Navy unleashes dominant upset over no. 22 Army, led by the strong performance of QB Blake Horvath

Navy will take home the Commander-in-Chief’s Trophy this year after beating Army 31-13. The dominating win saw the unranked Midshipmen beat the Black Knights, who are No. 22 in the CFP poll, for the first time in three seasons.

Navy quarterback Blake Horvath turned in a massive performance Saturday, throwing for 107 yards and two touchdowns while also posting 204 rushing yards and two more touchdowns on the ground. But the Midshipmen defense also came up big, forcing three interceptions and holding Army to six points in the second half.

Navy struck first against the AAC champions, scoring a touchdown on the very first drive of the game. The Midshipmen picked up another one after a big interception by cornerback Dashaun Peele. With the ball in good position, Horvath threw a well-placed pass to Brandon Chatman to take a 14-0 lead.

Later in the second quarter, Army quarterback Bryson Daily threw a well-placed touchdown of his own to make it 14-7 at the break.

Army settled for two field goals in the second half, but Navy continued to build a lead and ran out the clock. In the third quarter, Horvath and running back Eli Heindenreich were stripped of the 52-yard touchdown after Heidenreich was able to shake an Army defender and stay in bounds.

On their next drive, the Midshipmen grabbed another touchdown through a series of strange circumstances. On fourth-and-5, Navy went for a fake punt, sending the ball to Landon Robinson — a 6-foot, 285-pound nose tackle. After a long gain, Robinson fumbled the ball, but Navy was able to recover it.

Horvath then led the team down the field and ran the last yard for another touchdown, leading 28-13.

With seven minutes left in the game, the Navy defense pulled off another wild interception. In a true team effort, cornerback Andrew Duhart started from the pick but lost control of the ball, with Kenneth McShan stepping in to end the turnover.

A third interception by Daily in the fourth quarter sealed things for Navy.

Army ranks second in the nation in rushing yards per. game, amassing an average of 314.4 yards per game. But on Saturday, Navy held it to 113 rushing yards and 178 total yards.

Navy is also a rushing team, putting up 271 yards on the ground, which is 30 yards more than its rushing average this season. But when Horvath threw the ball, he did so with impressive efficiency. Horvath went 4-for-9 passing Saturday; two of those completions were touchdowns. Navy put up 378 total offensive yards.

Navy will now take on Oklahoma in the Armed Forces Bowl. Army, meanwhile, will play Louisiana Tech in the Independence Bowl after Marshall pulled out of the game due to a lack of players.