Navy tops Army for 14th straight time in rivalry
Navy quarterback Keenan Reynolds finished his career 4-0 against Army. (Photo by Ken Kraetzer/SALRadio)

Navy tops Army for 14th straight time in rivalry

It was not textbook, grind-it-out, triple-option football, but Saturday's 116th Army-Navy football game was an opportunity for the biggest star at any of the three service academies to shine.

Keenan Reynolds, the multi-talented quarterback for the U.S. Naval Academy, demonstrated his skills Saturday at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia. Reynolds rushed for 136 yards on 21 carries, including two touchdown runs, and completed 6 of 14 passes for 113 yards and the game-winning touchdown as he led Navy to a 21-17 victory.

With the win, Navy (10-2 and ranked in the top 25 in both major national football polls) extended its winning streak to a record 14 consecutive triumphs in "America's Game." Navy leads the series 60-49-7.

But the day belonged to Reynolds, the senior signal caller who became the first starting quarterback ever to finish 4-0 in the history of the rivalry. Throughout the game, numerous records fell to Reynolds. Some of the most noteworthy:

• All-time NCAA Division I leader in rushing touchdowns (85).

• First Navy player to rush for over 1,000 yards and pass for over 1,000 yards in a season twice.

• All-time record for most career touchdowns scored in the Army-Navy game (7).

• Most career passing touchdowns thrown by a Navy quarterback (30).

• His 4,415 career rushing yards moved him from fifth to third on the all-time list of rushing yardage by a Division I quarterback.

And on and on. He still has one more game to play -- the Military Bowl on Dec. 28 when Navy hosts the University of Pittsburgh.

"At the end of the day it's all about wins and losses," Reynolds said. "Being here four years, we've never lost to Army; that's huge. We'll get to visit the White House this year and get the (Commander-In-Chief's) trophy back. That was the number one goal. After not getting a chance to go to the conference championship (game), this was the goal we had to get. Losing this game would have hurt that much more."

Still, it was hardly an easy day for the Midshipmen.

Army (2-10) fought tenaciously from the opening kickoff, but ultimately the Black Knights' Achilles heel - turnovers - cost them multiple fourth-quarter opportunities to win. Standouts for the cadets included quarterback Chris Carter (9-for-15 passing for 208 yards and a touchdown, but a costly fourth-quarter interception and a lost fumble on a snap) and wide receiver Edgar Poe (five catches for 121 yards including a TD catch for 39 yards that gave him six for the season - just one shy of the team record).

"Both defenses played well, but turnovers were the key to the game," said winning coach Ken Niumatalolo, who had to hold back tears in the post-game news conference. He is expected to be named head football coach at BYU in a matter of days. "We couldn't turn any of those turnovers into points, but to our defense's credit, they kept playing hard. I was really proud of our team. We kept hanging in there and we have some resilient kids. I'm so proud of our seniors - they're wonderful young men. Our team captains, Bernie (Sarra) and Kennan (Reynolds), led our team."

Navy took the opening kickoff, but after five plays and 22 yards the team from Annapolis was forced to punt. Poe then made a daring, 50-yard, cross-field return to the Navy 40 and seven plays later Dan Grochowski booted a 32-yard field goal to give Army a 3-0 lead.

Just three plays later, Navy went on top as Reynolds broke to his right then cut through a hole to his left and dashed 58 yards up the middle into the end zone. Army responded with a seven-play, 82-yard drive - the only sustained scoring drive of the day - that ended with Tyler Campbell's 29-yard sprint into the end zone, making the score 10-7. The run by Campbell, his first scoring effort, ignited the crowd and gave Army boosters hope for victory.

"We knew we were going to have to throw it some and hit some big plays, " said Army head coach Jeff Monken. "That was a conversation we had early on preparing for this game. We likely weren't going to be able to chip away all the way down the field and have a 14-play drive just running the ball. Neither team was a ble to do that."

In the second quarter, Navy began with a seven-play, 50-yard drive that regained the lead for the Midshipmen when Reynolds bulled in from the Army 1, to regain the lead, 14-10. But Army conceded nothing and Carter found Poe with the 39-yard scoring strike on a crossing pattern that put Army back on top, 17-14. Army's defense kept Navy off the board the rest of half.

Both squads adjusted during intermission and long drives were few; none resulted in a score. The only change in score occurred with 5:51 left in the third quarter when Reynolds completed a 50-yard pass to Jamir Tillman on the first play after an Army punt.

"They hit that big play on the play-action pass with crossing routes," said Monken. "We kind of got picked off. That just comes from experience and (quarterback Chris) Carter just has to realize that. That's the difference between Carter and (Reynolds)."

The fourth quarter was where the Army dream of victory disappeared. A missed field goal and several turnovers prevented Army from closing the gap.

A desperation play in the waning minutes - a Carter lateral to DeAndre Bell, who tried to throw a pass to Tyler Campbell in the end zone - was picked off by Navy's Daiquann Thomasson, effectively ending the Army threat.

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