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Navy beats Army for 13th straight time

Dec 14, 2014 - 3:52 AM Baltimore, MD (SportsNetwork.com) - Make it 13 in a row for Navy.

And the momentum in the 115th edition of the Army-Navy Game shifted with a last-second timeout.

Keenan Reynolds ran for 100 yards and a touchdown and threw for another as the Midshipmen defeated the Black Knights 17-10 on Saturday at M&T Bank Stadium.

Up 7-0 during the latter stages of the second quarter, Army was faced with a 4th-and-1 at the Navy 30. Black Knights quarterback Angel Santiago kept the ball on a quarterback sneak and appeared to pick up a first down, but Midshipmen coach Ken Niumatalolo signaled for a timeout right before the ball was snapped and the play was whistled dead.

After the stoppage, Santiago had trouble with the exchange and was stopped shy of the marker on another sneak attempt.

The Midshipmen (7-5), whose offense failed to move the chains on each of their first three possessions, found the end zone on their ensuing touch when Reynolds rolled right and found Jamir Tillman for a 9-yard touchdown in the front part of the end zone to tie the score.

Navy carried that momentum into the second half, where it pulled away.

"Once we stopped shooting ourselves in the foot, we were able to be successful on the offensive side of the ball," Reynolds said.

Reynolds was 6-of-8 for 77 yards and picked up his 100 yards on the ground on 26 carries for the Midshipmen, who will face San Diego State in 10 days in the Poinsettia Bowl.

Chris Swain posted 47 yards on nine totes and Noah Copeland added 30 on 12 rushes in the triumph.

Navy, which has outscored Army 417-142 during the winning streak, ran for 205 yards as a team.

Larry Dixon ran the ball 14 times for 90 yards to lead the Black Knights (4-8), who haven't beaten the Midshipmen since Dec. 1, 2001 when they recorded a 26-17 victory.

"It stings and it's going to hurt for a long time," Army coach Jeff Monken said. "It'll pain us until we have an opportunity to play again and do something about it next year."

Navy held a 17-7 advantage with 3:47 remaining before Reynolds fumbled an exchange and Joe Drummond pounced on the ball for Army.

The miscue led to a 52-yard Daniel Grochowski field goal, making it a one- score game, but the ensuing onside kick with 1:51 to play was recovered by the Midshipmen.

The Black Knights opened the scoring following Navy's initial offensive sequence when Josh Jenkins blocked a punt and Xavier Moss returned it for a touchdown.

Navy was unable to sustain a drive until the early stages of the second. It moved the chains for the first time following a 10-yard Reynolds run on a 3rd- and-2.The Midshipmen went on to pick up two more first downs prior to punting.

Dixon broke several tackles on a 3rd-and-6 sprint draw play for an 8-yard pickup and Joe Walker gained 18 along the left sideline off an option pitch to take the ball to the Navy 39. The failed Santiago sneak came four snaps later.

The Midshipmen capitalized quickly on the turnover on downs when Reynolds fired a 39-yard strike to Tillman over the middle on a post pattern. The game- tying score came five plays later, knotting the score at 7-7.

Ryan Williams-Jenkins returned the second-half kickoff 41 yards to midfield. Andrew King sacked Reynolds for a 6-yard loss on a 3rd-and-8 at the Army 22 to push a field-goal attempt further back, but Austin Grebe made it anyway, connecting from 45 yards out to give Navy the lead.

Grochowski hooked a 49-yard field goal wide left on Army's next touch and Navy went up by double figures with an elongated 15-play trek.

Reynolds picked up a pair of 3rd-and-shorts with 4-yard runs sandwiched around Copeland's 4-yard carry to convert a 3rd-and-3 and Reynolds capped the 69-yard march with a 1-yd quarterback sneak for a 17-7 margin.

Paul Quessenberry forced an A.J. Schurr fumble on Army's next drive and Will Anthony pounced on the loose ball to give the ball back to the Midshipmen midway through the fourth.

Game Notes

Three of the last four meetings between the teams have been decided by a touchdown or fewer, although Navy tallied a 34-7 victory a year ago ... Niumatalolo became Navy's all-time winningest coach with the victory, passing George Welsh. Niumatalolo is also the first Midshipmen coach to win his first seven games against Army ... Navy wound up picking up 16 first downs, outgained Army 282-235, and was 9-of-15 on third down.