Notre Dame Defense Prepares For Powerful Navy Ground Game: Breaking Down the Midshipmen Offense
- Brenden Duffy
- 45 minutes ago
- 7 min read
For the first time since 2021, the Navy and Notre Dame rivalry returns to South Bend on Saturday evening. The 10th-ranked Irish welcome a 7-1 Midshipmen squad coming off their first loss of the season. We provide an offensive overview of Navy amidst their hot start below:
Navy Results (7-1):
52-7 vs VMI (W)
38-24 vs UAB (W)
42-23 at Tulsa (W)
21-13 vs Rice (W)
34-31 vs Air Force (W)
32-31 at Temple (W)
42-32 vs FAU (W)
17-31 at North Texas (L)
Navy enters this weekend with CFP and American Conference Championship dreams still alive for the time being, much like last season, when the Irish dominated an undefeated Midshipmen squad 51-14 at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey. This season, Navy has a gauntlet of a schedule to end the year that began last week with the loss at North Texas and is followed by contests with Notre Dame, USF, Memphis, and the historic Army rivalry game. While it appears unlikely they will achieve these dreams, the Midshipmen’s heavy run-option offense is not one to mess around with.
North Texas held Navy to its lowest point total of the season last week, in large part thanks to three turnovers from QB Blake Horvath, including two interceptions. The Midshipmen feature tough rushers all over the field, and it all starts with Horvath. Below are Navy’s offensive stats with their respective national ranking:
34.8 points per game (tied-27th)
30 rush touchdowns (tied-1st)
466.3 total yards per game (16th)
7.47 yards per play (2nd)
317.25 rush yards per game (1st)
6.61 yards per carry (1st)
149 pass yards per game (130th)
14.4 pass attempts per game (135th)
161.07 passer rating (18th)
53.85% 3rd-down conversion rate (4th)
Offensive Personnel:
Quarterback:
Blake Horvath - The leader of not just this offense, but the whole team, is the senior signal-caller. Horvath’s prowess can be seen from his 10 points per game, a stat typically dominated by kickers, which ranks eighth among all FBS players. While they still do not throw nearly as much as a typical offense, it is important to be wary of the pass play, which can confuse opposing defenses. Horvath has completed 63.6% of his pass attempts for 1,143 yards with seven touchdowns and five interceptions. He has completed between 6-8 attempts in every game this season, except against Air Force. Navy and Horvath aired it out against their military rival when he threw for 339 yards and three touchdowns on 20/26 attempts in the win. Obviously, the interceptions are an issue as he has thrown two picks in the road contests at North Texas and Tulsa. In general, the 6-2 dual-threat is a pretty good passer with a nice deep ball. On throws of 20 or more yards, Horvath is 14/27 for 552 yards with five touchdowns and one interception.
Where Horvath really excels is with his feet, leading the Navy run attack. The QB has 138 rushes for 926 yards and 13 touchdowns this season. To give you an idea, below is where Horvath ranks among all FBS rushers:
115.75 rush yards per game (5th)
6.71 yards per carry (27th)
13 rush touchdowns (tied-2nd)
Besides the season-opener, Horvath has at least 17 carries, 72 yards, and a touchdown in every game. He has rushed for over 100 yards in six games, including a season-high 174 yards and four touchdowns against FAU on just 21 carries. While he is a really good runner, the biggest issue for the senior has been nine fumbles, with at least one in six games. Expect Notre Dame to take advantage of this weakness as they did last season. Horvath is a tough runner, though, averaging 3.36 yards after contact per carry, and he has forced 23 missed tackles this season. The QB likes to get outside the edges when he carries the ball.
Others to watch: Braxton Woodson, Jackson Gutierrez *both mainly used for rushing purposes
Weapons:
Alex Tecza - Navy’s second-leading rusher is this six-foot, 199-pound back. Tecza has 90 carries for 523 yards and six touchdowns with no fumbles this season. The senior’s 65.38 rush yards per game and 5.81 yards per carry are both top-80 among all FBS rushers. He has six games with at least 10 carries and 50 yards. Tecza rushed for a season-high 111 yards against UAB on 15 carries, including a touchdown. He tallied a season-high two rushing scores at Tulsa when he ran for 72 yards on 15 attempts. Tecza is a good runner, averaging 3.92 yards after contact per carry, who is capable of beating defenses outside or up the middle.
