Navy LB Diego Fagot had no idea he’d get the snap on incredible fake punt conversion

“I didn’t know it was coming.”

The Midshipmen prevailed in Saturday’s Army-Navy game at MetLife Stadium, upsetting the Black Knights, 17-13, in a game that saw far more passes than any college football fan would expect from these two service academies.

Another unexpected moment from the game was Navy’s successful fake punt on 4th-and-1 early in the final quarter when the Midshipmen had a slight 14-13 lead.

And it even came as a surprise to linebacker Diego Fagot, who took the snap and successfully got the first down for his team.

As Navy lined up to punt from its own 34-yard line, punter Riley Riethman was all ready to go. Except the ball didn’t come to him and ended up in Fagot’s hands. The 6-foot-3, 240-pound linebacker then took off and stiff-armed a defender to the ground before hurdling over another, as he picked up the first down and then some.

He grabbed four yards on, unsurprisingly, his only carry of the game.

But the best part of this awesome fake-punt play is that it caught Fagot totally by surprise, and he showed off his lightning fast reflexes while making some moves. As he explained in his post-game interview with CBS, he had no idea the ball was coming to him.

He said:

“No one asked for it. The snapper, he just snapped it to me. I wasn’t expecting it. We weren’t expecting it. I didn’t know it was coming, honestly.”

In addition to Fagot’s reflexes, that was some incredibly fast thinking on his part after what turned out to be a “mistake” on the snap, as Navy coach Ken Niumatalolo later explained to CBS:

“It was a mistake. Sometimes, you gotta get lucky, and players make plays, and he made a great play.”

A mistake that turned into an awfully memorable play in this long-time rivalry matchup.

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Navy vs. Army: NCAA college football live stream, TV channel, start time, odds, predictions

The Navy Midshipmen will face their rivals the Army Black Knights on Saturday afternoon from Michie Stadium in West Point, NY.

The Navy Midshipmen will face their rivals the Army Black Knights on Saturday afternoon from Michie Stadium in West Point, NY.

Navy comes into this game at 3-6 after losing their last four games and looking for a big rebound when they take the field this afternoon. Meanwhile, Army has had a strong season and looking for their eighth win of the season, which would put them at 8-2.

As always this should be a good one to tune into, here’s everything you need to know to stream the action tonight:

Navy vs. Army

  • When: Saturday, December 12
  • Time: 3:00 p.m. ET
  • TV Channel: CBS
  • Live Stream: CBS All Access (stream for free)
  • Live Stream: fuboTV (watch for free) 

NCAA Football Odds and Betting Lines

NCAA Football odds courtesy of BetMGM Sportsbook. Odds updated Saturday at 10:45 a.m. ET.

Navy vs. Army -7.5

O/U: 37.5

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College GameDay: See Lee Corso’s headgear pick for 121st Army-Navy game

No surprise here.

ESPN’s College GameDay broadcast set up shop Saturday at West Point to help preview the 121st Army-Navy game. Entering the game, Army is 7-2 while Navy is 3-6, and the Black Knights are 7.5-point favorites.

Normally, the service academies’ famed matchup is held at Lincoln Financial Field, a neutral site, in Philadelphia. But because of the COVID-19 pandemic and restrictions on gatherings at outdoor events — which would have prevented the Corps of Cadets and Brigade of Midshipmen from attending, as the Army Times reported — the game was moved to Michie Stadium at West Point. And it’s the first time the game is on a home field since World War II.

Something that is typical here: Army and Navy both have fantastic alternate uniforms for this rivalry game.

The GameDay crew broadcast from outside the stadium, but Lee Corso continued to do the show from his home studio in Orlando, as he has all season.

And unsurprisingly, the former Navy defensive backs coach — dressed in a Navy robe and standing on a boat — went with the Midshipmen for his pick this week. He announced his pick earlier than usual in the broadcast, but he still put the Bill the Goat headgear on later.

Former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice — who was also previously a member of the College Football Playoff committee — was GameDay‘s guest picker Saturday. And she went with Army over Navy.

Corso also picked Baylor over No. 22 Oklahoma State, Auburn over Mississippi State, Georgia over Missouri, No. 16 Iowa over Wisconsin, Virginia over Virginia Tech, No. 17 North Carolina over No. 10 Miami, Stanford over Oregon State, No. 21 Colorado over Utah and UCLA over No. 15 USC.

Another highlight of Saturday’s show was Kirk Herbstreit leaving the set to get to the UNC-Miami game and making his picks while flying in a helicopter.

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Army-Navy weekend: Wisconsin has never played Army, but soon will

The Wisconsin Badgers have never played Army in football. Surprised?

Big Ten football fans were eagerly watching this past September, as the Army Black Knights made the Michigan Wolverines sweat. Michigan needed overtime to fend off coach Jeff Monken’s Army team one year after Army nearly went into Oklahoma and upset the Sooners, also losing in overtime.

Many people will tell you that Power Five conference programs, especially the good ones such as the Wisconsin Badgers, should not schedule Army. The offense is too tricky. The preparation is both difficult and unlike other opponents a Big Ten team will see all season long. Why get roped into this possible trap? It’s a fair question. However, the service academies are part of college football’s history, tradition and charm. Being able to play an academy provides one of the more satisfying experiences for a college football team and fan base. You’re not playing against a team; you’re sharing the field with young men who will soon serve the United States in a special way.

