By Colin McGuigan
OPENING KICK
• Oklahoma (6-6, 2-6 SEC) will make its first-ever Lockheed Martin Armed Forces Bowl appearance when it faces Navy (9-3, 7-2 American) on Friday, Dec. 27, at 11 a.m. CT at Amon G. Carter Stadium in Fort Worth, Texas. The game will be televised by ESPN with Courtney Lyle, Rene Ingoglia and Morgan Uber announcing. OU will be the designated visiting team and will wear its crimson jerseys.
• This marks Oklahoma’s 58th bowl appearance, fourth most nationally. Thirty-nine of those 58 have come in bowls that comprise the current New Year’s Six (Orange [20], Sugar [8], Fiesta [5], Cotton [3], Rose [2] and Peach [1]). The 39 does not include OU’s BCS Championship Game appearance against Florida on Jan. 9, 2009.
• OU is making its 26th consecutive bowl appearance, by far the longest streak in school history (the previous record was eight from the 1975-82 seasons under Barry Switzer). Beginning in Bob Stoops’ 1999 debut season as head coach, it is the second-longest active streak in the nation (Georgia; 28).
• The Sooners own a 31-25-1 (.553) bowl record. Their 31 wins were tied for the fourth most nationally entering this bowl season.
• An Oklahoma victory over Navy would clinch the Sooners’ 25th winning season in the last 26 years. OU’s only non-winning season since 1999 came in 2022 (6-7). Boise State is the only program with winning seasons every year from 1999-2024.
• Oklahoma has played a nation-high-tying six games this season against teams in the top 25 of the final CFP rankings, and eight of OU’s 2024 foes were ranked in the AP poll at some point. Not including Navy, the Sooners’ FBS opponents this season own a combined 86-48 (.642) record. OU’s eight SEC opponents are an aggregate 70-27 (.722).
• Since the end of World War II (1946 season to present), OU leads all programs with 706 wins (28 more than Alabama, the program with the next most). Navy is tied for 68th with 413 wins during the same span.
• The 2024 season marks the 130th in OU football history. The Sooners lead the nation with their 50 all-time conference championships, 27 11-plus-win seasons (tied), 33 AP top-five finishes and five No. 1 overall NFL Draft picks (tied). They rank second with their seven Heisman Trophy winners (tied), third with seven AP national championships, their 101 weeks as the AP’s No. 1 team and 431 total weeks in the AP Top 5, and fourth with their 58 bowl appearances, 31 bowl wins (tied) and 417 NFL Draft picks.
KEY STORYLINES
LOOKING BACK AT THE 1965 OKLAHOMA-NAVY GAME
• The only time the Sooners and Navy have met on the gridiron was on Oct. 2, 1965, a 10-0 victory for the Midshipmen in front of 57,000 fans on a slightly overcast day at Oklahoma Memorial Stadium in Norman.
• OU was led by second-year head coach Gomer Jones while Navy was coached by first-year head man Bill Elias. The Sooners finished with a 3-7 record that season — just their second losing campaign in 23 years — and the Midshipmen finished 4-4-2.
• While the final score was close, Navy dominated statistically. It registered a 376-83 advantage in total yards and held OU to 1-of-10 passing for six yards. The Sooners averaged just 1.9 yards per rush (41 carries for 77 yards). Navy rushed 59 times for 158 yards (2.7 average) and completed 12 of 24 passes for 218 yards.
• The game’s only touchdown came on a 33-yard completion by John Cartwright to Alan Roodhouse on Navy’s second possession. The Midshipmen added three points on a Phil Bassi 36-yard field goal early in the second quarter to finish the scoring. Cartwright, a sophomore, replaced Roger Staubach at quarterback for the 1965 season. Staubach starred for Navy from 1962-64 and won the Heisman Trophy as a junior in 1963.
• Linebacker Carl McAdams was the highlight for Oklahoma, as the senior registered a then-school-record 24 tackles on the day. McAdams earned consensus All-America honors that season.
THOMAS ENJOYING BREAKOUT SEASON
• Junior defensive lineman and second-team All-SEC pick R Mason Thomas is tied for 17th nationally and ranks fourth in the SEC with his 9.0 sacks, and all of them have come in the last 10 games (3.0 vs. Tulane, 0.5 vs. Tennessee, 2.0 at Auburn, 0.5 vs. South Carolina, 1.0 at Missouri, 1.0 vs. Alabama and 1.0 at LSU).
