows:

• The Coast Guard Marathon — Sunday, April 7.
• The Air Force Marathon — Saturday, Sept. 21.
• The Army Ten-Miler — Sunday, Oct. 13.
• The Marine Corps Marathon — Sunday, Oct. 27.
• The Space Force T-Minus 10-Miler — Saturday, Dec. 14.

“Each branch of the armed forces has a unique character and distinguished tradition that is exemplified by their corresponding service-level running events,” Alex Hetherington, the Marine Corps Marathon director, said in a statement. “This is your opportunity to run with purpose, finish with pride and earn the distinction of receiving the Armed Forces Series Challenge medal.”

Army Times interviewed a handful of the cadets who spend their precious free time carrying on age-old traditions while bringing school spirit, excitement and pageantry to the field, sidelines and stands.

A-Man

Cadet Dylan Carmody, class of 2025 serves as the “A-Man” a kind of crowd-pumping West Point hype man. The Bernardston, Massachusetts native first went to a West Point home football game in November 2019 and saw a muscled guy in a yellow tank top energizing the crowd from the sidelines.

Carmody turned to his mother and said, “One day that’ll be me when I’m a cadet.” He was joking, of course. That was, until 2022 when one of the academy cadre reached out and offered him the job. He accepted without a second thought.

The A-Man can’t rely on a fake muscle costume like some other mascots. His “guns show” pythons have to be game ready each week. So Carmody hits Arvin Gymnasium on the West Point campus six days a week for at least 90 minutes of weight training and a half hour of cardio and core.

He attends all games, pumping up about two hours before kickoff and hitting carbs and water to stay pumped and energized through those long Saturdays. Carmody runs the field getting the fans fired up, especially on third down situations and rips out pushups in the end zone whenever Army scores a touchdown.

“The best part of the job is interacting with Army fans, hands down,” Carmody said. “Words cannot describe how much of an honor it is to hear little kids say, ‘I want to be you when I grow up someday.’”

Cannon Crew

Cadet Matthew Decker, class of 2024, is the Cadet in Charge of the Cannon Crew for the U.S. Military Academy at West Point. The Middletown, New Jersey native learned about the crew from his team leader and joined in his second year at the academy. He works with an Assistant Cadet in Charge, who’ll take over his position when he graduates and a Noncommissioned Officer in Charge.

“Many cadets in my old company were on the team and I saw this as a way to bond with them and to get involved outside of our normal activities like drill or company athletics,” he said.

The biggest commitment for the crew is on each game day. Throughout the week leading up to the game they plan out each event, draw ammunition and writing risk assessments for the crew’s duties. Though the big event doesn’t often kickoff until noon or later, Decker and his crew start their day at 8 a.m. First they coordinate with military police to draw the cannons and ammunition. Then they conduct pregame safety checks and run through their various procedures.

When Decker tells West Point graduates he’s on the crew, they normally associate it with the football games. But that’s not the crew’s only duties. They also fire the small artillery piece for soccer matches, lacrosse games and other sporting events such as the Fallen Comrades Half Marathon and the Sandhurst military skills competition.

“The most fun part about the position is definitely firing rounds. We have three 75mm howitzers that are across Lusk Reservoir and then a field cannon that fires a shotgun blank,” he said. “Watching the games on the field is an incredible experience, but nothing beats firing the 75′s.”

Rabble Rousers

Cadet Bridget Konopa, class of 2024, serves as the captain of the Rabble Rousers, the West Point cheerleaders. The Kokomo, Indiana native grew up dancing and competing in gymnastics. But she never cheered until attending West Point.

The team practices four days a week, traveling to all home and away games and adding another Saturday practice if there is no game scheduled. The team has a separate unit called “Pom” that performs dancing combinations and tumbling moves. That means some members will run double practices, working through their cheer routines and Pom choreographed numbers for both the sideline cheering and on field halftime performances.

The team cheers at West Point basketball games and other events while also competing in cheer competitions.

“The most fun part of my position is being able to dance and lead the Pom team,” Konopa said. “I have a great group of girls, and I can honestly say this has been the best team I’ve ever been on. That makes my job a lot easier.”

Army Times interviewed a handful of the cadets who spend their precious free time carrying on age-old traditions while bringing school spirit, excitement and pageantry to the field, sidelines and stands.

Mule Riders

Cadet Coleman Dinkins, class of 2024 and a Jackson, Mississippi native, learned about the historic Mule Riders from Bryan Paarmann, class of 1988 and his father’s best friend in high school.

