Air Force beats Navy 14-9 to get jump on Commander-in-Chief's Trophy competition

AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo. -- — Liam Szarka rushed for two touchdowns and Air Force defeated Navy 14-9 on Saturday.

This was the opening game of the round-robin Commander-in-Chief’s Trophy competition between Air Force (3-1), Navy (1-3) and Army. Air Force plays at Army Nov. 7 with the Midshipmen (1-3) taking on Army on Dec. 12 in East Rutherford, New Jersey. Air Force has won the trophy 21 times — the last time in 2022 — Navy 18 and Army 10. Air Force leads its series with Navy 35-24.

The Falcons never trailed with Szarka scoring on a 1-yard run to complete a 14-play, 65-yard drive that lasted nearly eight minutes. He added an 8-yard score in the final minute of the first half, set up by his fourth-down, 23-yard pass to Simon Kibbee on the previous play, for a 14-3 lead.

Navy's points came on a Nolan Bartley field goal and a 68-yard pass when Jackson Gutierrez found Truman Brasfield alone deep down the middle with seven minutes remaining in the third quarter. A failed 2-point conversion left Navy trailing by five.

The Midshipmen's final four possessions ended with a fumble then three drives for a combined 19 yards. They converted just 1 of 11 third downs for the game.

Szarka rushed for 81 yards and passed for 82 but was intercepted twice.

Gutierrez thew for 140 yards and rushed for 33 more.

Defense secretary Pete Hegseth spoke to the Air Force cadets prior to attending the game.

Up next

Navy: home against Tulsa next Saturday.

Air Force: at Northern Illinois next Saturday.

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