UH football redshirt freshman tight end Matt Brynes caught his first career touchdown pass in the second quarter of the Cougars’ win over Navy on Saturday. | Courtesy of UH athletics
For the first time all season, UH football has won consecutive games as the Cougars defeated Navy 38-20 on Saturday afternoon in Annapolis, Maryland to improve to 4-3 overall and 2-1 in American Athletic Conference play.
The Clayton Tune and Nathaniel Dell connection was strong to begin the game as the UH senior quarterback connected with the junior receiver for touchdowns on the Cougars’ first two drives of the game.
Dell hauled in a 6-yard touchdown from Tune on UH’s opening drive of the game and followed it up with an 11-yard catch in the endzone on the Cougars’ next possession that was set up by an interception by senior defensive back Jayce Rogers.
Turnovers kept Navy in the game. Two of the three Midshipmen touchdowns came via the Cougars coughing the ball up.
Just as it looked like UH was about to go up 21-0, freshman running back Brandon Campbell was stripped on a 28-yard run and recovered by Navy.
Following the turnover, a 52-yard pass from Navy quarterback Tai Lavatai to receiver Jayden Umbarger got the Midshipmen offense going. On the next play, fullback Daba Fofana took a handoff 25 yards to the house to get Navy on the scoreboard.
Redshirt freshman tight end Matt Byrnes, who entered the game without a catch all season, caught a 31-yard pass early in the second quarter to get UH deep into Navy territory. Byrnes was rewarded six plays later, hauling in a 3-yard touchdown pass, the first of his collegiate career.
On UH’s first offensive play of the second half, Tune connected with Dell, who coughed up the ball, giving Navy the ball at the Cougars’ 32-yard line.
A missed Navy field goal gave UH the ball back. Once again, the Cougars turned the ball over as Tune lost the ball while being sacked by Midshipmen defensive end Jacob Busic. The ball was picked up by Navy’s Jianni Woodson-Brooks who returned it 5 yards for a Midshipmen touchdown.
After a 24-yard field goal by sophomore kicker Kyle Ramsey midway through the third quarter put the Cougars back up double-digits, senior cornerback Art Green picked off Lavatai on Navy’s ensuing possession.
UH capitalized off the Navy turnover as Tune threw a 7-yard touchdown to redshirt freshman receiver Samuel Brown, the first of his collegiate career, to put the Cougars up 31-14.
Brown hauled in his second touchdown of the game, this one from 4 yards out, late in the fourth quarter to put the game away.
A late Navy touchdown and a failed two-point conversion made it 38-20 UH.
Tune finished with 261 yards and five touchdowns through the air.
Redshirt freshman running back Stacy Sneed rushed for a career-high 100 yards on 20 carries.
Senior linebacker Donavan Mutin led the UH defense with a career-high 13 tackles.