The team includes at least one member from each current cadet class. Every afternoon during the week the groom the animals and ride them for 45 minutes or more. After riding, the crew cleans and feeds the animals and then completes any necessary mule-related chores such as refilling hay stalls or cleaning saddles.

On football game weekends they continue their daily practice, including Saturday. The crew also transports the mules to the games, cleaning and maintaining the transport trailer.

For game day, the riders arrive at the stables at 6:30 a.m., go over specifics for that day’s game, then ride the mules for about 20 minutes, to shake off any excess energy, depending on how the mule is feeling. They then wash the mules and blanket them for warmth. The team loads all of the tack, or gear, into the trailer, then the mules and brings them to an area near the stadium to put on the final touches – saddle, general pad, bridle and breastplate. Following some last minute grooming they ensure that the plebe, or first year, cadet on the crew follows behind the pair with the mule’s manure bucket, which they call the “Navy Think Tank.”

Training and riding the mules is no simple task. The four-cadet team is in charge of two mules. A new mule joined the team last year, Ranger IV. The cadets must train new mules for a unique role. That includes conditioning them to the loud bangs of the cannons, helicopters flying overhead, the audience roar and crowded sidelines. Even cheerleaders shaking pom-poms can disturb the animals.

And the mules draw fans. Whether that’s actor Bill Murray or small kids asking the same questions he’s answered all day. But Dinkins doesn’t mind.

“I love seeing the joy in everyone’s eyes when they feel noticed by someone they often believe is too busy to focus on one conversation at a time,” Dinkins said. “My job is as engaging as I make it, and I love engaging with every person I can as it gives me great exposure to people from so many different walks of life.”

Spirit Band

Cadet Cameron Riddle, class of 2024, is the Cadet in Charge and President of the West Point Spirit Band. The Plymouth, Indiana native wanted to pair his love of music and sports while attending the academy and saw the spirit band as the perfect choice.

Riddle has been on the Spirit Band all four years at the academy, serving as a cymbal player in the drum line. That hard work paid off when he was elected Spirit Band president for his senior year.

The band practices Tuesday and Thursday evenings, playing at all home games, other related events and some allotted away games. Riddle played in a high school spirit band and learned of the West Point band from cadets in his company during his freshman year.

“I am thankful that I took the advice of my peers and tried out,” Riddle said. “It has been a blessing.”

The Army-Navy game culminates a season of performances for the band and, Riddle said, gives the group a chance to showcase their abilities at a national level. The members conduct a “drumline battle” against their Navy opponents and play the school’s song “Alma Mater” at the end of the game. If the West Point Black Knights football team wins, the band has the honor to play last, a fitting way to end the season.

Tank Crew

Cadet Jackson Dean, class of 2024, serves as the Tank Crew Cadet in Charge for West Point. The Spokane, Washington native was invited by an upperclassman in his company to join the crew.

“He explained that in Tank Crew you shoot T-shirts, interact with fans, and get the crowd excited,” Dean said. “This sounded like it could be a fun activity to do.”

Dean and his crew spend the pregame hand-rolling T-shirts to fit into their air cannons, filling air tanks and checking the tank-mounted cannon device.

The “tank” is built on a 1990 Columbia Utilitruck. The aging vehicle has its share of maintenance problems. Dean envisions cadets one day having a vehicle like the University of Oklahoma’s Sooner Schooner, a horse-drawn wagon, but motorized so that they could drive onto the field after touchdowns to fire T-shirts to the crowd. But for now, cadets do have the use of Polaris MRZRs to transport their equipment to the field and engage with fans. The MRZR is a currently fielded ultralight tactical field vehicle in use by some Marine Corps and Army units.

While most fans notice the air cannons launching T-shirts in the crowd, the bulk of the crew’s work is transporting and maintaining the air tank vehicle.

Running the tank in front of large crowds puts a lot of pressure on the crew.

The Tank Crew must have 100% of their equipment fully functional come game day, 70,000 people are watching including VIPs such as generals, the secretary of defense and sometimes the President, which leaves little room for error, he said.

Despite the extra work, it’s a job Dean’s happy to do.

“I love riding around in the tank,” he said. “You just bring joy to so many people, their face lights up when they see the tank driving by them.”

