Blake Horvath remains a dark horse in one of college football's most intriguing Heisman races in years. The Midshipmen quarterback burst onto the scene after his electric performance in Navy's monumental win over Memphis. Horvath ran for 211 yards and four touchdowns while adding 192 yards and two more touchdowns by air.
Currently, Horvath has 888 passing yards, 621 rushing yards on nearly eight yards per carry, and 20 touchdowns at the halfway point of the season. A strong performance and win against Notre Dame could vault Horvath into the top five of the race. He hopes to fare better than past Navy Heisman hopefuls against Notre Dame. Since Roger Staubach won the Heisman in 1963, just two Midshipmen finished in the top ten of the Heisman voting, but both faltered against the Fighting Irish.
Napoleon McCallum: 1983, 1985
Napoleon McCallum remains Navy's greatest running back since Joe Bellino. Twice, McCallum generated Heisman buzz that would land him in the top ten of the Heisman voting. In 1983, United Press International (UPI) included McCallum as a candidate in a wide-open field. Despite the Midshipmen's 2-5 start, McCallum's 160-yard per-game average and 1,118 total entering the 1983 game made him a legitimate Heisman candidate.
A loss to Notre Dame slowed McCallum's 1983 Heisman campaign. In a 28-12 loss to the Irish, McCallum ran for 92 yards on 24 carries and totaled 158 all-purpose yards.
Despite the underwhelming performance against Notre Dame, McCallum finished sixth in the Heisman voting and earned All-American honors with 1587 rushing yards, 2385 all-purpose yards, and 11 total touchdowns.
After a season-ending injury in 1984, McCallum returned to the Heisman race in 1985 with another hot start to the season.
McCallum entered the 1985 Notre Dame-Navy game with 785 rushing yards in seven games and 1338 all-purpose yards, good for 11th and third in Division 1-A, respectively. Once again, McCallum's performance transcended a disappointing Navy season as Navy started 3-4. ABC took advantage of the matchup between McCallum and Notre Dame's Allen Pinkett, another Heisman candidate at running back, and televised the game nationally.
Despite gaining 205 all-purpose yards, including 124 yards on the ground, three fumbles took McCallum out of the Heisman race. Instead, Allen Pinkett ran for 161 yards in a 41-17 Notre Dame win. Coincidentally, McCallum and Pinkett finished seventh and eighth in the Heisman race. McCallum earned All-American honors with 1327 rushing yards, 2330 all-purpose yards, and 15 touchdowns. McCallum's 15 total touchdowns and 14 rushing touchdowns led the country.
Keenan Reynolds: 2015
Keenan Reynolds' race for the NCAA touchdown from scrimmage record was one of 2015's biggest storylines. Reynolds entered the season 19 touchdowns away from Montee Ball's record of 83, a reachable total after Reynolds ran for 31 and 23 touchdowns in 2013 and 2014.
Reynolds had a chance to cement his status as a serious contender against Notre Dame. Navy entered its October 10th showdown with Notre Dame with a 4-0 record and a chance to become a frontrunner for the New Year's Six with a win.
Reynolds performed admirably against the Fighting Irish, but the Midshipmen fell short in a 41-24 loss. Reynolds had 110 rushing yards but completed just two passes for 16 yards. Navy entered halftime trailing 24-21, but the Fighting Irish held the Navy offense to three second-half points in a 41-21 win.
Surprisingly, the loss to Notre Dame was not the death blow to Reynolds' 2015 Heisman campaign. A win over #15 Memphis revitalized Reynolds' candidacy before a 52-31 loss to Houston pushed him out of a spot at the ceremony. The loss was through no fault of Reynolds, who threw for 312 yards and ran for 84 yards in a losing effort.
Reynolds finished the season fifth in the Heisman voting but did not receive an invitation to the ceremony. His placement in the voting was the highest for a Midshipman since Roger Staubach won the award in 1963. In all, Reynolds ran for 1373 yards and 24 touchdowns, finishing with 88 rushing touchdowns and the NCAA record. He also added 1203 yards and eight passing touchdowns.
Like Reynolds and McCallum, the Notre Dame game is a crucial make-or-break game for Blake Horvath's Heisman campaign. A signature performance and a win could push Horvath to heights in the award's race that neither Navy great accomplished.
