Notre Dame squares off with an undefeated Navy Midshipmen squad on Saturday in MetLife Stadium, home of the NFL’s New York Giants and Jets. The top-25 ranked Midshipmen feature an offense that is capable of exploding for a big play at any given moment. We preview the Navy offense here:
Photo via Notre Dame Athletics
Navy (6-0) 2024 results:
vs Bucknell (49-21, Win)
vs Temple (38-11, Win)
vs Memphis (56-44, Win)
at UAB (41-18, Win)
at Air Force (34-7, Win)
vs Charlotte (51-17, Win)
The Midshipmen have surprised everyone this year amidst their hot start as they are receiving national attention as a legitimate College Football Playoff contender. This is not the same old Navy team that the Irish have beaten six straight times. Although the triple option is still king, first-year starting quarterback Blake Horvath has caught opponents off-guard by throwing through the air with consistent success. This new wrinkle in their offense is one of the reasons they rank among the nation’s best in total offense.
Navy’s 44.8 points per game are the fourth-most among FBS teams and their 435.8 total yards per game ranks third in the American Athletic Conference (AAC) and 34th nationally.
A major reason for this scoring production has been their success in the red zone. Navy has not just been successful; they have been perfect without settling for field goals. The Midshipmen have scored on all 23 of their red zone trips, with 22 ending in touchdowns. This 100% red zone success is tied first with four other FBS programs.
Another reason for Navy’s early season success has been their ball security. As a team, they have turned the ball over just two times, both interceptions. This security is fairly standard for Navy offenses, however, it is still special when you can run whenever you want without worrying about fumbling the ball.
One key to watch out for is Navy’s fourth-down success. They are not super aggressive about going for it in these situations, but when they do it has worked out. The Midshipmen have converted six of seven fourth-downs (85.7%), which ranks tied-fourth in the FBS. Notre Dame’s defensive prowess has to factor into any fourth-down attempt, so it would not be surprising if Navy does stick with the kicker/punter in these scenarios on Saturday.
As usual, Navy is reliant on a heavy-rush attack featuring the triple option. The Midshipmen average 274.8 rushing yards per game, fourth among FBS teams. This season, they have been led by quarterback Blake Horvath and fullback Alex Tecza on the ground.
Navy’s starting quarterback and leading rusher is Blake Horvath. The junior is accounting for 251.5 total yards and 20.7 points per game this season, the seventh-most among FBS players. As a rusher, Horvath has 79 carries for 621 yards and 10 touchdowns (third-most in the AAC). His 103.5 rushing yards per game are also third-most in the AAC while his 7.86 yards per carry ranks third-most among all FBS rushers. The dual-threat signal-caller has four games with at least one rushing touchdown and three games with at least 100 rushing yards. Horvath exploded in last month’s contest against Memphis when he recorded 211 yards and four touchdowns on the ground, including a 90-yard score, with just 12 carries.
The other true rushing threat is junior fullback Alex Tecza. The six-foot, 200-pound backer led Navy in total rushing last year and was named an All-AAC honorable mention. Tecza finished last season with 758 yards and five touchdowns on 126 carries. Last year’s matchup with the Irish was Tecza’s first collegiate action as he was limited to 38 yards on eight carries. The fullback has settled into his new role as the team’s second-leading rusher this season. He has recorded 306 yards and seven touchdowns (tied-31st among FBS rushers) on 49 carries. Tecza has found the end zone in five of six contests and has three games with 50-plus rushing yards. The backer appears to have caught fire as he has recorded two rushing touchdowns in each of the past two games. Although he does not pose as a true receiving threat, he did add a 46-yard touchdown reception last week.
Navy has attempted the second-fewest number of passes among FBS teams, only behind Army, yet they rank ahead of multiple schools including the defending National Champion Michigan Wolverines in pass yards per game. One reason for this bit of success is due to great offensive line play (three sacks allowed this season) and Horvath’s ability to keep plays alive.
As a passer, Horvath has completed 46 of 72 attempts for 888 yards and 10 touchdowns with one interception. He has recorded over 100 passing yards in each game and a passing touchdown in five of six contests. The junior had a career-best passing game last month at UAB when he completed nine of 11 throws for 225 yards and two touchdowns. Also, Horvath is coming off a career-high three-passing touchdown game in the dominant outing versus Charlotte.
The number one target for Horvath is running back Eli Heidenreich. The junior is a freak athlete who is built like a fullback with receiver instincts. He was the team’s leading receiver last season when he finished the year with 19 catches for 382 yards and four touchdowns. Heidenreich has already surpassed these numbers through six games this year, entering Saturday with 23 catches for 485 yards and five touchdowns (third-most in the AAC). Additionally, his 80.8 receiving yards per game leads the AAC as he has recorded just one game with under 65 yards. His best performance this season occurred earlier this month against Air Force when he recorded five catches for 101 yards while adding another 100 yards on the ground via six carries. As a rusher, Heidenreich has run for 179 yards on 22 attempts with no scores. He is on a two-game skid with no touchdowns after recording at least one in each of the first four games.
Navy’s second-leading receiver is running back Brandon Chatman. In general, the junior is a smaller but quicker version of Heidenreich. He finished second in receiving last year for Navy when he totaled 19 catches for 254 yards. This season, Chatman has racked up 177 yards and three touchdowns on nine receptions. The receiving back had multiple highlight plays this season including a 42-yard score against Bucknell and a 46-yarder against Memphis. He added his third receiving touchdown last week on his only reception of the game. As a rusher, Chatman has 31 carries for 170 yards and a touchdown this season. Both Heidenreich and Chatman have posed as larger receiving threats rather than rushing this year and that should remain the case on Saturday.
As mentioned earlier, Navy’s offensive line has been near-perfect this year. They returned starting tackles Connor McMahon and Javan Bouton and starting center Brent Self from a year ago. This unit’s 2.17 tackles for loss allowed per game ranks second-fewest in the country, behind Army. Their 0.5 sacks allowed per game ranks fifth nationally. Saturday’s contest will undoubtedly be this unit’s largest test of the regular season but they have the reasons for confidence.
Likewise for the Irish, this could very well be the most dangerous offense they see all year. While they lack the names and national recognition, this Navy group is playing winning football led by a high-powered rushing offense that ranks amongst the best in the country. The biggest key defensively for the Irish will be containing Blake Horvath, if that is possible. This Navy offense relies on Horvath's production and if he underperforms or is contained, the Irish should be able to handle the top-25 matchup on Saturday.
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