Air Force football head coach Troy Calhoun, along with senior wide receiver Cade Harris and senior inside linebacker Blake Fletcher, spoke to the media about the upcoming game against Navy.
The Air Force Falcons currently lead their series against Navy with 34 wins to Navy’s 23. At home, Air Force holds a record of 20-8, while they are 10-12 when playing at Navy and 4-3 in games played at neutral sites. Last season, Navy defeated Air Force 34-7 at Falcon Stadium. In their previous meeting in Annapolis in 2023, the Falcons won 17-6.
This year marks the 54th season of competition for the Commander-in-Chief’s Trophy. The trophy is awarded each year to the service academy team with the best record in round-robin play among Army, Navy, and Air Force. The winning team visits the White House to receive the trophy from the President of the United States. Air Force has claimed a series-best record of 66 wins and 40 losses and has secured the trophy title a record 21 times.
In last season’s matchup, Navy remained unbeaten after defeating Air Force and ending a four-game losing streak to them. Blake Horvath scored on a one-yard run and Nathan Kent added another touchdown on a 34-yard run in the first quarter to give Navy an early lead. The Falcons responded with a Quentin Hayes touchdown pass to Tre Roberson but went into halftime trailing after another Horvath rushing touchdown. Alex Tecza contributed two rushing touchdowns for Navy as they finished with 463 total yards—329 of which came on the ground. Harvath rushed for 115 yards and completed nine of fifteen passes for another 134 yards; Eli Heidenreich ran for 100 yards on six carries and caught five passes totaling 101 yards. For Air Force, Kade Frew led rushing with seven carries for twenty-nine yards; Hayes completed five out of six passes for one hundred fifteen yards and one touchdown as part of their total offense output of two hundred seventy-three yards (158 rushing). Camby Goff led Air Force defensively with nine tackles.
The prior meeting saw Air Force win its fourth straight game against Navy by a score of seventeen to six in Annapolis during the 2023 season. Zac Larrier connected with Dane Kinamon for a school-record ninety-four-yard passing touchdown early in that game, giving Air Force an early advantage. Matthew Dapore added a field goal before Alec Mock sealed victory late with an eighteen-yard interception return for a touchdown. Although Navy managed a late score, it was not enough as Air Force accumulated two hundred eighty-eight total offensive yards (151 passing;137 rushing), while holding Navy to just one hundred twenty-four total yards over sixty-four plays—an average gain per play below two yards—and limiting them further by allowing only twenty-two rushing yards on thirty-five attempts defensively highlighted by Johnathan Youngblood’s thirteen tackles (two for loss) and Bo Richter’s seven tackles (four for loss).
Coach Calhoun commented on preparations: “We’re focused on execution this week and making sure we improve from last year.” Senior receiver Cade Harris said: “Every time we face Navy it’s tough football—both teams know what’s at stake.” Inside linebacker Blake Fletcher noted: “It comes down to discipline every snap.”
