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Heidenreich becomes Navy’s all-time receiving yards leader as Midshipmen beat No. 25 South Florida
Original Publication Date: November 15, 2025 12:56PM
Publication Updated: November 15, 2025 2:32PM
ANNAPOLIS, Md. (AP) — Eli Heidenreich caught five passes for 146 yards and became Navy’s all-time receiving yards leader, quarterback Braxton Woodson ran for 103 yards and two touchdowns in the fourth quarter in relief of the cramping Blake Horvath and the Midshipmen defeated No. 25 South Florida 41-38 on Saturday.
Alex Tecza carried 12 times for 126 yards, including an early 76-yard score, and caught Horvath’s lone touchdown pass as Navy (8-2, 6-1 American Athletic Conference) secured a half-game lead in the conference.
Heidenreich has 1,794 career receiving yards and moved past Rob Thompson’s 1,736, compiled from 1965-67.
“It was a really special feeling,” Heidenreich, a senior, said after his class’ final regular-season home game. “To be able to go out and perform like that on a day for them, really. … To be able to do it in that manner was really cool.”
South Florida’s Byrum Brown threw for 327 yards and two touchdowns, and ran for 136 yards and two more scores — including a 60-yard keeper on a draw. He helped the Bulls (7-3, 4-2) score 22 points in the fourth quarter, but they still lost their second consecutive road game — as well as ground in their bid to reach the conference championship game.
“To go and play on the road against a really good football team in-conference, you’ve got to play great football. At times we did, at times we didn’t,” South Florida coach Alex Golesh said. “We got outplayed at some critical times.”
After Heidenreich’s earlier career-long 82-yard catch of a pass from Horvath set up Brandon Chatman’s 4-yard touchdown run to make it 14-3 at the end of the first quarter, his 32-yard catch from Woodson was a crucial moment during an eight-play, 75-yard scoring drive that ended with Woodson’s 20-yard scoring run to make it 34-24.
On Navy’s next possession, Woodson ran 64 yards for the Midshipmen’s third play of 60 or more yards to make it 41-30. On his last run, Woodson picked up a gritty 9 yards to pick up a crucial first down and virtually seal the win.
“It was just a very emotional first down, because I knew we needed that to close out the game,” Woodson said.
The takeaway
After another big home win put the Bulls back in the Top 25 for the fifth time this season, South Florida may fall back.
60-plus
Navy now has 10 plays of 60 or more yards this season. It entered the weekend tied for the FBS lead in that category with Air Force, Old Dominion, Texas-San Antonio and Texas State.
Closing in
With 2,530 yards in the air and 841 on the ground, Brown moved closer to becoming only the 12th player in FBS history to post a 3,000/1,000 season.
Up next
South Florida: At UAB next Saturday.
Navy: At Memphis on Nov. 27.
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