BALTIMORE, MD — The 126th edition of the annual Army-Navy game was full of excitement. From the moment cadets took to the field during pregame, the energy within the M&T Bank Stadium was palpable with 70-thousand in attendance. One could feel the playful animosity from both the Navy and Army cadets in the stands, and their presence on the field. With the Midshipmen looking to defend their Commander-in-Chief’s Trophy, they inched their way to a 17-16 victory over Army. We’ll dive through the key moments, players, and points in this Army-Navy 2025 game recap.
2025 Army-Navy Game Recap
As expected, the 2025 rendition of the Army-Navy game was a slugfest early. Just two possessions took the game into the second quarter, with each program putting together long, decisive drives. And, the atmosphere in the stadium was a once-in-a-lifetime experience. With that said, let’s dive in.
Back and Forth Affair Early
The beginning of the game was about as military academy-esque as one could describe. The first possession of both programs were 7-minute drives that led to touchdown scores by their respective quarterbacks. Both offensive lines were able to get massive pushes, while Blake Horvath and Cale Hellums were able to bounce off defenders to gain extra yardage consistently.
Defensively, both units were trying to punish their opponent early instead of playing sound football. And, it seemed like Navy was not prepared for the type of fight Army brought to them. After all, the Black Knights have been a program that had not consistently performed all year up to this point.
Yet, led by Hellums, the Black Knights’ offense kept chipping away at the Midshipmen until they were able to get inside the 5-yard line on both of their possessions. A 13-yard punt by Navy gave Army adequate field position, and the Black Knights marched down the field to tack on three points – and a 10-7 lead in the game with just under five minutes remaining in the first half. Two fourth-down conversions early in the game played a role in Army staying on the field, and Hellums actually had more carries than the entire Navy offense (16 to 15).
Navy’s third possession was had a first-down sack on Horvath. Second down wasn’t much better for the Midshipmen, either. On a quarterback rush, Horvath was stopped at the line of scrimmage. Yet like they’ve done all season, Horvath and slotback Eli Heidenreich converted on the down and kept the Midshipmen’s hopes alive. That is, until a pump-fake from Horvath saw the ball slip out of his hands and into the arms of the Army defensive lineman Jake Bousom.
It was a costly turnover by the Midshipmen, who were driving down the field. Instead, they got no points and turned the ball over. It gave the Black Knights excellent field position, which they turned into three points, and headed into the locker room with a 13-7 lead.
Second Half Burst
The Black Knights got the ball to start the second half, and slotback Noah Short instantly gave Army great field position. On a short-yardage reception, Short made a defender miss and scampered for 29 yards. However, poor clock management saw Army blow a timeout, commit a false-start penalty, and ultimately had to throw the ball away. The Black Knights would punt for the first time for the game, giving Navy a chance to retake the lead.
Unfortunately, that wouldn’t be the case. As has been the case for most of this game, Navy was not able to capitalize and made a costly mistake. A bad throw from Black Horvath that went off the hands of Eli Heidenreich and into the hands of Army defensive back Justin Weaver. It set Army up in great field position once again, and Jeff Monken‘s team was able to turn it into points. After a 48-yard conversion, the Black Knights extended their lead to 16-7.
Navy’s second possession of the second half saw the Midshipmen start to slow things down. After a rough start to the possession, Horvath was able to burst for 37 yards and get right outside of the redzone. After a methodical rushing approach, Navy fell short of the sticks and opted to kick a field goal to turn the matchup into a one-score game. Horvath had two bad misses on open corner routes, and dirted throws as well. It was an uncharacteristic game from one of the most electric players in college football. And unfortunately for the Midshipmen, it made moving the football difficult.
Heidenreich Heroics
Midway through the fourth quarter, Navy needed a break. They got one, and it came at the hands of slotback Eli Heidenreich.
With the Midshipmen on the goal line, Blake Horvath fumbled on a quarterback sneak attempt. Fortunately, Heidenreich was able to locate the ball and fall on it. However, he wasn’t done there.
On fourth down, the slotback made an incredible contested catch for a touchdown. That score put Navy up 17-16 with six minutes to go in the contest.
The importance of Heidenreich this season can’t go understated. While Horvath has been the primary motor, he’s trusted Heidenreich at every turn. And, the senior consistently delivered.
In a rivalry game the likes of Army-Navy, Heidenreich’s heroics helped seal the deal for the Midshipmen in Baltimore.
Other Notes
Outside of the major storylines, these are other key notes from the 2025 Army-Navy game.
Coleman Cauley Stands Out
There were multiple key defensive players in the Army-Navy contest. However, Midshipmen’s Coleman Cauley made his presence felt. At halftime, the linebacker had nine tackles, and nearly forced a fumble on Army quarterback Cale Hellums. It’s impossible to be a one-man army (no pun intended), especially in football. With that said, Cauley put together an impressive individual performance and deserves recognition for it.
Don’t Blink
Like most military academy football games, this contest was incredibly fast-paced. The first half of the football game took just over an hour, with multiple long drives by both offenses. Given today’s age of football and the need for advertisement revenue, it was impressive to see how quickly the game moved.
Hellums Performs Admirably
Army quarterback Cale Hellums has had an interesting 2025 season. Starting as the backup, he quickly earned the starting role. As the primary signal-caller, he led the Black Knights to bowl-eligibility. And on Saturday, he helped the Army offense get put together a productive performance against Navy.
Entering the fourth quarter, Hellums had 91 rushing yards and 82 passing yards. He was making good reads on his throws, and was churning out yardage as a runner. In fact, Hellums was the first Army player since 2012 to have a 100-yard rushing game against Navy. His performance was indicative of the Army season. And, it was another impressive showing for the junior.
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