The Navy Midshipmen began the second phase of their 2025 football schedule with a 21-13 win over the Rice Owls in front of 28,873 at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium in Annapolis on Saturday.
The Owls deferred the toss. Enock Gota’s kickoff ended up as a touchback giving Navy 1st-and-10 from their 25-yard line on the opening drive. Quarterback Blake Horvath took the first play up the middle for a five-yard rush on a quarterback keeper. The next play, an option to running back Brandon Chatman off the right side of the line, went for 22 yards into Rice territory.
Horvath rushed left for seven yards then threw an incomplete pass intended for running back Eli Heidenreich. He then threw complete to running back Alex Tecza for a 10 yard gain. However, running back Charles Robinson took a carry off the right for a nine yard gain but it was called back for a holding penalty on offensive tackle Jaylin Acevedo.
Starting with 2nd-and-20 at the Rice 41, Horvath rushed up the middle for five yards, and then again for two yards. Facing 3rd-and-13, he hit Heidenreich open across the middle for a 15-yard gain to move the chains in the red zone.
Tecza rushed up the middle for two yards. Chatman rushed right for a dozen and now the Midshipmen were facing 1st-and-goal at the five-yard line. After three unsuccessful rushing plays that were stopped by the Rice Owls interior defense, including a one-yard loss when Tecza was stuffed by linebacker Tony Anyanwu, the Midshipmen faced 4th-and-goal from the Rice two-yard line. Wide receiver Luke Hutchison took a reverse around the right side for the touchdown. Nathan Kirkwood kicked the extra point and the Midshipmen led 7-0 with 7:04 left in the opening quarter. The 14 play drive went 75 yards and consumed 7:56 off the clock.
The Owls offense took the field for the first time. Running back Quinton Jackson took a handoff up the middle but was met by Navy defensive tackle Griffen Willis in the backfield for a five-yard loss. Quarterback Chase Jenkins took a quarterback keeper up the middle for four yards, but then threw incomplete, intended for wide receiver Tyson Thompson at the Rice 33-yard line. Alex Bacchetta came on to punt it away to Navy’s Chatman, who signaled fair catch at the Navy 25-yard line.
Neither team could get things rolling on their next possession as both teams punted the ball away after-going three-and-out after possessing the ball for two minutes of play.
Navy began their third drive of the day from their 20-yard line and 1:24 left in the opening quarter. Tecza took the handoff up the middle and made it into the secondary, taking off for a 65-yard run before getting tripped up by Owls linebacker Andrew Awe, who grabbed the running back’s shoe. Now 1st-and-10 from the Rice 15-yard line, Horvath took the quarterback keeper left for seven yards when the quarter ended. Horvath took the first play of the second quarter, a quarterback keeper, off the left side of the line for an eight-yard touchdown run. Nathan Kirkwood’s extra point was good and the Midshipmen now led 14-0 with 14:56 left until halftime. The three-play drive went 80 yards in 1:28 time of possession.
The Owls found themselves in a hole that was difficult to get out of. The Navy defense was relentless, but the rain opened up in a steady downpour as well. Jenkins did hit wide receiver Braylen Walker for an 11-yard reception, but Walker also dropped a wide open pass for a sure first down. After six plays where Rice only got one first down, Bacchetta came back on to punt again with 12:07 left until the half.
The Midshipmen also had their share of problems on their next possession. Starting at the Navy 14-yard line, Horvath took a quarterback keeper up the middle for eight yards. Heidenreich then rushed right for a 15-yard gain, but Hutchison was called for holding. Heidenreich was given credit for five yards on the play. Horvath rushed up the middle for four yards and Heidenreich rushed for seven. Navy had now cleared some space after the penalty.
It was 1st-and-10 at the Navy 28 when Horvath hit Chatman deep for 26-yards. He hauled it in between two defenders in the middle of the field one-handed. After review it was ruled a catch. The Midshipmen were now in Owls territory.
Then the offensive line moved. The false start penalty moved them back to the Navy 49. Horvath hit wide receiver Nathan Kent for a 15-yard gain to move the chains. Then offensive tackle Sean Crowley committed a false start penalty to move them five yards further back again. Robinson gained three yards back but two incomplete passes made it 4th-and-long. Jacob Carlson came out and punted the ball 28 yards to the Rice 10-yard line.
However, when Tyson Thompson signaled fair catch, sophomore cornerback Philip Hamilton did not see him and was flagged for a kick catch interference penalty, a 15-yard penalty from where the foul occurred. It was Rice ball at their 25-yard line with 7:22 left until halftime.