If the U.S. Military Academy at West Point prevails, the cadets will seize the Commander-in-Chief’s Trophy outright and notch a 6-6 season thanks to a late-in-the-year winning streak sparked by their shock 23-3 victory over a nationally ranked Air Force squad on Nov. 4. If the U.S. Naval Academy midshipmen win, their 6-6 mark under new head coach Brian Newberry would be a form of redemption for the team’s seniors, who risk becoming the first cohort of Navy football players to endure four consecutive losing seasons since 2002.

Military Times picked six key people whose decisions and performances will likely play a critical role in the game’s outcome.

1. Army offensive coordinator Drew Thatcher

This year was supposed to mark the demise of Army West Point’s signature triple option offense, thanks to NCAA rule changes that outlawed its customary perimeter and downfield chop blocks, which strike defenders below the waist. Replacing the under-center option was the shotgun-based spread option offense.

Although Thatcher’s offense remained run-first throughout the early portion of the season, it marked a huge cultural shift for a football program that once rated a 2017 Washington Post article about how it “almost never passes.”

But that changed Nov. 18, when the Black Knights hosted a 7-4 Coastal Carolina team in its most recent game.

Army’s erstwhile under-center option returned with a vengeance that day — Army piled up some 365 rushing yards against an unprepared Coastal Carolina squad. The cadets barely bothered with the air, only attempting two passes.

In some ways, Thatcher has already impacted Saturday’s game — the Midshipmen had to prepare for both the spread option and traditional under-center flexbone option, rather than focusing on defending only one scheme.

Navy defensive coordinator P.J. Volker told reporters Nov. 30 that he’s preparing the Mids’ defense for just “about anything” as a result.

We’ll see how the Black Knights line up on their first possession.

2 & 3. Navy inside linebackers Will Harbour and Colin Ramos

Middle linebackers are traditionally considered the brains — and soul — of a defensive front, and Navy has two game changers in senior Will Harbour (also a team captain) and junior Colin Ramos.

The midshipmen, both of whom received All-American Athletic Conference honors this week, have combined for 170 tackles and 15.5 tackles this year.

Should Army West Point try to throw Navy off by using multiple offensive schemes, Harbour and Ramos will play a critical role in coordinating the defense’s response — and in ensuring their teammates remained disciplined in their assignments against the triple option.

4. Army quarterback Bryson Daily

It may be cliché to include the quarterback in a “players to watch” list, but Army’s junior quarterback from Texas has been a steady and reliable performer for most of the year, save for Army’s 62-0 loss to LSU, which Daily missed with an injury.

In addition to being the key decision maker in any option offense (whether in the shotgun or in the traditional flexbone), Daily has shown the ability to take over key games.

When the Black Knights traveled to Denver to battle Air Force on Nov. 4, Daily logged a career-high in rushing attempts (36) and yards (170) as his two touchdowns and a smattering of field goals proved the difference against the Falcons. Will he put together a similar performance on Saturday?

5. Navy slotback Eli Heidenreich

In his sophomore season, Heidenreich has quietly become one of the Navy offense’s most potent threats. He leads the team with 326 receiving yards, which he’s amassed on a mere 15 catches — make no mistakes, Heidenreich is a potent home-run threat for the Navy offense.

Heidenreich’s explosiveness can change a game on a dime. His 69-yard touchdown catch on a seam route against Charlotte on Oct. 14 broke a nearly three-quarter deadlock and catalyzed the Mids’ 14-0 road victory. The slotback also ripped off big plays against South Florida and Eastern Carolina.

If Army’s defense overcommits to stopping the run — Navy’s bread-and-butter — then watch out for Heidenreich to make a potentially game-changing play.

6. Army kicker Quinn Maretzki

This list wouldn’t be complete without discussing the player who had the biggest impact on 2022′s Army-Navy matchup. Last year, Maretzki nailed a 37-yard field goal to send the rivalry into overtime for the first time ever, and then the Hawaii native slid a 39-yarder inside the right upright to win the game in

He’s remained reliable this year in his senior season, making 11 of his 13 field goal attempts and all of his extra points. His career long kick came in September against UT-San Antonio, when he made a 45-yard field goal.

Saturday evening on the field at Gillette Stadium, in Foxborough, Massachusetts, the players and cheerleaders participating in the annual Army-Navy football game will walk to the side of the losing team and together sing that academy’s alma mater. Next, they will trudge across the field to the victor’s side to do the same thing.

Then, and only then, will one side celebrate and the other go off to seek solace in their defeat.

