When the Army West Point defense is on the field, Kalib Fortner is in the middle of nearly every play.

“Being in the middle of the defense right there, keeping leverage, not miss any tackles, but then also, just make sure everybody's on the same page,” said Fortner, a junior linebacker for the Black Knights. “We do a lot of checks, and I just make sure the defense is honed in.”

He takes a lot of pride in getting opposing offenses off the field. Fortner is second on the team in tackles this season, and is leading one of the top defenses in college football, including the best red zone defense in the nation.

“As teams have gotten closer, they've come up with some plays,” said Jeff Monken, Army’s head coach. “I think they feel a sense of urgency when the ball gets down there to try to stop the other team. And they're fighting like crazy to do it.”

For Fortner, it’s all about doing his 1/11th when he’s out on the field. Just like he did last year, when he forced a fumble and scored against Navy, getting the Black Knights the win over its rival, and earning the game MVP honor.

“It’s going to be hard to repeat that again. But I hope I make a big splash play to help the team win,” Fortner said. “I just happen to found myself the right place, right time that game. But hopefully, something like that can happen again.”

In what has been a historic season for Army (11-1), the Black Knights are working to continue the recent success against Navy (8-3) this weekend. In what will be the Black Knights most important game of the year, Fortner is locked in.

“I think it's more of the guys around me, knowing my assignment, know more of the concepts rather than just what I do on a specific play,” he said.

The 125th edition of this storied rivalry will take place at Northwest Stadium in Landover, Md. The Black Knights, in 101st Airborne Division Screaming Eagles uniform, will look to sing second for the third straight season for its seniors.

“I think [the seniors] set the ball very high for us,” Fortner said. I’m excited to step in as a senior this year and lead the team a little more. But I think they set the bar high, and I'm excited to get after.”