A failed two-point conversion attempt proved to be the difference in the end, as Navy defeated the Oklahoma Sooners 21-20, in the Armed Forces Bowl at Amon G. Carter Stadium, in Fort Worth, Texas, on Friday.
The Sooners (6-7, 2-6 SEC) jumped out to a quick 14-0 lead with a pair of touchdowns in the first quarter.
Gavin Sawchuk scored on a 21-yard run to cap Oklahoma’s first possession of the game, then Michael Hawkins Jr. connected with Zion Kearney on a 56-yard touchdown pass, with 5:56 left in the first quarter.
Navy (10-3, 6-2 AAC) answered with an 11-yard touchdown run by Alex Tecza, and the Midshipmen tied the game when quarterback Blake Horvath broke through the Sooners’ defensive line and carried the ball 95-yards for a score, with 3:49 left in the third quarter.
With 4:34 left in the fourth quarter, Horvath scored again, this time on a six-yard run, and Navy led 21-14.
The Sooners failed to score on eight consecutive drives, but with time running out, OU drove 65 yards capped by a Hawkins 10-yard touchdown pass to Jake Roberts with six seconds remaining. OU coach Brent Venables elected to go for a two-point conversion, and the play was stopped on a sack, giving Navy the win.
“Obviously, everything falls on me,” Venables said. “If we’re dropping it or not converting fourth down, we’re missing field goals or we’re giving up explosive runs, everything falls at my feet. So, really disappointed in myself. I need to be a lot better. I think that goes without saying.”
Hawkins finished with a season-high 247 yards passing, completing 28-of-43. Hawkins also had 17 carries for 75 yards.
Horvath finished with 155 yards rushing and two touchdowns on 18 carries. He completed 7-of-12 passes for 92 yards through the air.
OU kicker Zach Schmit had one field goal attempt in the game, it came in the fourth quarter and missed from 52-yards out.
The Sooners finish with their second losing season in three years under Venables, and the coach believes his team will be better next season and hopefully won’t have the injuries they did this year. They’ll have to be better in order for him to not get fired.
“We’ve got a lot of experience coming back,” he said. “We had a lot of guys that had an opportunity this year that happened because of guys not being available…We’ve got a lot of work to do,”
This is the second time these two teams have played each other, and the Midshipmen are now 2-0 against Oklahoma. The only other meeting was a 10-0 Navy win at Norman in 1965. Navy has now beat an SEC team in a bowl game for the first time since a 21-0 win over Mississippi in the Sugar Bowl on New Year’s Day 1955. Not a stat that makes Sooners fans proud.