Navy Outlasts Oklahoma in Armed Forces Bowl

It took a sack by Navy left end against Oklahoma Sooners quarterback Michael Hawkins Jr. on a two-point conversion with six seconds left in the game for the Midshipmen to hold onto the 21-20 lead and clinch victory in the Lockheed Martin Armed Forces Bowl in front of 50,754 at Amon G. Carter Stadium on the campus of Texas Christian University on Friday afternoon.

Navy won the toss and deferred, and Oklahoma started the first drive on their 35-yard line. It was Oklahoma that started the game stuffing the Navy defense with a strong running attack, led by Hawkins, a freshman making his fourth collegiate start for the Sooners.

Hawkins opened the drive with a rush up the middle for four yards, and then hit wide receiver Zion Ragins on a five yard pass on the next play. Running back Gavin Sawchuk rushed up the middle for three yards, and then alternated with Hawkins. Sawchuk rushed four times in the drive, while Hawkins passed to wide receivers Jacob Jordan and Ivan Carreon for gains of nine yards and five yards respectively. The drive ended with a 21-yard rushing touchdown by Sawchuk, his first touchdown this season. Kicker Zach Schmit made the extra point to give the Sooners the early 7-0 lead with 11:33 remaining in the opening quarter.

The Midshipmen matched the rushing attack immediately upon taking possession at their 25-yard line. Running back Alex Tecza rushed up the middle for two yards, which was followed by a rush up the middle for no gain by quarterback Blake Horvath. Facing 3rd-and-8 from the Navy 27, Horvath passed deep to the left to find wide receiver Nathan Kent open for a 32 yard reception. The throw was a little long which got Kent off balance and forced him to fall to the turf. It prevented Navy from scoring an early touchdown.

Tecza rushed to the right but was stopped behind the line of scrimmage for a two yard loss, and then center Brent Self was called for a false start penalty which put the Midshipmen behind the sticks. Tecza rushed up the middle for a seven yard gain making it 3rd-and-10. Horvath passed on the right to running back Eli Heidenreich who was wide open, but the throw was a little high and the running back could not haul it in. Riley Riethman punted 26 yards to the Oklahoma 15-yard line instead.

Hawkins threw twice to running back Sam Franklin and both passes were dropped. Oklahoma head coach Brent Venables called a timeout to refocus his players. When play resumed, Hawkins rushed to the right side of the line for 16 yards and a first down, pushing the ball to the Oklahoma 31-yard line.

Hawkins threw up a pass intended for Jordan, but was bailed out by Navy cornerback Andrew Duhart who was penalized ten yards for defensive holding. The penalty moved the ball to Oklahoma’s 41-yard line where Hawkins threw a deep pass down the middle intended for Ragins. Sawchuk rushed up the middle for three yards to get to the Oklahoma 44-yard line. On the next play, the Sooners hit paydirt. Hawkins threw to wide receiver Zion Kearney at the Navy 25-yard line. Kearney evaded a tackle by cornerback Ira Oniha and scampered into the end zone to cap a 56-yard touchdown play. Schmit’s extra point made it 14-0 in favor of the Sooners with 5:56 remaining in the first quarter.
Navy started their next drive from their 37-yard line and Horvath rushed right into the arms of defensive end Ethan Downs who hit him in the backfield for a four-yard loss. On the next play from scrimmage, Horvath rushed on the right side of the line, found the hole, and exploded into the secondary for a 37-yard rush deep into Sooners territory.

Now with 1st-and-10 from the Oklahoma 30-yard line, running back Daba Fofana rushed to the left for three yards. Horvath then passed to running back Brandon Chatman for a two-yard gain. Horvath rushed up the middle for no gain, which made it fourth down with five yards needed for the first down. Navy elected to go for. Horvath threw a pass deep right intended for Heidenreich at the Oklahoma five-yard line but Heidenreich was unable to haul it in and the Midshipmen turned it over on downs.

Hawkins did not look like a rookie quarterback making his first start when he orchestrated Oklahoma’s next drive. He handed it off to running backs Taylor Tatum and Xavier Robinson for three consecutive plays, netting 11 yards in the process. He passed to Ragins for two yards as the first quarter expired with the ball on Oklahoma’s 38-yard line.

