Navy 21, Rice 13
Navy used a fast start and a smothering defense to stay unbeaten, holding off Rice for a 21–13 win on Saturday at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium. The Mids rolled up 455 yards of offense and got two rushing touchdowns from quarterback Blake Horvath, but a flurry of penalties kept the game closer than it might have been.
Navy controlled the first half, starting with a 14-play, 75-yard opening drive capped by a Luke Hutchison double reverse on fourth down to give the Mids a 7-0 lead. It was 14–0 after Alex Tecza’s 65-yard run up the middle set up Horvath’s 8-yard touchdown on the first play of the second quarter. The defense limited Rice to just 51 yards before halftime, bottling up the Owls’ run game and forcing multiple three-and-outs.
Momentum shifted after intermission. Horvath threw an interception, and Rice capitalized with a field goal to get on the board. But a 75-yard march, finished by Horvath’s 2-yard plunge with 10:33 to play, gave Navy a 21-3 lead that the Owls couldn’t overcome. They added a touchdown and another field goal in the fourth quarter, but a late onside kick attempt failed, and the Mids took a knee to finish the game.
The win moved Navy to 4–0 overall and 3–0 in the American, giving the Mids back-to-back 4–0 starts for the first time since the late 1970s. Next up is a rivalry showdown with Air Force in Annapolis, the first leg of the Commander-in-Chief’s Trophy.
Key Performers
- Blake Horvath, QB — 21 carries, 110 yards, 2 TDs; 8-of-13 passing for 172 yards.
- Alex Tecza, RB — 11 carries, 104 yards; 3 receptions, career-high 53 yards.
- MarcAnthony Parker, LB — Career-high 13 tackles, 2 tackles for loss.
- Griffen Willis, DT — 5 tackles, 2 TFL, 1 sack.
- Chase Jenkins, QB (Rice) — 12-of-21 passing, 114 yards, 1 TD; 12 rushes for 33 yards.
Quotable
Blake Horvath, QB
“I think overall it was just one or two things right at the end of the drive. Some of them are mistakes by me, some of them are penalties. We started out drives really well, but you can’t have those little things derail you.”
MarcAnthony Parker, LB
“The D-line did great, Luke did great, the safeties were triggering really well. It made our job as backers easy when you have the D-line taking on the double teams so we could blitz our fit and be free to make tackles.”
Brian Newberry, Head Coach
“It’s not just about winning, it’s how we win and are we playing to our standard? Offensively we had 450 yards of offense and just 21 points to show for it. Ten penalties tonight, seven of them on offense, that can’t happen.”
“I’m proud of our players. These guys know how to win, they expect to win… We’re still a work in progress, but our ceiling is really high and we’re excited about the opportunity against Air Force.”
