Navy dug themselves out of a 14-0 hole, then made a two-point conversion stop at the end, to hold off Oklahoma, 21-20, and claim the Lockheed Martin Armed Forces Bowl title. Quarterback Blake Horvath was named the game's MVP after rushing for 155 yards and two touchdowns. Alex Tecza added another touchdown, while Colin Ramos led the defense with 12 tackles. OU quarterback Michael Hawkins Jr. threw for 247 yards and two TDs to lead the Sooners. The win brings Navy to 10-3, the sixth ten-win season in program history. Oklahoma fell to 6-7.

"I thought both teams battled," said Navy head coach Brian Newberry. "I thought we got off to a poor start from an execution standpoint. We struggled to get off the field on third down defensively. We struggled to get anything going and get into a rhythm offensively. I'm really proud of our players, to be down 14-0 and to fight back and scratch and claw."

Oklahoma started the opening drive in good field position after Lance Gossett's kickoff sailed out of bounds. They took full advantage, driving 65 yards in nine plays and capping off the drive with a 21-yard Gavin Sawchuk touchdown run. The Sooners played up-tempo on the drive, and it seemed to catch the Mids off guard, with open gaps leading to 46 yards coming on the ground. The Sooners had a 7-0 lead with 11:33 remaining in the first quarter.

Navy took their first possession into Oklahoma territory after Horvath connected with Nathan Kent up the left sideline for 32 yards to the OU 41. But the next play was a toss that lost two yards, and that was followed up by a false start penalty. The Mids got the penalty yardage back on the next play, but Horvath's third-down pass to Eli Heidenreich was off the mark. Riley Riethman's punt was downed at the OU 15.

After throwing two incomplete passes to the right flat to start the Sooners' second drive, Michael Hawkins Jr. picked up a first down by scrambling to the right sideline. A defensive holding penalty gave them another first down on the next play. Three plays later, they were back in the end zone. Hawkins rolled out to his left, then reversed course and rolled to his right. On the run, he delivered a perfect pass to Zion Kearney, who turned upfield past a diving defender and ran into the end zone. The play went 56 yards and gave Oklahoma a 14-0 lead with 5:56 remaining in the first quarter.

The Sooners' tempo caught Navy off guard, but they were eventually able to adjust.

"We just had to settle down a bit," said linebacker Colin Ramos. "I think we were just a little on edge at first, but then we calmed down and we adjusted pretty well, I think."

"We have an assignment. We have a job to do," said Justin Reed. "I think at first they caught us off guard, but we just had to reset ourselves, get ourselves under control, and go back to where our training was. Go back to our responsibilities."

Isaiah Bryant returned the ensuing kickoff 39 yards to the 37-yard line, where the Navy offense took over. After an option keeper lost 4 yards on first down, Horvath took a draw play up the left sideline for 37 yards to the OU 30. Again, though, Navy couldn't convert. On fourth and five from the 25, Horvath overthrew an open Heidenreich, and the Mids turned the ball over on downs with 2:27 to go in the quarter.

Horvath had several throws he wished he could have back, but he wasn't rattled, trusting in his defense to come through for him.

"Definitely a lot of throws I want to have back," he said. "But the defense kept playing their tails off and kept us in the game. It felt like we should have been out of the game, but we weren't. It's the unwavering faith I have in the guys and our coaching staff. I knew that 14 points wasn't going to win it."

After taking possession, OU picked up a first down after three straight runs, moving to their 36-yard line. Then they threw three straight passes, but only picked up seven yards. They lined up to punt but ran a fake, with punter Luke Elzinga connecting with Woodi Washington crossing over the middle. The play went 28 yards to the Navy 29. Oklahoma advanced to the Navy 20 and faced fourth and 1, but Kyle Jacob stopped Xavier Robinson for no gain to end the threat with 11:46 to go in the second quarter.

Navy couldn't do anything with the opportunity, though, going three and out. On second and 6, Horvath was stopped in the backfield for a two-yard loss. On the next play, he threw another off-target pass, missing Heidenreich again for a potential first down. Riley Riethman's punt went 70 yards with no return, and Oklahoma took over on their eight-yard line.

The Sooners advanced to their 45 and again faced fourth and one. They chose to go for it, and the Navy defense held firm once again. Hawkins was stopped on a draw play by Justin Reed for no gain, and Navy took the ball in plus territory with 7:16 remaining in the half. This time, they found the end zone. Tecza ran up the middle for 11 yards to cap a six-play, 45-yard drive. The key play on the drive came on third and one from the OU 36. Horvath lined up like he was going to sneak but instead pulled back and threw to Cody Howard for 21 yards. The touchdown made the score 14-7 with 3:40 to go in the half.

