BIRMINGHAM, Ala.—Navy quarterback
Jackson Gutierrez rushed for 134 yards and a touchdown in his first career start, but two fourth-quarter turnovers proved costly as UAB rallied for a 24-20 victory over the Midshipmen Friday night in front of 24,467 fans at Protective Stadium in Birmingham.
Navy (1-2, 0-2 in the American Conference) led 20-17 entering the fourth quarter before UAB (2-2, 1-0) took advantage of the first of two Navy fumbles to score the game-winning touchdown.
The Mids outgained the Blazers 353-290, held a 23-15 advantage in first downs and possessed the ball for 34:22, but were unable to overcome the two fourth-quarter turnovers.
Gutierrez, starting in place of injured senior
Braxton Woodson, carried the ball 34 times for a career-high 134 yards and completed four of 13 passes for a career-high 104 yards. His 238 yards of total offense were the fourth most by a Navy quarterback in his first career start.
Gutierrez became the first Navy player to rush and pass for 100 yards in the same game since
Blake Horvath rushed for 155 yards and threw for 141 against Temple on Oct. 11, 2025. He was also the first Navy quarterback to rush for 100 yards in his first career start since Ricky Dobbs rushed for 125 yards against Northern Illinois in 2008.
Navy trailed 17-13 at halftime before taking its first lead of the night on a nine-play, 47-yard drive late in the third quarter. Gutierrez helped keep the drive alive with a 14-yard completion to
Isaiah Bryant on third-and-11, while a UAB holding penalty extended the possession.
Vic Listorti capped the drive with a 7-yard touchdown run with 4:24 remaining in the quarter, and
Nolan Bartley's extra point gave Navy a 20-17 advantage.
The Navy defense then came up with a turnover early in the fourth quarter when senior safety
Giuseppe Sessi intercepted Ryder Burton on third-and-16 at the Navy 21 and returned it two yards. It was Sessi's first career interception and Navy's first forced turnover of the season.
The Mids appeared poised to capitalize, moving from their own 23 to the UAB 37.
Michael Barrow opened the possession with a 17-yard run and Gutierrez followed with a 12-yard completion to Barrow before Navy moved into UAB territory.
The drive ended abruptly when Gutierrez was sacked by Marlin Dean for a 15-yard loss and fumbled at the Navy 48. Christopher Spencer recovered for UAB.
One play later, Braylon McReynolds broke loose for a 48-yard touchdown run to put UAB back in front 24-20 with 10:36 remaining.
Navy responded by driving from its own 25 to the UAB 42, but another turnover ended the threat.
Barrow gained three yards on third-and-2 before fumbling at the UAB 44 with 7:03 remaining, with Dean forcing and recovering the fumble.
The Navy defense gave the offense another opportunity by forcing a punt, and the Mids took over at their own 9 with 2:56 left. Barrow ripped off a 14-yard run on the first play and Navy advanced to its 37, but three consecutive incomplete passes followed and the Mids turned the ball over on downs with 1:01 remaining.
Navy received one final opportunity after Jonah Delange missed a 47-yard field goal with 42 seconds remaining, but Gutierrez was sacked on each of the final two plays as time expired.
The teams played a scoreless first quarter before UAB struck first on McReynolds' 10-yard touchdown run with 14:56 remaining in the second.
Navy answered with an eight-play, 75-yard scoring drive. Gutierrez capped it with a 4-yard touchdown run to tie the game at 7-7 with 11:06 left in the half.
UAB regained the lead on Delange's 44-yard field goal, but Navy answered with Bartley's 34-yard field goal with two minutes remaining. The kick was the first made field goal of Bartley's career.
Burton then connected with Ty Mims on a 56-yard touchdown pass with 1:11 remaining to give UAB a 17-10 lead. Navy responded before halftime, with Gutierrez completing a 39-yard pass to freshman
Truman Brasfield and then a career-long 39-yard pass to Listorti to set up Bartley's 31-yard field goal with seven seconds remaining, cutting the deficit to 17-13 at the break. Brasfield's catch was the first of his career.
Navy rushed for 249 yards on 58 attempts while holding UAB to 116 yards on the ground. Barrow finished with career highs of nine carries and 48 yards, while Listorti rushed seven times for 29 yards and a touchdown and caught one pass for 39 yards.
McReynolds led UAB with 71 yards and two touchdowns on eight carries, while Burton completed 13 of 20 passes for 174 yards and a touchdown with one interception. Mims caught three passes for 76 yards and a touchdown.
Junior linebacker
MarcAnthony Parker led the Navy defense with a season-high 10 tackles and career highs of three sacks and three tackles for loss. His three sacks were the most by a Navy player since John Marshall recorded four against UCF on Nov. 19, 2022. Senior linebacker
Coleman Cauley added seven tackles, a sack and a tackle for loss.
The loss was Navy's first in four all-time meetings with UAB. The Mids had defeated the Blazers in each of the previous three seasons.
Navy travels to Colorado Springs next Saturday to play Air Force (1-1, 0-1) in the first leg in the battle for the Commander-in-Chief's Trophy. Kickoff is set for 12 noon (ET) on CBS.
