> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.bayareaexaminer.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # USF takes on Navy in high-stakes American showdown - URL: https://www.bayareaexaminer.com/usf-takes-on-navy-in-high-stakes/ - Published: 2025-11-14T23:01:34.000Z - Updated: 2026-10-21T15:45:59.000Z - Description: The Bulls will have their toughness tested in a crucial game against the Midshipmen - Author: Collin Sherwin - Tags: #Migrated-1792597384348, #Import 2026-10-21 15:44 **ANNAPOLIS, Md. — The South Florida Bulls take on the United States Naval Academy on Saturday afternoon in a pivotal game in the American Athletic Conference championship race.** ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/77/a9/77a9bb8f-d0f1-45b5-8fed-5feacd465ef5/content/images/2026/10/05540947-5106-4da7-9bc8-8ef389f00b0a_1170x782-jpeg.jpg) Vanessa Wenzl | Bay Area Examiner Both USF and Navy are among five American teams with one conference loss. Saturday’s game will significantly shape both teams’ aspirations of a conference title in 2025. Navy has lost its last two games after starting the season strong. The Midshipmen do not have a win against an opponent that currently has a winning record. USF has never reached a conference championship game in its 28-year football history. All the Bulls have to do to change that is win their final three games. “For us it’s about us being the best version of ourselves come Saturday,” head coach Alex Golesh said. To win Saturday, the Bulls will have to deliver on the road, something they have struggled with this season. USF is 2-2 on the road, but 0-2 when ranked on the road. The Bulls are ranked No. 25 in this week’s AP poll and No. 24 in the College Football Playoff rankings. USF is averaging 31 points per game on the road this season, compared with 50.8 points per contest at Raymond James Stadium. In every road game this year, USF’s opponent has scored first. Saturday’s game will likely showcase two of the best quarterbacks in the country. Senior Navy quarterback Blake Horvath missed last week’s game against Notre Dame with an upper-body injury and will be a game-time decision. Horvath has 1,143 passing yards, 926 rushing yards and 20 total touchdowns this season. He leads all FBS quarterbacks in rushing yards. Last season, Horvath joined Keenan Reynolds (2013) and Chris McCoy (1997) as the only Navy quarterbacks in program history to rush and pass for 1,200 yards in the same season. On the other side, senior USF quarterback Byrum Brown has passed for 2,203 yards, rushed for 705 and accounted for 28 total touchdowns. Brown is one of three FBS players in the last 30 years with 2,200 passing yards, 700 rushing yards and 19 passing touchdowns through a team’s first nine games, joining Lamar Jackson in 2016 — the year he won the Heisman Trophy — and Jalen Hurts in 2019. Horvath and Brown are two of four quarterbacks with at least 1,000 passing yards and 700 rushing yards this season. The Bulls’ and Midshipmen’s offensive tempos couldn’t be more different. Navy ranks 27th nationally in time of possession, while the Bulls rank 133rd. Golesh has no intention of slowing down against Navy. “The way we play offense here, we’re going to find every way we can to play fast, to make people defend us,” he said. “The execution piece is what separates it. We’ve got to take advantage of every possession.” Navy slows the game down with its triple-option rushing attack. The Midshipmen have the best rushing offense in the country, averaging 304.9 yards per game. They average 6.4 yards per rush and have a 49% rushing success rate. Five Navy players, including Horvath, have 300 or more rushing yards. “We have to be detailed and play as hard as we’ve ever played defensively to stop these guys,” said Golesh. They will face a USF rush defense allowing 110.1 yards per game. Bulls opponents are averaging 3.2 yards per rush, the 21st-fewest in the country. Sophomore cornerback Jarvis Lee won American Defensive Player of the Week for his three tackles for loss, two sacks and two forced turnovers against UTSA last week. Lee has broken out over USF’s last four games with 25 tackles, three sacks, 8.5 tackles for loss and two forced fumbles. Graduate linebacker Mac Harris leads the Bulls with 75 tackles. He also has a team-high six sacks and four forced turnovers, and he said he is confident in USF’s ability to match Navy’s physicality. “We train and prepare for bar fights, and now that we have to go and get one up there, it’s nothing that’s different,” Harris said. USF boasts a strong rushing attack of its own. The Bulls have rushed for 235 or more yards in six straight contests. Sophomore running back Nykai Davenport has cemented himself as the Bulls’ go-to back, averaging 7.1 yards per carry this year. Over the last three games, he has led USF’s running backs in attempts and averaged 77.3 yards per game. Graduate running back Sam Franklin has 385 rushing yards and is averaging 6.8 yards per carry. USF’s leading receiver is sophomore Keshaun Singleton with 573 yards. He is coming off a season-high 122 receiving yards against UTSA. The Bulls have been without one of their most dangerous weapons in the passing game, senior Chas Nimrod, for the last three games due to a foot injury. On Tuesday, Golesh said “the expectation is that (Nimrod) will play.” The Midshipmen have struggled to defend the pass, allowing 253.7 yards per game — 113th in the country. Senior defensive lineman Landon Robinson leads Navy with 5.5 sacks and 7.5 tackles for loss. Sophomore linebacker MarcAnthony Parker leads the Midshipmen with 70 tackles. Golesh has split his matchups against Navy in his first two years as head coach. He beat the Midshipmen 44-30 at Navy–Marine Corps Memorial Stadium, but Navy returned the favor 28-7 last year at Raymond James Stadium. USF will look to take control of the American against Navy on Saturday at noon on ESPN2.