Air Force falls to (RV/RV) Navy

U.S. AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo. – Opening its bid for the Commander-In-Chief's trophy on Saturday afternoon against (RV) Navy, Air Force football fell, 34-7, to the Midshipmen.

Sophomore quarterback Quentin Hayes, taking over under center in the second quarter, finished the day five for six in the passing game, totaling 115 yards. Logging 12 rushers on the day, the Falcons compiled 158 yards on the ground with junior Kade Frew finishing with a team-best 29 yards.

After opening drives stalled for both teams, the Midshipmen (5-0, 3-0 AAC) advanced on their second possession, going 10 plays, 87 yards and scoring the opening touchdown of the contest at the 4:39 mark off a one-yard carry by Navy quarterback Blake Horvath.

On the resulting drive on a third and seven on the Air Force 39, Falcon quarterback John Busha's pass up the middle intended for John Fleischmann was intercepted, leaving the Midshipmen in control at the Falcon 41.

On fourth and three at the Air Force 34 with 2:34 remaining in the opening quarter, Navy receiver Nathan Kent found open space on a reverse to earn Navy's second rushing score of the game and a 14-0 Midshipmen lead.

In the second quarter, Air Force held Navy to a punt to regain the ball on their own 19. After the punt, Hayes took over under center for Air Force, leading the Falcons 21 yards into Navy territory. Hayes then connected with Tre Roberson for a 45 yard Air Force touchdown, marking Hayes and Roberson's first career score.

Navy's Horvath, scrambling left out of the pocket, found Eli Heidenreich along the right sideline for a 25-yard strike which set up Navy for an ultimate 21-7 halftime lead.

After an unsuccessful Air Force drive to open the second half, Navy went 14 plays and 76 yards to earn its fourth rushing touchdown of the game; an unsuccessful extra point left the Midshipmen with a 27-7 advantage with 6:08 remaining in the quarter.

On Air Force's second drive of the third quarter, Hayes, out of the pocket and at the right sideline, completed a 34-yard pass along to junior Tylor Latham – a career high reception for the receiver. But the Falcons' drive stalled at the 50-yard line with a turnover on downs.

At the beginning of the fourth quarter, Air Force put up its best drive of the game, going nine plays for 51 yards. On a second-and-nine at the Falcon 49, Hayes found Quin Smith for a career-best 29-yard catch for the junior to set up Air Force's first trip into the Navy red zone. On a critical fourth and goal with 10:16 remaining, Hayes was sacked for a 14-yard loss and the turnover on downs ended the drive. A final Navy rushing touchdown at 6:58 left the final tally at 34-7.

For Navy, Horvath finished with 249 all-purpose yards and two rushing touchdowns; Horvath and Heidenreich both added 115 and 100 yards on the ground, respectively, leading Navy in a 329-yard rushing performance; Junior fullback Alex Tezca added two touchdowns on the ground and 26 yards.

Up Next:
Air Force football (1-4, 0-2 MW) travels to Albuquerque to face New Mexico on Oct. 12.

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Team Stats

Quentin Hayes

John Busha

Josh Johnson

Players Mentioned

John Busha

Kade Frew

Quentin Hayes

Tylor Latham

Tre Roberson

Quin Smith

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