Navy Midshipmen Fall to Tulane, Out of Conference Title Game Race

The Navy Midshipmen lost their third game of the season, one that ensures they won’t play in the league’s title game.

Nov 16, 2024; Annapolis, Maryland, USA; Navy Midshipmen quarterback Braxton Woodson (5) drops back to pass during the first half Tulane Green Wave at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium. / Tommy Gilligan-Imagn Images

All that could go wrong went wrong for the Navy Midshipmen on Saturday, but the bottom line is that their hopes of playing in the American Athletic Conference title game are done.

The Midshipmen fell to the Tulane Green Wave, 35-0, on Saturday at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium in Annapolis, Md.

Navy (7-3, 5-2 in American) entered the game in desperation mode. The Midshipmen needed a victory over Tulane to stay in the league title game race. Army West Point was on its bye week and is undefeated in AAC action. Tulane was also undefeated in league play.

With the loss, the Midshipmen can’t play in the AAC title game. With the win, Tulane (9-2, 7-0) is in the league’s championship game for the third straight year. And, as Army sat in West Point watching the game, the Black Knights (9-0, 7-0) clinched their first berth in the league’s championship game.

The Midshipmen had to deal with some early adversity and it impacted their offense. Quarterback Blake Horvath left the contest in the first quarter with back spasms, just another injury to add to the list of the ones he’s dealt with this season.

He returned to the game with four minutes left in the second quarter, but Navy was already down 14-0. He didn’t return in the second half and the Midshipmen went with Braxton Woodson the rest of the way.

Unfortunately, a turnover on one of Woodson’s first passes turned the game. His interception on a fourth-down pass, picked off by Tulane’s Sam Howard, led to a rushing touchdown by Green Wave quarterback Darian Mensah on the next drive.

Navy went out on downs again on the following drive and the Green Wave put together a six-minute drive that ended with running back Makhi Hughes’ 14-yard touchdown run.

From there, the Green Wave kept dominating the game and were never threatened.

Horvath didn’t play in the second half. He rushed five times for 25 yards and attempted just one pass. Woodson rushed for 24 yards and threw for another 13 yards on 3-of-10 passing. Alex Tecza rushed for a team-high 31 yards as the Green Wave defense allowed just 100 rushing yards.

Mensah threw for 138 yards and two touchdowns, and also rushed for another 57 yards with a touchdown. Hughes rushed for 82 yards and two scores. Wide receiver Mario Williams caught three passes for 46 yards as Mensah only attempted 14 passes.

The Green Wave and the Midshipmen were among the Top 10 rushing teams in the country, but only Tulane produced like it, as it rushed for 220 yards and finished with 358 total yards.