• Thomas has racked up 6.0 of his 9.0 sacks in the fourth quarter and with OU protecting leads. Against Tulane, his 3.0 sacks came in the span of two drives. In one series, Thomas recorded a sack on first down, a pass breakup on third down and another sack on fourth down. On one of his sacks he was credited with a forced fumble and recovery, and added a pass breakup and a quarterback hurry on the day. He was named the Bronko Nagurski National Defensive Player of the Week.
• With OU leading 24-21 at Auburn and under four minutes to go, Thomas recorded a 6-yard sack on third down and a 13-yard sack the next play to give the ball to the Sooners on the Tigers’ 25-yard line.
• Thomas became the first Sooner since defensive end Charles Tapper in 2015 to register at least 5.5 sacks over a three-game span (Tapper had 6.0).
• Thomas registered his first career touchdown in the regular season finale at LSU when he scooped up a fumble on a sack by teammate Gracen Halton and returned it nine yards to tie the score at 7-7.
• Thomas’ lone 10 career starts have come this season (he did not start against Tennessee or Texas because of opponent offensive personnel; OU started five DBs in both). In his 19 games over the 2022 and ’23 campaigns, he logged 3.5 tackles for loss and 1.5 sacks.
MORE ON THE DEFENSE
• Oklahoma’s defense made big strides in year two under head coach Brent Venables in 2023 and has continued that trend in 2024 with co-defensive coordinator Zac Alley joining the staff in the offseason and serving as play-caller this year.
• The Sooners are allowing just 318.3 yards per game this year. The last time they held foes to fewer yards per outing over a full season was 15 years ago (272.6 in 2009).
• The Sooners rank in the top 10 nationally in several defensive categories, including fumble recoveries (fourth at 12), opponent rushing TDs (fifth at 8), yards allowed per rush (sixth at 2.9) and tackles for loss per game (ninth at 7.7). They also rank 11th in first downs allowed (201), 15th in rushing defense (105.5 ypg), 13th in interceptions returned for a touchdown (2), 16th in sacks per game (2.9), 21st in total defense (318.3 ypg), 34th in scoring defense (21.6 ppg) and 39th in red zone defense percentage (.800).
• Consensus All-America linebacker and Butkus Award finalist Danny Stutsman finished the regular season ranked fourth in the SEC with his 9.1 tackles per game and racked up 8.0 TFLs and three QB hurries. The senior, who earned first-team All-SEC honors from the league’s coaches and the AP, has reached 100 tackles each of the last three seasons (125 in 2022, 104 in 2023 and 109 this year) and has 376 career stops.
• Junior defensive linemen Gracen Halton and R Mason Thomas entered the season with a combined 8.0 career tackles for loss and 1.5 sacks, but through 12 games this season have teamed for 17.5 TFLs and 14.0 sacks. Halton was named SEC Defensive Lineman of the Week after registering a career-high 2.0 TFLs (11-yard sack and a 5-yard safety) in a 16-12 win over Houston in week two. He has 6.0 TFLs, 5.0 sacks, two forced fumbles, a fumble recovery, a safety and three QB hurries. Thomas turned in a 3.0-sack effort vs. Tulane in which he also logged a forced fumble and recovery, a pass breakup and a QB hurry en route to being named Bronko Nagurski National Defensive Player of the Week. Thomas has team highs of 11.5 TFLs, 9.0 sacks and 11 QB hurries on the year. His 9.0 sacks are 4.5 more than any Sooner had last season.
• Junior safety Robert Spears-Jennings is tied for fifth nationally with four forced fumbles (two off the lead) and has a team-high-tying two recoveries. His four forces are tied for third most in OU single-season history.
• Oklahoma ranks fifth nationally by allowing just 32 rushes of 10 or more yards and is tied for seventh by allowing just seven rushes of at least 20 yards.
• OU has allowed only 25 touchdowns on its opponents’ 145 possessions (one every 5.8 possessions). The defense has forced 64 punts and has recorded 19 takeaways, a safety and eight turnovers on downs.
