Photo courtesy of usffootball on Instagram
By Dominic Feo
After No. 24 University of South Florida achieved its first-ever College Football Playoff (CFP) ranking, the team’s journey to the tournament was stopped short on Nov. 15, in a 41-38 loss to the Naval Academy. USF’s defense could not stop the Midshipmen from making big plays, while the Bulls’ offense got off to a start too slow to catch up.
Navy’s triple-option offense used heavy runs to force USF to commit more defenders on the line of scrimmage. With most of the defense stacked on the line, USF was out of position to stop Midshipmen runners like senior running back Alex Tecza, who took a hand-off 76 yards for the game’s initial points.
Having too many defenders on the line also left gaps in the passing game for senior quarterback Blake Horvath to exploit. Prior to the game, Horvath ran for the second-most yards in the American Conference.
After USF kicker Nico Gramatica kicked a 22-yard field goal, Horvath reminded the Bulls defense that he is still a passer, finding Eli Heidenreich downfield.
The senior running back snagged the pass with one hand and took it 82 yards to inside USF’s five-yard line. Running back Brandon Chatman punched in a rushing touchdown a play later to end the first quarter in front 14-3.
The rushing score by Tecza and the big pass to Heidenreich were Navy’s longest run-and-pass plays of the season — both let up by the Bulls defense just one quarter in.
USF star quarterback Byrum Brown threw a 12-yard touchdown to wide receiver Keshaun Singleton on the following drive, but Horvath matched Brown with a 14-yard strike to Tecza over the middle.
Almost three minutes later, Navy kicker Nathan Kirkwood capitalized on Navy’s defense, picking off Brown by knocking through a 44-yarder to extend the score gap to 15. When USF reached Navy’s 31-yard line, the Bulls could have opted to kick a field goal of its own, but on fourth-and-one, offensive lineman Cole Skinner took a handoff nowhere for a turnover on downs.
Skinner had previously run for two touchdowns this season, but in a three-point loss, the decision was pivotal. Both USF’s conference losses to Memphis on Oct. 25 and Navy were at noon on the road, and by three points in part due to USF failing one or more fourth-down conversions within kicking distance.
The second half began better for USF than the first, forcing a Navy three-and-out, and Brown running in a 3-yard touchdown four plays later that cut the deficit to eight.
In the final minute of the third, USF forced a fourth down. Only needing three yards to convert, Horvath gave Tecza the ball.
Tecza, however, pitched the ball back to Horvath, who tossed up a prayer for Chatman. The flea-flicker pass fell incomplete, but only because of a pass interference by USF.
The untimely penalty set up another field goal from Kirkwood to regain a two-possession lead at the start of the fourth. Both teams spent the final quarter trading blows, but USF never got in front.
In just ten seconds of game-clock later, Brown took a keeper up the middle for a 60-yard scoring run. Brown also threw a dart to wide receiver Mudia Reuben in the back of the endzone for a two-point conversion, making the score 24-27.
Horvath was sidelined from Navy’s Nov. 8 matchup against Notre Dame and dealt with hand and leg injuries against USF. Horvath had to be sidelined after getting banged up on the first play of Navy’s next drive. The Midshipmen were forced to sub in backup quarterback Braxton Woodson.
The Altamonte Springs, Florida native spent the next four minutes using his right arm and both legs to chip away at USF’s defense until it snapped. Woodson threw a 32-yard pass to Heidenreich and ran 20 yards for six on the next play.
With USF’s chances to make the American Conference Championship and CFP dwindling by the second, head coach Alex Golesh reached into his bag of tricks and pulled out a screen pass to running back Nykahi Davenport, who uncorked a surprise 29-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Jeremiah Koger.
Any momentum USF gained from that play was lost on the ensuing drive when Woodson outran USF’s defense down the right sideline for a 64-yard scamper that put Navy back up by 11. Right before the two-minute warning, Reuben bounced off a Midshipman to turn a screen pass into a 41-yard touchdown.
Alas, USF failed its try at an onside kick, and Navy chewed away the rest of the clock, leaving the final score at 41-38. If USF had won, ESPN Analytics gave USF a 49% chance to reach the CFP. The loss plunged those odds down to 2%.
Despite two regular-season matches and one bowl game remaining, USF must now look to the future. The rest of the season will be a chance for seniors to showcase their talents for National Football League scouts, and for younger playmakers to keep adding gameday experience.
USF’s most victorious season since 2018 may now be remembered not for what was accomplished but for what more it could have been.
