There were never any punches pulled in the annual Army-Navy game, and it looks like Midshipmen coach Ken Niumatalolo dug deep into the pocket of tricks against the Black Knights in Thursday’s edition. Seven.
On Days 4 and 1 from the 34th Navy, full-back Diego Fagot quickly exited the formation and darted to his left, closing in on one defender and overtaking another defender to win 4 yards and a first. First exit down to keep fourth place – smart drive alive. The Midshipmen finished the race with a 17-13 lead, a score they won.
Only, a fake shot is not the game intended.
“It was a mistake,” Niumatalolo told CBS’s Jamie Erdahl in a post-game interview. “Sometimes you have to get lucky and the player does the plays, and (Fagot) made a great play.”
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At first glance, the game looks no different from any other fake game. But watching the game again, it was clear that Fagot was surprised when the ball arrived.
“Nobody asked for it. The snapper, it just caught it for me. I didn’t expect it,” Fagot told Erdahl. “Honestly, I didn’t know it was coming. So honestly, I attribute that to God. I just reacted and I played the ball. I don’t know what else to say.”
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Fagot’s race, while not considered a spoof, ended up being the game of the game. Half time remained at 13:30 when the ball was cleared and Navy was leading by one point.
After the first descent, the Midshipmen can rest for an additional seven minutes. They kicked into goal with 6:10 left to take a four-point lead, forcing the Army to score a goal to take the lead.
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And scoring a goal against the Navy’s defense in the second half would be easier said than done. After losing in the first two minutes of the game and going 13-7 in the first half, Navy held back in the second half. The Army had a total of 175 yards in the first half but only 57 yards in the second.
The Black Knights had two drives after the Navy mock hit. They were forced to play offensively in the first inning and turn the ball over in the second. Fagot also had a big hand on that fourth shot, when handling Army quarterback Christian Anderson, about half a yard from the first down marker.
Navy has been able to get to its knees after three transfers and claim victory, second against Army in the past three seasons.