Running back Daelen Alexander rushed twice for five yards and one yard respectively, and Jenkins tried to hit wide receiver Aaron Turner over the middle but it was incomplete. Rice went three-and-out.
The Midshipmen elected to keep the next possession solely on the ground. Chatman rushed left for a yard. Horvath took the next two rushes for 15 yards. Tecza took three carries for 20 yards including one for 15 yards into Rice territory. Horvath rushed right for five yards. Tecza rushed up the middle for a yard. Then it was 4th-and-1 at the Rice 27-yard line. Instead of bringing Nathan Kirkwood out for a 44-yard field goal attempt, Heidenreich rushed left on a sweep. The Owls defense snuffed it out as linebacker Ty Morris hit the Navy running back in the backfield for a two-yard loss and a turnover on downs.
Quinton Jackson got his running game going for Rice as he had gains of 15, 11 and 9 yards, as the Owls were able to make it to midfield. Chase Jenkins was still having difficulty with the passing game as he threw incomplete intended for Walker and was sacked for a five-yard loss by Navy linebacker Luke Pirris. After seven plays, the Owls advanced the ball 33 yards in one minute of play, but turned the ball over on downs when Jackson gained two yards on 4th-and-6.
The Midshipmen took over on the Navy 38-yard line with 12 seconds left on the clock until halftime. Horvath passed to Tecza along the right sideline for a 29-yard gain. Navy called timeout with four seconds left to bring Kirkwood on to attempt a 43-yard field goal. It went wide to the left and was no good. Navy led 14-0 at halftime.
Rice took the kickoff to begin the third quarter. Beginning on their 14yard line, Jackson rushed twice for 12 yards. Tight end James Falk got called for a false start, which was followed by Midshipman linebacker MarcAnthony Parker hitting Jackson in the backfield for a four-yard loss. It was now 2nd-and-19 from the Rice 17-yard line. Jenkins hit Turner for one yard, and then passed to Walker for a pick-up of 11, but that still forced 4th-and-long deep in Rice territory. Bacchetta came on for another long punt, which went out of bounds at the Navy 20-yard line with 11:45 left in the third quarter.
Chatman rushed left for nine yards but guard Ben Purvis was called for holding. Now the Midshipmen were backed up to their 10-yard line. Horvath passed to Heidenreich for a 29-yard strike on the right to move the sticks making it 1st-and-10 at the Navy 39-yard line. Tecza rushed up the middle for three yards. Horvath rushed up the middle for two yards. Horvath then passed to Tecza for a 14 yard gain to get into the Rice side of the field. On the next play, Horvath hit Owls safety Plae Wyatt over the middle at the Rice 28-yard line for the interception on a pass intended for Heidenreich. Wyatt returned the interception seven yards.
For the first time all day, the Owls ran a long sustained drive. Freshman running back D’Andre Hardemann rushed four times in five plays for 16 yards to midfield. Jenkins took a quarterback keeper four yards to Navy territory but a false start penalty on the offensive line brought it back to midfield. Jackson passed to Walker for 11 yards. Hardemann took two carries for six yards and Jackson took one for three. Rice called timeout with 3:40 left in the third quarter.
It was Jackson’s turn to carry over the rushing duties on the drive. He took the next three carries for 10 yards, then offensive lineman John Long was called for a false start. Jenkins took a quarterback keeper nine yards but then the drive stalled. Enock Gota came on to kick a 35-yard field goal to give the Owls their first points of the day with 22 seconds left until the final frame. Navy led 14-3.
The Midshipmen took over on their 25-yard line after the kickoff touchback. Heidenreich rushed to the right for six yards when the quarter expired. After two short rushing plays in the beginning of the fourth quarter, Horvath hit Hutchison deep for a 34-yard gain to the Rice 31-yard line. Horvath scrambled for 19 yards and rushed a quarterback keeper up the middle two yards, both plays resulting in trash talking between Horvath and Owls safety Marcus Williams. Horvath rushed up the middle again for 11 yards to the two-yard line. On 1st-and-goal, Horvath rushed to the right into the end zone for the touchdown. Kirkwood’s extra point extended the Midshipmen lead to 21-3 with 10:33 left on the clock. The drive lasted 10 plays for 75 yards over 4:19 of play.