• The Sooners’ defensive performance in a 24-3 win over then-No. 7 Alabama on Nov. 23 was one for the history books. OU became the first program to hold the Crimson Tide without a touchdown since 2011 and the first to limit Alabama to three or fewer points since 2004. UA’s 234 offensive yards were its fewest since 2014.
• During the Brent Venables era (since the start of the 2022 season), OU’s defense ranks second in the nation with 46 interceptions (UNLV has 49 in one more game).
HAWKINS BACK IN THE SPOTLIGHT
• With sophomore Jackson Arnold and freshman Brendan Zurbrugg entering the transfer portal following the regular season, freshman Michael Hawkins Jr., seventh-year player Casey Thompson and redshirt freshman walk-on Steele Wasel are OU’s only quarterbacks on the team’s bowl roster. Wasel has not played this season and Thompson has taken one snap (kneeled on last play of win vs. Alabama).
• Hawkins Jr. has played in six games and made starts at Auburn, vs. Texas and vs. South Carolina. On the year, he has completed 48 of 77 passes (62.3%) for 536 yards and one touchdown vs. two interceptions. He has also rushed 52 times for 143 yards (2.8 average), including a 48-yard TD in a win at Auburn.
• Hawkins Jr. saw his first extensive action when he entered the Tennessee game late in the first half and then finished that contest. In the victory at Auburn the next game, he became just the seventh OU quarterback to start at least one contest as a true freshman, and the first Sooner true freshman QB to win on the road in his first career start. In the next outing, he became the first OU true freshman QB to start against Texas. He also started the South Carolina game before being replaced after the Sooners’ third possession.
• Hawkins Jr. was rated as a four-star prospect by ESPN, On3 and Rivals and as the No. 3 dual-threat QB recruit in the country by Rivals and No. 7 by ESPN. His father, Michael, played cornerback for Oklahoma under Bob Stoops in 2002 before spending multiple years in the NFL.
• Thompson, who is believed to be first seventh-year offensive player in OU history, spent four years at Texas before transferring for one year each to Nebraska and Florida Atlantic. A starter in 23 of his 36 career games, Thompson has completed 63.5% of his passes for 5,338 yards and 52 touchdowns, and has rushed for 191 yards and 10 TDs. His father, Charles, was an OU quarterback from 1986-88 under head coach Barry Switzer, and his brother, Kendal, was a Sooners QB from 2011-13 under Stoops.
• Wasel, from Choctaw, Okla., transferred from Akron prior to the 2024 season. As a high school senior, the former all-state honoree passed for 3,325 yards and 38 TDs, and added 543 rushing yards and five scores.
MORE ON THE OFFENSE
• Despite missing the last three games due to injury, junior running back Jovantae Barnes leads the Sooners with his 577 rushing yards (averaging 4.7 yards per carry) and has a career-high-tying five rushing touchdowns. His last three games marked his three best performances of the year — a 70-yard rushing day vs. South Carolina, a 67-yard rushing afternoon at Ole Miss (also caught five passes for 57 yards, both career highs) and a career-high 203 rushing yards with a career-high three TDs vs. Maine.
• A pair of true freshman running backs have emerged this season. Taylor Tatum, the consensus No. 1 running back nationally in the 2024 class, is averaging 5.1 yards on his 53 rushes (272 yards) and has run for three TDs, caught one and thrown for another. Xavier Robinson has rushed 43 times for 212 yards (4.9 average) and three scores, all in the last four games (six rushes for 29 yards and a TD vs. Maine, nine for 56 yards at Missouri, 18 for 107 and two TDs in the win over No. 7 Alabama and 10 for 20 at LSU).
• Redshirt sophomore running back Gavin Sawchuk started each of the first three games but has been held to 64 yards on 26 carries on the year. Sawchuk, who returned to action vs. Alabama after missing four straight contests, ran for over 100 yards in each of the last five games in 2023.
• Redshirt junior wide receiver Deion Burks leads the team with his 6.2 catches per game and three receiving TDs, which all came in the first half against Temple. In that contest, Burks became the first Sooner to register three receiving TDs in his OU debut. Burks’ 31 receptions are the most ever by a player in the first five games of his OU career. The Purdue transfer, who missed five straight games after sustaining an injury vs. Tennessee, returned to action three games ago at Missouri and caught five passes for a team-high 44 yards before sustaining another injury that kept him out of the last two contests.
