The Navy Midshipmen used several big plays including an 82-yard reception by running back Eli Heidenreich to upset the 24th ranked University of South Florida Bulls 41-38 in front of 34,856 at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium in Annapolis on Saturday. The win keeps Navy’s chances for playing in the American Conference championship game alive, as well as a possible trip to the college football playoff through the Group of Five advancement.
The Midshipmen won the toss and deferred to the second half. On their first drive, which started on their 21-yard line, the Bulls went eight plays for 33 yards and two first downs, the longest play being an eight yard rush from running back Nykahi Davenport, but they only got to the Navy 46-yard line and were forced to punt.
The Midshipmen started their opening drive from their 12-yard line. Quarterback Blake Horvath rushed up the middle for a one-yard gain. Heidenreich rushed left for ten yards. Running back Alex Tecza rushed up the middle for a yard and then broke open a run up the middle for a 76-yard touchdown. Nathan Kirkwood’s extra point gave Navy the 7-0 lead with 9:53 left in the first quarter.
USF started their next drive at their 19-yard line and immediately went to work with a three-yard pass from quarterback Byrum Brown to Davenport. After offensive lineman Cole Best was hit with a false start penalty, Brown hit wide receiver Christian Neptune for five-yards. An additional 15 yards was added after Navy defensive end Julien Moutome was called for roughing the passer. Brown then hit wide receiver Keshaun Singleton for a 52-yard pass deep right to the Navy 11-yard line. However, the drive stalled at the Navy four-yard line and kicker Nico Gramatica’s 22-yard field goal made it 7-3 with 6:40 left in the opening quarter.
The Midshipmen drive began on their 25-yard line after the Adam Zouagui kick went into the end zone for the touchback. Tecza rushed up the middle for four yards. Horvath carried up the middle for one. Tecza broke one open up the middle for a gain of 22-yards. Running back Brandon Chatman rushed left for three yards to cross midfield into USF territory. Horvath threw a 10-yard pass to Heidenreich, who also picked up six more yards on the ground on the next play. Then disaster occurred on a bad exchange between the center and Horvath, who fumbled at the USF 29-yard line. It was recovered by Bulls linebacker Mac Harris at the 30 and returned to the 35-yard line before being brought down by offensive guard Hoke Smith II.
USF running back Sam Franklin rushed right for a one yard gain. Brown passed to Franklin for six yards. Byrum Brown, the Bulls quarterback, was finding his rhythm with an eight-yard strike to Singleton and a five-yard pass to wide receiver Mudia Reuben across midfield. The drive fell apart, however. Brown threw incomplete intended for wide receiver Jeremiah Koger at the Navy 35-yard line. Offensive lineman Thomas Shrader was called for a false start. Then Navy linebacker MarcAnthony Parker and defensive end Julien Moutome sacked Brown for a five-yard loss. It forced a 4th-and-15 and Luke Goater came on to punt it away.
Navy began their next drive on the 11-yard line with a Horvath three-yard rush. On the next play, 2nd-and-7 from the Navy 14-yard line, Horvath stepped back and launched a deep pass up the middle to Heidenreich who hauled it in with one hand at midfield and raced to the four-yard line before being taken down from behind by USF safety Tavin Ward. It set up a four-yard touchdown run by Chatman on the next play. Kirkwood’s extra point made it 14-3 as the first quarter came to a close.
The Bulls were down but they didn’t feel out. They had three more quarters to catch up and felt that the next possession was as good a time as any. Running back Alvon Isaac rushed up the middle for five yards and then carried again for no gain. Brown then hit wide receiver JeyQuan Smith up the middle for a 42-yard gain to the Navy 28-yard line. Isaac rushed for 16 yards. Brown then hit Singleton for a 12-yard touchdown pass. The Bulls attempted a two-point conversion but failed when Brown threw the ball through the back of the end zone. Navy led 14-9 with 12:53 left until halftime.
Both teams went three-and-out on their next possession.
After forcing the Bulls to punt after holding them deep in their end zone, the Midshipmen took over at the USF 44-yard line. Horvath rushed to the right for 21 yards. Heidenreich rushed to the right for 11 yards more. A false start by Navy offensive tackle Sean Crowley pushed them back five yards. Tecza rushed up the middle to gain three yards back. Horvath then passed 14-yards to Tecza who was open across the middle for the touchdown. Kirkwood’s extra point made it 21-9 in favor of Navy with 7:00 left until halftime.
