Fans of service academy football got their first taste of the intensity that will define the 2025 Commander-in-Chief’s Trophy race. Secretary of Defense (War) Pete Hegseth was on hand in Annapolis on Saturday for the opening showdown between Navy and Air Force.
In an epic shootout, the Midshipmen handed the Falcons another heartbreaker loss, thanks in large part to senior slotback Eli Heidenreich’s career day. With the win, Navy improved to a dominant 5-0, 3-0 in the American Athletic Conference (AAC), while Air Force fell to 1-4, 0-3 in the Mountain West (MW), and remains searching for answers in conference play.
Army kept its postseason hopes alive with a much-needed road victory over UAB at Protective Stadium. Behind the poised play of quarterback Cale Hellums in the second half, the Black Knights climbed to 2-3, 1-2 in the AAC, as they continue to find their stride midway through the season.
Navy Wins Shootout with Air Force
In what proved to be an exciting debut showdown between service academies, the Midshipmen’s late defensive heroics proved to be the difference between defeat and victory at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium. The home side’s offense certainly did its part in beating the Air Force Falcons 34-31. Navy quarterback Blake Horvath had 469 total yards, completing 20 of 26 passes for 339 receiving yards and three touchdowns, while rushing for 130 yards and one 59-yard touchdown. Slotback Heidenreich’s career day was marked by eight receptions for 243 yards and three touchdowns.
The Falcons’ offense was ignited by quarterback Liam Szarka, who completed 11 of 19 passes for 212 yards and two touchdowns, while rushing for 152 yards and two touchdowns. Szarka’s excellent game was ruined by Navy late in the fourth quarter when the Mids recovered his fumble.
Also Read: How the Air Force-Navy rivalry is just as vicious as Army-Navy
On the opening drive of the game, Navy drew first blood on a Nathan Kirkwood 39-yard field goal. Air Force secured an early lead on a four-play drive that ended with Szarka’s seven-yard touchdown run at 9:14.
Horvath fumbled on Mid’s next possession, but the Falcons could not pile on additional points as Jacob Medina’s 35-yard field goal attempt was no good. Navy, down 7-3 on the possession after that, was forced to punt with eight seconds remaining in the first quarter.
Medina’s 24-yard field goal put Air Force up 10-3 at 10:29 of the second quarter. The Midshipmen marched down the field on their next drive, using three plays to set up Horvath’s 19-yard touchdown toss to Heidenreich that tied the game at 10. Air Force then failed to get the first down on a nine-play possession, punting the ball to Navy.
The Mids put together a two-play drive for their second touchdown of the game, a monster 80-yard touchdown pass from Horvath to Heidenreich with 4:02 left in the second quarter. With the score 17-10 in favor of Navy, the teams exchanged punts. Air Force ran three plays before time expired in the first half.
The Falcons got the ball back first in the second half and scored a touchdown to even up the game at 17. Szarka ran for a one-yard touchdown after a nine-play drive.
The tie didn’t last long, as the Mids pushed down the field on their next possession. On 2nd & 11 at Navy’s 41-yard line, Horvath executed a highlight reel 59-yard touchdown run at 5:52 of the third. Down 24-17, Air Force answered on their next possession. An 11-play drive that began in the third quarter culminated in Szarka connecting with Bruin Fleischmann on an 18-yard touchdown pass at 14:55 in the fourth. The game was tied at 24 just seconds into the final quarter.
On the next drive, Horvath showed off his arm again with a 60-yard touchdown pass to Heidenreich at the 12:55 mark of the fourth. Down 31-24, the Falcons struck back through the air with Szarka’s 53-yard touchdown throw to sophomore wide receiver Jonah Dawson.
Tied at 31 apiece, Kirkwood’s 34-yard field goal at 6:47 proved to be the game-winner. Air Force was eight plays in on their next possession when Szarka fumbled the ball that was recovered by the Mids’ senior nose guard, Landon Robinson, at 3:07.
Navy ran eight more plays to run out the clock in the back-and-forth matchup that ended with a score of 34-31. The Midshipmen’s celebration spilled over into the locker room, where Secretary of Defense (War) Hegseth congratulated the team for their victory.
Navy travels to Philadelphia on Saturday to face the Temple Owls at Lincoln Financial Field. The October 11th game is scheduled for a 4:00 PM ET kickoff, streaming on YouTube TV. The Mids look to remain undefeated against a Temple squad that is 3-2 overall and 1-0 in conference play. The Owls’ season has been defined by winning the games they are supposed to, while falling to nationally ranked opponents with losses at the hands of Oklahoma and Georgia Tech. Temple won their first AAC game of the campaign this past weekend against UTSA, 27-21.
The Owls are led by redshirt senior quarterback Evan Simon, who is 69-for-117 through the air with 805 yards for 12 touchdowns. On 40 carries, the 6-foot-3, 205-pounder playcaller has 136 yards. Fellow redshirt senior, running back Jay Ducker, has also been a key part of the offense, running for 349 yards for two touchdowns on 66 carries. Wide receiver Kajiya Hollawayne (two touchdowns on 110 receiving yards) and tight end Peter Clarke (three touchdowns on 229 receiving yards) have become popular targets for their quarterback.
The Temple defense has been a unit in transition under first-year defensive coordinator Brian L. Smith. The Owls’ multiple 3-4 scheme has had some success with pass defense, but it has struggled to contain opponents’ running game. Expect this factor to be problematic against a rush-heavy Navy team that looks to achieve bowl eligibility with its sixth win of the season.
Air Force returns to MW play on Saturday when it travels to Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas for a 3:30 PM ET showdown with UNLV, streaming on Fubo. The UNLV Rebels are off to a great start this season, emerging victorious in five games they were expected to win. They sit atop the conference with a record of 5-0, 1-0 in MW play.