Tecza also serves as a good short-yardage receiving option. The senior has nine catches for 101 yards this season, including at least one reception in six games. He recorded a season-high three catches and 53 yards against Rice. The RB has one drop on 11 targets while averaging 11.2 yards per reception and 9.9 yards after catch per reception.
Eli Heidenreich - Listed as “Snipe Z” on Navy’s depth chart, this senior playmaker can do it all as his 114.6 all-purpose yards per game are the 24th-most among all FBS players. On the ground, Heidenreich has 49 carries for 342 yards and three touchdowns with no fumbles. His 6.98 yards per carry are tied-16th among all FBS rushers. The six-foot back has between 5-9 carries in seven games. He rushed for a season-high 72 yards and a touchdown at Tulsa. Heidenreich is a great, tough runner who averages 3.69 yards after contact per carry and has forced 15 missed tackles. Most of the senior’s run production has come from going outside to the right. He can line up in the backfield, inline, in the slot, or out wide, and a good chunk of Navy’s jet sweep action involves this rusher.
As good as Heidenreich might be as a rusher, he is an even better receiving option. As Navy’s leading receiver, the senior has tallied 575 yards and four touchdowns on 31 catches. His 18.55 yards per reception and 71.9 receiving yards per game are both top-50 among FBS pass-catchers. Heidenreich has at least two catches for 20 yards in each game this season. He exploded against Air Force for a season-high 243 yards and three touchdowns across eight receptions in the win. The playmaking senior has no drops across 44 targets this year. As mentioned above, Heidenreich is versatile and can line up basically anywhere on the field. Additionally, he averages a solid 6.9 yards after catch per reception and is 6/7 on contested catch attempts this season. Across 11 targets over 20 yards, Heidenreich has 285 yards and three touchdowns on seven catches, serving as a possible deep threat for opposing defenses.
Brandon Chatman - Listed as “Snipe A” on the depth chart, this 5-9, 174-pound senior is another do-it-all back. On the ground, Chatman has 41 carries for 360 yards and two touchdowns with no fumbles. His impressive 8.78 yards per carry ranks third among all FBS rushers. The senior back has received between 3-10 carries in each game. He ran for a season-high 141 yards against FAU on just 10 attempts. Chatman is another good, tough runner, averaging 3.36 yards after contact per carry, and he has forced nine missed tackles. Most of his rushing production comes outside the edges.
Chatman is not as much of a threat through the air compared to Heidenreich, but he is still a capable receiving option. The senior has 13 receptions for 124 yards this season, including at least one catch in six games. In addition to his impressive rushing performance against FAU, he also tallied a season-high five catches and 43 yards as a pass-catcher. Chatman averages an impressive 9.5 yards per reception entering this weekend. He has two drops across 17 targets and is 4/4 on contested catch attempts. The back is more of a short-yardage option but can go over the top occasionally.
Others to watch: WR Nathan Kent, WR Joshua Guerin, TE Jake Norris, TE Theo Elwell, TE Cody Howard (was out last week with an injury)
Offensive Line:
LT Sean Crowley, LG Ben Purvis, C Cam Nichols, RG Hoke Smith II, RT Jaylin Acevedo OR Malcolm Johnson - Overall, this group has held up solidly. In a system that asks for a lot from run-blockers, this front has done a good job helping Navy establish an elite ground game. The leaders and most talented blockers on this line are the two returning starters: Senior LG Purvis and Junior C Nichols. Purvis is the only senior in this group and entered the year with 19 starts in the previous two seasons. Nichols started nine games last year and assumed his starting role against Air Force after rehabbing a fall camp injury. LT Crowley and RG Smith are both solid all-around blockers who have started every game this season. RT has been a bit of an issue for the Midshipmen offense this year. Acevedo, a sophomore, has six starts in seven games played, but leads the offense in penalties and really struggles in the rare pass-blocking scenarios. Johnson, a freshman, has made starts in the past two games with three appearances this season. He has good potential but is still a bit away from being able to hold up against good-elite edge defenders, such as Boubacar Traore.
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