Navy quarterback Blake Horvath passed for a career-high 339 yards and three touchdowns, rushed for 130 yards and one touchdown as the Midshipmen edged the Air Force Falcons 34-31 in front of 37,517 at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium on Saturday. It was the first game in the 2025 Commander-in-Chief trophy series between the three service academies.
It was also a career-high day for running back Eli Heidenreich who had a career-high eight receptions and a school-record 243 yards and a school-record tying three touchdowns. He is also the first player in Naval Academy history to surpass 200 yards receiving in a single game, the previous record being held by Cory Schemm against Cal on Christmas Day 1996.
The Falcons won the coin toss and deferred to the second half. Kicker Reagan Tubbs kicked off to the Navy five-yard line which Navy running back Isaiah Bryant returned to the Navy 25-yard line where the Midshipmen opened with the game’s first possession.
Horvath immediately hit Heidenreich open down the middle who hauled in a one-handed grab for a 36-yard gain to advance into Air Force territory. Running back Brandon Chatman broke a tackle while rushing up the middle for a seven yard gain. Horvath then hit tight end Cody Howard for a five-yard gain before the drive stalled. Horvath lost his balance leading to a two-yard loss. Then he threw incomplete between Heidenreich and Nathan Kent, leading to third-and-12 at the Air Force 29-yard line. Horvath hit Howard for eight yards but fell short of the first down. Nathan Kirkwood came on to kick a 39-yard field goal to give the Midshipmen a 3-0 lead with 11:22 left in the opening quarter.
The Falcons took over on their 25-yard line after the Lance Gossett’s kickoff went into the end zone for a touchback. Sophomore quarterback Liam Szarka opened the Falcon’s first drive with a quarterback keeper that he took 61-yards to the Midshipmen 14-yard line until he was taken down by cornerback Philip Hamilton. Air Force took a timeout in order to give their quarterback time to catch his break and reset the offense, which was now in the red zone. When play resumed, running back Dylan Carson rushed up the middle for six-yards. Szarka rushed up the middle for one yard before rushing to the right for a seven-yard touchdown. Jacob Medina kicked the extra point and the Falcons took the 7-3 lead with 9:14 left in the first quarter.
Tubbs kickoff went 44 yards to the Navy 21-yard line. Navy linebacker Liam Barbee fell on the ball and the Midshipmen took over for their second possession. It would be their shortest possession of the game.
Running back Alex Tecza, seeing limited action after sustaining an injury during last week’s game against Rice, rushed up the middle for three yards. Horvath then rushed up the middle for a 14-yard pickup, but fumbled at the Navy 36-yard line. The fumble was forced by defensive back Houston Hendrix and recovered by Air Force defensive back Mikhail Seiken at the 38.
The Falcons started the drive in great field position but could not capitalize. Carson rushed up the middle for three yards. Szarka took a deep shot intended for wide receiver Jonah Dawson in the end zone but it was incomplete. However, a holding penalty on Navy bailed the Falcons out and gave them a fresh set of downs and placed the ball on the Navy 25-yard line.
Szarka rushed right for seven yards. Carson rushed for no gain. Szarka threw to wide receiver Quin Smith at the 12-yard line but it was broken up by Navy linebacker Jaxson Campbell to bring up fourth down. Medina attempted a 35-yard field goal but it was wide to the right. After a five play, 20 yard drive that took two minutes off the clock, the Falcons turned the ball over with 6:24 left in the first quarter.
The Midshipmen ran a strong ground game but kept the play calling conservative on their next possession. Horvath rushed four times for 28 yards but did hit Heidenreich for an eight yard pass and Chatman made receptions of two and three yards respectively, but after 10 plays and 41 yards, which chewed 6:16 off the clock, punter Jacob Carlson came on to kick it away to the Falcons, a 33-yard punt that Heidenreich downed at the Air Force six-yard line with eight seconds left in the first quarter.
Running back Kade Frew took a handoff from Szarka and was stuffed in the backfield for a four-yard loss by linebacker Kenneth McShan as the quarter came to an end.
The Falcons were now backed to their two-yard line after the quarter break. Szarka rushed twice for 15 yards. Carson rushed for two more. Then Szarka hit tight end Bruin Fleischmann for a 68-yard gain to the Navy 13-yard line. Frew and Carson combined for three carries but only gained six yards. Medina came on for a 24-yard field goal attempt and split the uprights to give the Falcons a 10-3 lead with 10:29 left until halftime.
