The critical moment in the annual installment of the Army-Navy game happened early in the fourth quarter as the Midshipmen wanted to keep momentum on their side and turned to Landon Robinson to achieve that feat.
The 285-pound defensive lineman is tasked on 99 percent of plays to stop any runner from getting behind the defense. On a fourth down against the Black Knights, he was that ball carrier.
Navy called a fake punt from its side of midfield, facing a fourth and 5 with just over 11 minutes left in the game.
Army had just brought the service-academy rivalry to a one-possession game, down eight. Punting the ball back to the 11-win team may have flipped the game away from the Midshipmen for good.
Brian Newberry put the game in Robinson’s hands, as instead of being one of the up-men, he received the direct snap and easily got a first down and much more.
Upon being hit with by an Army defender, Robinson did fumble the ball, with Navy recovering deep in the Black Knights’ territory.
Navy’s Landon Robinson became a star during his team’s annual rivalry game against Army
Robinson got a first down on a fake punt to help the Midshipmen take down the Black Knights
The gutsy call led to Navy scoring a few plays later and extending the game to a 28-13 lead.
Robinson’s antics truly took any momentum Army had built up away with the traveling team from West Point never looking like the No 22 team in the country again.
Navy tacked on a field goal to win 31-13 and claim this year’s standalone-window victory.
Army and Navy now head to their respectively bowl games, facing Louisiana Tech and Oklahoma respectively.
And by the time next year’s game rolls around, Robinson’s game-sealing play will still be remembered.
