One of the biggest college football rivalries continues its tradition when Army and Navy kick off on Saturday afternoon at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia. And one of Emmaus’ former stars will suit up for the rivalry his last time.

Andy Davidson, a senior running back for Army at West Point, is days away from the 119th meeting. It will be the second-to-last game for Davidson, who has had a remarkable college career at Army.

“It’s an amazing scene to have 60-some thousand people screaming at any given moment,” Davidson said. “It’s a crazy atmosphere and a great one to be at.

“My time with football here is slowly winding down. It’s been a great experience so far, and we are trying to end the season strong for our best season yet.”

Army (9-2) is currently ranked No. 23 in the Associated Press Poll and No. 25 in the Amway Coaches Poll. It’s the first time since 1996 that the Black Knights find themselves in the top 25 of both polls.

After Army finished 2-10 in Davidson’s first season in 2015, there has been a dramatic rise over the past three seasons. The Black Knights finished 8-5 in 2016, won 10 games last season and could surpass that total this year.

“We have a great team, and it’s great to be ranked nationally,” Davidson said. “It’s the first time since the 90s that Army has been ranked. We are trying to increase it as much as we can and make it the best season we’ve had here in a long time.”

Following the Army-Navy game on Saturday, scheduled to kick off at 3 p.m., the Black Knights will end their season with a matchup against Houston in the Lockheed Martin Armed Forces Bowl on December 22.

“I think it comes down to the players on the team and making a commitment that 2-10 won’t happen again,” Davidson said. “We went 2-10 my freshman year, to 10-3 last year, and now we’re trying to get nationally ranked to end the season. We’re just trying to improve the program to get to the point where we are in that conversation for one of the best non-Power 5 teams in the country.”

And Davidson is just trying to do his part throughout a career that has seen him thrive in many roles. He’s handled mostly a reserve roll this season. The former Hornet has 56 carries for 241 yards (sixth on team) and one touchdown.

But just two years ago, Davidson was the Black Knights’ feature back. He ran for 961 yards and 12 touchdowns on 190 carries in 2016. He added 627 yards and five touchdowns as a junior after spending his first season at linebacker.

“I think whatever role you are thrown into, whether that is special teams up to starter, you have to excel as much as you can in that role,” Davidson said. “I’ve had a lot of games where I only played special teams in the beginning of my career, to games where I started, and games I was a role player.”

It’s certainly been a roller-coaster career thus far for Davidson. He’s no longer getting the 30-plus carries per game he became accustomed to at Emmaus.

But as long as the Black Knights are winning, and they are, he is fine with whatever role head coach Jeff Monken asks of him.

“It takes a lot of humility that some games you are going to get 30 carries a game, and then some games you are doing roles and blocking,” Davidson said. “Obviously it all depends on the game plan. It all comes down to being a team player. It’s whatever the team needs of you to win. And obviously we’re winning, so it’s working.”