After a touchback, USF began at their 25-yard line. Franklin rushed right for three yards. Then Brown was intercepted by Navy cornerback Phillip Hamilton, who returned it 27 yards to the USF 16-yard line.
Despite having great field position, penalties got in the way of the Navy drive. Horvath rushed up the middle for a yard. Horvath then threw incomplete intended for Tecza, but was flagged for having an ineligible man downfield. The penalty was declined bringing up 3rd-and-9 at the USF 15-yard line. Horvath threw an 11-yard completion to wide receiver Nathan Kent, but center Cam Nichols and offensive tackle Jaylin Acevedo were flagged for a chop block. This pushed Navy to the USF 30-yard line on 3rd-and-24. Horvath rushed left and only picked up three yards. Kirkwood made a 44-yard field goal to extend the Midshipmen lead to 24-9 with 4:30 left until the halftime break.
Again, USF took over at their 25-yard line. Brown rushed for three yards. He then hit Koger for a nine-yard completion. Isaac rushed three times for nine yards and caught an eight yard reception. Brown rushed for eight yards more. The Bulls were at the Navy 40-yard line when play was stopped for the two minute timeout. Brown rushed up the middle for four yards then Navy called timeout. On third down, Brown passed to Koger, who was stopped one yard short of the first down marker, forcing a 4th-and-1 situation. The USF offense stayed on the field. Offensive lineman Cole Skinner checked in as a running back and rushed up the middle for no gain. USF turned the ball over on downs at the Navy 31-yard line.
Horvath rushed up the middle for one yard. Then he passed to Heidenreich for a 15-yard gain. Horvath tried passing to Heidenreich again but it fell incomplete. After rushing to the right for a short gain, Horvath was sacked by defensive tackle Traevon Mitchell and defensive lineman Josh Celiscar for an eight yard loss. Jacob Carlson booted a 38-yard punt to the USF 21-yard line where Christian Neptune called for a fair catch.
The Bulls had only 16 seconds left until halftime to get something going. Brown threw incomplete intended for Singleton at the USF 43, which was broken up by safety Cam Robinson. Koger caught an 11-yard pass to bring the ball to the USF 32-yard line with two seconds remaining. Brown threw to Singleton at the Navy 26-yard line but it went incomplete. Navy led 24-9 at the half.
The Midshipmen went three-and-out to open the third quarter, which ended with a Carlson punt to Neptune, who returned it seven yards to the USF 32-yard line.
Brown opened the Bulls first possession of the second half with a 36-yard strike to Koger, and then followed up with a seven-yard reception to Reuben. Brown rushed up the middle for 22 yards setting up first-and-goal at the Navy three-yard line. Brown ran in for the touchdown on the next play. Gramatica’s extra point made it 24-16 in favor of Navy with 12:32 left in the third quarter.
The Midshipmen began the next possession from their 17-yard line. Chatman rushed for a two yard gain. Horvath then rushed up the middle for a yard. On 3rd-and-7 at the Navy 20, Horvath hit wide receiver Joshua Guerin with a 16-yard pass. Horvath, the Navy quarterback, rushed up the middle on the next three plays to get close to midfield and picking up a first down in the process.
After throwing deep twice but coming up empty, despite a short gain by Tecza, Carlson came on with 4th-and-8 to punt it away into USF territory. He booted it to the 13-yard line, but linebacker Zavier Hamilton was penalized for running into the kicker. The five yard penalty made it 4th-and-3, which put the Navy offense back onto the field. Horvath rushed to the right and picked up the first down. However, he was injured on the play and was seen getting his right hamstring stretched by the training staff.
Braxton Woodson came on to finish the possession. He rushed twice for a one-yard loss. Chatman rushed for two yards and Carlson came back on to punt it away. Navy ran 13 plays and gained 42 yards over 7:26, but failed to score on that drive.
It was now the Bulls turn to go three-and-out on their next possession. Luke Goater’s punt gave Navy the ball near midfield.
