President-elect Donald J. Trump attended the annual Army-Navy football game in Maryland on Saturday with Pete Hegseth, his embattled choice for defense secretary, sending a message of support ahead of Senate confirmation hearings that are likely to take place next month.

Kickoff of the 125th Army-Navy Game was still two hours away. But the electricity was unlike anything I’ve seen before. Ultimately, Army-Navy is a football game and a good one at that. The Midshipmen entered Saturday’s game with an 8-3 record and with a pair of wins in their final two games of the season — against Army and over Oklahoma in the Armed Forces Bowl — they can clinch just their sixth double-digit win season in school history.