(Tribune News Service) — Navy football backup quarterback Braxton Woodson never stopped driving his feet forward. With the Midshipmen facing a pivotal second-and-9 leading by three with 1:46 remaining, Woodson called his own number.

He meandered to the second level of the defense and was just short of the first down on initial contact. However, the junior was relentless, embodying the Mids’ “Effort, Attitude and Toughness” mantra.

Woodson fought for extra yardage before being pushed forward by a host of teammates. That second effort led to a monumental first down and allowed Navy to wind down valuable time off the clock.

“It’s everything that we’re about,” Navy coach Brian Newberry said of Woodson’s run. “That’s got to be our edge here. The team across the field from us today was a much more talented team, that’s the truth. How are we going to make up for that difference? What’s going to be our edge?

“That’s exactly it: effort, attitude and toughness. If you can combine that with being elite in the way we execute, we’ve got a really good football team. I should’ve pointed that play out in the locker room, but that was Navy football right there.”

Woodson’s helmet popped off during the play, and he gave starter Blake Horvath, who he replaced because of cramps, a thunderous high-five before heading to the bench. The junior flexed and shrugged his shoulders toward his fired-up teammates and played a vital role as the hero in Navy’s 41-38 win over No. 24 South Florida.

He finished 2-for-3 passing for 39 yards, also adding nine carries for 103 yards and a pair of rushing touchdowns.

“I was just happy to get that first down,” Woodson said. “A little bit of gritting through the pain too, I hit my face a little bit. It was just a very emotional first down because I knew we needed that to close out the game. So, I was just getting excited with my teammates and then Blake came in there, handled his business, so we could come out with the win.”

Woodson’s impressive performance came just a week after his third career start on the road against No. 9 Notre Dame in prime time. While the Mids’ offense struggled in a 49-10 loss, Woodson showed that he wouldn’t shy away from a marquee stage. Against the Fighting Irish, Woodson finished with 23 carries for 116 yards and a touchdown.

Newberry and offensive coordinator Drew Cronic praised Woodson’s effort during the week, but also acknowledged areas for growth.

“I think every time Braxton plays he’s getting experience and gaining confidence,” Cronic said during the week. “He’s beginning to realize that I’m 6-foot-3, 215 pounds and I can run. He’s one of the biggest, strongest athletes out there on the field. You can certainly see his speed and athleticism out in space. We’ve seen a ton of growth and I’m really excited about his future.”

One week later, Woodson had an opportunity to showcase both that improvement and his fearlessness with the Mids needing a win over the Bulls to keep their American Conference championship game hopes alive.

He was thrust into action early in the fourth quarter after Horvath left for a second time due to cramps. On his first series, Woodson confidently led the Mids down the field for seven of the eight plays on the 75-yard touchdown drive. The junior delivered a 32-yard strike to senior Eli Heidenreich on a corner route and followed that up with a 20-yard rushing touchdown on the next play.

“We go through the things we do in practice and fourth quarters, to build trust within the team,” Horvath said. “Every guy does that and Braxton has done an exceptional job of that. There was no worry in that game. We’ve seen what he can do, especially big games like VMI and even a little bit against Notre Dame. Everybody had complete faith in what he was going to do.”

After a 60-yard rushing touchdown by South Florida quarterback Bryum Brown brought the Bulls back within three, the Mids’ offense needed an answer. Woodson provided one in highlight-reel fashion on a second-and-10 from the Navy 36-yard-line.

He faked a handoff to Heidenreich on the jet motion and found a crease on the outside. The junior would not be caught and sprinted down the home sideline for a 64-yard score, pushing Navy’s advantage back two possessions with 4:07 remaining.

The biggest area where Newberry and Cronic wanted to see improvement in Woodson’s game was in making the correct read on runs in between the tackles. Woodson did so on several occasions in the fourth quarter down the stretch when his team needed it most.

“I think the comfortability just comes from practice,” Woodson said. “Just getting 1,000 reps in practice, seeing different looks, different possibilities of blitzes. I feel like it has prepared me a lot for the game. In a moment like this, I didn’t flinch, I was able to go out and execute.”

South Florida’s offense continued to counter-punch with another touchdown to get within a field goal in the final three minutes. However, Woodson ensured the Bulls’ high-powered offense never touched the ball again, cementing a much-needed win for the Mids’ on Senior Day and a 6-0 record at Navy Marine-Corps Memorial Stadium.

“They’re amazing, they’re such leaders on our team,” Woodson said of the senior class. “I said in the locker room before the game, ‘We owe it to these guys to put our best foot forward and do everything we can for them to win.’ It just so happened to end up like that, so I’m happy for them. Happy for everybody.”

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