Another disappointing season for the Oklahoma Sooners ended with a 21-20 loss to Navy in the Lockheed Martin Armed Forces Bowl on Dec. 27 at Amon G. Carter Stadium on the campus of Texas Christian University in Fort Worth, Texas.
OU now has had two losing seasons in the past three years. The last time that happened, John Blake was the coach in the late 1990s.
This game was much like most of the 2024 season, with hopeful and exciting plays and then not much else.
The Sooners (6-7) jumped out to a 14-0 lead with just less than six minutes left in the first quarter, but they wouldn’t score again until the last few seconds remained in the game.
The Midshipmen (103) scored 21 unanswered points and stopped a two-point conversion with six seconds to go for the victory.
OU coach Brent Venables thought the game came down to a few crucial plays.
“I thought the rhythm of the game early (was good),” he said. “We had the opportunity to potentially make it 210. We converted a fake punt and got down to a fourth-and-1, and they knocked us backwards and we came up short. We had a couple of fourth (down) and shorts on their end of the field that we weren’t able to convert. You get these small windows in the course of a game to capitalize, and we didn’t do some of the basic things you have to do in order to win and put somebody in a really tough position to win.”
The Sooners received the opening kickoff and drove 65 yards in nine plays to go on top 7-0 early. Gavin Sawchuck ran 21 yards for the touchdown.
After a Navy punt, OU went 85 yards in just six plays to score again. Quarterback Michael Hawkins Jr. hit Zion Kearney for a 56-yard pass completion for the touchdown and a 14-0 lead.
The Midshipmen scored their first touchdown after the Sooners were stopped short on fourth-and-1 at their own 45-yard line. Alex Tecza went in from 11 yards out to get Navy within 14-7 at halftime.
The two teams exchanged punts to open the third quarter, setting up Navy with a firstand- 10 at its own 4-yard line. After a 1-yard run, quarterback Blake Horvath ran up the middle for a Navy-record 95yard touchdown run to tie the game at 14-all.
The two teams missed field goals before the Midshipmen went 65 yards in 12 plays to go on top 21-14 with 4:34 left to play. Horvath ran it in from six yards out for the score.
The Sooners got the ball with only 1:38 to go at their own 35-yard line and went 65 yards in 13 plays to get within a point on a Hawkins Jr. pass to Jake Roberts from 10 yards out.
OU decided to go for the win, but Hawkins Jr. was sacked on the twopoint conversion try — and Navy held on for the victory.
“We got what we thought we’d get,” Venables said. “We worked hard in that situation, particularly in the last few weeks. That situation, that if it was under 30 seconds, we were going to go for two. We made that decision earlier in the drive. We liked our opportunity there.”
Hawkins Jr. finished 28-of-43 passing for 247 yards and two touchdowns, and Sawchuck rushed 13 times for 67 yards and a TD to lead the Sooners. Ivan Carreon had seven catches for 72 yards.
Horvath rushed 18 times for 155 yards and threw for 92 yards for the Midshipmen.
