Army-Navy Game Defensive Stars to Watch for Black Knights, Midshipmen

Here are some of the top defensive stars to watch for both the Army West Point Black Knights and the Navy Midshipmen in Saturday’s game.

Dec 9, 2023; Foxborough, Massachusetts, USA; Army Black Knights linebacker Kalib Fortner (53) celebrates after his touchdown against the Navy Midshipmen during the second half of the Army-Navy Game at Gillette Stadium. / Danny Wild-Imagn Images

The defenses for both the Army West Point Black Knights and the Navy Midshipmen will have their hands full — but both have proven up to the task.

Army and Navy are preparing for their annual showdown, which is the 125th meeting of this storied rivalry. Kickoff at Northwest Stadium in Landover, Md. Is at 3 p.m. on Saturday on CBS.

The Black Knights (11-1) are allowing just 15.0 points per game. Army allows 297.9 total yards per game — 104.0 rushing yards and 193.9 passing yards. Army is among the Top 12 run-stopping units in FBS.

Navy (8-3) allows 23.2 points per game and 380.5 yards per game. The splits include 159.8 yards on the ground and 220.6 yards through the air.  

Here are three defensive players to watch for each team going into Saturday’s contest.

Army West Point

OLB Elo Modozie

He keeps getting to the quarterback and leads the Black Knights with 5.5 sacks from his outside linebacker position. He also has 29 tackles and six tackles for loss. With Navy’s ability to throw the football, a pass rush led by Modozie will be key to Arrmy getting the Midshipmen off-balance on Saturday.

ILB Kalib Fortner

Navy remembers Fortner well. He was the MVP of last year’s Army-Navy game after he led the Black Knights with 10 tackles and forced a strip-sack that he returned for a touchdown. The Midshipmen should know that Fortner is having another terrific year at inside linebacker for Army. He has 66 tackles and 8.5 tackles for loss.

S Casey Larkin

With four interceptions, he leads the Black Knights’ last line of defense in game-changing plays. One can bet he’ll be patrolling the backfield whenever it’s clear Navy intends to throw. Meanwhile, he has 42 tackles and 5.5 tackles for loss as he’s emerged as one of Army’s bellwether defenders.

Navy Midshipmen

NG Landon Robinson

Robinson was one of three players named all-American Athletic Conference first-team defenders, and as the Midshipmen prepare to face Army’s No. 1 rushing offense his presence on the field will be of utmost importance. He has started every game and has 43 tackles, 4.5 tackles for loss and four sacks.

LB Colin Ramos

His bio in the Navy game notes reads like a novel. Notably this year is that he was named all-American Athletic Conference first-team and might be the best linebacker in the entire conference. He is ranked eighth in the country in tackles per game (10.0), while his 20 tackles vs. Memphis are tied for the second most in the FBS this year. He has 110 tackles for the second straight season.

S Rayuan Lane III

The senior has made 41 straight starts, dating back to his freshman season, and like Robinson and Ramos, was named all-American Athletic Conference first-team. It’s the longest active streak in the FBS for a safety and the second longest by any player in the secondary. He also has seven career interceptions.