Kirkwood kicked off to the Rice four-yard line and Tyson Thompson returned it 35 yards to the 39-yard line where the Owls started with a fresh set of downs. Jackson rushed up the middle for four yards. Jenkins scrambled up the middle for 16 yards, and then hit wide receiver Drayden Dickmann 36 yards to the Navy five-yard line. Cornerback Bryce Allen was called for pass interference on the play, but the Owls declined the penalty. After three failed attempts to run into the end zone, Jenkins hit Dickman with a three-yard touchdown pass. Gota’s extra point made it 21-10 in favor of Navy with 7:05 left on the clock.
The Midshipmen only managed 20 yards on six rushing plays on their next possession and had to settle for a Jacob Carlson punt to the end zone. It was almost downed on the one-yard line but was ruled a touchback. The Owls took over on their 20-yard line.
Jenkins connected with Dickmann for a six-yard gain. On the next play, Willis broke through the backfield to hit Jenkins for a four-yard sack. Jenkins then hit wide receiver Ryan Guillo for a nine-yard reception for a first down just before the two-minute timeout. The Navy defense held the Owls to short yardage situations until it was 4th-and-1 on the Rice 40-yard line. The Owls called timeout with 1:13 left on the clock and having no choice but to go for it. Jenkins threw a pass deep right to Aaron Turner for a 20-yard completion. It kept the drive alive. .
The Navy defense stiffened up and now the Owls battled the defense and the clock. The Owls had to settle for a 44-yard field goal attempt from Gota. It hit the upright but it fell through. Navy led 21-13 with 24 seconds left.
The Owls planned on attempting an onside kick when they attempted the field goal. While they ultimately carried through with their plan, offensive lineman Sean Sullivan was called for an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty on the field goal attempt after the kick. The penalty was enforced on the kickoff, which now was placed on the Rice 20-yard line.
Rice backup kicker Chase Allen came on to kick the onside kick and running back Isaiah Bryant recovered. Navy quarterback Braxton Woodson came on for one kneel down and the game was over. Navy won 21-13.
“I thought we did some really good things defensively,” said Navy head coach Brian Newberry. “I am really proud, especially the first half. I thought we had them dialed in. They moved the ball a bit in the second half, but when you hold an option team to 120 yards rushing, it is a really good day for you. On the flip side, we had 450 yards of offense and just 21 points to show for it.
“I thought we shot ourselves in the foot a bunch. We had 10 penalties and seven were on offense. We were able to overcome a couple of those, but that’s not good enough; that’s not who we are. We have to get that fixed and figured out. If we don’t get in our own way, we are pretty good,” he added.
Navy was led by Blake Horvath’s 8-for-13 passing with 172 yards and one interception. Alex Tecza caught three passes for 53 yards; Eli Heidenreich caught two for 44 yards; Luke Hutchison, Brandon Chatman and Nathan Kent each hauled in one pass for a combined 75 yards.
“If you look at those drives, there were many when we were on our own side of the 50 when they stalled out. Some of them are mistakes by me on third down. Some are penalties,” said Horvath. “I think overall it was just one or two things at the end of drives. We were outstanding on first down, but it was those second and third downs, penalties on those downs that set you back. I think it was just one little thing on each drive, and we can’t have that.”
Horvath led all Midshipmen rushers with 21 attempts for 110 yards and two touchdowns. Tecza touched the ball 11 times for 104 yards. Chatman carried five times for 36 yards, Heidenreich rushed six times for 23 yards, and Hutchison carried once for a two-yard touchdown.
Rice was led by Chase Jenkins 12-for-21 passing for 114 yards and one touchdown through the air. Braylen Walker caught four passes for 33 yards; Aaron Turner hauled in four receptions for 27 yards; Drayden Dickmann caught three passes for 45 yards and one touchdown; and Ryan Guillo hauled in his lone reception for nine yards.
Quinton Jackson led the Owls on the ground with 15 carries for 60 yards; Jenkins has 12 attempts for 33 yards; and D’Andre Hardemann carried seven times for 21 yards.
Defensively, MarcAnthony Parker led the effort for the Midshipmen with six solo tackles and seven assists for 13 total, while Luke Pirris and Griffen Willis had one sack each.
Marcus Williams had six solo tackles and six assists for 12 total tackles to pace the Owls. Rice did not record any sacks on the afternoon.
The Navy Midshipmen (4-0) hosts the Air Force Falcons (0-3) Saturday at 12 p.m. ET at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium in Annapolis. The Rice Owls (3-2) host the Florida Atlantic Owls (1-3) at 7 p.m. ET at Rice Stadium in Houston, also on Saturday.
