MEMPHIS — Blake Horvath threw a pair of touchdown passes and rushed for a score to lead 22nd-ranked Navy to its 11th victory of the season, 35-13 over short-handed Cincinnati in the Liberty Bowl on Friday.
Horvath scored on a 2-yard run and had touchdown passes of 30 and 13 yards. The senior quarterback, who helped open up the passing game this season for the run-heavy Midshipmen (11-2), finished 9-of-15 passing for 108 yards in the postseason matchup at at Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium.
Alex Tecza rushed for 80 yards and a touchdown for Navy, which finished on a four-game winning streak, including a 17-16 victory over service academy rival and fellow American Conference program Army in early December, annually the most important game of the year for each of those teams. Eli Heidenreich ran for 62 yards and had five receptions for 64 yards against the Big 12’s Bearcats on Friday.
The Midshipmen won 11 games for the first time since the 2019 season. Navy went 10-3 in 2024, coach Brian Newberry’s second season, and its 21 wins are the most in a two-season span in program history.
“Two seasons. The most wins in Navy football history within two years,” Newberry said. “We’ve played football around here for a long, long time, and that’s a credit to these guys.”