The Sooner quarterback threw incomplete, intended for Ragins, and then completed a pass to Ragins for five yards. It was 4th-and-3 and Luke Elzinga came on to punt the ball away, but Elzinga passed to defensive back Woodi Washington instead for a gain of 28-yards and a fresh set of downs.

A sack by Justin Reed followed with a holding penalty on Carreon backed the Sooners into a 2nd-and-19 situation. Hawkins passed to Carreon in the next two downs, picking up nine yards each play. On 4th-and-1 at the Navy 20-yard line, Hawkins handed off to Robinson who was stopped up the middle for no gain. Oklahoma turned it over on downs.

For Navy, two rushes and an incomplete pass just off the fingertips of Heidenreich brought up fourth down deep in their own territory. The Midshipmen went three-and-out as Reithman booted a 70-yard long punt to the Oklahoma eight-yard line.

Outside of a nine-yard pass to Carreon and a pass interference penalty on Navy cornerback Ira Oniha, Sawchuk ran the ball up the middle four times for 13 yards. It was 4th-and-1 on the Oklahoma 45-yard line when Hawkins rush up the middle and was met by Navy linebacker Colin Ramos, who stopped him for behind the first down marker for a turnover on downs.

Navy followed the Sooner lead and kept the ball on the ground for this next drive. Oklahoma defensive lineman Trace Ford jumped offsides for a five-yard penalty. Horvath rushed up the middle twice before striking a pass over the middle to tight end Cody Howard for 21 yards to the Oklahoma 15-yard line. Tecza rushed up the middle for one yard. Horvath gained three yards on a run up the middle. Tecza finished the drive with an 11-yard touchdown run. Nathan Kirkwood’s extra point made the score 14-7 in favor of the Sooners with 3:40 remaining until halftime.

Both teams were held to three-and-outs on their respective next possessions. Oklahoma had the final possession of the first half with 99 seconds left to drive 93 yards. The best they could do was pick up 47 yards on nine plays during that time. Hawkins passed to Robinson for 14 yards and then those two connected again for 10 yards to barely get into Navy territory when the clock expired for the halftime break.

Navy took possession when play resumed. They went back to their core running game in their first possession of the second half. Tecza ran up the middle for two yards and then was handed the ball again and gained five yards more. Horvath rushed left for two yards to bring up a 4th-and-1. Horvath dived over the pile to pick up two yards. The penalty flag came out and linebacker Kip Lewis was called for the offsides penalty to give the Midshipmen the first down, even though Horvath would have made it anyway.

The Midshipmen ran four more running plays netting only 13 yards to get them to midfield. Horvath threw another pass intended for Heidenreich that was just out of reach, forcing Riethman to come out for another punt. Navy took five minutes to run eight plays and net only 26 yards.

Oklahoma didn’t fare much better. The Sooners ran nine consecutive rushing plays only to gain 35 yards in just under five minutes of play. Elzinga punted and Navy took over at their own four-yard line.

Tecza rushed on the left side and was brought down one yard past the line of scrimmage. Horvath ran the same play again, this time tucking the ball and running up the middle himself, past the trenches, into the secondary for a long gain. He was soon past midfield. He was already past the secondary when teammate Brandon Chatman threw a block on safety Peyton Bowen at the 25-yard line and was tripped up by cornerback Woodi Washington from behind as Horvath stretched his body over the goal line. He was ruled down by contact at the one-yard line, but the replay official overturned the call, ruling that Horvath had extended the ball past the goal line by the time his knee hit the turf. The 95-yard touchdown was the longest run in Navy football history dating back to 1879. Kirkwood’s extra point was good tying the score 14-14 with 3:49 remaining in the third quarter.

The Oklahoma drive started on their 25-yard line after a touchback on the kickoff. Hawkins rushed to the right for one-yard when the ball popped after linebacker Kyle Jacob forced the fumble, which was recovered by Duhart on the Oklahoma 26-yard line for the turnover.

Off of a flea flicker, Horvath threw to Chatman in the end zone but the pass was a little long and fell incomplete. Horvath then rushed up the middle for no gain. He managed to connect with Heidenreich for a six-yard completion to bring up 4th-and-4. Kirkwood came on to attempt a 38-yard field goal which sailed wide right and was no good with 2:07 left in the third quarter.

