Navy football offensive coordinator Drew Cronic spent considerable time studying the Tulane defense and came away with a startling discovery.

“They may be the best defensive team we’ve played this season — including Notre Dame,” Cronic said. “They don’t have a weakness. They’re really, really good at every level,” Cronic said. “It’s a very impressive defense. What a great challenge and opportunity we have.”

Navy (7-2, 5-1 American Athletic Conference) hosts No. 25 Tulane (8-2, 6-0) this Saturday in a matchup of the second and third place teams in the AAC. The Midshipmen must win to remain in contention for a berth in the conference championship game.

Meanwhile, a Navy loss would guarantee Tulane a spot in the title tilt opposite first place Army (9-0, 7-0), which closes its conference slate Nov. 30 at home against Texas-San Antonio.

Tulane’s defensive statistics support Cronic’s claim. The Green Wave rank 15th nationally in total defense and 18th in scoring defense, allowing only 308 yards and 18.7 points per game.

Senior linebacker Tyler Grubbs and junior safety Bailey Despanie spearhead a unit that also ranks highly in rushing defense, giving up just 114.6 yards per game on the ground. Tulane employs a 4-3 alignment and the defensive front has been very stout with 293-pound defensive tackle Patrick Jenkins the key figure at the point of attack.

“They have good size, good length, run well and change direction well,” Cronic said. They’re upset when they get there and are very violent. They’re aggressive and disruptive — sacking the quarterback and causing turnovers.”

Grubbs leads the Green Wave with 40 tackles, including six for loss and three sacks. He’s recorded two interceptions and a forced fumble. Tulane has totaled 64 tackles for loss, which ranks 36th among 133 Football Bowl Subdivision schools. Bandit Matthew Fobbs-White leads the team with 5 ½ tackles for loss, while Kameron Hamilton has five.

Middle linebacker Sam Howard has alertly recovered four fumbles, while cornerback Micah Robinson is tied for the team lead with two interceptions. Tulane leads the FBS with six interception returns for touchdowns, including a 100-yarder by cornerback Rayshawn Pleasant.

It will be a case of the irresistible force meeting the immovable object as Navy ranks fifth nationally in rushing offense with an average of almost 260 yards. Quarterback Blake Horvath leads the Mids in rushing with 870 yards and 13 touchdowns, while fullback Alex Tecza has 416 yards and seven scores.

Tulane coach Jon Sumrall takes pride in being able to run the ball and stop the run. In three seasons as a head coach (two at Troy), Sumrall’s teams are 24-0 when out-rushing the opponent.

The Midshipmen go into every game looking for the exact same result and more often than not succeed in outrushing the opposition. Last Saturday, Navy amassed 321 yards on the ground and limited South Florida to 60 on the way to a 28-7 win.

“We’re going to have to be able to run the football. That’s what gives us the best chance to win,” Cronic said. It’s hard to run the ball on this team, but we have to be able to do it. That’s who we are. We’re going to run the ball then pick and choose our times to take our shots.”

With two teams so intent on establishing the run, clearly this contest will be won or lost in the trenches. On the offensive side of the ball, that puts pressure on Navy’s starting line consisting of left tackle Connor McMahon, left guard Ben Purvis, center Brent Selft, right guard Cam Nichols and right tackle Javon Bouton.

Four of those five offensive linemen are seniors and they would like nothing better than to pave the way for a big offensive performance and a Navy victory in their final home game.

“A big point of emphasis is to be physical up front. We have to be able to control the line of scrimmage and that is going to be a great challenge,” Cronic said.

Having success on first and second down is always critical for the offense, but even more so against a Tulane defense that has

“We have to put our guys in good situations to be able to make blocks. We cannot let those guys pin their ears back on us. If we’re in third-and-long a lot it’s going to be really tough,” Cronic said.

During his weekly media availability, Sumrall had high praise for Navy’s “millennial version” of Wing-T offense, which is averaging 35.7 points (No. 20) and 396 total yards (No. 64). He and defensive coordinator Greg Gasparato have emphasized proper alignment, being assignment sound, the importance of eye discipline and playing with great technique.

“Our defensive staff and players have a huge task in front of them. You haven’t really watched people just shut [Navy] down. It’s a very efficient offense that finds a way to move the football,” Sumrall said. “They’re aggravating with what they do. It’s about playing with clean eyes and being where you’re supposed to be.”

Gasparato and several members of the Tulane defensive staff coached against Army’s version of option offense in 2022 and 2023 while at Troy. Sumrall said there are some aspects of the Army and Navy offenses that are similar, but several schematic elements that are quite different.

Sumrall noted that Army employs a stable of fullbacks weighing 260 pounds or more, while Navy “has a lot more conventional running back-looking bodies.” While Navy’s “hybrid” Wing-T attack employs triple-option elements, it also features run-pass option and pro-style schemes.

“They play the game in different buckets. It’s not just triple-option. Some of its Wing-T. They get in the gun and do more conventional things,” Sumrall said. “They get to dictate which bucket they’re pulling from for each down and we have to adjust our eyes and alignment to match.”

Sumrall has been extremely impressed with Horvath, who has proven a true dual-threat quarterback. The junior from Hilliard, Ohio, has broken long runs in every game and completed 59% of passes for 1,154 yards and 11 touchdowns.

“[Horvath] is unbelievable and I’ve got a lot of respect for how he plays. He plays the game the way it’s meant to be played and is fun to watch,” Sumrall said. “The kid is very athletic and can beat you with his legs. He throws it really well and has great anticipation and awareness.”

Sumrall cited the passing schemes Cronic has incorporated into the Navy offense along with Horvath’s ability to throw on time and on target as being “unique to this type of offense.”

Sumrall highlighted the contributions of junior snipe Eli Heidenreich, whom he described as a Swiss Army knife in terms of his running and receiving ability. Heidenreich leads Navy with 30 receptions for 556 yards and five touchdowns.

“They’ve been explosive in the throw game. They’ve hit big pass plays on everyone,” he said. “They are very comfortable throwing the ball downfield and do it with a consistency you normally would not associate with this type of offense. That’s probably as scary as anything; They can lull you asleep then throw one by you.”

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