Navy Midshipmen Back On Climb Toward Top 25 with Latest Win Over South Florida

The Navy Midshipmen broke out of their slump with a win on Saturday and look to continue that momentum moving forward.

Oct 26, 2024; East Rutherford, New Jersey, USA; Navy Midshipmen stand for the Navy alma mater after their game against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish at MetLife Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images / Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

After dropping two games in consecutive weeks, the Navy Midshipmen righted the ship Saturday in their 28-7 victory over the South Florida Bulls.

With the win, the Midshipmen improve their record to 7-2 overall with a 5-1 record in American Athletic Conference play,

They are one of only three teams in the conference with one or fewer conference losses and one of only four teams with two or fewer losses overall.

It has been a magnificent season for the Mids, and though they did fall out of the top 25 after the two losses, they are now back on the climb with their latest win.

Navy did not receive any votes in the most recent AP Poll, but they did receive three votes in the Coaches Poll, unofficially ranking them as the 32nd-best team in the nation per that poll.

In another ranking system, the program is ranked a little lower, though they did climb this week, as in Chris Vannini's weekly college football power rankings for The Athletic, the Midshipmen rank 38th in the latest iteration after being 40th last week.

Saturday's game was not even as close as the score may indicate, either, as the Bulls' touchdown came with only 1:12 left on the clock in the fourth quarter, and the Mids already up 28-0.

It was an onslaught of ground game that led the way to victory for Navy, amassing 321 yards rushing, nearly all of their 379 total yards, with three men each eclipsing 50 yards in quarterback Blake Horvath (56 yards on 19 carries and one touchdown), fullback Daba Fofana (75 yards on 15 carries), and running back Eli Heidenreich (84 yards on six carries and one touchdown).

Through the air, Horvath totaled 58 yards and one touchdown on 6 of 11 passing, an average of 5.27 yards per attempt.

The defense played a big part in the victory as well, as even though they allowed 342 yards of offense to South Florida, they were able to come away with three key turnovers, two interceptions and one fumble recovery, which kept the game out of reach for the opposition.

It was a nice way to bounce back for the Midshipmen, and they will need to carry that momentum down the stretch if they have any hope of competing for the conference championship.

The road to the end of the year does not get any easier for the Mids, however, as two of their final three games will be against the Tulane Green Wave who have been an unstoppable force in conference play, and the Army Black Knights who are undefeated and currently ranked 25th in the College Football Playoff rankings.

No matter how the season ends, it has been a spectacular one for Navy and one that many will not soon forget.