Hawkins tried the flea flicker for Oklahoma but Ragins dropped the ball at the Navy 40-yard line. The quarterback then hit Jordan on a four-yard completion, and threw to Carreon for 21 yards more. They tried another flea flicker but the Navy defense was not fooled. Hawkins threw the check down pass to Sawchuk, who ran right into the arms of a waiting Colin Ramos who hit him for a one-yard loss.

On 2nd-and-11 from the Oklahoma 44-yard line, Hawkins rushed up the middle and found daylight. Fifty-six yards later, he crossed the goal line for a touchdown. However, it was called back after offensive lineman Febechi Nwaiwu was called for a holding penalty. Hawkins then passed to tight end Kaden Helms for a 10 yard gain as the third quarter expired.

Hawkins rushed left for 11 yards to begin the fourth quarter and hit Zion Kearney for a 10 yard strike two plays later. The drive stalled after two rushing plays for no gain and an incomplete pass. Schmit came on for a 38-yard field goal attempt which was wide to the right. Kirkwood and Schmit both missed field goals from the identical spot on the playing field.

The Navy offensive line was now able to open up holes for their running backs. The yards per carry were getting longer as the Sooner defensive front was getting weary. Horvath rushed for four yards. Heidenreich rushed for eight yards and then for seven more on the next play. Horvath passed to running back Isaiah Bryant for five yards, and Chatman for ten more. On the 12th play of the drive, Horvath rushed for a six-yard touchdown. Kirkwood’s extra point gave Navy the 21-14 lead, as the Midshipmen had scored 21 unanswered points after giving up 14 in the opening quarter. The drive took 7:32 off the clock and left only 4:34 on it for Oklahoma.

The Sooners ran five plays. Hawkins rushed up the middle for seven yards, and then passed to Jordan for five yards. Hawkins then rushed left for one yard. However, the Navy defense applied pressure in the next two passing plays and Hawkins threw them away. Elzinga punted to the Navy five-yard line with 2:56 left in the game.

The Midshipmen just needed to get a first down or two and run the clock out and they could win. The Sooners weren’t going to make it easy.

After Horvath rushed up the middle for a one-yard gain, Oklahoma called timeout. Tezca rushed for five yards, still not enough for a first down, and then Horvath rushed for three more. Now it was 4th-and-1 and Navy was still in the shadow of their own goal posts at the two minute timeout. Riethman booted a 54-yard punt to the Oklahoma 32-yard line. Bowan returned it to the 45-yard line, but linebacker Sammy Omosigho was called for an illegal block in the back, which moved the Sooners back to their 35-yard line.

The Sooners had 1:47 left in order to march 65 yards and score a touchdown if they had any chance at winning the game. Hawkins was sacked by defensive tackle Griffen Willis for a one-yard loss, which forced the Sooners to call timeout.

Hawkins was able to bring the Sooners down the field with chunk plays. First he hit Sawchuk for a five-yard pass. Then he went down the middle for a pass to Roberts and a three-yard pass to Carreon. He passed to Ragins for eight yards, Sawchuk for three, and Carreon for 14 yards. Navy linebacker Kyle Jacob sacked Hawkins for a seven yard loss, which forced the Sooners to call their final timeout with 28 seconds left on the clock.

Hawkins threw incomplete to bring up 3rd-and-17 at the Navy 31-yard line. He put up a pass to Ragins in the end zone which fell incomplete. However, a defensive holding penalty by Navy’s Duhart advanced the ball to the Navy 21-yard line and gave Oklahoma a fresh set of downs with just 20 seconds left instead of a 4th-and-long situation. Hawkins threw a pass up the middle to Jordan for 11 yards and then a quick strike to Roberts in the end zone for a 10 yard touchdown reception with six seconds left on the clock to make the score 21-20 in favor of Navy.

