Navy ties record for program wins at the Liberty Bowl, sending off a loaded senior class the right way.
From Roger Staubach to Keenan Reynolds, Navy football owns extremely proud history and tradition.
The program is home to a plethora of iconic moments, yet one moment for the ages transpired as recently as Saturday evening in Memphis, TN. By pummeling former American Conference foe Cincinnati 35-13 in the Liberty Bowl, Navy tied a program record 11 victories in this 2025 season — a feat similarly accomplished by the 2015 and 2019 teams.
Under third-year head coach Brian Newberry, the Midshipmen secured back-to-back 10+ win seasons for the first time ever, properly sending off a historic campaign with a bowl trophy to complement the Commander-in-Chief’s Trophy and imminent season-end ranking.
This 2025 Navy team was home to many program icons taking in their final collegiate game. One was quarterback Blake Horvath who secured MVP honors behind 108 passing yards, 53 rushing yards, and three total touchdowns. Horvath leaves Annapolis with two Army-Navy wins, two bowl MVPs, and is situated at fourth in passing touchdowns and sixth in rushing touchdowns in the all-time Midshipmen record book.
Another senior icon Alex Tecza attained a game-high 80 rushing yards for the No. 1 ground offense in the country. Tecza set up Horvath’s first touchdown of the game with a 34-yard scamper in the first quarter and later in the fourth, he got in himself for his 23rd and final collegiate rushing score.
Tecza is one Pittsburgh native riding into the sunset on the offense, and another is the versatile Eli Heidenreich. Heidenreich attained 62 rushing yards, 64 receiving yards, and one receiving touchdown to cap his time at Navy. He exits as the Midshipmen’s all-time leader in receiving yards at 1,994 and extended his single-season program record to 941 in the stellar showing. It marked Heidenreich third 60-rushing/60-receiving game in uniform — a fitting way to conclude his chapter.
The departing star power extended to the defense as Landon Robinson — Navy’s first AP First Team All-American selection since 1975 — generated six tackles in the Liberty Bowl victory. The defensive tackle played a significant role in limiting Cincinnati’s offense to 239 yards and 13 points — the latter which marked a season-low for the Bearcats.
Cincinnati continued its slide to end a once-promising 2025 campaign. The Bearcats dropped their fourth-straight contest and faced significant adversity prior to kickoff. Down a slew of starters due to the portal, including quarterback Brendan Sorsby, the team struggled mightily as an offense. Brady Lichtenberg made his first start at quarterback since 2023 and fired for 78 yards on a 10-of-15 showing — only completing one pass beyond 15 yards.
Behind one of the nation’s best offensive lines, Cincinnati primarily moved its offense through the ground, relying on young running backs Manny Covey and Samaj Jones. However, the Bearcats were still out-gained 241-142 by Navy on the ground in a contest which featured 22 points of separation.
The Bearcats hung tight for nearly two full quarters, but Navy created a 14-7 advantage with 40 seconds before halftime on a 30-yard connection between Horvath and Luke Hutchison. The Midshipmen received the ball to start the third quarter and opened up a 21-7 lead on a productive 75-yard drive. Navy delivered the punishing blow with 2:49 remaining, extending its lead to 35-13 on a pick-six by inside linebacker Coleman Cauley, who tallied 10 tackles in addition to his first career touchdown.
Cincinnati (7-6, 5-4 Big 12) concluded a second-consecutive season on a 5-game losing skid. The Bearcats still produced their first winning campaign as a Big 12 program, but more work is to be done after a disappointing finish, which culminated in the program’s fourth-straight bowl loss. This offseason will be a significant one for a Cincinnati team just four years removed from a College Football Playoff appearance under the more exclusive 4-team model.
Navy (11-2, 7-1 American) tied its winningest season ever, triumphing in a bowl game atmosphere for a seventh time in its last eight tries. The Midshipmen snapped a 3-game losing streak to Cincinnati to hoist a trophy in Memphis, commemorating a special season with an unforgettable senior class. Now that the dust has settled, current No. 22 Navy can eagerly await its fate and determine where it lands in the final AP Poll — which will be its first ranking since 2019.
Category: General Sports
