ARMY-NAVY GAME

December 10, 2022

Markel Johnson

Leo Lowin

Quinn Maretzki

Cade Ballard

Army Black Knights

Press Conference

Army - 20, Navy - 17 (2OT)

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. (No microphone.)

QUINN MARETZKI: Yes, sir, I'm so thankful for the coaches and for this team to put me in a position to be able to do that. This team fought so hard all season, and especially in this game. I'm just so grateful. We battled and just to be able to go out there and end that game in that way was really a blessing. It's so great to get that win.

Q. Tell us about the defense. Nine punts today. 16 tackles. Goal line play in the second overtime.

LEO LOWIN: Coach Woody always does a great job. These games are our big games, especially against Navy. I think the guys on the team took that to heart and wanted to step up.

Kalvyn came and made that huge play on the goal line, get the ball out. D. Rich slayed on it, held strong. I couldn't be more proud of this team and this defense, the way we've progressed this year. It was awesome. I'm so happy for us.

Q. Markel, tell us about your run in the first overtime.

MARKEL JOHNSON: First, I just want to start off by talking about the defense and how hard they played. Like you said, forcing the punt nine times, that's incredible. They continuously kept giving us a chance to score.

I'm just grateful for getting the chance to go in there and score. I really want to talk about my brothers who helped me, cleared the way for me to have that touchdown in overtime.

The biggest thing for me was how we didn't flinch. We responded in overtime. First play out there we went and scored. Then, like I said, the big fumble, the recovery holding on. I just think it was a culminating thing where we all came together to win the game.

Q. Talk about your game today. You didn't know you were going to start.

CADE BALLARD: Yeah, so we kind of put together a plan a couple weeks ago on the bye week. Just really came in knowing whoever plays was going to have a good plan to go in and try to execute.

I mean, I know probably a couple weeks ago, I didn't know I was going to start, but I was going to play a lot. Then we went out and practiced. Everybody just had to come in and give it their best effort every day, and everybody did.

Just kind of happened with personnel on the first play that I happened to be under center on the first snap.

Q. (No microphone.)

LEO LOWIN: No doubt. I mean, it's pretty surreal. Something you always kind of dream up growing up. I'm sure a lot of people probably watched the Army-Navy game growing up. To be out there and actually feeling the feeling of winning in overtime, two kicks, one to send it to overtime, one to win it. It's an indescribable feeling. I'm just so happy for this team, I'm pumped.

Q. (No microphone.)

QUINN MARETZKI: Yes, sir, it's obviously a big moment. But I try my best just to put that aside. We do a lot of mental work and all that. Just being able to block everything out, trust your swing, let the protection hold their snapper.

Did a wonderful job in the operation. Just for the defense to stop the other team, for the offense to put us in that position, they made that job so easy for me. All I had to really do was just go out there and not really even think.

Q. (No microphone.)

MARKEL JOHNSON: So the locker room, the energy was magnetic. You can't really describe it. I'm just glad that I could send the seniors out with a win. That was definitely the goal here, to send the seniors out with a big win.

But I think the biggest thing for me is just seeing their faces once we won the game, all the hard work that we put in time after time, as we went through trials and tribulations at times during the season, the seniors never gave up on us, we never gave up on them.

For me personally just seeing their faces after we got that win, it meant a lot to me.

Q. (No microphone.)

LEO LOWIN: I mean, that's something Markel says a lot, just bend, don't break.

Navy has a good team, a good offense, got some players. Obviously they're going to make some plays. As long as, like you said, we don't break, don't give up that big one, that was what mattered. That was able to get ourselves a chance to win the game.

Q. (No microphone.)

LEO LOWIN: No doubt. I mean, that's just football. I was obviously super happy that that happened. I don't think that we really necessarily thought they were going to score when they were down there. That's all it takes, is just one little play, and the whole game could switch just like that.

Obviously we were really happy it did.

Q. (No microphone.)

QUINN MARETZKI: Yes, sir. I had a kick just like that earlier in the season against Troy, 42-yarder, left hash, wide right. That was really tough to overcome, let the team down that way.

