The Florida Atlantic Owls (3-4) take on the Navy Midshipmen (6-0) in an American Conference clash in Week 9. FAU head coach Zach Kittley will look to add another win to their total. Meanwhile, head coach Brian Newberry will try to have his team stay undefeated against a tough conference foe. It’ll be an interesting conference clash, so let’s dive into the Navy vs. FAU 2025 game preview.
Navy Midshipmen vs. Florida Atlantic Owls: Matchup History and Excerpts
Navy and Florida Atlantic have only played each other twice in college football. The Midshipmen had won both contests, with the most recent being a 42-19 victory in 2017. Outside of that, there is very little history to go on entering this matchup.
After their loss to USF last week, FAU head coach Zach Kittley understands the importance of winning this game against Navy.
“The continuity piece in today’s world of college football is so rare. I think that’s a massive advantage that [Navy] has. They have a ton of starters back on a 10-3 team last year. They’re, I think, 16-3 in their last 19 games [and] overall they’re undefeated. They’re getting votes to be in the top-25, and a lot of that has to do with that continuity.”
With their inability to use the transfer portal, Navy’s continuity is a big part of their success. And, Kittley knows that it will be a tough nut to crack in order to defeat the Midshipmen.
As for Navy, head coach Brian Newberry also knows the Owls have a good offense of their own. Speaking to him at the midweek presser, I asked the head coach if he planned on forcing FAU to be one-dimensional in this contest. While he didn’t specifically say yes, he did hint at trying to take away aspects of their game.
I spoke to Navy head coach Brian Newberry ahead of his team’s matchup with Florida Atlantic. Asked him how important stopping the rushing attack was to force FAU to be one-dimensional. Hear his answer 👇@NavyFB | #GoNavy pic.twitter.com/tua6jXPTiT
— Thomas Christopher (@TommyCFB) October 21, 2025
Navy vs. FAU 2025 Preview: Keys to the Game
This contest could be an upset, or could be an easy victory for the home team. Where it all lies is how these key players perform.
Key Players for Florida Atlantic
While Zach Kittley’s air raid would prefer to throw the ball a hundred times, he needs his rushing attack to step up in this contest. Gemari Sands is battling through injuries, while Kaden Shields-Dutton has come on as the team’s bruising back. Both will need to step up in this contest. If the rushing attack is unable to get going, FAU will have a hard time winning this game. Overall yardage and yards per carry is not important. The unit must grind the tough yards, in short-yardage situations and in the redzone. That success will help Kittley’s offense be unpredictable, which can help them pull off the upset.
On defense, linebacker Tyler Stolsky will be key. He is the leader on the unit, and their top linebacker in overall play. Stopping a dual-threat like Blake Horvath will be difficult. However, he needs to perform well as a quarterback spy, while maintaining gap integrity to limit long gains. This defensive unit had some success against Rice, who also runs a triple-option, so it’s not out of the realm of possibilities.
Key Players for Navy
There’s no question that Blake Horvath will be key in this matchup. There’s very few players in the country who are as big of a threat as the Navy quarterback. While Bryson Daily was wowing at Army, Horvath may be better, and is putting together an incredible 2025 season. However, he can’t do it alone, which means someone else on offense must step up.
In this matchup, that’s like Eli Heidenreich. The fullback has been incredibly efficient on the ground this season. However, he’s also been the most explosive receiver for Navy. Heidenreich has 711 all-purpose yards for the Midshipmen to go along with seven touchdowns. For Navy to keep Florida Atlantic’s defense honest, the combination of Horvath and Heidenreich will need to perform well in Week 9.
On defense, Landon Robinson is the key for Navy. The interior lineman has seven sacks this season with his overwhelming 21 total pressures. He also has 17 run stops, with an incredible 4.3 missed tackle percentage. Once Robinson gets a hold of a player, they’re usually down for the count. Considering that FAU has had trouble running the football and quarterback Caden Veltkamp struggles to move laterally when pressured through the interior gaps, Robinson could cause fits for the Owls offense. His performance will be key in this contest.
Who wins, and why?
For Florida Atlantic, the offense needs to put points on the board. They have one of the fastest pace of plays in college football. However, if they are unable to turn drives into points, it’s hard to see how they win this contest. The run game for FAU has struggled mightily, and that will need to change quickly if the program wants to have any chance of a victory.
As for Navy, they do what all academy schools do – and that’s control the clock. The wrinkle in the Midshipmen’s offense, however, is that Blake Horvath has proven he is a legitimate passer. That variable could make it hard for the Owls to get off the field on defense. And, with time of possession battle likely won and points on the board, it’s hard to see how FAU pulls off the upset in Annapolis.
This game could be a blowout, or a back-and-forth contest. However, for now, look for the Midshipmen to win at home.
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