Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1528160
32 OCT. 26, 2024 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED GAME PREVIEW: NAVY BY JACK SOBLE A ll four of Memphis' second-level defenders ran away from Blake Horvath. That was a mistake. With Navy holding a 42-30 lead over the Tigers, and the ball on the Midshipmen's own 10-yard line with 8:36 left in the Week 4 game, the junior quarterback faked a jet sweep to junior wing back Brandon Chatman. Because Chatman had already scored twice in the game, most of the eight-man Mem- phis box went with him. By the time they realized Horvath still had the ball, it was too late. Horvath's speed took over from there. He out-raced everyone for a 90-yard touchdown, his fourth of the game against the preseason American Ath- letic Conference favorite. After Hor- vath crossed the goal line, CBS Sports Network showed a Navy fan with one hand holding a crushed High Noon can and the other on his forehead, his jaw dropped in disbelief. Horvath hit the Michael Jordan shrug on his way back to the sideline. It's been that kind of season for him and the Mid- shipmen. "I hope we have some believers now," Horvath said. "We knew what we could do the whole time." Navy certainly has believers now. Horvath, with 66 carries for 565 yards (8.6 yards per rush) and 10 touchdowns along with 771 passing yards on 59 throws (13.1 yards per passing attempt) and 7 touchdowns through five games, is considered a dark horse candidate to win the Heisman Trophy. And the Midshipmen, sitting at 5-0 and scoring the fifth-most points per game (43.6) in college football, are on a short list of Group of Five teams with a chance to make the College Football Playoff. What could put them over the top? A win over Notre Dame. The Irish take on Navy Oct. 26 at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J. The Midshipmen will feature a more diverse offensive attack than in past years, with Horvath at its center. He averaged 11.8 passing attempts per game through Week 6 in his first full season as Navy's starter, often throw- ing downfield to weapons such as Chatman and fellow junior slot back Eli Heidenreich. "I couldn't be more impressed with the way [Horvath is] playing," Navy head coach Brian Newberry said, ac- cording to Press Box Online. "I wouldn't say it's a surprise, but he's playing at an extremely high level." The mastermind is first-year offen- sive coordinator Drew Cronic, hired af- ter a successful four-year stint as the head coach at FCS school Mercer. Cronic was brought in to run an exotic version of Navy's standard triple op- tion, which he described as a "hybrid Wing-T offense." Notre Dame will still see traditional triple-option elements, but Cronic has also found more creative ways to utilize Horvath and company's talents. For example, on Chatman's receiving touchdown against Memphis, Heiden- reich went in orbit motion to the right and it looked like a traditional triple- option play was coming. Horvath rolled that way and the Tigers went with him, but Chatman had snuck out on a drag- wheel to the other side. Horvath planted his feet, threw across the field and a wide-open Chatman did the rest for a 46-yard score. "Coach Cronic is a mastermind," Chatman said. "All we were doing was setting that play up. Every play builds off the previous play and makes magic happen." Rollouts are a key component of Cronic's offense. According to ESPN, 19.7 percent of Horvath's passes in- volved them through five games. In 2023, that number was 6.8 percent. Among the other changes: 32.8 per- cent of Horvath's drop-backs featured play action, up from 20.9 percent last season. Over three-quarters of Navy's REASON TO BELIEVE Thanks to the play of junior quarterback Blake Horvath, the Midshipmen are on a short list of Group of Five teams with a chance to make the College Football Playoff Horvath is considered a dark horse to win the Heisman Trophy after producing 1,336 yards of total offense and 17 total touchdowns during Navy's 5-0 start. PHOTO COURTESY NAVY ATHLETICS Facts & Figures NOTRE DAME VS. NAVY Date: Oct. 26, 2024 Site: MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J. Kickoff: 12 p.m. ET Television: ABC or ESPN Radio: Notre Dame IMG affiliates Series facts: Notre Dame leads the all-time series 80-13-1. The Irish have taken six in a row over the Midshipmen, most recently winning 42-3 on Aug. 26, 2023, at Aviva Stadium in Dublin, Ireland. Head coaches: Navy — Brian Newberry (11-7, second season); Notre Dame — Marcus Freeman (25-9, third season). Noting Navy: The Midshipmen earned a spot in the Associated Press Top 25 (No. 25, Oct. 13) for the first time since 2019 with their 5-0 start … Navy is also on track to earn bowl eligibility for the first time since 2019, when it finished 11-2 and won the Liberty Bowl … Despite their record, ranking and hype, the Midshipmen entered Week 8 ranked 70th in FPI (-0.6) and 73rd in SP+ (0.1) … Through Week 7, Navy's defense was allowing 7.2 yards per pass attempt (eighth in the American Athletic Conference) and 4.2 yards per carry (ninth), but only 20.2 points per game (third).