What a difference one half of football can make.
At halftime of last Friday’s East Carolina game, Navy fans were convinced their favorite team had no capable backup quarterback.
Navy coach Brian Newberry announced shortly after arriving at Dowdly-Ficklen Stadium that season-long starter Blake Horvath would be held out due to a nagging rib injury.
Backup Braxton Woodson got the start and struggled in the same fashion he did when replacing Horvath against Tulane.
Social media was flooded with fans bemoaning that Navy could not win without Horvath and imploring the coaching staff to find a viable backup.
That narrative completely flipped 180 degrees after Woodson directed five touchdown drives in the second half in leading Navy to a 34-20 victory over East Carolina. Woodson was simply sensational after intermission and finished with career-highs for both rushing (125 yards) and passing (165 yards).
“I have been saying for the last two years that Braxton is a super-talented football player, so to see it all come together on Friday was great,” Newberry said. “It was great for his confidence and for the guys around him to know that we can go win a game with Braxton at quarterback. I think the sky’s the limit for Braxton and that game is going to be a launching point.”
There was a cherry on top for Navy football as plebe Jackson Gutierrez also got into the game for several series and showed some moxie. Gutierrez ran for 20 yards on five carries and looked confident directing the offense. Navy offensive coordinator Drew Cronic had been impressed by how well Gutierrez has been practicing and wanted to see if he could carry it over into a game.
“I thought Jackson did some good things when he was in the game. We saw a glimpse of what he can do in the future,” Cronic said. “You never really know until you put them into the game. It was good to see Jackson get in there and respond the way he did.”
Gutierrez displayed a powerful running style on a pair of 7-yard runs and earned a knockdown from quarterbacks coach Ivin Jasper for barreling over East Carolina safety Ja’Marley Riddle.
“To see how physical Jackson was running the football was encouraging. His nature is to be aggressive and compete,” Cronic said.
Truth be told, the turnaround for Woodson and the offense came toward the end of the first half. Woodson was very decisive on an option keeper, bursting through a big hole on the right side then cutting outside and racing down the sideline for a 27-yard gain.
While it did not produce points, that 11-play, 73-yard drive did provide a formula for how Navy could move the ball. The Midshipmen got the ball to start the second half and Cronic used a nice mixture of short passing plays and Wing-T running plays to put together a 14-play, 76-yard touchdown drive.
Woodson went 5-for-5 passing while operating no-huddle for the entire possession and you could see his confidence grow with each throw. Two possessions later, Woodson once again made a big play with his feet, scrambling for 16 yards on third-and-9 to set up a 36-yard touchdown run by snipe Eli Heidenreich.
“I thought Braxton definitely made strides from a confidence standpoint. I felt like things slowed down for him in the second half. It’s always great to see guys take steps forward and Braxton realized: Look what happens when I play at a high level and execute,” said Cronic, noting it was equally important that Navy’s other offensive plays came away with more confidence in Woodson. “I think the next time [Woodson] goes into the game you’ll see more of the same.
Woodson completed 12 of 19 passes and impressed quarterbacks coach Ivin Jasper with the way he delivered the football to various receivers. He hit wide receiver Nathan Kent in stride for a 61-yard touchdown pass and run.
“Braxton has a very, very strong arm and has a problem sometimes of not knowing when to put touch on his passes,” Jasper said. “I thought Braxton made good decisions in the passing game and didn’t force the football.”
Jasper has also implored Woodson to run more like a player who is 6-foot-3 and 215 pounds instead of being hesitant and tip-toeing. Woodson ran much harder while averaging 8.3 yards per carry against East Carolina.
“Sometimes Braxton doesn’t run as powerful as he should. In that game he was running behind his pads and accelerating through contact,” Jasper said.
After struggling in relief of Horvath in the 35-0 loss to Tulane, the only way for Woodson to regain his swagger was to be better in the next game. There was nothing Jasper or Cronic could say to instill confidence in Woodson, it had to be earned through on-field performance.
“You have to go out and prove you can get the job done and Braxton did that. I can tell from watching him in practice this week that playing well in that game has done so much for that kid’s confidence,” Jasper said. “Now Braxton needs to be more consistent and once he does that, the sky’s the limit.”
Woodson said this week the opening drive of the second half when he completed three passes to Heidenreich, one to Chatman and a big 15-yarder to tight end Jake Norris provided a lift for the entire offense.
“It was just a confidence shift. We had a couple good plays coming right out of halftime and from there we just started rolling,” he said. “We were trusting what Coach Cronic was calling and were fighting for every yard that we could get.”
Woodson is a different type of runner than Horvath, who is quick and shifty in tight spaces and can make defenders miss with change of direction moves. Woodson is more of a long strider who can hit 20 mph on the Catapult device after getting up to top speed.
Cronic and Jasper have urged Woodson to grow through his pass progressions and if no receiver is open, tuck the ball and take off.
“I like to say my legs are an asset. I’m one of the faster guys on the field,” Woodson said. “In those moments when it’s a cloudy picture or I don’t feel like our guys have the best shot at catching the ball, I don’t want to force anything. Just get downfield and get as many yards as I can.”
Woodson was the subject of much criticism from fans and media following the disappointing performance against Tulane. He blocked out the noise and focused on improving during the two weeks before the East Carolina contest.
“I just try to focus on watching film and working on my craft,” said Woodson, adding that he must maintain the same type of tunnel vision after earning numerous accolades this week.
Woodson was named the DC Touchdown Club College Player of the Week and Naval Academy Athletic Association Athlete of the Week. He was also listed among the Davey O’Brien Award’s Great 8 Quarterbacks of the Week.
“It’s definitely a great feeling to receive some accolades because I’ve worked hard to be in this position,” Woodson said. “At the same time, you can’t choke on the sugar. You have to move on and prepare for the next game. Just like it turned around to be all good, it could turn around to be all bad if you’re not careful.”
Two other freshmen, Robert “Tre” Jones III and Charles Robinson, battled for the third string job throughout preseason camp. Jones won that competition while Gutierrez emerged from August drills sixth or seventh on the depth chart.
Jasper recalls being stunned to learn that Gutierrez posted a pedestrian 24-inch vertical jump. He realized the San Antonio, Texas native had “plebe summer legs.”
Gutierrez was surprised to get back into the weight room in late August and realize “how weak I was.” He credits the strength and conditioning staff with building the strength back up and midway through September had improved the vertical leap to 34 inches.
“Jackson was way down there and it’s a testament to staying the course and being patient,” Jasper said. “Tre Jones got the opportunity to be the guy and struggled in some areas. We brought Jackson back up and gave him another shot and all of a sudden he looked a lot better, a lot more explosive.”
Gutierrez was a three-year starter at quarterback while playing for his father at John Jay High. Gary Gutierrez was a first team All-American as an offensive lineman at Hardin-Simmons and has become a successful high school coach.
“Jackson is a coach’s son who understands the game and is a very tough kid,” Jasper said. “Being a very physical runner is a key part of his game and that ups his stock big-time.”
Talking to his father helped Gutierrez stay mentally strong and display persistence in showing the coaching staff he was deserving of a second look.
“I got what I wanted and when that happens, you have to make the most of it,” he said.
Have a news tip? Contact Bill Wagner at bwagner@capgaznews.com, 443-534-0102 and x.com/@BWagner_CapGaz.
125th Army-Navy Game
Saturday, Dec. 14, 3 p.m.
at Northwest Stadium, Landover
TV: CBS
Radio: 1430 AM