The Memphis Tigers fell 56-44 to Navy, severely crippling their hopes of a college football playoff berth.
For Memphis, they entered the contest 3-0 on the season. They started their season beating North Alabama, Troy and Florida State.
The Tigers came to Annapolis looking for their first 4-0 start since 2019.
They started the game off strong in the first quarter as on the first drive of the game Memphis went downfield and senior Mario Anderson rushed into the endzone for a seven-yard touchdown giving the Tigers a 7-0 lead.
Navy retaliated by scoring as quarterback Blake Horvath ran for a five-yard touchdown that would even the score at seven a piece.
After the Midshipmen tied the game, Memphis wasted no time responding, scoring in five plays with running back Brandon Thomas running into the endzone from 57 yards out.
Navy opened the second quarter with a quick strike, as quarterback Blake Horvath connected on a 39-yard pass to running back Eli Heidenreich putting the score at 14-14.
Navy’s momentum continued as they ended up stopping the Tigers offense to get the ball back. Running back Brandon Chatman rushed in for a 12-yard touchdown putting Navy ahead 21-14. The Midshipmen continued to dominate as their defense held Memphis to a field goal bringing the score to 21-17.
Navy followed up the stop with a nine-play touchdown drive capped off with a Blake Norvath 3-yard run, giving the Midshipmen a double-digit lead at 28-17 going into halftime.
After halftime, Navy received the ball back to start the third quarter and continued to roll through the Tigers defense. They scored quickly in five plays with quarterback Blake Norvath finding running back Brandon Chatman for a 46-yard passing touchdown.
After the Midshipmen scored, Memphis started to rally back. The Tigers offense responded with a 37-yard touchdown to Roc Taylor, who made the catch in double coverage at the back of the endzone. Memphis’ defense stopped Navy on their next offensive possession forcing them to punt and giving the Tigers the ball back.
The Tigers scored again on a 5-yard rushing touchdown by Mario Anderson Jr., but ended up failing on the 2-point conversion, putting the score at 35-30 with the Midshipmen still up at the end of the third quarter.
Blake Horvath and the Navy offense continued to pick the Memphis defense apart to start the fourth, scoring to push the lead back to 12. After a failed fourth down attempt by the Tigers, Navy scored on their first play with Norvath rushing for a 90-yard touchdown putting the Midshipmen up 19 points at 49-30.
Memphis responded with their own touchdown as Seth Henigan connected for a 36-yard passing touchdown to Wide Receiver Marcello Bussey. The Tigers then went for a two-point conversion to move the score to 49-38.
After the Tiger defense got a stop, the offense marched down the field with Mario ANderson Jr. Punching it in for a touchdown. Memphis would stay on the field to try and convert another 2-point conversion but failed, making it 49-44.
Memphis then attempted an onside kick against the Midshipmen which was successful. With one last hope, the Tigers tried to go downfield and score, but Seth Henigan ended up throwing a pick-six to Safety Rayuan Lane giving the Midshipmen a 56-44 lead and effectively sealing the game for Navy.
This win gave Navy their first win against the Tigers in five years. Star quarterback Blake Norvath finished with six total touchdowns and 403 total yards.
The Midshipmen finished with a total of 566 yards as the Tigers would finish with a total of 659 yards.
The Tigers return home to play MTSU on September 28. After a disastrous defensive performance, Memphis will look to get right against the Blue Raiders.