Gossett's kickoff bounced out of bounds at the one-yard line, and OU took the ball at their 35. After a false start penalty and a two-yard loss on a wide receiver screen, the Sooners faced third and 16. Hawkins had Zion Ragins open in the middle of the field but the pass fell incomplete. The ensuing punt only went 11 yards, giving Navy the ball at the OU 40 with 2:41 remaining in the quarter. This time, though, the Mids couldn't move the ball, going three and out. Riethman's punt was downed at the OU seven.

With 1:39 to work with before halftime, OU advanced to their 46, but time ran out. Earlier in the drive, Kearney was all alone at the Navy 39, but Hawkins' pass was underthrown, and Kearny dropped it. The Sooners took a 14-7 lead into the locker room.

Navy took the opening possession of the third quarter and drove 26 yards into OU territory, but on third and nine from the OU 49, Horvath missed another open receiver on a waggle play, and the Mids were forced to punt. Riethman's punt went into the end zone, and OU took possession at the 20. They drove to the Navy 45 in nine plays, all runs. But the last of those runs was a stop for no gain on third and five. OU punted, and Rayuan Lane III fair caught the ball at the Navy 4 with 5:01 to go in the third quarter.

Two plays later, Navy was in the end zone. Horvath kept the ball on a power read, and when the defense followed the sweep, he had nothing but green grass in front of him. The 95-yard run was the longest in school history, surpassing Johnny Sai's 93-yarder against Duke in 1963. Nathan Kirkwood's extra point tied the game at 14 with 3:49 left in the third quarter.

"With some overpursuit by them, and some tendencies they showed earlier, I thought I could get it pulled," said Horvath of his run. "Then Brandon Chatman busted his tail to get his butt down the field and block for me. I'd probably get tackled at the 30, 40-yard line if not for him."

After a touchback on the kickoff, Navy recovered a fumble on Oklahoma's first play of the next drive. Kyle Jacob knocked the ball out of Hawkins' hands, and it was recovered by Andrew Duhart at the OU 26. The Mids squandered the opportunity, though. Horvath overthrew Heidenreich on a wide-open flea flicker, then Kirkwood missed a 38-yard field goal attempt wide right. The Sooners took possession at their 20. After a dropped flea flicker on first down, Hawkins Ivan Carreon for 21 yards on third and six to move to the OU 45. Two plays later, Hawkins appeared to score on a 56-yard run, but the play was called back due to a holding penalty. The Sooners advanced to the Navy 34, but Zach Schmit's 52-yard field goal attempt was wide right, and Navy took over with 12:06 remaining in the game.

After that, Navy launched their go-ahead drive. Heidenreich took an option pitch 8 yards for a first down. He then took a reverse for seven yards, followed by a screen to Isaiah Bryant for 5 yards and another first down. Three plays later, Horvath rolled out and found Brandon Chatman for 10 yards and picked up yet another first down. Then, on fourth and three from the OU 22, Horvath hit Heidenreich for 16 yards. Horvath took the ball the remaining 6 yards on the next play, capping a 12-play, 66-yard drive that took 7:32 off the clock. Navy had their first lead with 4:34 left to play, up 21-14.

"There was something different about that drive," said Horvath. "We knew what we had to do. Just to take [7:32] off the clock to wear down their defense, which was something we hadn't really done the entire game."

The Sooners could only pick up one first down on the ensuing possession and elected to punt it away with three timeouts and the two-minute timeout remaining. After the punt, it was Navy's ball with 2:56 remaining. They couldn't pick up a first down after three runs up the middle. Riethman punted on fourth and one, and Oklahoma took over at their 35-yard line with 1:47 remaining after a penalty on the return.

OU started working their way down the field. On fourth and six from their 39, Hawkins zipped the ball to Jake Roberts for a seven-yard gain. Then Hawkins found Ragins on the right side for eight on third and five. A 14-yard pass to Carreon put OU on the Navy 38. Kyle Jacob sacked Hawkins on the next play, but a defensive holding penalty on third and 17 gave the offense a reprieve. Two plays later, Hawkins hit a wide-open Roberts in the corner of the end zone to make it 21-20 with six seconds left.

Oklahoma coach Brent Venables elected to go for the two-point conversion and the win. Hawkins dropped back to pass but was swarmed by Navy defenders. Eventually, Justin Reed brought him down, and the Navy sideline stormed the field. The ensuing onside kick failed, and Blake Horvath took a knee to end the game.

"It was a great play that I was able to make, but I couldn't have done it without my guys," said Reed of the conversion stop. "We just made sure we stayed composed after they got the touchdown. We just fall back on our training. Everyone did their 1/11th out there."

For Navy, ten wins are the icing on the cake after a season in which the team achieved the goals it set out to accomplish in August.

"I'm just so proud of these guys," said Ramos. "Everything that we talked about that we wanted to achieve, we went out there and did that. To do that with these guys, to finish the season like this, with a win over Oklahoma, winning the CIC, winning ten games... It's incredible and special, and I'll never forget it."