LANDOVER, Md. — Saturday's 125th Army-Navy Game featured a matchup between two incredibly talented teams, one of which could theoretically favor the Black Knights. there is. Army enters Saturday's game with an 11-1 record, No. 22 national ranking, the ACC Championship Trophy already returned to West Point, and No. 6 vote-getter quarterback Bryson Daley, who signaled Saturday I attended the game. in this year's Heisman race.
But Navy had Blake Horvath.
The Navy signal caller had been sidelined since sustaining a rib injury in a loss to Tulane in mid-November. However, he returned to the starting lineup for the Midshipmen and helped Navy to a 31-13 victory over Army.
Horvath was involved in both of Navy's scoring plays in the first half, opening the scoring with a 1-yard dive on the first possession of the game. Horvath then threw Navy's 12th touchdown pass of the season to Brandon Chatman from 18 yards to go, giving Navy a 14-0 lead midway through the second quarter.
Shortly after the second half resumed, Army made a field goal on its first possession of the third quarter, cutting Navy's advantage to 14-10. But that's when Horvath struck again, connecting with Eli Heidenreich for a 52-yard touchdown that sent the Cadet Brigade into a frenzy, with both passer and receiver on the record.
The connection was Horvath's 13th touchdown pass of the season, tying the school record set by Ricky Dobbs in 2010. It was also Heidenreich's sixth touchdown reception of the season, tying the Navy record held by Rob Taylor and Chriss. Wyler, Ryan Reid new york giants Legend Phil McConkie.
Navy's quarterback wasn't done. After a bold Cadet fake punt by defensive lineman Landon Robinson converted a 4th-and-5 for a 29-yard gain, Horvath ran the drive from a yard out into the end zone. Finished, giving Navy a point. 28-13 lead with just under 9 minutes left:
Then, after Dailey's second interception of the game, Horvath completed another massive run with a 48-yard gain to the Army 12-yard line with 6:23 left in the game. With Navy holding a 28-13 lead at this point, all they had to do was finish the drive and send the Midshipmen back to West Point for their second loss of the season. .
Navy added more points in the final three minutes, with Nathan Kirkwood's 27-yard field goal pushing the score to 31-13.
It was the second win for the Midshipmen against a rated opponent this season. When was the last time the Navy did that? That was back in 1958.
As for Horvath, he finished the game with 4-of-9 passing completions for 107 and two touchdowns, plus two touchdowns on the ground and 204 rushing yards.
All the while, his name was not only in the naval record books, but also in school legends.