The moment, repeated year after year, says so much in such a short amount of time. It speaks to honor, tradition, compassion, civility, and unity – values that bind together those who play and those who support them.

It also represents an ideal that we once recognized was essential to our American experience –the rough and tumble reality of a democracy in action — tackling, fighting and scoring points against the opposition, but ultimately being united in our shared vision of what really matters.

The moment is even more poignant, of course, because these young men and women will soon be commissioned as officers in the U.S. Army, Navy and Marine Corps. Some will perform great acts of heroism. Some may make the ultimate sacrifice with their lives. All will serve.

In performing their duty, they will be supported by the values that were sharpened – just as steel sharpens steel — in the halls, classrooms, parade grounds and playing fields of West Point and Annapolis.

But what about the rest of us who don’t wear the uniform but seek to be good citizens in a turbulent world. Are values such as courage, integrity, commitment, sacrifice, citizenship, and patriotism relevant to the rest of us?

At times it feels as if these traditional civic values have been replaced by one long argument that shows no sign of ending. It’s as if we’ve lost the ability to converse and engage each other in a respectful and civil manner.

Thankfully, many Americans seem to recognize that this isn’t the way it’s supposed to be. Earlier this year, a survey conducted by Ipsos for the Medal of Honor Foundation found that 71% of respondents believe society is not emphasizing values enough. Similarly, 79% believe strong values and character are important to all Americans and a whopping 87% agreed society would be a better place if we possessed stronger values.

The survey was released around the time that we were reminded of a real-life example of what happens when these values are put into action. Paris Davis was an Army Captain and Green Beret near Bong Son, Republic of Vietnam on June 17-18, 1965, when his unit was ambushed. He was severely wounded but time and time again, he returned to the battlefield to evacuate other wounded men under direct artillery fire and push back the enemy.

Davis was nominated twice for the Medal of Honor, and twice the paperwork went missing – “lost” his supporters were told. But they refused to give up until the President pinned the Medal of Honor around his neck in March. His bravery in 1965 and his subsequent civility reminded us that America can and must remember its heroes.

Most of people will never be faced with life-and-death moments like Paris Davis. But every day we each deal with situations when we have choices to make; choices big and small that define who we are.

By teaching the importance and meaning of these core values and providing real life examples of how they can be lived, we can make a positive difference in the lives of our families, our communities and our nation. Values can be taught. This takes commitment and a sense of boldness – the same qualities that those young men from the service academies will show on Saturday and beyond.

The stakes are high – nothing less than the future of the country – and the timing could not be more critical. Let’s get to work.

Britt Slabinski received the Medal of Honor for his actions in the War on Terrorism in Afghanistan and is the president of the Congressional Medal of Honor Society, which operates a Character Development Program. Thomas Mundell is the president and chief executive officer of The National Medal of Honor Leadership and Education Center, which offers leadership training centered on the values of the Medal of Honor.

Military Times sat down with two standout players, one each from the U.S. Naval Academy and U.S. Military Academy at West Point, ahead of the 124th meeting of the two teams for a few questions.

Keenan Reynolds was in the class of 2016 and played quarterback during his four years on the Navy team. Reynolds racked up an NCAA Division I record 88 career touchdowns and set an FBS record 4,559 rushing yards at quarterback. Reynolds played professional football after being drafted by the Baltimore Ravens in 2016. He continues to serve as a Navy Reserve lieutenant.

Alex Moore, West Point class of 2003, played on the offensive line all four years as a cadet and served as co-captain of the team during his senior year. Moore branched armor after graduation and deployed to Iraq in 2004 and again from 2007-08. Moore, now a lieutenant colonel in the Army Reserve continues to serve, now as a brigade executive officer under Army Material Command.

Both Reynolds and Moore work at Palantir Technologies, a software company that specializes in big data analytics and currently runs multiple cyber and artificial intelligence-related contracts for the Army.

*Editor’s Note: The below Q&A has been edited for length and clarity.

Q: What’s your earliest memory of the Army-Navy game?

Reynolds: I remember the Army-Navy game it was like 2006. The first time I watched one was my senior year in high school, 2011. I hadn’t gone on any of my visits. But at that point, Navy offered me, I thought I’d be a fool not to go. It was on CBS at a Longhorn Steakhouse. I was a little late to the game, but I immediately picked up this is such a unique atmosphere and if I can be a part of it, I should be a part of it for sure.

