Navy Snaps Two Game Losing Streak with Blowout Win Against South Florida

The Navy Midshipmen get back in the win column on Veteran's Day weekend with a victory over the South Florida Bulls.

Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

The Navy Midshipmen snapped a two-game losing streak on Saturday with a 28-7 victory over the South Florida Bulls on Veteran’s Day weekend. It was the first win at South Flordia in school history for the Midshipmen. 

Head coach Brian Newberry got the team to start off strong with an early 14-0 lead before the first quarter came to an end. 

The Midshipmen scored on the opening drive when Eli Heidenreich broke a run for 60 yards to take the early lead. Navy continued their momentum as they quickly scored again as Bulls quarterback Bryce Archie’s pass was intercepted by Navy’s Kyle Jacob. The Mids capitalized as they capped off a 13-play, 79-yard drive with a 20-yard touchdown run by Brandon Chatman to take an early two-score lead. 

The Navy defense forced South Flordia to 3 for 8 on third downs and 0 for 1 on fourth downs in the first half on Saturday. As the Bulls were driving toward the end of the half, the Midshipmen picked up their second interception of the game. 

Although the offense only had 14 seconds to make something happen before heading to the locker room, they were successful. On two plays, Navy went 53 yards after junior quarterback Blake Horvath found Alex Tecza for a 38-yard core to give the program a 21-0 lead at the half. 

The Midshipmen continued to dominate in the second half as they continued to shut out the Bulls until less than two minutes to go in the contest. 

Navy conducted a fake punt early in the fourth quarter with big man Landon Robinson, who went 34 yards to continue the drive. He now has 58 yards on two carries in his collegiate career. 

The fake punt set up the Midshipmen’s fourth score of the game as Horvath rushed to the pile on for a 10-yard touchdown. It is his 11th rushing score of the season. 

South Florida picked up a last second touchdown to take away the shutout but it wasn’t remotely close to be an impactful score as the Midshipmen would win the game 28-7. 

Horvath finished the day going 6 for 11 with 58 yards in the air and a passing touchdown. He also picked up 56 yards on 19 carries in the game. 

The Navy rushing game, which entered today as the fifth-best run attack in the country, recorded 323 yards on the ground on Saturday. 

The Mids defense also picked up three turnovers in the contest as they got back on the right page. The team’s seventh win continues to build on the program's best record since the 2019 season. 

They continue to stay in contention for an opportunity to play in the American Athletic Conference title game. The team is now 7-2 (5-1 in AAC play) on the year. 

Navy will be back in action next Saturday when it hosts the Tulane Green Wave. The game will kick off at Noon ET and be available on ESPN2.