Air Force will face Navy on Saturday, October 4, at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium in Annapolis, Maryland. The game is part of the Commander-in-Chief’s Trophy competition, now in its 54th year. Air Force leads the overall series against Navy with a record of 34-23 and has won the trophy a series-best 21 times.
Last season, Navy defeated Air Force 34-7 at Falcon Stadium. In that game, Blake Horvath scored two rushing touchdowns for Navy, while Alex Tecza added two more. Air Force managed one touchdown on a pass from Quentin Hayes to Tre Roberson but was limited to 273 total yards. Camby Goff led the Falcons’ defense with nine tackles.
The previous meeting in Annapolis saw Air Force win 17-6 in 2023. Zac Larrier connected with Dane Kinamon for a school-record 94-yard touchdown pass. The Falcons’ defense held Navy to just 124 total yards and only 22 rushing yards on 35 carries.
Air Force enters this matchup with a record of 1-3 (0-3 Mountain West), while Navy stands at an undefeated 4-0 (3-0 American Athletic Conference). This season, Air Force is honoring the F-16 Fighting Falcon aircraft by wearing special uniforms as part of their Air Power Legacy Series for this game. The uniform features design elements such as a helmet resembling a fighter pilot’s helmet and squadron patches representing several bases and wings.
“The trophy goes annually to the winning academy with the best record in the round-robin competition. The winning team goes to the White House to receive the trophy from the President of the United States,” according to information provided by Air Force athletics staff.
Navy is coached by Brian Newberry, who is in his third season and led his team to last year’s Commander-in-Chief’s Trophy title. Under Newberry’s leadership, Navy has compiled a seven-game winning streak dating back to last season—currently among the longest active streaks nationally. The Midshipmen lead NCAA football in rushing offense this year, averaging over 350 yards per game.
In their most recent outing, Hawaii defeated Air Force by a score of 44-35 at Falcon Stadium. Despite setting new offensive records—including sophomore quarterback Liam Szarka’s single-game school record of 417 total yards—Air Force could not overcome Hawaii’s passing attack.
Szarka achieved career highs across multiple categories: “Sophomore QB Liam Szarka set a new school record with 417 yards of total offense (278 passing and 139 rushing). The previous record of 396 was set by Arion Worthman vs. Navy in 2017.” He also became “the first quarterback with 100 or more yards passing and 100 or more rushing in back-to-back games since Chance Harridge vs. UNLV and SDSU in 2002.”
Additional notable performances included senior wide receiver Cade Harris leading all receivers for four consecutive games and tight end Bruin Fleischmann recording receptions—and touchdowns—in consecutive weeks.
As both teams prepare for Saturday’s matchup, they continue long-standing traditions tied closely to service academy football and national recognition through events like receiving the Commander-in-Chief’s Trophy at the White House.