• True freshman walk-on receiver Jacob Jordan, who did not play in OU’s first six games, has totaled 22 receptions for 207 yards over the last six contests (his first collegiate appearances). He had six catches for 86 yards against South Carolina, six more grabs for 38 yards and his first career touchdown at Ole Miss, three receptions for 36 yards against Maine and a team-high six receptions for 42 yards at LSU.
• Oklahoma’s run-game performance in the win over then-No. 7 Alabama on Nov. 23 was its best against an FBS opponent this season, rolling up 257 yards on 50 carries for a 5.1-yard average. It was the most rushing yards allowed by the Crimson Tide in 26 games and just the ninth performance of 250-plus yards against Alabama in the last 20 seasons. Redshirt junior Febechi Nwaiwu (right guard) was named SEC Offensive Lineman of the Week.
A GLANCE AT SPECIAL TEAMS
• Redshirt senior Zach Schmit served as OU’s placekicker the last two seasons and has made 37 of his 50 (74%) career field goal attempts and all 141 of his PAT tries. His streak of 141 made extra-points is the third longest in program history. Schmit, who has handled kickoffs in all 12 games this season, was OU’s placekicker at Auburn and each of the last six contests. He is 9 for 10 on field goals on the year and three games ago had a 3-for-3 effort at Missouri that included a career-long 56-yarder (previous long was 46).
• After winning the primary placekicking job in August camp, Florida State transfer Tyler Keltner went 3 for 3 on field goals and 6 for 6 on PAT attempts against Temple in the opener to earn SEC Special Teams Player of the Week honors. He is 7 for 9 and 12 for 13, respectively, on the year (missed the Auburn game after having his appendix removed, returned for the Texas game but has not played the last six contests). Keltner spent his first four seasons at East Tennessee State, where he was 56 for 74 on field goals (76%) and 131 of 131 on PATs, and was a three-time All-Southern Conference pick.
• Keltner and Schmit have combined to go 16 of 19 on field goal attempts, as OU ranks fifth in the SEC out of 16 teams with its 84% conversion rate.
• Super senior Luke Elzinga ranks ninth nationally and fourth in the SEC with a 45.2-yard average on his 57 punts (16 of 50+ yards; long of 63; 21 inside the 20; 20 fair catches; just two touchbacks). His performance has helped OU to a No. 10 national ranking with its 42.6-yard net punting average. Elzinga was named to the Ray Guy Award’s “Ray’s 8” three times this season (following the Houston, Tennessee and Auburn contests).
• Sophomore Peyton Bowen ranks fourth in the SEC (24th nationally) by averaging 8.2 yards on his 24 punt returns (ranks fifth nationally among players with at least 24 returns).
COLLEGE FOOTBALL’S BEST
• During the modern era of college football (since the end of World War II), the Sooners are the nation’s No. 1 team with more wins (706) than any other program (next most is 678 by Alabama).
• Oklahoma has finished in the top 5 of the AP poll a nation-leading 33 times (Ohio State is second with 30).
• OU leads all FBS programs with 50 all-time conference championships. The rest of the top five includes Nebraska (46), Michigan (44), Ohio State (39) and USC (37). The Sooners’ 14 league titles since 2000 are the most among Power Five programs (Ohio State ranks second with 11).
• No program has more all-time 11-win seasons than Oklahoma’s 27 (Alabama also has 27). And since the start of the 2000 season, OU and Ohio State have produced a nation-leading 18 seasons of at least 10 wins.
• Since former head coach Bob Stoops arrived in Norman in 1999, OU leads the country with its 13,070 points scored. Boise State (12,675) is second and Oregon (12,357) third.
• OU’s 81 consensus All-Americans since 1950 lead the nation (Alabama and Ohio State rank second with 77 each). Since 2000, OU has produced 31 consensus All-Americans, tied for second with Ohio State behind Alabama.
EXTRA POINTS
• Navy (two) and Oklahoma (one) combined for three Heisman Trophy winners in the 1960s, the same decade that produced the only matchup between the programs (1965). Halfback Joe Bellino (1960) and quarterback Roger Staubach (1963) won Navy’s only two Heismans, while running back Steve Owens (1969) won OU’s second. The Sooners are tied for second nationally with seven Heisman Trophy winners.
