After more than three months, the 2015 college football regular season comes to its conclusion Saturday with one final game: The legendary Army-Navy game, played at Philadelphia’s Lincoln Financial Field. Kickoff is scheduled for 3 p.m. ET, with television coverage on CBS.
Army vs. Navy 2015: Start time, live stream, TV schedule and 3 things to know
College Football’s most storied rivals collide for the 116th time Saturday. Here’s now to see it.
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Army first played football against Navy in 1890, and have played every season since 1930. The 1944 matchup between the school was the original game of the century, and somehow managed to live up to the hype. Saturday’s meeting, the 116th between the two academies, finds Army in a historic losing streak against the Midshipmen. Navy has won the last 13 games of the series. Prior to this streak, no team had won more than five consecutive games in the history of the series.
It doesn't look good for Army this year, either. Navy enters ranked No. 21 in the College Football Playoff poll, having won nine games in its first season in the American Athletic Conference. Quarterback Keenan Reynolds set the FBS record for career rushing touchdowns earlier this season, and is one touchdown away from tying the Division I record set by Georgia Southern's Adrian Peterson in 2006.
Army, meanwhile, won two games in its second season under Jeff Monken. It’s not for lack of rushing offense: The Black Knights are eighth nationally in rushing yards per game, posting an average of 254 yards on the ground.
How to watch, stream and listen
TV: 3 p.m. ET, CBS
Online streaming: CBSSports.com
Spread: Navy is favored by 23 points.
Make friends: Both Army and Navy are covered at Underdog Dynasty.
Three big things to know
Keenan Reynolds’ big stage. There was a possibility that Reynolds, Navy’s record-breaking senior quarterback, could be helicoptered from Saturday’s game to the Heisman Trophy ceremony. That won’t be necessary, but with the eyes of the entire college football universe on him this weekend, Reynolds has a chance to make history. He is already the career rushing touchdown leader in FBS. He is two touchdowns away from holding the Division I record. Reynolds is tied with Florida State’s Dalvin Cook for the fifth-most touchdowns this season, and could pass Alabama’s Derrick Henry and Boise State’s Jeremy McNichols with a big Saturday. And if the Heisman snub sticks with Reynolds, there could be nothing better than passing the presumed Heisman frontrunner on national television moments before Henry is handed the trophy.
Monken’s last stand? Jeff Monken took the Army job in 2014 knowing full well that it’s one of the most difficult jobs in all of football. He replaced Rich Ellerson, who had coached Army to its only winning record this millennium in 2010 but followed it with a 8-28 record over the next three years. With a loss Saturday, Monken would fall to 6-17 at West Point. There’s no sign that Army is looking to make a change, but Monken’s seat will be on fire in 2016 if no move is made.
Damn the torpedoes. Navy will be wearing specialized uniforms with hand-painted helmets featuring a particular type of ship for each position group and ‘Damn the Torpedoes’ written down the pant leg and on the gloves. In case you were wondering, yes, they are better than your team’s alternates.
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