Horvath reentered the game for Navy and started the drive by handing off to Tecza who ran for six yards. Heidenreich took a handoff for seven more. Horvath ran up the middle for two yards then threw incomplete intended for Heidenreich just out of reach in the end zone. Horvath dumped off a pass to Chatman for a five-yard gain and then threw incomplete over the middle deep for Chatman on the flea flicker on fourth down. USF safety Tavin Ward was flagged with the pass interference penalty giving the Midshipmen a fresh set of downs on the USF 17-yard line. The drive ended with a 31-yard Kirkwood field goal to give Navy a 27-16 lead with 14:17 remaining in the 4th quarter.
The next possession proved to everybody why the Bulls were a ranked team coming into the contest. On their first play of the drive, 1st-and-10 from their 25-yard line, Brown through deep left to JeyQuan Smith but it was incomplete. Navy cornerback Nick Bell was called for a pass interference penalty, making it 1st-and-10 from the USF 40-yard line. Brown then ran up the middle for a 60-yard rushing touchdown. Brown then connected with Reuben on the two-point conversion. Navy now led 27-24 with 13:59 left in regulation.
It was now Navy’s turn to respond with either heroics or a sustained drive. Starting from their 25-yard line, Horvath rushed up the middle for eight yards and got injured on the play. Woodson again replaced him at quarterback. Tight end Jordan Collins was called for encroachment, which bumped them back five yards. Woodson rushed up the middle for seven yards, and then passed to Heidenreich for seven. Woodson rushed up the middle for two yards to make it 3rd-and-1. He converted the first down on a two yard “tush push.”
Heidenreich rushed to the right for two yards to get near midfield, but it took two plays to prove to all why Navy was equally deserving of being a ranked team. Woodson passed short left to Heidenreich who advanced 32 yards to the USF 20-yard line. Then Woodson rushed to the left on a 20-yard touchdown scamper on the next play. Kirkwood’s extra point gave Navy the 34-24 lead with 9:29 left in regulation.
The Bulls decided they were going to make it a contest. Starting at their 17-yard line, Brown rushed left for four yards. Davenport rushed up the middle for nine yards. Brown hit Koger twice for four yards and then converted a 19-yard pass to tight end Wyatt Sullivan to get to the Navy 47-yard line. After two incomplete passes, Brown rushed for nine yards to make it 4th-and-1 at the Navy 38-yard line. The Bulls converted the first down on an eight yard reception by Reuben. Brown passed to Davenport, who passed to Koger in the end zone for a 29-yard touchdown. However, Gramatica missed the extra point which hit the upright. Navy led 34-30 with 6:14 remaining.
Navy continued to pound the ground to try to take time off the clock. Starting from their 25-yard line, Tecza rushed right for nine yards, then up the middle for two more. Woodson rushed up the middle but was held for no gain. On the next play, Woodson found the right seam and found himself with daylight and ran for 64 yards and a touchdown. Kirkwood’s extra point gave Navy the 41-30 lead with 3:59 left in regulation.
Now it was USF’s turn as they were battling the Navy defense and the clock. They, too, started at their 25-yard line. Brown passed to Singleton for a nine-yard gain. Isaac gained two yards up the middle. Koger hauled in a 15-yard reception to midfield. Brown rushed twice for eight yards to the Navy 41-yard line. Brown then passed to Reuben who caught the ball at the line of scrimmage, hurdled over two Navy defenders and then ran to the end zone for the 41-yard touchdown. Brown passed to Singleton for the successful two-point conversion. Navy still led 41-38 with 1:55 left on the clock.
Adam Zouagui lined up for an onside kick. Navy cornerback Phillip Hamilton recovered at the USF 43-yard line. Navy now went to work to run out the clock, while the Bulls tried hard to get one more chance to get the ball back.
Tecza rushed for a yard. USF called timeout. Woodson rushed up the middle for nine yards and the first down. Horvath entered the game and rushed for a yard. USF called timeout. Heidenreich rushed for three yards. USF called their final timeout. Horvath rushed up the middle for no gain. Now it was 4th-and-6 at the USF 29-yard line. The Midshipmen took the delay of game penalty to let as much time tick off the clock as possible. Now with 4th-and-11, all they needed to do was run one play for seven second and they could win the game.
