Navy sputters badly in 17-6 loss to No. 22 Air Force
The Navy football team’s aspirations of claiming the Commander-in-Chief’s Trophy for the first time since 2019 fizzled during an error-filled, 17-6 loss to No. 22 Air Force on Saturday afternoon at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium, with two quarterbacks combining for one of the Midshipmen’s least productive performances of the season.
While dropping its fourth straight game in the rivalry, Navy (3-4) failed to score until backup quarterback Tai Lavatai directed a cosmetic touchdown drive that reached the end zone with 50 seconds to play. Air Force intercepted Lavatai twice, including linebacker Alec Mock’s 18-yard pick-six with 3:51 left that removed what little drama remained in the first leg of the chase for the Commander-in-Chief’s Trophy before a stadium record crowd of 38,803.
The Midshipmen recorded their fewest yards (124) of the season and their second-fewest points behind their 42-3 loss to No. 15 Notre Dame in their opener in Dublin. They must wait until next year for another crack at the Commander-in-Chief’s Trophy; Air Force (7-0) claimed it last season after Army had secured it the previous two seasons.
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“Hats off to Air Force,” first-year Navy coach Brian Newberry said. “That’s a hell of a football team. We knew that going into the game. I thought they played lights out on defense. We didn’t do anything to help ourselves. It is what it is. We got our butts kicked on that side of the ball today.”
Navy went 3 for 17 on third down, went three-and-out on eight of 14 possessions and ran for just 22 yards, its fewest since they totaled 20 on Sept. 3, 1994, in a 56-14 loss to San Diego State. Starting quarterback Braxton Woodson completed 2 of 6 passes for six yards and ran 14 times for a loss of 14. He took four sacks, and his longest carry was three yards.
Woodson became the sixth freshman to start at quarterback for Navy and the first since Xavier Arline in 2020. Arline was the third-string quarterback Saturday behind Woodson and Lavatai, who aggravated a rib injury in the Midshipmen’s first series of last weekend’s 14-0 win at Charlotte. Woodson played the rest of the way against the 49ers and took reps with the first team in practice this past week. Newberry settled on Woodson as Saturday’s starter following productive practices combined with an abundance of caution in hopes of preserving Lavatai for later in the season.
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But with the Midshipmen having amassed just 11 yards through three quarters — including a loss of nine in the third — Lavatai got the call for the fourth.
“Just needed a change and trying to find a spark and some momentum,” Newberry said of his decision to insert Lavatai, who finished 13 for 23 for 96 yards. “Felt like we needed to start throwing the football there, and Tai’s been pretty good in those situations.”
Lavatai needed three snaps to pick up the second first down of the game for Navy, which threatened to enter Air Force territory for the first time until officials called fullback Alex Tecza for an illegal block below the waist. On Navy’s next possession, Tecza had the ball carom off his hands and into the arms of Falcons safety Jamari Bellamy.
“They’re a physical team,” Woodson said. “We prepared all week. We knew that they were going to be physical. It just didn’t go in our favor.”
Both teams labored through the first half, save for the lone scoring play. Backed up at their 6 early in the second quarter, the Falcons got a 94-yard touchdown pass for the longest play from scrimmage in Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium history.
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Running a wheel pattern, wide receiver Dane Kinamon found himself wide open in the second level of the defense, collected an arcing pass from Zac Larrier and pulled away from linebacker Luke Pirris and cornerback Andrew Duhart, among others, to complete the longest passing play in Air Force history.
“Zac made such a great throw,” Kinamon said. “Not much is going through your head. You just start running as hard as you can.”
Intrigue surrounding Air Force’s quarterback situation arrived shortly before kickoff when reports indicated Larrier (4 for 5, 151 yards) was on track to start. The senior’s status had been in doubt after Coach Troy Calhoun said Tuesday that he would “likely be out for a while” with an injury suffered last week against Wyoming.
Larrier jogged onto the field for pregame warmups with a brace protecting his left knee and threw lightly on the sideline. Led by Larrier, Air Force managed 288 yards but still comfortably prevailed.
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“I thought we prepared the way we should during the week,” Newberry said. “I thought our kids were locked in. I counted on [Larrier] playing. [I have] been around long enough to know better, and truthfully, I hoped he would. The long pass — probably not the best call to be in that situation. Still, you’ve got to get the ball tackled there. Outside of that, I thought [the defense] played pretty lights out.”
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