Navy’s Xavier Arline could be the last of the true triple option quarterbacks in college football.

Arline will be the Midshipmen’s boots on the ground when Navy takes on Army in the 124th rendition of America’s Game on Saturday (3 p.m.) for the first time at Gillette Stadium. Air Force beat Navy on Oct. 21 but lost to Army on Nov. 11. Army can claim sole possession for the Commander’s in Chief Trophy with a win over Navy.

The nation’s three services academies, Navy, Army, and Air Force, stubbornly held on the triple option ground game while the rest of FBS expanded into more prostyle passing offenses. The 21st century triple option is derived from the original Wishbone offense instituted at Texas by coach Darrell Royal in the late 1960s.

The NCAA essentially legislated the demise of the triple option when it outlawed the cut block on March 4, 2022. The new rule banned below the waist blocking outside of the tackle box in an attempt to limit knee injuries along the line of scrimmage. Navy adjusted to the rules change but also began integrating more multiple sets under first-year head coach Brian Newberry.

“It did make it more difficult because a lot of these schemes have been around since way before I was even born,” said Arline, a 5-9, 183-pound senior from Wading River, N.Y. “It was based on the cut block to get guys on the ground but some don’t take that into consideration when they see we are not rushing for the same yards we have in the past.

“We just knew we were going to have to become more physical along the perimeter and the big focus now is on leverage and understanding where the play wants to go and understanding the blocking we are going to use to get there.

“But at the end of the day it is guys just having to be physical where small 5-9 slot backs are going to take head on six-foot plus linebackers, but that is just as it is.”

Arline missed a chunk of spring football because he was the Midshipman’s featured attacker on the lacrosse team. When training camp broke in late August, Arline was at the bottom of the depth chart at quarterback.

Arline was too good an athlete to leave on the sidelines wearing a baseball cap and holding an iPad, so Newberry moved him to slot back. Arline started the season taking handoffs and running wheel routes but never lost his connection to the quarterback’s room.

When injuries and ineffective play eventually depleted the QB position, Arline became Navy’s fourth starter at Temple on Nov. 4 and has been under center every game since.

Arline has rushed for 316 yards on 72 carries with two touchdowns. He’s completed 23-of-47 passes for 320 yards and two touchdowns.

“He didn’t really get to participate in spring when we were installing the new offense and early on in the summer, we thought there were guys ahead of him,” said Newberry. “There was an emphasis of throwing the football more but at the same time he was a guy we needed playing for us.

“We wanted him to stay locked in on the quarterback stuff and still try to get him the ball in the slot to make sure we were getting our best players on the field.

“As the year went on, he got more reps at quarterback and he practiced really well though the course of the year. I don’t think the move to slot was something he wanted to do but he handled it really well. It was nice to see it come back full circle for him.”

Army coach Jeff Monken instituted the Flexbone offense a decade ago, a triple option offshoot the Cadets continued to employ through the 2022 season. The Black Knights didn’t totally abandon the Flexbone, but Monken steered his crew towards a more mainstream college offense this season under dual threat quarterback Bryson Daily.

“Sure, it’s a new look,” said Monken. “But Army has always had an identity to be tough and play hard and be a smart, disciplined football team.”

Army’s offense will continue to evolve and adapt because the academy is playing its final season as an FBS independent program. Army will join Navy in a football only arrangement with the American Athletic Conference. To maintain the unique integrity of America’s Game, Army will play Navy in a nonconference game the week after the AAC championship game.

“It just makes it a lot easier for us going forward to schedule,” said Monken. “This year we played three Power-5 games and we have no business playing three Power-5 games.

“We can’t recruit Power-5 players and we can’t beat Power-5 schools on prospects. It is just the nature who we are with the military commitment.

“We are a completely developmental program. We can’t go to the transfer portal and get a guy to replace a guy that left or if we feel we are short at a particular position.”

The Black Knights recouped after a devastating loss to fellow independent UMass on Oct. 28 to win their last three, including a 23-3 upset victory over No. 17 Air Force.

Army head coach Jeff Monken watches play against Missouri in the second half of the Armed Forces Bowl in Fort Worth, Texas on Dec. 22, 2021. (AP Photo/Emil Lippe)