The critical moment in the annual installment of the Army-Navy game came early in the fourth quarter, when the Midshipmen looked to keep the momentum on their side and turned to Landon Robinson to accomplish that feat.
The 285-pound defensive lineman is tasked with preventing a runner from getting behind the defense on 99 percent of plays. On a fourth-down loss to the Black Knights, he was that ball carrier.
Navy called a fake punt from the midfield side and faced a fourth-and-5 with just over 11 minutes remaining.
Army had just taken the Service Academy rivalry to a one-possession game, trailing by eight. Kicking the ball back to the 11-win team may have turned 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 gained a first down and then some.
After being hit by an Army defender, Robinson fumbled 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 scoop on a fake punt to help the Midshipmen take down the Black Knights
The courageous call led to Navy scoring a few plays later to extend the game to a 28-13 lead.
Robinson’s antics really took away any momentum Army had built with the traveling team from West Point and never looked like the No. 22 team in the country again.
Navy made a field goal to win 31-13 and claim this year’s standalone win.
Army and Navy now head to their bowl games, facing Louisiana Tech and Oklahoma, respectively.
And by the time next year’s match rolls around, Robinson’s decisive play will still be remembered.