"We, as seniors, have seen three years of it. So we've had three years to make our mark on this game. The younger guys, they don't understand. Eight years is a long time to not win a game, and [a win] is something that the other captains and I want to have a chance to experience. Our main goal getting ready for this game is to make sure everyone understands how much that means."
The Black Knights (6-5) have broken several streaks this season under second-year coach Rich Ellerson but want more. A win over Navy (8-3) would assure them of their first winning season since 1996.
Ellerson, however, has been careful in preparing for this game. He has wondered aloud why Army has played poorly in its two highest-profile games this season, a 42-22 loss to Air Force and a 27-3 defeat at the hands of Notre Dame, a team Navy beat.
"We haven't been able to step onto this big stage with the bright lights and the high expectations," he said. "We stepped into those [two] environments, and we didn't handle it very well. I'm not saying we're good enough to beat those teams, but we'll never know because we didn't play our best football.
"My challenge is not to convince them that they have to do something that they haven't done before. On the contrary, I've got to get them in the moment so they can do what they normally do, and they know exactly what to do."
Navy, meanwhile, is enjoying what has become a typical season. The Mids are going to the Poinsettia Bowl in San Diego, the eighth consecutive year they have played in the postseason. Two more wins will enable their seniors to tie for the winningest class in academy history with 36 victories.