Moore: I remember being seven, eight or nine and not really knowing the game. My uncle was in the Army, retired colonel Special Forces. My grandfather, his stepdad, was in the Navy in World War II. Whenever one team would score, they’d call the other one and hang up right away. A little rivalry and neither of them went to the academies. First real memory I have is watching it in 1995, watching them go back and forth on that one and the Corps of Cadets.

I was looking at all three of the academies, had offers from Air Force and Army but the military liaison at Navy said, maybe you’re not a Division I football player. That was it for Navy. It came down to do I want to fly or be on the ground with troops? And I wanted to be on the ground infantry or armor.

Q: What’s your favorite memory of the game?

Reynolds: Obviously winning, beating Army all four years was amazing, hard to pick one. One thing that’s sticking out to me right now is as a plebe rolling up to the stadium you get there a few hours early and typically the stadium is completely empty you have people in the parking lot maybe tailgating. I can never forget rolling up to the Lincoln Financial Stadium and seeing the stadium 60-70% full and I was confused, I was like wait why are the gates opened that early wondering why are there so many people in the stands? If they were there, they wanted to see the march on. How important this game was really hit me. It’s obviously important as soon as you step on campus, it’s Beat Army! But until you get to game week, get to practice and pull up to the game on Saturday, there’s nothing like it. It’s forever ingrained in my memory the exact view. I’ll never forget seeing the stadium how it was and realizing how important this game was to a whole lot of people all over the world who were watching. That’s a sense of pride you can’t shake off and it’s just an incredible experience to be a part of.

Moore: It had to be 2001 after 9/11, we beat Navy that year and it was my first year starting. The one memory that stands out from that is I actually broke my collar bone in that game as well. I didn’t realize it, I thought it was just a stinger. But I finally had done enough to fake the docs out to go back into the game and once they cleared me, I remember running on, but I knocked over a 3-star general that was on the sidelines. I probably yelled back ‘sorry’ or didn’t say anything. But thinking back on that anywhere else and I’d probably been chewed out, kicked out, probably be in jail or something.

Q: Navy joined the American Athletic Conference in 2015, Army will join next year after having been independent for many years. What does being in the same conference mean for the teams and this rivalry?

Moore: Seeing the changing landscape of college football, I think it was a necessary move they had to make. They have some great leadership at the Academy with Mike Buddie and Coach (Jeff) Monken and Mike Buddie. I know they didn’t take that decision lightly. Ultimately on that one, they made the right decision. For the significance of Army-Navy, I don’t think it’s going to diminish one bit. You still have the pomp and pageantry of this game. And if they both have the chance to play in that championship and play again, that’s success for both programs right there. We may be a couple years away from that, but that would be something great, two Army-Navy games back to back, a lot of fun, a lot of bragging rights and a lot of hard hitting.

Reynolds: It’s definitely been a really great opportunity. We’ve competed in that conference, we’ve had our up years and down years, we played in the conference championship game in our second year. It helps with recruiting; you’re playing very high profile teams. You’re on national TV. The chance to play Army-Navy twice? That would be the most incredible two weeks of college football ever. That would be unprecedented. As you move into this 12-team college football championship AAC is right in the thick of things, have a good year, win a conference championship and who knows? You could have an Army or a Navy competing again for a national championship. That’s again a totally unprecedented type of situation that you haven’t seen since the 50s or the 60s. I think it just opens doors and opportunities for both teams.

Q: After many years of debate, NCAA athletes can now profit from Name, Image and Likeness rights. The Army and Marine Corps have recently sponsored some NCAA athletes to promote the services. But academy students are considered government employees and not allowed to do this. Thoughts?

Reynolds: I think if you asked 100 people you might get a 50/50 mix. Being part of the Army or Navy at the academies you’re an active duty servicemember and you fall under those same rules. When you go to a place like Army or Navy, you’re accepting the fact that won’t come. And you’re okay with that. You make that decision, you’re okay with accepting what comes with it. That’s the way it was when we were playing, you got the same check as a cadet or a Midshipman. I think that’s okay. I think that’s how it should be.

Moore: Every player knows what they’re signing up for when they come there. Even though there is a controversy around that everybody at the academies, no one person is better than another person, you’re all part of a brotherhood or a sisterhood going there. What one gets, all gets, you get the same paycheck, same food, same living conditions. That’s a good way to be because it sets you up well for service after you graduate.