Ashton Jeanty, Travis Hunter, Cam Ward and Blake Horvath?
Who would have ever expected the first-year Navy starting quarterback to be listed in the same paragraph as some of college football’s top names.
As hard as it is to believe, ESPN’s midseason Heisman Trophy poll had Horvath among the “other players receiving votes” on a list topped by the aforementioned players.
Jeanty, Boise State’s dynamic tailback, is the current front-runner for the trophy presented annually to the best player in college football. Colorado’s two-way standout, Hunter, and Miami’s strong-armed quarterback, Ward, came in second and third in midseason voting.
Horvath was one of three players, along with Alabama quarterback Jalen Milroe and Ohio State wide receiver Jeremiah Smith, to receive two votes from ESPN writers.
Navy first-year offensive coordinator Drew Cronic was asked this week if he thinks Horvath is deserving of Heisman Trophy consideration.
“I think at this point in the season he’s deserving of someone mentioning that,” Cronic said. “It depends on how you define that. Is it the guy that’s most valuable to his football team? Blake is very valuable to our team. That kid makes us look like we know what we’re doing and is certainly special.”
Just a few games into the season, an unidentified fan created an X account called Heisman Horvath. Dubbed as the “unofficial campaign” promoting Horvath for the Heisman, it regularly posts notable statistics and game highlights.
Horvath said he appreciates the account and thinks it is “hilarious.”
Oliver Hodgkinson of the College Football Network, wrote a column this week calling Horvath the “real deal” and “legitimate contender” for the Heisman Trophy.
Does Horvath believe he has done enough to warrant being included in the Heisman Trophy conversation?
“I feel like because of what our team has done, and because of the position I’m in, I’ve been elevated to that,” Horvath said this week. “That’s not my goal. There’s a lot of great guys out there. All I can do is control what I can control. If it ends up in New York, that would be awesome.”
Horvath has posted huge numbers while leading an explosive offense that is a major reason why Navy (6-0, 4-0 American Athletic Conference) is undefeated and ranked No. 24 in the latest Associated Press poll. The 6-foot-2, 195-pound junior is leading Navy in rushing with 621 yards and 10 touchdowns.
Cronic’s version of Wing-T offense features numerous innovative passing concepts and Horvath has done a tremendous job of executing them. He has completed 64% of passes for 888 yards and 10 touchdowns while tossing just one interception.
Horvath ranks alongside Milroe and Notre Dame quarterback Riley Leonard as the only Football Bowl Subdivision quarterbacks to have already reached double figures for both rushing and passing touchdowns.
Horvath is the trigger man for an offense that ranks fourth nationally with 44.8 points per game, Navy’s highest scoring average since 1979. The Midshipmen are No. 1 in red zone offense (23-for-23 with 22 touchdowns), No. 2 in yards per completion (19.3) and No. 4 in rushing offense (274.8).
“Our quarterback has done a nice job of taking what the defense has given and not forcing things. He’s been very good with decision-making and getting the ball to the right people in the right situations,” Cronic said.
Horvath has been responsible for 20.7 points per game, which ranks seventh nationally. Pro Football Focus currently ranks the Ohio native as the No. 1 overall quarterback in FBS with a grade of 92.7 and the No. 2 overall runner (all positions) with a grade of 93.
ESPN has compiled quarterback ratings since 2004 and Horvath ranks third, the highest ever by a Navy quarterback. He is averaging 7.9 yards per carry, second only to Milroe among FBS quarterbacks.
Horvath is easily on pace to become the first Navy quarterback to surpass 2,000 yards passing and 1,000 yards rushing in the same season. He is well on the way to breaking school records for passing efficiency set in 2019 by Malcolm Perry, passing yards per attempt (Will Worth in 2016), passing yards per completion and passing touchdowns (both by Ricky Dobbs in 2009).
“I really think it starts up top in terms of how smart [Horvath] is. He’s really composed and has a real command of our offense,” Navy snipe Eli Heidenreich said. “Physically, Blake’s shown how capable a runner and passer he is. He’s one of the fastest guys on our team and when he gets going I don’t think anyone is catching him. He’s done a great job of finding open receivers and throwing the ball on time and on target.”
This week, Horvath heaped high praise on the offensive line for dominating at the point of attack, creating huge holes in the running game and providing superb protection on pass plays. Horvath revealed that his mother delivers baked goods to all the offensive linemen following each game.
Laura Horvath has been handing out treats to the offensive linemen ever since her son was in youth football “as a show of appreciation for keeping me safe,” Blake said.
If Horvath wants to stamp himself as a legitimate contender for the Heisman Trophy he will need to perform at a high level on Saturday against Notre Dame. Pundits always talk about candidates having a “Heisman moment” and Horvath is getting that opportunity on a big-time stage in a game being broadcast by ABC and played in front of a sellout crowd at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey.
“Every time you get a chance to play against the best competition in front of that many people it’s big. We hope that after this game there’s more talk,” Cronic said. “I don’t want that kid worrying about any of that stuff. I just want him to be Blake Horvath and have fun playing in this game. That said, everything is magnified when you play a team the caliber of Notre Dame.”
Horvath understands the challenge confronting the Navy offense as Notre Dame boasts a dominant defense that ranks fifth in scoring defense and 10th in total defense, allowing an average of 11.9 points and 279 total yards per game.
Adding further intrigue to the annual matchup is the fact there are College Football Playoff implications for both the Fighting Irish and Midshipmen. Navy is in contention to represent the Group of Five conference schools in the playoff. A second upset loss would likely knock Notre Dame out of consideration for a playoff berth.
“I think it’s huge to be playing a meaningful game against Notre Dame that has a lot of implications that go along with it,” Horvath said. “This is why you come to Navy — to play in big games like this.”
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