Blake Horvath does it all for Navy in a massive victory over Memphis

All Blake Horvath could do was lift his hands and shrug his shoulders. Navy's junior quarterback had just gashed Memphis for a 90-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter, breaking past a vaunted Tigers defense. He then held up four fingers as he sprinted to his teammates on the sideline, one for each time he had raced into the end zone Saturday.

Horvath did it all for the Midshipmen at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium. He gave Memphis fits on the ground, bursting free for long gains and pushing through contact for extra yards. He was unflinching in the face of pressure and more than willing to air the ball out in Navy's new hybrid wing-T offense.

The Midshipmen knew they would need a virtuoso performance against the Tigers, a team that had owned them both at home and on the road for the past half-decade. In Navy's 56-44 upset victory, Horvath delivered.

He finished with 211 yards and four touchdowns on the ground and added 192 yards and two more touchdowns through the air. Horvath's dazzling day was enough to overcome a Memphis charge from a late 19-point deficit, which included an onside kick recovery in the final minute and a potential game-winning drive that reached the Navy 26-yard line before safety Rayuan Lane III returned an interception 86 yards for a touchdown to secure the Mids' victory.

For two weeks, the Mids (3-0, 2-0 American Athletic Conference) eyed Saturday's game as a chance to make a statement against a talented conference rival. Junior fullback Alex Tecza called the game the program's biggest in five years, and he even cheered on the Tigers from his couch during Navy's bye week in the hope that both teams would enter Saturday undefeated.

"There's no mission impossibles," offensive coordinator Drew Cronic said leading up to the game. "We're going to go throw everything at them we've got, and I think we've got an opportunity."

From kickoff, Memphis (3-1, 0-1) lived up to its billing. The Tigers marched down the field with ease on the game's opening drive, shredding Navy's defense through the air and on the ground. Memphis senior quarterback Seth Henigan, who entered Saturday's game with three wins over Navy in his career, gutted the Mids over the middle for 48 passing yards. Running back Mario Anderson Jr. charged up the middle for a seven-yard rushing touchdown to cap a nine-play, 65-yard drive.

Navy didn't flinch in the face of an early deficit. After going three-and-out on their first drive, the Mids scored touchdowns on each of their next four possessions — Horvath accounted for three of those scores, two rushing and one passing. Navy's fourth touchdown of the half came with just 11 seconds left, when Horvath tucked the ball under his arm and sprinted past a Memphis defender for a three-yard score.

Navy led 28-17 at halftime against a Tigers team that had not trailed all season. Horvath continued his tear on the opening drive of the second half, tossing a 46-yard touchdown to junior Brandon Chatman to give the Mids a more comfortable edge.

As expected, Memphis surged. The Tigers, fresh off a win at Florida State last week, trimmed the Navy lead to 35-30 with 1:11 left in the third quarter. Then after Horvath's final two touchdown runs in the fourth quarter made it 49-30, his day was nearly spoiled as the Tigers rallied before Lane's interception and return clinched the upset.