Navy Rumbles Past FAU, Remains Undefeated in 42-32 Win

ANNAPOLIS, MD — On a brisk Saturday, the Navy Midshipmen took advantage of a Florida Atlantic Owls team entering the cold – and ran them off the field in Week 9. Led by quarterback Blake Horvath and dual-position player Brandon Chatman, Navy rumbled to a 42-32 victory.

For Navy, it was a much-needed conference win against a viable opponent to remain undefeated. Meanwhile, the Owls hurt themselves with lack of discipline and poor performances. Let’s dive into this Navy vs. FAU 2025 game recap.

Navy vs. FAU 2025 Game Recap

This Week 9 contest was a battle between two very different football programs. Florida Atlantic and their air raid attack struggles to run the football, but are able to put up points quickly. Meanwhile, Navy’s offense relies on attrition and strength to beat down their opponents. In this contest, we saw both happen – and fairly early in the contest.

In the end, Navy’s war of attrition ended up being too much for the Owls to overcome.

Same Issues Arise for FAU

There have been common themes stunting the Owls’ success this season, and those mistakes reared their head against Navy.

One of the biggest problems the program has faced this year has been discipline. The program has continuously shot themselves in the foot, making opportunities to succeed much harder than they need to be. Between false start penalties and clock management issues, Florida Atlantic did themselves little favors in the first half of the football game.

FAU had five penalties in the first half. Yet more importantly, most of those penalties came on third down or while the team was driving. Two instances specifically saw the Owls get a penalty creating a third down in the redzone. Instead of converting for touchdowns, FAU settled for two field goals. The lack of discipline have been drive-killers for the team, and it was not different in the opening frames against Navy.

On top of the penalty issues were two instances of head coach Zach Kittley calling a timeout to avoid a delay of game penalty. Perhaps worse, is that those “penalty saving” timeouts didn’t lead to any success for the offense. Instead, they floundered in critical moments.

In the first half, FAU was just 2-of-8 on third-down conversions. Entering this contest, the Owls were 80th in the nation in third-down conversion percentage (38.24). The inability to convert has forced Kittley to be aggressive, which has been a double-edged sword for FAU this season.

Lastly, FAU once again to struggle turning turnovers into points. Entering this matchup, the Owls had the second-worst turnover margin in college football. And while they forced a turnover, they also had three fourth-down stops. Unfortunately for FAU, none of those would lead to points on the board for the Owls.

No Answer for the Run

The struggles for Florida Atlantic running the ball and defending against the run are well-documented. Entering the third quarter, the Owls had 30 net rushing yards, averaging 2.5 yards per rush. And, it could have been worse without some miracle work by the team’s running backs.

For as much as FAU tries to be balanced, the lack of a push in the ground game is evident – and clearly hurting offensive production. To mitigate those issues, Coach Kittley tries to attack teams laterally through screens or quick passes. It works, but isn’t the 1-to-1 change to make defenses honest.

On the flip side, the Owls struggled mightily trying to stop the rushing attack of Navy. At halftime, the Midshipmen had 239 rushing yards, averaging 7.5 yards. In a lot of ways, it was reminiscent of FAU’s game against Army last season. The unit had no answers stopping the option, especially when Blake Horvath would pitch the ball. It led to chunk plays for Navy, forcing the FAU defense to consistently play catchup.

FAU’s Superman

It’s hard to put into words how important quarterback Caden Veltkamp is for this offense. That’s easy to say with most teams, but it’s quite true for FAU. On more than one occasion, Veltkamp has had to single-handedly power the FAU offense due to a lack of a rushing attack by the Owls. That was the case against Navy on Saturday.

Facing consistent pressure, Veltkamp showed a great internal clock, making plays with his arm and legs against Navy. He hit receivers in stride, guided them open in zone coverage, and scrambled when faced with near-instant pressure. Without his play in the first half, FAU would have been blown out of the contest. Entering the fourth quarter, the quarterback was responsible for 212 of the team’s 232 yards. It’s tough to win games that way, but the redshirt junior has proven he can be a foundational piece for any program.

However, he can’t do it alone. After a fourth-down stop, Veltkamp hit an open Dominique Henry with the potential for a huge gain. Unfortunately, Henry would fumble and give the ball back to Navy, who subsequently scored in three plays. These are the type of mistakes that have cost FAU throughout the season, and showcase what the quarterback typically has to overcome throughout each contest.

Navy vs. FAU 2025 Recap: Other Notes

Platt Steps Up

Florida Atlantic wide receiver Jayshon Platt had a great game. He had 93 yards on three catches for a touchdown in the first half. However, he also played well in special teams. The receiver was able to get chunk returns on kickoffs, and also pinned Navy on their 3-yard line as a gunner on the punt unit. Platt has been a consistent player for FAU in all phases this season.

He did have a ball bounce off of him that led to an interception, but it’s hard to fault him completely for that outcome.

Chatman and Robin

Navy’s Brendon Chatman recorded his first 100-yard rushing game in this contest. He was truly a unique weapon for the Midshipmen in this game. He was the primary beneficiary of most of Blake Horvath’s lateral-pitches, and turned them into big gains. FAU struggled to contain him, and Chatman consistently made them pay.

Dastardly Daughtry

Right tackle Daughtry Richardson really struggled in this game. He was responsible for the pressure that forced Caden Veltkamp’s fumble. He also allowed multiple pressures (and sacks) that allowed defenders to hit the quarterback’s arm, halting multiple possessions. Blocking has been a struggle for this unit, and Richardson certainly had his woes in Week 9. It’s hard to pin a loss specifically on one person or play, but it’s hard to suggest Richardson didn’t play a major role in the team’s struggles.

Shrine Bowl Prospect Watch

With academy schools, it’s hard to project potential professional futures due to their obligations to the country. With that in mind, we will only highlight eligible players for Florida Atlantic.

Florida Atlantic Owls

Safety Dillion Williams has been incredibly underrated for the Owls this season. Against Navy, he had a touchdown-saving tackle as the Midshipmen attempted a fourth-down conversion on FAU’s 2-yard line. He also had multiple big hits in the game, being one of the few players on the Owls to play aggressively and with purpose.