Would you be surprised to find out that, on this Army-Navy Game weekend, the Wisconsin Badgers have never played Army? The Black Knights and Badgers haven’t yet tested each other on the gridiron, leaving a blank spot both programs ought to fill.

The very happy news is that in the near future, Wisconsin versus Army will in fact happen. You can look it up. On October 16, 2021, the Badgers and West Point will compete on the gridiron. That day will be very special for Badger fans everywhere, addressing an incomplete piece of the story of UW football. Wisconsin has played Navy and Air Force. Finally, at long last, the Badgers will be able to say that they will have played all three service academies.

Wisconsin would love to make its first College Football Playoff. The Badgers would love to get their first win in the Big Ten Championship Game as a member of the Big Ten West Division. So many firsts still await Wisconsin football, but at least we know that a first game against Army — the kind of item a college football fan wants to check off a personal bucket list — is just around the corner.

Navy QB Malcolm Perry torches Army on 55-yard TD run

Malcolm Perry is the best running quarterback in the nation.

The Navy Midshipmen entered the Army game Saturday with the nation’s best run game, averaging 360.8 yards on the ground with 48 rushing touchdowns on the season. Army is No. 2 with 311.7 yards per game and 44 touchdowns.

Navy’s rushing attack is led by quarterback Malcolm Perry, who had 1,500 rushing yards and 6.3 per attempt going into the rivalry game. He’s No. 6 in the nation in rushing yards and is the highest ranked quarterback in that category.

And the senior showed off exactly why that is early in the second quarter against the Black Knights at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia.

After Army ate nearly 11 minutes off the first-quarter clock before taking a 7-0 lead, Perry helped his team tie it up with a 55-yard touchdown run on 2nd-and-4 from Navy’s own 45-yard line.

From the first half of the game alone, Perry recorded his 20th career game with at least 100 rushing yards, per CBS’ broadcast. Navy had a 14-7 halftime lead, and Perry put up 154 yards on 13 carries and did not attempt a pass.

Perry had a season-high of 218 rushing yards in Navy’s 45-17 win over Tulsa in October, but he recently had one of his best games of the season against SMU. He ran for 195 yards and two touchdowns and went 9-for-15 for 162 yards and another touchdown in the Midshipmen’s 35-28 win in late November.

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See Lee Corso’s headgear pick for the Army Navy game

Lee Corso is picking Navy to snap Army’s winning streak.

The Army Black Knights have won three consecutive rivalry games against Navy, but College GameDay’s Lee Corso, who was a Navy assistant coach in the ’60s, is picking the No. 23 Midshipmen to snap their losing streak in Philadelphia on Saturday.

Corso also picked North Dakota State over Illinois State, SMU over FAU, Boise State over Washington, Appalachian State over UAB, Hawai’i over BYU, Louisiana Tech over Miami, UNC over Temple, Wake Forest over Michigan State, Oklahoma State over Texas A&M, USC over Iowa, and Washington State over Air Force.

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CBS uses John F. Kennedy speech to create epic Army-Navy game tribute

This is epic.

The Army Black Knights and Navy Midshipmen will meet in Philadelphia on Saturday for the 120th edition of one of the greatest rivalries in sports (3:00 p.m. ET, CBS). Army enters the game with a three-game win streak over Navy, but the 9-2 Midshipmen 10.5-point favorites to win in 2019.

CBS set the stage for Saturday’s game with a beautiful tribute, which uses President John F. Kennedy’s speech to the graduating class of the U.S. Naval Academy in 1961 as a soundtrack.

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Army vs. Navy: Which team has the best uniform for Saturday’s rivalry game?

As usual, these uniforms look incredible.

While most of the college football world takes a break until bowl season officially starts — or until next season for the unlucky teams — one of the biggest rivalry games in the sport is the only matchup of Week 16.

The 120th Army-Navy game kicks off Saturday at 3 p.m. ET (CBS) at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia, and these teams are usually impeccably dressed with their alternate uniforms specific to the occasion. And this year is no different.

Navy is currently a 10.5-point favorite over the Black Knights, who are playing for their fourth straight win over the Midshipmen. But in a rivalry game like this, nothing is a sure thing.

So ahead of the week’s only game, let’s compare the two teams’ always incredible alternate uniforms.

Army’s uniforms for 2019 Navy game

This year, Army is honoring the 1st Cavalry Division and the development of air mobility with the first large-scale use of helicopters during the Vietnam War. The game uniforms feature mostly white jerseys with “First Team” and “Army” written on each shoulder and dark green pants with a faded “United States” written down the side.

The color of the helmets matches the pants and has two yellow crossed sabers on them. More about the helmets via Army and Nike’s firstteam.football site:

In 1851, the Army approved the pair of crossed sabers as the new insignia representing U.S. Army Dragoons. They would be worn on the new style caps and become an iconic symbol of the 1st Cavalry Division.

Navy’s uniforms for 2019 Army game

The Midshipmen will wear throwback Under Armour uniforms that celebrate the team’s early 1960s history, specifically honoring Heisman Trophy winners Joe Bellino and Roger Staubach. The jerseys are blue with two gold stripes on the shoulders, resembling the team’s uniforms of the ’60s, and the helmet is a dark gold with an anchor on it.

More via Under Armour:

A burnished coat of bronze paint wraps each helmet and lays beneath Navy’s iconic anchor logo that serves as a call to the Naval Academy’s roots at sea, while the two Heisman winner’s uniform numbers are front and center.

Which one is better?

Vote for which team has the better uniform for the 2019 game:

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