In the offseason, UNLV brought in a number of transfers from Power 4 conference programs to fill vacancies on the roster. Two of these transfers were quarterbacks Anthony Colandrea (from Virginia) and Alex Orji (from Michigan). Both men have lined up behind center this season, with Colandrea recording 940 passing yards and eight touchdowns, while Orji has run for 42 yards and one touchdown in three games.
On offense, the Rebels have had strong play this season from running back Jai’Den Thomas and wide receiver Jaden Bradley. Thomas has 489 rushing yards for five touchdowns on 61 carries, while Bradley has caught 25 balls for 420 yards and two touchdowns. The 6-foot-4, 195-pound senior receiver has also been good on special teams, returning a punt for a 36-yard touchdown against Wyoming.
The UNLV defense experienced a significant upheaval in the offseason, unexpectedly losing its defensive coordinator as well as a number of key contributors on the field. Despite giving up considerable amounts of yardage and points, the Rebels’ defense has had a significant impact in forcing turnovers at crucial moments during their first five games. Szarka and his offensive crew will need to continue aggressive attacks on the ground if they hope to hand UNLV their first loss of the season this weekend in Vegas.
Army Slays the Dragon
In their first conference win of the season, three of Army’s quarterbacks saw playing time lining up behind center. The Black Knights’ offense had a slow start, but things picked up in the second half when head coach Jeff Monken settled on Hellums to command the offense.
Army’s ground attack was relentless, with the Black Knights racking up 247 yards. Hellums had 81 of these rushing yards with three touchdowns in the second half. Senior running back Hayden Reed claimed 54 of these yards and a touchdown. The Army defense put pressure on UAB quarterback Jalen Kitna throughout the game. The redshirt senior play caller was 24-for-42 through the air, throwing one touchdown pass. A costly interception in the third set up an Army scoring drive.
The first quarter of the game was marked by both offenses struggling to set up effective scoring drives. On the opening possession, UAB’s field goal attempt was thwarted by senior defensive lineman Jack Bousum. The big man blocked a 44-yard attempt by Blazers kicker Jonah Delange.
An 18-play possession set up Army’s first score of the game at 13:47 of the second when Reed punched the ball into the endzone from three yards out. The next four plays ended in punts for both teams before UAB set up a touchdown pass at 1:16 of the second to even the game at seven. Kitna found wide receiver Xavier Daisy for a one-yard touchdown reception.
The Black Knights regained the lead just before halftime on a Dawson Jones’ 45-yard field goal attempt that was good. Army led UAB 10-7 at halftime.
Army was forced to punt after going three and out on their first possession of the second half. The Blazers missed their second field goal of the game at 10:07 of the third quarter when Delange failed to hit a 30-yard attempt. The Black Knights increased their lead at 5:11 of the third when Hellums scored his first running touchdown from five yards out. Army led 17-7.
UAB kick return specialist Solomon Beebe’s fumble on the kickoff was recovered by kicker Anderson Britton. Sophomore inside linebacker Elijah Walton forced the fumble. Army could not capitalize on the mistake, turning the ball over on downs.
Kitna threw his fourth interception of the season at 1:54 of the third, when senior nickelback Gavin Shields picked him off on 2nd & 12 at the Blazers’ 19-yard line. This mistake proved costly as the Black Knights set up a five-play drive that ended in Hellums’ one-yard rushing touchdown at 14:18 of the final quarter.
Down 24-7, UAB turned the ball over on downs. On the next two possessions of the game, the Black Knights were forced to punt, and the Blazers turned the ball over on downs. Hellums continued his running showcase on the next drive, with the junior quarterback carrying the ball into the endzone on 2nd & Goal from UAB’s five-yard line.
Trailing 31-7, UAB put together a 12-yard scoring drive that culminated in Ryder Burton’s one-yard touchdown run on fourth down. The Blazers failed to convert the two-point conversion with 54 seconds remaining in the game. Down 31-13, UAB kicked off the ball to Army. Junior backup quarterback Zach Mundell took two knees before time expired.
The Black Knights hope to carry this offensive momentum into their October 11th matchup with Charlotte. The 49ers, 1-4 overall and 0-2 in the AAC, will travel to Michie Stadium for the noon ET game, streaming on Fubo. Charlotte sits in the basement of the AAC, having lost its first two conference games to Rice and USF under first-season head coach Tim Albin. Despite some flashes of strong offensive play, the 49ers have struggled on defense and with turnovers.
This past weekend, Charlotte was blown out by USF, 54-26. The Bulls’ offense put on a dominant performance, racking up 631 total yards. Starting quarterback Conner Harrell suffered a season-ending injury in week four. Since then, backups Grayson Loftis and Zacke Wilcke have handled call playing duties.
The Black Knights will look to exploit holes in the 49ers’ defense to maximize the damage it is capable of inflicting on opponents with the strong run game. Look for this past weekend’s key offensive performers, Hellums and Reed, to have strong outings against Charlotte.
The Road Ahead
Next weekend brings another high-profile slate for the service academies, with two taking the field in NFL venues. Navy travels to Lincoln Financial Field, home of the Philadelphia Eagles, to take on Temple in a bid to stay unbeaten and strengthen its bowl résumé. Air Force heads to Allegiant Stadium, home of the Las Vegas Raiders, where the Falcons will look to snap their skid against a hot UNLV team.
Meanwhile, Army returns to the familiar confines of Michie Stadium, aiming to build on its UAB victory against struggling Charlotte. With each team fighting for position in conference play, the march toward the Commander-in-Chief’s Trophy and bowl season continues to heat up.
