Brian Newberry is an Oklahoma native, so the second-year Navy head coach got something special from the Midshipmen’s victory over the Oklahoma Sooners, 21-20, in the Armed Forces Bowl on Friday.

After going 5-7 in his first season at the helm in 2023, his first year after replacing longtime coach Ken Niumatalolo, he shined in his second year at the helm as the Midshipmen finished the year 10-3.

It is Navy’s sixth season with 10 wins, five since 2000. Newberry also joins the list of Midshipmen head coaches who have won the Commander in Chief’s Trophy, as the Midshipmen defeated both the Air Force and the Navy this season Army defeated West Point.

He also extended the Service Academy Schools’ winning streak in the Armed Forces Bowl to four games and the Service Academy Schools’ overall record in the game to 9-5.

Newberry had a chance to speak to the media after the game.

He grew up a Sooners fan in Oklahoma and attended his first Sooners game in 1985.

He played quarterback at Westmoore High School in Oklahoma City, earned a scholarship to Baylor and helped the Bears to a Southwest Conference co-championship in 1992, his senior season. With Baylor, he moved to defense and played safety.

That led to Newberry coaching in the defensive side of football, as he began his college career as a graduate assistant at Southern Arkansas in 1999. He worked his way up the ladder to become Navy’s defensive coordinator in 2019 and then succeeded Niumatalolo as head coach.

Midshipmen quarterback Blake Horvath led the way in Navy’s victory, its first victory over an SEC team in a bowl game since the 1960s.

Horvath finished the game with 92 yards on 7 of 12 passes. He also managed a game-high 155 yards on 18 carries, including two touchdowns.

One of those scores was a 95-yarder that tied the game and proved to be the longest run from scrimmage in Navy and Armed Forces Bowl history.

Alex Tecza ran for 43 yards on 15 carries, including a touchdown. Eli Heidenreich rushed for 23 yards and Daba Fofana rushed for six yards on two carries.

Heidenreich caught two passes for 22 yards, while Brandon Chatman also caught two passes for 12 yards. Nathan Kent, Cody Howard and Isaiah Bryant each had one reception.

On defense, Colin Ramos had a team-high 12 tackles with one tackle for a loss, while Kyle Jacob had nine tackles and Kenneth McShan had eight tackles.