The pomp and ceremony that surrounds the annual Army-Navy Classic is certainly something to behold.
The march-on by the Corps of Cadets and the Brigade of Midshipmen is worth the price of admission, and just about everything else that goes on over the course of the day is designed to make America proud of its armed services.
Navy's 17-10 victory on Saturday at M&T Bank Stadium certainly delivered on that level, but the case can be made that the current one-sidedness of one of the most-storied rivalries in the history of sports is not such a great thing for either team.
Of course, you'll never hear a discouraging word from the players or coaches from the Naval Academy, who reveled in their 13th consecutive victory and handed their seniors full four-year bragging rights as they head off to answer the call of duty. What Navy has been able to achieve during the Paul Johnson/Ken Niumatalolo era is truly impressive, but the streak has reached the point where it might qualify as too much of a good thing.
This year's game obviously was a lot closer than the snow-swept 34-7 victory last year in Philadelphia, so it's possible to look at the changes that have been made by first-year Army coach Jeff Monken and see a possible shift in the imbalance of power between the nation's two most venerable service academies.
Army finished the season with a 4-8 record and it was easy to see the disappointment in the eyes of senior defensive end Joe Drummond after the game, but he was quick to endorse Monken's young program and was very positive about the Black Knights' ability to reclaim the high ground in the rivalry.
"Of course, it will be our one huge regret from our time here not beating our archrivals,'' Drummond said. "They're a fantastic program and they certainly did what they had to do today. They made plays in critical situations to get it done. When it comes to the program moving forward, we know that we're leaving it in very, very capable hands.
"The staff has done a fantastic job this past year getting Army football back to relevancy and back to competitive greatness. And that's the only thing could possibly be in our future."
Senior fullback Larry Dixon said it was painful walking off the field a loser, especially knowing that he would never play alongside his teammates again, but he said that was both because he is graduating and because of the close-knit culture that Monken instilled in this year's team.
"My freshman, sophomore and junior years, it was easier to leave the locker room because we weren't as close as a team," Dixon said. "That's the hardest thing I've ever had to do is just part ways with my teammates. I'm thankful for what Coach Monken has done, and I'm thankful for him, is he has created a family. … This team is as tight as we've ever been."
Monken, who spent six years as an assistant coach at Navy, moved swiftly when he took the job to create an atmosphere where the players lived and breathed the "Beat Navy" mantra. That was evident in the hard-hitting defense that held the vaunted Navy triple-option offense in check for most of the first half.
The Midshipmen rallied to score a touchdown before intermission and won the game largely because their defense kept Army from scoring an offensive touchdown, but the game was in doubt until the Mids recovered an onside kick in the final two minutes of the game.
Whether that is a sign of an Army comeback in this rivalry remains to be seen, but Monken thinks the tide is turning.
"I'm excited about the future of this program,'' he said. "I wasn't delusional thinking that everything was going to change at the snap of a finger when I walked in the room and said 'Here's the changes we're going to make.' It takes time. It takes more than just a season. It takes building a program and getting a philosophy and culture where I feel it needs to be a championship football program. I think we're well on our way but we haven't gotten there yet, but I'm absolutely confident that we will."
Navy marches on, of course. Niumatalolo became the winningest coach in the history of a program that has existed in three different centuries and quarterback Keenan Reynolds spent the day moving up a bunch of NCAA all-time lists.
The game illustrated the obvious similarities between the two option-oriented teams and the major difference – the Mids feature one of the most versatile and talented quarterbacks in the country and he'll be back next season.
Monken's big challenge will be finding the same kind of player to help him take the Black Knights to the next level.
"I think we're well on our way,'' Monken said. "We haven't gotten there yet, but I'm absolutely confident that we will."
Read more from columnist Peter Schmuck on his blog, "The Schmuck Stops Here," at baltimoresun.com/schmuckblog.