Bryant returned the kickoff 43 yards to the Navy 47-yard line where the Midshipmen took over. Tecza rushed up the middle for one yard, but a false start penalty brought the ball back five yards. Horvath hit Kent along the right side for 36 yards, and then followed up with a nine-yard strike to Chatman. On 2nd-and-1 on the Air Force 13-yard line, Horvath rushed up the middle but Falcons defensive lineman Payton Zdroik forced a fumble, which the Midshipman quarterback recovered at the 19-yard line. Horvath then hit Heidenreich with a 19-yard touchdown strike on the next play. Kirkwood’s extra point tied the score with 8:46 left until halftime.
Air Force started the next drive on their 25-yard line. Other than hitting Fleishman for 13 yards and Quin Smith for 15 yards, the Falcons had difficulty moving the ball. They ran nine plays but punted the ball away four minutes later.
The Midshipmen took over at their 19-yard line. Chatman rushed up the middle for one yard. Horvath hit Heidenreich over the middle at the Air Force 38-yard line which he took into the end zone for an 80-yard touchdown pass. After Kirkwood’s extra point, the Midshipmen now led 17-10 with 4:02 left until halftime.
On the first possession of the third quarter, Szarka rushed four times for 18 yards, Frew rushed twice for two yards, Carson rushed once for two yards, and running back Kemper Hodges threw once for a 37-yard strike to Fleischmann. The drive ended with a one-yard touchdown run by Szarka. Medina’s extra point tied the game 17-17 with 9:58 left in the third quarter.
Tubbs kickoff was fielded by Bryant at the one-yard line, but he slipped and the Midshipmen took over at their three-yard line. On the first play, Horvath ran a quarterback keeper on the left side for a five yard gain. Backup quarterback Jackson Gutierrez rushed up the middle for a 23-yard gain to give the Midshipmen breathing room, bringing the ball to the Navy 31-yard line. After four short yardage rushing plays, Horvath rushed up the middle into the secondary and found himself wide open with a 59-yard path to the end zone for a touchdown. Kirkwood’s extra point put Navy up 24-17 with 5:52 left in the third quarter.
The Falcons opted to run a sustained ground campaign which started from their 25-yard line. Szarka rushed left for 13 yards. Harris rushed left for five yards. Carson rushed up the middle for five yards. Frew rushed for five yards. Szarka carried for eight more. Even running back Terrence Gist carried up the middle for 10 yards.
The quarter ended with the Falcons facing 3rd-and-9 on the Navy 18-yard line. On the first play of the fourth quarter, Szarka hit Fleischmann for an 18-yard touchdown pass. Medina’s extra point tied the score 24-24 with 14:55 left in regulation. The Falcons used 11 plays to go 75 yards and took 5:57 off the clock.
Bryant did not slip on the return and took the kickoff 21 yards to the Navy 28-yard line. Chatman rushed up the middle for a yard. Horvath hit Gutierrez up the middle for four yards. Heidenreich caught a six-yard pass off the left side of the line to set up 1st-and-10 at the Navy 40-yard line. Horvath passed deep up the middle to Heidenreich who caught the ball at the Air Force 22-yard line and then scampered into the end zone for another touchdown, this time a 60-yard touchdown reception. Kirkwood’s extra point gave the Midshipmen a 31-24 lead with 12:55 left in regulation.
The Falcons didn’t go away. They struck back just as quickly as the Midshipmen did. Gossett’s kickoff went into the end zone for a touchback, giving Air Force the ball at the 25-yard line. Szarka rushed up the middle for 11 yards. Harris rushed right for nine yards more. After an incomplete pass intended for Fleishmann, Carson rushed up the middle or two yards. Szarka then passed deep up the middle to wide receiver Jonah Dawson at the Navy 12-yard line, who gathered it in just before cornerback Philip Hamilton was able to make a play on the ball. It was Dawson’s first career pass reception for a 53-yard touchdown. After the extra point, the game was tied again, 31-31 with 10:59 left on the clock.
Navy opened their drive on the Navy 23-yard after Bryant’s 12 yard kickoff return. Horvath rushed for three yards and then hit Heidenreich again for a deep strike, this time for 27 yards to midfield. Air Force’s Zdroik was called for roughing the passer, which added 15 yards to the end of the play, which made it 1st-and-10 at the Air Force 32-yard line. However, the Midshipmen were unable to advance the ball past the Air Force 17, and Kirkwood came on for a 34-yard field goal, which put them up 34-31 with 6:47 left in regulation.
