It's hard to live with a service academy loss for an entire year.
That was reality for Navy coaches and players after they endured a 30-21 defeat at the hand of Air Force last October. Turnovers, mistakes and missed opportunities were the story that day as the Midshipmen saw their chances of keeping the Commander-in-Chief's Trophy take a huge hit.
That was a painful loss last year. Probably one of the most painful things I've experienced in sports. And our kids were hurting," Navy head coach Ken Niumatalolo said.
Quarterback Keenan Reynolds and nose guard Bernie Sarra were announced as team captains during Navy's season-ending football banquet and immediately made recapturing the Commander-in-Chief's Trophy the team's primary goal.