• Over the last 10 seasons (since the start of 2015), Oklahoma ranks fourth the country with its 5.2 yards per rush while Navy ranks ninth with its 5.0 yards per carry. During the same period, Navy ranks third with its 275.7 rushing yards per game while OU ranks seventh at 210.3.
• The parents of OU junior defensive back Robert Spears-Jennings (Flotrice and Markelo Jennings) served in the U.S. Navy.
• Twenty-seven of the 101 players on OU’s bowl roster hail from Oklahoma, most of any state, while the next most (24) are from Texas.
• The Sooners have won their last 90 games when holding opponents to 22 or fewer points. Their last loss under the circumstance came at Nebraska in 2009 (10-3).
• In their 16 wins since the start of the 2023 season, the Sooners have outscored opponents 175-26 off turnovers. In their 10 losses during the same span, they have been outscored 105-27 off turnovers.
• Since the start of the 2012 season, OU is 91-7 when scoring at least 35 points and 80-4 when scoring at least 40.
COURTESY OKLAHOMA ATHLETIC COMMUNICATIONS
| Navy (9-3) vs. Oklahoma (6-6) | |
|---|---|
| When | Friday, Dec. 27, 2024 | 12:00 pm (ET) / 11:00 am (CT) |
| Location | Fort Worth, Texas | Amon G. Carter Stadium |
| Television | ESPN (Courtney Lyle, Rene Ingoglia, Morgan Uber) |
| Live Video Stream | WatchESPN and ESPN+ |
| Listen | Navy Football Radio Network (Joe Miller, Keith Mills, Scott Wykoff) WBAL 1090 AM / 101.5 FM (Baltimore) | WFED 820 AM, 94.3 FM (Frederick, Md.) | WFED 1500 AM (Washington, D.C.) | WFED 104.5 FM (Western Fairfax / Loudon, Va.) | WNAV 1430 AM, 99.9 FM (Annapolis) | KWFN 97.3 FM (San Diego) | WGH 1310 AM / 100.9 FM (Norfolk, Va.) | WJGM 105.7 FM (Jacksonville, Fla.) | KIKI 990 AM (Honolulu, Hawai’i) | Satellite: Sirius Ch. 106 or 201, SXM App Ch. 963 | Apps: Audacy (WNAV and KWFN) and TuneIn (WBAL) |
| Live Stats | StatBroadcast |
| Game Notes | Navy | Oklahoma |
| Season Statistics | Navy | Oklahoma |
| Social Media | @NavyAthletics | @NavyFB | Facebook | Instagram |
Opening Kick
• Navy (9-3) and Oklahoma (6-6) meet on the gridiron for just the 2nd time overall and the 1st time in a bowl game as the two will play in the Lockheed Martin Armed Forces Bowl on Friday, Dec. 27 at 12 noon (ET), 11:00 am (CT) in Fort Worth, Texas. Navy leads the all-time series 1-0, a 10-0 victory in Norman in 1965.
• This marks Navy’s 25th bowl appearance (12-11-1 all-time) and the 3rd time Navy has appeared in the Armed Forces Bowl. The Mids defeated Middle Tennessee State 24-6 in the 2013 Armed Forces Bowl and lost to Louisiana Tech 48-45 in 2016. Navy has won two-consecutive bowl games and 5 of the last 6.
• This will be the 1st time Navy has played an SEC team in a bowl game since 1954 (1955 Sugar Bowl) when the Mids knocked off Ole Miss 21-0. Navy has also played current SEC teams Missouri (1961 Orange Bowl and 2009 Texas Bowl) and Texas (1964 Cotton Bowl) prior to those schools being in the SEC.
• Navy last played a team from the SEC in 2011 when the Mids lost at South Carolina 24-21.
• Oklahoma, the 6th-winningest program in FBS history with 950 wins, will be playing in a bowl game for the 26th-consecutive season and the 58th time overall (31-25-1), the 4th most by any school. The Sooners, playing as an SEC member for the first time in 2024, picked up a signature win in November, dropping then-#7 Alabama 24-3 to earn bowl eligibility. Of the team’s 12 opponents, 8 were ranked among the nation’s top 25 during the season.