Woodson took the snap from center, dropped back, heaved the ball with four seconds on the clock and it landed out of bounds out of the end zone with one second left. At first Navy thought the game was over and players and coaches walked onto the field but the officials waved them off, insisting that the play be reviewed just to be sure. They ruled that the ball had landed with one second left and that it was a turnover on downs. USF would now have one final opportunity to win the game.
On 1st-and-10 from the USF 34-yard line, Brown passed up the middle to Singleton for a nine-yard gain at the 43-yard line. He lateraled to wide receiver Joshua Porter at the Navy 48-yard line, and then lateraled to Davenport at the Navy 45-yard line. Davenport tried lateraling it back to Brown who was at the Navy 47-yard line, but the ball was ruled a fumble and recovered by Navy safety Kush’i Abraham. Navy won 41-38.
Navy was led by Blake Horvath, who went 8-for-15 for 147 yards and one touchdown in passing. Braxton Woodson was 2-for-3 for 39 yards passing. Eli Heidenreich led the Midshipmen receivers with five receptions for 146 yards. Brandon Chatman hauled in two catches for seven yards; Joshua Guerin, Alex Tecza and Jordan Collins each pulled in one reception, with Tecza’s being a 14-yard touchdown. As for rushing, Tecza led with 12 carries for 126 yards and one touchdown; Woodson carried nine times for 103 yards and two touchdowns; Horvath rushed 21 times for 60 yards; Heidenreich touched the ball six times for 39 yards and Chatman rushed four times for 11 yards and one touchdown.
“We’ve got a darned good football team when we play like we did today in all three phases,” said Navy head coach Brian Newberry. “It wasn’t perfect as there were things that we’d like to get back in the second half on the defensive side of the football, but overall I’m just so proud of this team and the senior class. That’s a big time win for us today. A big time win.”
The Bulls were led by Byrum Brown in passing. The USF quarterback went 23-for-32 for 327 yards with two touchdowns and one interception. Nykahi Davenport was 1-for-1 for 29 yards and one touchdown. Jeremiah Koger led all Bulls receivers with nine receptions for 112 yards and one touchdown; Keshaun Singleton hauled in five receptions for 86 yards and a touchdown; Mudia Reuben caught four balls for 61 yards and a touchdown; while JeyQuan Smith Wyatt Sullivan and Davenport had one reception each. Brown led all runners with 17 carries for 136 yards and two touchdowns. Alvon Isaac carried seven times for 32 yards; Davenport rushed seven times for 28 yards; and Sam Franklin gained four yards on four attempts.
“We got outplayed at some critical times. I thought we started the game offensively really slow. It took us awhile to get settled in,” said USF head coach Alex Golesh. “On the flip, Navy started really, really well, got some explosives early and got up. For us, it was going to be a crawl back kind of a game.”
“It hurts in a lot of ways,” Golesh added. “That’s on me. I own it, and I will certainly be better.”
Both team’s defenses got to the quarterback once. MarcAnthony Parker and Julien Moutome were each credited with half a sack for Navy. Coleman Cauley made three solo tackles and eight assists for 11 total tackles. Parker made two solo and eight assists for 10 total tackles.
“In those moments, you just have to be ready. I feel I owe it to my teammates to always be read in those moments. If Blake [Horvath] goes down with a couple of cramps, just to go in and do it. I’ve been practicing all week,” said Braxton Woodson.
Traevon Mitchell and Josh Celiscar each recorded a half sack for the Bulls. Mac Harris made four solo tackles and 11 assists for 15 total tackles to lead USF. Jhalyn Shuler made four solo and 9 assists for 13 total tackles.
“There’s so much that happened in this game. The first half sticks with me, especially that third-and-short on the 50-yard line with Cole Skinner. It could have changed the game, and that’s on us as an offensive line. That’s on us as an entire offense, but primarily the offensive line,” said USF offensive lineman Cole Best. “There’s always about eight or nine plays in a game you can go back and pick and say you ‘could have, would have,’ but at the end of the day, it wasn’t enough. We didn’t execute.”
The Navy Midshipmen (8-2) now travel to Memphis (8-3) to take on the Tigers at 7:30 p.m. ET on Thanksgiving Day. The USF Bulls (7-3) host the UAB Blazers (3-7) Saturday at 3 p.m. ET.
