Navy vs. Oklahoma: What to expect from the Armed Forces Bowl

FORT WORTH, Texas — Motivation is a key factor when breaking down a bowl game. How much do the two teams care and how important is winning the game to each?

Navy (9-3) certainly has a lot of motivation going into Friday’s Lockheed Martin Armed Forces Bowl. The Midshipmen are trying to become just the sixth team in program history to reach double digit wins and want to cap a turnaround season by upsetting one of college football’s most storied programs.

Knocking off Oklahoma (6-6) would give Navy a signature victory over a perennial powerhouse program to go along with the coveted Commander-in-Chief’s Trophy.

“We have a chance to make some history and it’s another opportunity for these seniors to leave a legacy,” Navy coach Brian Newberry said. “This is the last time this team gets to play a game together, so we want to send our seniors out the right way and create some positive momentum going into the offseason.”

Meanwhile, the Sooners have dealt with a lot of distractions leading up to the Armed Forces Bowl, being held at Amon G. Carter Stadium on the campus of Texas Christian University.

Since closing the regular season with a blowout loss at LSU, Oklahoma has seen 25 players enter the transfer portal. A pair of defensive standouts, second team All-American linebacker Danny Stutsman and All-Southeastern Conference safety Billy Bowman Jr., have opted out of the game to focus on preparing for the NFL draft.

During Thursday’s pregame news conference, Oklahoma coach Brent Venables noted the Sooners have 56 scholarship players available and 24 of them (12 offense, 12 defense) are freshmen.

“I’m focused on the players that are still here. We’re really excited about the guys that are in our locker room right now. We believe in every single one of them,” Venables said. “We’ve adapted and pivoted and done the best we can with the hand we’ve been dealt.”

Members of the media covering Oklahoma football have focused on Friday’s result being the difference between a winning and losing season. Disposing of the Midshipmen would give the Sooners a winning record for the 25th time in the past 26 seasons.

Venables wasn’t necessarily buying into that mindset, saying he views the Armed Forces Bowl as another opportunity for this year’s team to grow and get better.

“The biggest game of the season is the one that’s right in front of us now and we’re putting everything we’ve got into winning this game,” he said. “Can winning create some momentum? Maybe you could say that. Finishing the season on a high note is important internally.”

Bowl history

Oklahoma is making its 26th straight bowl appearance, the second-longest streak in the nation behind Georgia (28). The Sooners have played in the postseason a total of 58 times and own a 31-25-1 record with the amount of wins ranking fourth in college football history.

Meanwhile, this is the 25th bowl game in Navy history with 16 of them coming since 2003. The Midshipmen have a 12-11-1 overall record, but have won five of their last six postseason matchups.

Navy has played a Southeastern Conference school just once in a bowl game, upsetting Mississippi, 21-0, in the 1954 Sugar Bowl. Missouri, which is now in the SEC, was a Big 12 Conference member when it got blown out by Navy in the 2009 Texas Bowl, 35-13.

The Midshipmen have two recent postseason wins over Power Four conference schools in the Military Bowl at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium, beating Pittsburgh, 44-28, in 2015 and Virginia, 49-7, in 2017.

“We’re super-excited to be in this game. It’s a game we really want to win and we’re going to prepare to do just that,” Newberry said. “It’s a great challenge and a great opportunity. When you come to the Naval Academy, these are the kind of games you dream of playing in. If you can get a win over Oklahoma, it speaks volumes about the caliber of your program.”

Venables’ familiarity with Navy

Venables is well-versed in the history and tradition of Navy football. He knows the Midshipmen posted winning records in 15 of 17 seasons from 2003 through 2019. He praised the job Newberry has done turning around a program that had suffered four straight losing seasons.

Venables told The Capital Gazette he watched the Army-Navy Game live and came away very impressed by what the winners did on both sides of the ball.

“As a team, Navy plays with tremendous discipline and a ton of pride. It’s a great opportunity for our program to match up with a team that’s had an outstanding season and won a lot of games,” he said. “We will need a tremendous effort on Friday because Navy is going to really bring it for four quarters. It’s a team that is playing its best football and we’re going to have our hands full.”

Venables shrugged when asked how it will feel to be the hunted despite having a .500 record.

At Oklahoma, we get everyone’s best shot every week. Oklahoma doesn’t sneak up on anyone,” said Venables, who spent 13 years as an assistant with the Sooners under former coach Bob Stoops.

Navy quarterback Blake Horvath, center, runs with the ball for a gain during the first half of an NCAA college football game against Army, Saturday, Dec. 14, 2024, in Landover, Md. (AP Photo/Daniel Kucin Jr.) — Navy quarterback Blake Horvath leads an offense that will be a new look for Oklahoma and coach Brent Venables. (AP Photo/Daniel Kucin Jr.)

Playing the option

Venables built his reputation as one of the nation’s finest defensive coordinators during his time at Oklahoma and Clemson, playing a prominent role for three national championship teams.

There has been much speculation about how the Sooners will defend the Midshipmen and the “millennial” Wing-T attack installed by first-year coordinator Drew Cronic. He faced the Georgia Tech triple-option designed by former Navy coach Paul Johnson numerous times while at Clemson and was largely successful.

In the last two meetings between Venables and Johnson, the Tigers held the Yellow Jackets to 166 combined rushing yards.

Venables, who also faced The Citadel and its triple-option a couple times while at Clemson, said none of that previous experience is applicable for Friday’s game.

“Obviously, we’ve never faced an offense like that with this group of players we’re coaching right now. It will be a great challenge and what matters is what we can teach these players about option-style football,” he said. “You wish you had a month to get ready for this game. You wish you had some previous experience for the players to lean into.”

Newberry said Cronic and quarterbacks coach and triple-option guru Ivin Jasper have spent considerable time studying how Venables defended The Citadel and Georgia Tech, but agreed only so much can be gained from doing so.

“We’re not a true double-slot, triple-option team so they’re going to be different against us. I expect we’ll see an even front, maybe an eight-man front, then we’ll see some odd fronts as well,” Newberry said.

Cronic concurred, noting that Oklahoma has been very multiple this season. The Sooners have primarily employed a four-man front that can morph from a 4-3 to a 4-2-5. Navy’s coaching staff is focused more on Venables’ history of being aggressive in hopes of creating negative plays.

“That’s the identity of Brent Venables. They’re going to show a lot of different looks and bring a lot of pressure. They’re going to try to get behind the sticks,” Newberry said.

Quarterback Blake Horvath and fullback Alex Tecza lead a Navy rushing attack that stands seventh nationally with 249.3 yards per game. Meanwhile, nose tackle Damonic Williams, linebacker Kip Lewis and safety Robert Spears-Jennings are key figures for an Oklahoma defense that ranks 12th with an average of 105.8 rushing yards allowed.