Instead of bringing out Schmit to kick the extra point and tie the score, Sooner head coach Brent Venables decided to roll the dice and end it all on one play, win or lose. Hawkins lined up for the two-point conversion in the pistol formation with Sawchuk behind him. The Navy secondary ran tight man-to-man coverage against all of the Sooner receivers. Hawkins moved to his left, still seeing no open receiver, as the pocket collapsed. Navy defensive end Justin Reed was able to get off his block and move towards the quarterback. Safety Kenneth McShan was able to get off of his block and put an arm on Hawkins, slowing him down just enough for Reed to complete the sack. Navy players and coaches poured out onto the field in celebration.

However, there were six ticks of the clock still remaining. Surprisingly, the officials did not assess a delay of game penalty on Navy.

Oklahoma lined up for the onside kick at their 35-yard line. Schmit kicked the onside kick nine yards when Sooner linebacker Owen Heinecke touched it early for an illegal touch, before Tecza pounced on it for Navy. The ball was placed on the Oklahoma 44-yard line where Horvath kneeled down once to run out the clock and secure the one-point victory.

Blake Horvath went 7-for-12 in passing with 92 yards, no touchdowns and no sacks for Navy. Horvath also led Navy in rushing with 18 carries for 155 yards and two touchdowns, including the record-setting 95-yard touchdown run. Alex Tecza rushed 15 times for 43 yards and one touchdown. Eli Heidenreich rushed four times for 23 yards and Daba Fofana rushed twice for six yards total. Heidenreich pulled down two receptions for 22 yards, Brandon Chatman hauled in two passes for 12 yards, Nathan Kent grabbed a 32-yard completion, Cody Howard caught one pass for 21 yards and Isaiah Bryant made a five-yard reception.

“It wasn’t a clean game on either side of the football, but we found a way to get it done. That is a really good win for us, getting 10-wins for us has not happened a lot in the history of Navy football. That speaks to the toughness and the grit and passion of our football players,” said Navy head coach Brian Newberry.

“It is a perfect ending. You are down 14-0 and that symbolizes everything they’ve been through, how things have started. Things weren’t great. They stayed the course and stayed on course. It symbolizes not only the seniors but this football team,” Newberry added. It is his first Bowl victory which comes at the end of his second season as head coach.

Michael Hawkins Jr. went 28-for-43 passing for 247 yards, two touchdowns and was sacked four times, and Luke Elfinga passed once for 28 yards on the fake punt. In rushing, Gavin Sawchuk carried 13 times for 67 yards and one touchdown. Hawkins carried 17 times for 61 yards; Xavier Robinson had six carries for 21 yards; Taylor Tatum carried three times for six yards and Zion Ragins had one rush for three yards.

For Oklahoma receiving, Ivan Carreon led the team with seven receptions for 72 yards; Jacob Jordan caught five passes for 27 yards; Sawchuk pulled in five catches for 11 yards; Ragins had four receptions for 20 yards; Zion Kearney caught two passes for 66 yards and one touchdown; Xavier Robinson caught two for 24 yards; Jack Roberts made two receptions for 17 yards and one touchdown, and Woodi Washington caught one pass for 28 yards.

“Disappointed. Everything falls on me. When we’re dropping it and not converting fourth down, giving up explosive runs, everything falls at my feet. Really disappointed in myself. I need to be a lot better. We went 6-7 and we did a lot of things right, but we have to be a lot better,” said Oklahoma head coach Brent Venables. “I am not embarrassed of the fight, commitment and the work that these guys have represented. We have to be better. This is a game of performance and work, and we fell short of that this year.”

Regarding his record-setting run, Horvath said, “Some over-pursuit and tendencies by them. Brandon Chatman actually busting his tail, I probably get tackled at 30 or 40-yard line, it wasn’t my touchdown without him…Plenty of guys faster than me, but it wouldn’t be the longest without Brant Chatman and the offensive line.”

Yet the game came down to one final play, a two-point conversion. According to Hawkins, “We got what we wanted. They kind of covered it, matched it up.”

Reed knew that he couldn’t have made that final sack without the help of his teammates who were covering the receivers. “It was a great play I was able to make. I couldn’t have done it without my guys. We just made sure we stayed composed. I’m glad we were able to get that takeaway,” said Reed.

The Navy Midshipmen finish with a 10-3 record for just the sixth time in team history while Oklahoma falls to 6-7 for the second time in the last three seasons.