Air Force began their drive at the 25-yard line. Szarka rushed for seven yards and hit Harris for five yards and a 14-yard pass to Fleischmann and soon the ball was at midfield. Facing 3rd-and-9 at the Navy 47-yard line, Szarka rushed to the right and pitched the option to Harris, it was deflected by Jaxson Campbell and ruled a fumble. Midshipmen nose guard Landon Robinson recovered the fumble at the Air Force 49-yard line with 3:07 left in the game.
Because Air Force still had all of their timeouts, the Midshipmen still had to play the game. It wasn’t over. It was almost lost on the next play. Horvath threw to Chatman for a four-yard reception and the ball popped out and rolled down the field before going out of bounds. The officials ruled that Chatman was downed by contact, however. Horvath then rushed up the middle but took a two-yard loss. However, a holding penalty was declined, which brought up 3rd-and-8. Horvath rushed up the middle for eight yards and picked up the first down just in time for the two-minute time out.
The Midshipmen made up nine of the last ten yards that they needed to secure victory, while the Falcons called their final timeouts. It still brought up 4th-and-1 at the Air Force 30-yard line with 1:43 left on the clock. Instead of attempting a field goal or punting, Horvath hit Gutierrez for an eight-yard completion. Now the Falcons were powerless from stopping the Midshipmen from winning.
That didn’t stop Zdroik from trying to swipe the ball on the snap to force fumble on the final play. He didn’t time it correctly resulting in an Air Force delay of game penalty with 30 seconds left. It cost the Falcons five yards of field position and a 10 second run off. The clock automatically started with 20 seconds and there was no need for the Midshipmen to kneel down as the clock expired. The Falcons sing first, the Midshipmen sing second.
“I can’t say enough good things about Blake. He’s special and he makes us go. He’s obviously a phenomenal young man, but a special player. I’m glad he’s on our side,” said Navy head coach Brian Newberry. “I can’t say enough good things about him. He never flinches, he never panics, he never presses. He just goes and plays. He’s calm, cool and collected and is just a special talent. He’s a winner and that permeates the rest of our team.”
The Midshipmen were led by Blake Horvath who went 20-for-26 with 339 yards passing and three touchdowns. Eli Heidenreich led Navy in receiving with eight receptions for 243 yards and three touchdowns. Brandon Chatman caught four passes for 18 yards; Nathan Kent hauled two receptions for 41 yards; Cody Howard caught 2 passes for 13 yards; and Jackson Gutierrez caught two balls for 12 yards.
“I am throwing to a wide open Eli Heidenreich, wide open Eli Heidenreich, wide open Eli Heidenreich. All of those yards are coming from him.,” said Horvath. “I thought it was the [offensive line] blocking and the ability to get open. Their secondary is a weakness, and we knew we could exploit it with one of the best athletes in college football in Eli Heidenreich.”
Horvath also led all Navy rushers with 17 carries for 130 yards and one touchdown. Gutierrez carried three times for 31 yards; Chatman carried five times for eight yards; Shane Reynolds had two touches for eight yards and Alex Tecza rushed once for three yards.
Luke Pirris led the Navy defensive effort with two solo tackles and 10 assists for 12 total. The Midshipmen had two sacks, Landon Robinson is credited with 1.5 sacks and Julien Moutome gets credited with a half sack.
The Falcons were led by Liam Szarka’s 11-for-19 completions for 212 yards and two touchdowns. Kemper Hodges threw once for a 37 yard completion. Bruin Fleischmann led the Falcons in receiving with six receptions for 166 yards and one touchdown. Cade Harris caught three passes for seven yards. Jonah Dawson hauled in one reception for a 53-yard touchdown. Quin Smith caught one 15-yard pass.
Szarka’s 25 rushes for 152 yards and two touchdowns led the Falcons in rushing. Dylan Carson carried nine times for 24 yards; Cade Harris carried twice for 14 yards; Kade Frew had seven touches for 10 yards and Terrence Gist had one rush for 10 yards.
Defensively, Roger Jones led the Falcons with eight solo tackles and five assists for 13 total. Air Force did not record any sacks.
The Navy Midshipmen (5-0) travel to the Temple Owls (3-2) for a 4 p.m. game on Saturday. Air Force (1-4) is at the UNLV Rebels (5-0) at 3:30 p.m. ET also on Saturday.
