Air Force vs. Navy score: Falcons tame Midshipmen rushing attack to kick off Commander-in-Chief's Trophy race

Air Force kicked off the 51st battle for the Commander-In-Chief's Trophy with a win on Saturday

Air Force secured the leg up in the 51st edition of the battle for the Commander-In-Chief's Trophy with its 13-10 win over Saturday in Colorado Springs, Colorado. The Falcons spent much of the afternoon trying to defend its 10-0 first quarter lead from the upset-minded Midshipmen, and when the game was eventually tied in the fourth quarter, Air Force got the game-changing plays it needed from Haaziq Daniels and Brad Roberts to pull away with the win. 

Navy's defense did a solid job against Air Force's rushing attack, holding the nation's leader in rushing yards per game to half its average at just 200 yards on 47 attempts. Roberts (22 carries, 99 yards) and Daniels (14 carries, 65 yards) were the standouts for the Falcons offense with much of that damage done after halftime. 

The first half for Air Force started strong with Daniels connecting on a 67-yard touchdown pass to David Cormier on the third play of the game. 

The Falcons would take the ensuing offensive possession right down the field, adding a field goal to the total and establishing that 10-0 lead they would nurse for for the next three quarters. There were plenty of opportunities to pull away as Navy's offense struggled to move the ball, but Air Force lost two fumbles and punted twice on its final four possessions of the first half. 

Air Force would go on to clean up its mistakes in the second half, but Navy also found some success thanks to quarterback Tai Lavatai. With the ground game limited by Air Force's defense, Lavatai took to the air for a career-high 20 pass attempts, totaling more yards through the air (129) than the team had on the ground (114). 

Lavatai would go on to use his legs for the game-tying touchdown, dropping to pass only to take the free yards available between him and the end zone. 

Every year from 1997 to 2016, the winner of Air Force and Navy went on to win the Commander-In-Chief's Trophy, and these two programs have combined for 36 of the 45 outright wins in the series. Last year's trophy was shared with Army retaining the trophy from its 2020 win. Now the focus of the competition turns to the Black Knights hosting Air Force next month. With a win in that game, Air Force would be poised to claim its 21st win in the series and hoist the Commander-In-Chief's Trophy for the first time since 2016.