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Navy Football: 5 reasons Midshipman will be better than Army in 2018

By Gavin Jernigan

PHILADELPHIA, PA - DECEMBER 12: The Navy Midshipmen run off the field after warm ups before the game against the Army Black Knights at Lincoln Financial Field on December 12, 2015 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)
PHILADELPHIA, PA - DECEMBER 12: The Navy Midshipmen run off the field after warm ups before the game against the Army Black Knights at Lincoln Financial Field on December 12, 2015 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images) /
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After two years of the rivalry swinging in Army’s favor, it is time for the Navy Midshipmen to take back the Commander-in-Chief trophy.

After a loss to the Army West Point Black Knights for the second year in a row, the Navy Midshipmen are serious about winning back one of college football’s best rivalries. These two wins from Army come after a 14-year win streak in favor of the Midshipman.

Quite honestly, the wins by Army bring a sense of life to the rivalry. It felt as though it was almost a guaranteed win for Navy for many years. Additionally, the wins by Army bring a sense of relief to the Navy players. For years, the tension in the Navy locker room was incredible, resultant from the fear that they might be the team that lost “the streak”. Now that the streak is broken, one year too many for the Midshipmen, the Navy team is ready to start a new streak.

On the other hand, Army has a two-year streak of its own. That’s a big accomplishment! Coach Jeff Monken has, by far, the biggest role in this achievement. Coach Monken and Coach Niumatalolo, both disciples of Coach Paul Johnson, coached together at Navy from 2002 to 2007. Many of Navy’s current assistants were on the staff together with Monken as well. This familiarity has allowed Coach Monken to better understand the way Navy runs both their offense and defense, and win the chess match the Army-Navy game often becomes.

Although Army has won the Army-Navy game the past two years, they were not necessarily the better team. Here are a few reasons why Navy will clearly be the better team in 2018.

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