Blake Horvath injury: Navy QB battling through ailment vs. Notre Dame
As Navy got ready for Saturday’s marquee matchup against Notre Dame, the Midshipmen’s quarterback was dealing with an injury. Blake Horvath hurt his thumb last time out against Charlotte and is playing through the pain, ABC’s Molly McGrath reported.
Horvath has been impressive this season and while propelling Navy into the AP Top 25. He entered Saturday’s game with 10 rushing touchdowns, which tied for 11th-most in the country, and also had 888 passing yards heading into Week 9.
But when Navy took the field for its first drive against Notre Dame, Horvath had his thumb taped up. McGrath said he’s playing through pain during Saturday’s game and the injury is clearly an issue.
“I’m told Blake Horvath suffered an injury to his right thumb in last week’s game,” McGrath said on the broadcast. “Brian Newberry told me Horvath is pretty banged up. He’ll be playing through a decent amount of pain today.
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“His right thumb and hand is taped. Their athletic training staff will be playing extra attention to this injury. He keeps flexing and opening and closing that hand. It seems to be bothering him.”
Saturday’s game is the 97th meeting between Notre Dame and Navy, but this one has plenty of implications. Both teams are trying to stay in the College Football Playoff conversation. The Fighting Irish are still working their way back up the rankings following a Week 2 loss to Northern Illinois and came in at No. 12 in the latest AP poll. A loss to Navy, however, would likely take Marcus Freeman’s group out of the CFP race.
As for the Midshipmen, they’re looking to capitalize on the new College Football Playoff format. In the 12-team field, the five highest-ranked conference champions make the cut. That means Navy – by way of the American Athletic Conference title game – could get a bid. A win over Notre Dame would keep the Midshipmen in the hunt, as far as the rankings go. A loss, however, would make the road even tougher, especially since No. 17 Boise State held on to defeat UNLV Friday night.