But I can't speak enough to this team, this coaching staff, the entire program for putting the trust in me to put me out there in that position again.

I'm just really grateful for a bit of redemption to get that for the team. Eternally grateful for that.

Q. (No microphone.)

LEO LOWIN: I mean, like I said, that's something you dream about. It's a huge game. This is the only game today. Everybody has their TVs on. But we try to forget about all that, just play as hard as we can, believe in ourselves and this team, these seniors, send them out on a high note. What a wonderful way to do it, in overtime with a game-winning field goal.

MARKEL JOHNSON: Kind of to go off of that, I think the biggest thing for us is like with the defense making that stop, making that fumble, that we didn't fold, we didn't flinch. I think that was the biggest thing for that win, is that whenever the lights came on, when it was overtime, we thought it was just another drive in the first quarter, and we handled it that way.

I think that was the biggest thing for us, was how we came back and just didn't let adversity control the outcome of the game.

Q. (No microphone.)

CADE BALLARD: I think they touched on it.

To play in a game of this magnitude, the rivalry that it is, it's special. The game kind of goes how I feel my career's gone here. You keep your head down and you keep working. When you do that, good things are going to happen.

I can't say enough about these guys to my left here and everybody in that locker room, just how hard they play. These games, they just take a life of their own when you play in 'em, kind of the spirit of the game. It's incredible to really feel it.

It just takes the shape of its own. To go out on a win like this one, to be able to contribute and play was a blessing, as well. But just like what these guys said, it means everything to go out and win this game, how tough this football team is.

I think it's just an incredible way to end it here.

Q. (No microphone.)

LEO LOWIN: No doubt, that was pretty incredible. The guy who did it was Noah Short. He'd been working all week at that. Was behind Jimmy. Jimmy Ciarlo hurt his hip or something in the game. Short got the shot. He's a freshman. Obviously that's awesome for him. I think Jabril Williams was the guy who recovered it, also a freshman.

Just see a bright future on the team. To see them step up like that in a big game and make a big play like that, it was awesome. I'm just so happy for them.

Q. (No microphone.)

LEO LOWIN: It is similar to our offense. Obviously all spring we work against them, get a lot of reps against them, it's nice to have that experience going into the game, it's not all brand-new. Especially against Air Force, it's similar stuff.

That definitely helped us prepare for this game. Not a whole lot of change of assignments. That was useful.

CADE BALLARD: I think what I'll take from this program and the culture that's been built here is how hard you have to work to put yourself in a position to have the big moments like we had today as a team.

When I look at the faces that made plays today, look at everybody else that was on the sideline excited, getting everybody into the game, the amount of work that it takes to get to that point is incredible.

I think when I graduate here, that's what I'll take with me, is how much work it takes to put yourself in position. When the lights are on, you have to make the plays. I think that's what I'll take.

Q. (No microphone.)

LEO LOWIN: I mean, that's awesome. But I feel like really I'm just more happy for this team than anything. To send out the seniors the way that we did. I know that means the world to them.

I'm just so happy for guys like Marquel and Connor who worked so hard and put this team in front of themselves, given their program their all. Just to send them out like that was amazing.

Q. (No microphone.)

CADE BALLARD: I think the uniforms every year have been unbelievable, and the stories behind the units that we represent. I think today, just fought until the last play. I think that's what we did today. I think that's what that unit is about.

Going out the way we did today, I think it is poetic justice kind of the way it ended. I think I'll leave it there.

Q. (No microphone.)

CADE BALLARD: A lot. I'll try to keep it short.

I'm branch field artillery. I think after the game, there was a ton of people coming up, people that are overseas currently, their parents are here, whatever, kind of how much it means to the Army in general.

I think we're going to be on that same team hopefully in a few short months here. I'm sure those will go fast. But I think what I'm going to take is just the people and relationships I've made and how they've affected me over four years, how much I've grown as a person. I think I've been prepared as well as you can be, anybody that graduates from this institution, to be able to go lead soldiers. I'm excited to do it.