Navy big-plays its way to win over No. 24 USF, seizes inside track for final College Football Playoff auto bid

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South Florida came into the weekend tied for the fourth-most plays of at least 40 yards from scrimmage this season. The No. 24 Bulls got theirs in Annapolis, but so did Navy in a consequential American Conference clash.

Running back Alex Tecza ripped through the seam of the USF defense for a 76-yard touchdown. The Pittsburgh native's Mt. Lebanon High School teammate, Eli Heidenreich, reeled in a one-handed catch that he turned into an 82-yard reception, the Midshipmen's longest in 15 years, per the ESPN broadcast.

Backup quarterback Braxton Woodson replaced starter Blake Horvath, who was in and out of the second half with an apparent lower-leg injury, and delivered two rushing touchdowns, the second a 64-yarder late in the fourth quarter.

Those big plays gave USF a taste of its own medicine. The ones Navy made on defense — namely an interception and turnover on downs on back-to-back second-quarter drives — helped the Mids (8-2, 6-1 American) take down the Bulls (7-3, 4-2) and gain the inside track on the final College Football Playoff auto bid with a 41-38 win.

Navy remains atop the American standings with its latest triumph. USF entered the matchup as the highest-ranked Group of Five team in the CFP rankings. 

Since the five highest-ranked conference champions have an automatic bid to the 12-team playoff, regardless where or if they rank in the Top 25, the American has been on track to have a CFP team. 

Right now, Navy is looking the part, although it still has to get past Memphis on Nov. 27 and then win the American championship. North Texas and Tulane are vying for a spot in the title game, too. 

James Madison can't be overlooked in the Sun Belt, either.

USF, on the other hand, is now on the outside looking in during a season that started with consecutive wins over then-ranked Boise State and Florida.

Navy went into halftime with a 24-9 lead, notably after stopping a fourth-and-1 handoff that saw Bulls offensive lineman Cole Skinner get the ball before being stuffed at the line.

Nose guard Landon Robinson played a role in breaking down the trenches on that play, and he applied interior pressure earlier in the quarter, forcing a Byrum Brown interception that cornerback Phillip Hamilton caught and returned to set up a field goal.

In a first half where the teams combined for 542 total yards, the Midshipmen's Tecza and Heidenreich starred. Heidenreich's one-handed snag in stride stole the show.

In the second half, the Bulls staged a furious comeback. 

Brown finished 23-of-32 passing with 308 yards, 2 touchdowns and 1 pick. He also rushed for 136 yards and 2 touchdowns, the second of which went for 60 yards and made it a 27-24 game.

The first of Woodson's pair of rushing scores gave Navy a chance to breathe until USF came back with more trickery. This time, a double pass resulted in running back Nykahi Davenport putting just enough on a 29-yard touchdown strike to wide receiver Jeremiah Koger.

Answering Woodson's next score, Brown whipped a screen pass to wideout Mudia Reuben, who paired a juke with a hurdle on his 41-yard mission to the end zone. A two-point conversion made up for a missed extra point from the Bulls' previous possession.

The Midshipmen drained all but one second of the remaining clock, and USF's last-ditch hook-and-ladder play came up well short of a miracle.

Navy snapped its two-game losing streak with a Senior Day victory that puts the Mids back in the CFP conversation, which now no longer includes USF.

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