• Navy is coming off a complete domination of Service Academy rival #19 Army, knocking off the Black Knights 31-13 in the 125th playing of the Army-Navy Game presented by USAA. With wins over Air Force and Army, the Mids won the Commander-In-Chief’s Trophy which is presented annually to the winner of the football competition among the 3 major service academies (Navy, Air Force and Army) and is named in honor of the President of the United States. The team will visit the White House this spring.
• Navy won the 2 Service Academy games this year by a combined 45 points, which ties the 2019 Navy team for the biggest combined CIC blowouts since 2007 when Navy beat Air Force and Army by a combined 46 points.
• If Navy can beat Oklahoma in the bowl game, it would make the 2024 team just the 6th in school history to win at least 10 games in a season, joining the teams from 1905 (10-1-1), 2004 (10-2), 2009 (10-4), 2015 (11-2) and 2019 (11-2).
• The win over Army gives Navy victories over 2 ranked opponents for the 1st time since 1958 when Navy defeated #8 / #7 Rice 20-7 and #14 / 12 Michigan 20-14. Navy defeated #24 (Coaches) Memphis 56-44 earlier this year. It’s just the 5th time Navy has beaten a ranked Army team (1943, 1950, 1954, 1957, 2024) and the 1st time since 1957 when the Mids knocked off #10 / #9 Army 14-0.
• Navy was predicted to finish 11th in the American Athletic Conference and ended the year tied for 3rd with Memphis (Navy beat Memphis head-to-head) with a 6-2 mark.
• Landon Robinson (Jr. / NG), Colin Ramos (Sr. / LB) and Rayuan Lane III (Sr. / S) were named First-Team All-AAC by the league head coaches. Justin Reed (Sr. / DE), Dashaun Peele (Sr. / CB) and Riley Riethman (Sr. / P) were named to the second team. The Mids did not have a player selected to the third team, while Connor McMahon (Sr. / OT)and Ben Purvis (Jr. / OG) were named honorable mention all-conference.
• Navy is the only FBS team in the country that played just 2 home games in the final 9 regular-season contests.
• Navy is the only FBS team in the country that did not play a one-score (8 points or less) game this year.
• Navy’s 386 points scored in its 12 games this season are 174 more than it scored in its 12 games last year (212).
• Navy has scored a touchdown on the 1st play of a drive 5 times this fall which is tied for the 3rd most in the FBS.
• Navy is averaging 249.3 rushing yards per game, the 7th-best average in the FBS and the program’s best since 2019 when it averaged a school-record 360.5 rushing yards per game.
• Navy is 34-39 (.872) in the red zone with 31 (.795) of those scores resulting in touchdowns. Navy is #2 in the country in red zone touchdown percentage, just behind Indiana (.818).
• In Navy’s 9 wins this fall, the Mids have outscored the opposition 104-7 in points off turnovers (14-7 vs. Bucknell, 7-0 vs. Temple, 7-0 vs. Memphis, 7-0 vs. UAB, 7-0 vs. Air Force, 31-0 vs. Charlotte, 14-0 vs. USF, 7-0 vs ECU and 10-0 vs. Army). In the 3 games Navy has lost, the Mids have been outscored 48-0 in points off turnovers (27-0 by Notre Dame, 7-0 by Rice and 14-0 by Tulane).
• Riley Riethman’s (Sr. / P) 44.4 career punting average (221 punts, 9,807 yds) is the best in school history (min. 50 att.). He owns 4 of the 5-best single-game performances in Navy history (min. of 5 punts). Riethman is 8th in the nation in punting average this fall, averaging 45.7 yards per punt, which would be a school record.
• Eli Heidenreich (Jr. / Snipe) and Alex Tecza (Jr. / FB), who grew up in Pittsburgh and have known each other since the first grade, have combined to score a touchdown for Navy in 17 of the last 22 games dating back to the 2023 season. Heidenreich’s 6 touchdown receptions this season is tied for Navy’s single-season touchdown catches record which has been done by 4 different players. Heidenreich was named a Third-Team All-American by College Football Network.
• Rayuan Lane III (Sr. / S) made his 42nd-consecutive start at safety for the Mids against Army which is the longest active streak for a safety in the FBS and second longest by a player in the secondary. Lane III has 3 forced fumbles this year which is tied for the 10th most in the FBS. Sporting News named him to its Midseason First-Team All-America Team, while he was also named a semifinalist for the Jim Thorpe Award. College Football Network named Lane III the National Special Teams Player of the Year, a First-Team All-American on Special Teams and a Third-Team All-American on defense.
