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Navy Rallies for Late Touchdown to Win 126th Meeting vs. Army

The Midshipmen captured their second-straight win in the rivalry.

Mike McDaniel

Navy quarterback Blake Horvath was at the center of the Midshipmen's comeback win over Army.
Navy quarterback Blake Horvath was at the center of the Midshipmen's comeback win over Army. / Mike Dinovo-Imagn Images
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In the 126th installment of the annual Army-Navy game, it was a fourth quarter comeback by the Midshipmen that capped off the program’s second-straight rivalry game victory in Baltimore.

Trailing 16–10 with less than seven minutes to go, the Midshipmen were faced with fourth-and-goal from the Army 8-yard-line. Navy quarterback Blake Horvath took a shotgun snap, and just as he has done all year, found trusted slot back Eli Heidenreich on a crossing route in one-on-one coverage to tie the game.

It was the second-consecutive clutch play from Heidenreich, who dove on a fumble on third down to keep the drive alive. His touchdown on the following play capped off a great day from the senior, who finished with 28 yards rushing to go along with six receptions for 72 yards and the score.

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The extra point gave Navy the late lead, and a stop by the defense on the subsequent possession put the Midshipmen in position to try to run the clock out. They did so successfully, but not without a bit of drama.

Horvath carried the ball on a quarterback keeper with 2:15 to play, and fumbled the ball up into the air. He recovered his own fumble and reached the ball forward just short of the line to gain. Army knocked the ball loose after Horvath's arm was down, and officials ruled that the Black Knights recovered the fumble. After review, however, the ball was awarded back to Navy for a fourth-and-1 from the Army 41 after the two-minute timeout.

Instead of punting the ball back to Army, Navy decided to go for it, and running back Alex Tecza took a handoff two yards for a first down to seal the win for the Midshipmen.

Navy finished the regular season 10–2 and will face Cincinnati in the AutoZone Liberty Bowl on Jan. 2. Army concluded the year 6–6 and will take on UConn in the Wasabi Fenway Bowl on Dec. 27.

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Mike McDaniel
MIKE MCDANIEL

Mike McDaniel is a staff writer on the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated, where he has worked since January 2022. His work has been featured at InsideTheACC.com, SB Nation, FanSided and more. McDaniel hosts the Hokie Hangover Podcast, covering Virginia Tech athletics, as well as Basketball Conference: The ACC Football Podcast. Outside of work, he is a husband and father, and an avid golfer.

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