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The excitement was palpable heading into Saturday's matchup between Navy and Air Force.
From the pregame festivities to the field being stormed after the final play, neither team disappointed the sold out crowd at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium.
Malcolm Perry sealed the program's most exciting game of the season with a three-yard touchdown run with 23 seconds remaining to put the Midshipmen up, 28-25. With one second remaining, Tony Brown took an Air Force fumble eight yards for the score to give Navy the 34-25 win over their service academy rival in the first leg of the battle for the Commander-in-Chief’s Trophy.
A dog pile ensued on top of Brown as the sidelines and stands cleared with the Midshipmen in attendance storming the field.
Saturday's exciting win brought back memories of Navy's thrilling 2017 victory over the Falcons when Zach Abey's 16-yard touchdown pass to Tyler Carmona put the Mids up 48-45 with 15 seconds left. That also led to the field being stormed.
Navy (3-1) matched its 2018 win total in a evenly-matched game that started out slow. The Mids grinded their way to a 14-6 halftime lead and a 21-9 lead entering the fourth quarter. But the Falcons never gave up, scoring the first 16 points of the final period, taking a 25-21 lead with just over three minutes to go.
Perry, however, would not be denied. He passed for 144 yards on five completions and ran for 111 yards and two touchdowns, including the game-winner. Nelson Smith also logged 82 yards on the ground and two touchdowns.
Saturday's victory avenged last season's 35-7 loss in Colorado Springs and marked Navy's fourth straight win at home over Air Force (3-2).
The Midshipmen travel to face Tulsa Saturday, October 12 at 7:30 p.m. on ESPNU. They return home to play South Florida on Saturday, October 19 at 3:30 p.m. on CBS Sports Network.
