The Navy Midshipmen concluded an impressive season with a 21-20 victory over the Oklahoma Sooners in the Lockheed Martin Armed Forces Bowl.
Navy secured the win when it stopped Oklahoma’s attempted two-point conversion.
In his fourth start as quarterback for the Sooners, true freshman Michael Hawkins Jr. showed off his potential despite the team’s tough loss. He got the Sooners on the board early, even though the lead was short lived. Hawkins completed 65% of his passes, throwing for 247 yards and two touchdowns.
Navy came out after halftime with high energy, quickly evening the score on quarterback Blake Horvath’s 95-yard touchdown run. That shifted the momentum in favor of Navy, which claimed its first bowl win since 2019.
Here are the top moments from the Lockheed Martin Armed Forces Bowl.
Oklahoma’s two-point conversion fails
A penalty against Navy gives the Sooners a new set of downs, and quarterback Michael Hawkins Jr. takes full advantage. He connects with Jacob Jordan for an 11-yard pass into the corner of the end zone. The Sooners attempt a two-point conversion, but it is unsuccessful. Navy defeats Oklahoma 21-20 in the Armed Forces Bowl.
Navy takes the lead
Navy quarterback Blake Horvath guides the Midshipmen down the field and completes a 6-yard run into the end zone, marking Navy’s first lead of the game. With 4:34 left in the fourth quarter, Navy is ahead 21-14 against Oklahoma.
Navy evens the score
Navy quarterback Blake Horvath takes control and showcases his running ability with a 95-yard touchdown, evening the score at 14-14 with 3:49 remaining in the third quarter.
Navy gets on the board
Navy relied on their running game and handed the ball to Alex Tecza, who completed an 11-yard run to score a touchdown for the first time in this bowl game. With 3:34 left in the second quarter, Oklahoma leads Navy 14-7.
Oklahoma makes it 14-0
Oklahoma’s quarterback Michael Hawkins Jr. is unstoppable as he connects with Zion Kearney for a 56-yard touchdown pass, extending their lead to 14-0 against Navy with 5:56 remaining in the first quarter.
Oklahoma scores on the first drive
Oklahoma quarterback Michael Hawkins Jr. started strong and led the team down the field to score on their first drive of the game. Oklahoma is now leading 7-0 against Navy with 11:33 left in the first quarter.
When is the Armed Forces Bowl between Oklahoma and Navy?
The Lockheed Martin Armed Forces Bowl game between the Oklahoma Sooners and the Navy Midshipmen kicks off at noon ET (11 a.m. CT) at Amon G. Carter Stadium in Fort Worth, Texas.
How to watch Oklahoma and Navy in the Armed Forces Bowl
The Armed Forces Bowl game between the Oklahoma Sooners and the Navy Midshipmen will be televised nationally on ESPN.
Live streaming is available on Fubo, which has a free trial.
Watch Oklahoma take on Navy with a Fubo subscription
Oklahoma vs. Navy: Armed Forces Bowl odds
The Oklahoma Sooners are favorites to defeat the Navy Midshipmen, according to BetMGM.
Odds as of Friday, Dec. 27
Spread: Oklahoma (-1.5)
Moneyline: Oklahoma (-120); Navy (+120)
Over/under: 43.5
Lockheed Martin Armed Forces Bowl predictions: Oklahoma vs. Navy
USA TODAY: Writers split on winner
Scooby Axson: Navy
Jordan Mendoza: Navy
Paul Myerberg: Oklahoma
Erick Smith: Oklahoma
Eddie Timanus: Navy
Dan Wolken: Oklahoma
ESPN: Navy 24, Oklahoma 20
Adam Rittenberg writes: ‘The Sooners return to a Big 12 stadium seeking a better result than their last appearance in Fort Worth, a 55-24 loss to TCU in 2022. They take on a Navy team capable of piling up points with a new offense coordinated by Drew Cronic and featuring dual-threat quarterback Blake Horvath. But Navy’s offensive mojo slowed in the second half of the season, and Oklahoma will need to lean on its own stout defense after quarterback Jackson Arnold and others are headed to the portal. Sooners coach Brent Venables is trying to avoid his second 6-7 season in three years, ahead of a pivotal 2025 campaign. Oklahoma’s defensive opt-outs are worth watching, and there are more guarantees on the Navy side.’
Docs Sports: Take Navy
Staff writes: ‘The Midshipmen have earned 4,131 total yards for the year. When it comes to getting in the endzone, Navy has amassed 13 touchdowns through the air and 33 touchdowns via the ground. Navy has accumulated 195 first downs as an offense, and they have been called for 57 penalties for 475 yds. As a team they have an average of 247.4 yards via the ground game ranking them 8th in the nation. Concerning scoring points, the Navy Midshipmen are averaging 32.3 points per outing.’
Bowl game picks
Here are USA TODAY Sports’ expert picks for all of the college football bowl games.
Oklahoma vs. Navy all-time record
The Oklahoma Sooners and the Navy Midshipmen have faced off one time in their history. The Midshipmen have a 1-0 record in the series.
Navy beat Oklahoma 10-0 in the only matchup on Oct. 2, 1965.
College football bowl game schedule: Entire postseason lineup
College football bowl season began Dec. 14 and will run through Jan. 20 with the College Football Playoff championship game in Atlanta. Click here for the schedule of all upcoming bowls, including the College Football Playoff, and the results of already completed games.
College football bowl game rankings: 35 matchups from best to worst
We’ll begin with a couple of stipulations. First, we’ll operate under the assumption that all the first-round playoff games, as well as the quarterfinal and semifinal bowl contests, will be appointment viewing anyway, so they won’t be included in this exercise. We’ll also add that while some matchups look attractive in terms of records and rankings, whether the games will turn out to be good hinges upon which key players actually show up. We also recognize that your interest in a particular game might differ based upon your rooting interest.
We try to put these in order of what we think will have the highest entertainment value, but circumstances can change before the games kick off. Click here for our watchability rankings for all 35 non-playoff bowls. — Eddie Timanus
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