Quarterback Blake Horvath and the Midshipmen defense help overcome nine-point second half deficit.
In 2024, an incredible effort by quarterback Blake Horvath and an inspired defensive effort led Navy to a 31-13 upset of No. 22 Army in the Army-Navy Game presented by USAA. Horvath accounted for 311 yards and four total touchdowns to help Navy clinch the coveted Commander-in-Chief’s Trophy.
One year later, in front of nearly 71,000 fans on Saturday at M&T Stadium in Baltimore, Horvath didn’t put up the same numbers, but he and his defense produced the same results: a win over the Black Knights and another Commander-in-Chief’s Trophy.
The Midshipmen quarterback hit record-setting Sniper Z (slotback) Eli Heidenreich on a fourth-down 8-yard touchdown pass with 6:32 to go in the game, giving Navy its first lead since five seconds into the second quarter. From there, Navy’s defense held, and the offense was able to get a critical first down and close out a 17-16 victory.
Horvath turned the ball over twice, but he still threw for 82 yards and ran for 107 more, including one for a score that gave Navy an early 7-0 lead. He was able to help rally his team from a 16-7 third quarter deficit, as did a Navy defense that held Army to field goals on a drive that moved inside the Midshipmen’s 5-yard line and two others that reached inside the 30.
“I think it’s just our identity. We’ve been able to bounce back all year through adversity and all that,” Horvath said. “It’s just trust. The guys trust in me, and I trust in them. I wasn’t having my best game, and the O-line and Eli Heidenreich and all those guys just took over and won this game.”
Navy improved to 10-2 and next will play Cincinnati in the AutoZone Liberty Bowl.
“What a game,” Navy coach Brian Newberry said. “Hats off to Army. They’re resilient. They played their tails off. It wasn’t pretty. It didn’t look good at times. But our guys found a way, and they’ve done that all year. Just super proud of our players. The resilience. The guts. The fight. Couldn’t be more proud.”
Army, which had won three of four games heading into Saturday, fell to 6-6 and will face Connecticut in the Wasabi Fenway Bowl.
“It’s a little difficult to put into words: the pain of that loss,” Black Knights coach Jeff Monken said. “I feel terrible for our team, our players, our seniors. Such a hard-fought game by both teams.
“We made some good plays. They made more. And unfortunately, we had a chance to make some plays that were out, and we didn’t. That’s the name of the game. You’ve got to make the plays.”
Down 16-7, Horvath’s 37-yard run keyed a 72-yard drive that ended with a short field goal by Nathan Kirkwood. The teams exchanged punts, but on Army’s next possession, Army quarterback Cale Hellums was pressured and threw an interception to Navy safety Phillip Hamilton at midfield.
Navy moved down the field, recovering its own fumble in the process, to set up Horvath’s fourth-down pass to Heidenreich – now the school’s all-time leader in both single-season and career receiving yardage.
Army was forced to punt with 4:55 to go, and Navy picked up two first downs – the second on a 2-yard run by running back Alex Tecza on fourth-and-1 – to allow Horvath to kneel down and run out the clock.
“This is a game that the competitors, I think the guys out there that are playing want to win this game more than anybody that competes in anything wants to win,” Monken said. “It is so hard fought. So much pride. So much put into it. It’s a 365-day-a-year rivalry, and it all culminates on one day.”
Newberry had a similar sentiment. “Glad these are the guys on both sides who are going to lead and serve and be warfighters, if necessary,” he said. “I think anyone watching this game, whether they have ties to Army or Navy, is proud as an American to watch these guys the way they do things. These are special young men. They make a decision to do the hard things, to serve their country. And the only bad thing about this game is that somebody’s got to sing first.”
Both teams scored on their opening drive, the first time in the game since 2021. Navy drove 75 yards in 13 plays, keyed by 45 yards on the ground from Horvath and a key 11-yard catch-and-run from Eli Heidenreich. Horvath capped the drive with a 5-yard run up the middle.
Army responded with its own 75-yard drive that lasted more than seven minutes and was aided by a 15-yard face-mask penalty that gave the Black Knights a first down at the Navy 10. Two plays later, Hellums went straight ahead for the scoring, giving him 48 yards on the drive.
Navy would punt on its next possession, and Army moved 63 yards on the strength of a 21-yard third-down pass from Hellums to Noah Short, to set up a 20-yard field goal from Dawson Jones.
Navy appeared to be on the verge of tying the game late in the first half, driving to the Army 27 with 41 seconds left in the half. But two plays later Horvath fumbled while being pressured and was recovered by Jack Bousum on his team’s 45.
A 24-yard completion from Hellums to Brady Anderson and then a 3-yard run from the quarterback set up Jones for a 45-yard field goal as the half expired.
Army appeared to seize control in the third quarter when a throw from Horvath was picked off by Army’s Justin Weaver, who returned the pick 32 yards for what appeared to be a touchdown. But after an official review, Weaver was ruled down, and Army took over at the 32.
Navy’s defense held, and Jones again delivered, this time nailing the kick from 48 yards out with 9:39 to go in the third.
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