• DaShaun Peele (Sr. / CB) became the 1st player in school history to return 2 interceptions for a touchdown in the same game in the Mids’ win over Charlotte. It was the 3rd time this year Navy returned an interception for a touchdown, as Rayuan Lane III (Sr. / S) had an 86-yard interception return for a touchdown with 23 seconds left in the game against Memphis that clinched the victory for the Mids. Peele is tied for 3rd in the country and leads the Mids with 5 interceptions, including 1 against Army that set up Navy’s 2nd touchdown. Peele was named an Honorable Mention All-American by College Football Network.
• Blake Horvath (Jr. / QB) has thrown a school-record tying 13 touchdown passes on the year. Ricky Dobbs set the record with 13 in 2010. Horvath accounted for 4 touchdowns in Navy’s 31-13 victory over Army, rushing for 196 yards and 2 TDs on 24 carries, while throwing for 107 yards and 2 TDs.
• Horvath, with 1,091 yards rushing, is the 1st Navy player to rush for 1,000 yards in a season since 2019 when Malcolm Perry rushed for 2,017 yards. He is the 1st Navy quarterback to surpass 1,000 passing yards in a season since 2019 when Malcolm Perry threw for 1,084 yards. Horvath’s 1,261 passing yards are the most by a Navy player since Will Worth threw for 1,397 yards in 2016.
• Horvath is the #3 graded runner (all positions, min. 150 att.) according to Pro Football Focus, while Lane III is the #7-rated safety (min. 725 snaps) and Heidenreich is the #2-rated receiver among all position players (min. of 50 targets). Connor McMahon (Sr. / OT) is the 11th-best offensive tackle and the best pass blocker (min. 675 snap counts) among offensive tackles.
Broadcast Coverage
• The Armed Forces Bowl will be televised by ESPN with Courtney Lyle, Rene Ingoglia and Morgan Uber on the call.
• The Navy Football Pregame Show with Joe Miller, Keith Mills, Scott Wykoff and special commentary from John Feinstein will get underway at 11:00 am (ET) on the Navy Radio Network, followed by game action beginning at 12 noon (ET) with Miller and Mills on the call.
• Following the contest, Miller, Mills and Wykoff will recap the day’s events in a 30-minute postgame show.
Scouting Oklahoma
6-6 Overall | 2-6 SEC
Head Coach: Brent Venables
• Ignore the record, Oklahoma is an outstanding football team. All you need to see is one score – Oklahoma 24 Alabama 3. That tells you the quality of football team the Mids are facing.
• Of Oklahoma’s 6 losses, 2 of the teams are in the College Football Playoffs (Tennessee and Texas), 2 just missed the playoffs (South Carolina and Ole Miss) and another (Missouri) is ranked. The other loss was at LSU and if you’ve ever been to a game in Baton Rouge, you know nothing comes easy at Tiger Stadium.
• In addition to Alabama, Oklahoma beat a Tulane team (34-19) that beat Navy 35-0, defeated Temple 31-3, Houston 16-12, won at Auburn 27-21 and defeated Maine 59-14.
• While it’s hard to talk about individual players for Oklahoma as you don’t know who will be playing due to opt outs and the transfer portal, it’s safe to say the Sooners are one of the two most talented teams the Mids will face in 2024 (Notre Dame being the other).
• The Oklahoma rush defense is ranked 12th in the country, giving up just 105.8 yards per game. The Sooners also average 2.9 sacks per game, which ranks 16th, while their 7.7 tackles for loss per game is 9th best.
• The Oklahoma defense gives up just 318.3 yards per game of total offense, which stands 21st nationally. Oklahoma’s 5 defensive touchdowns are the third most in the FBS, while their 12 fumble recoveries rank 4th best.
• The Sooners rank 10th nationally in net punting (42.6).
• The Oklahoma offense has thrown just 6 interceptions on the year (12th).
Navy’s Bowl History
• Navy owns a 12-11-1 record in bowl games, winning 5 of the last 6 bowls in which it has played.
COURTESY NAVY ATHLETIC COMMUNICATIONS
