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Navy tops Army for 12th straight time

Dec 15, 2013 - 6:06 AM Philadelphia, PA (SportsNetwork.com) - Navy quarterback Keenan Reynolds set an NCAA record and the Midshipmen had little trouble in another win over Army.

Able to keep his footing despite snowy conditions at Lincoln Financial Field, Reynolds rushed for 136 yards and three touchdowns Saturday and the Midshipmen beat the Black Knights for the 12th straight time with a 34-7 victory.

Reynolds had a 47-yard touchdown run in the first half and added two more in the fourth quarter to break the record for touchdown runs by a quarterback in one season with 29.

The old mark of 27 was set by Navy's Ricky Dobbs in 2009 and matched by Kansas State's Collin Klein in 2011.

"I'm just proud of our guys. That's hard to do against anybody 12 times, but for it to be against your rivals ... we just stayed at the task at hand," Navy coach Ken Niumatalolo said.

Navy (8-4) pushed its winning streak to four games going into the Armed Forces Bowl against Middle Tennessee on Dec. 30 -- its 10th bowl game in 11 years.

Noah Copeland added a 39-yard touchdown run in the victory as the Midshipmen extended their record winning streak in the series, which dates to 1890.

"I thought we closed the gap (in athleticism) the last two years, but that gap has opened back up," said Army coach Rich Ellerson. "I think the score is as out of whack as it is because (of) those things that will get you in any football game, turnovers and big plays.

"There is no doubt that this is a better Navy football team than we saw a year ago, and I've said that I think this is the best Navy football team since I've been here. We felt like we closed the gap the past two years, but this year you can't say that."

Army quarterback Angel Santiago had a 4-yard rushing touchdown. The Black Knights (3-9) finished the season on a five-game losing streak.

The cold weather and a snow-covered field didn't change how the teams operate, of course -- Army and Navy have the country's No. 2 and No. 3 rushing offenses in that order, and the two lowest-ranked passing offenses.

Navy rushed 57 times for 351 yards. Reynolds completed two of his seven pass attempts for 10 yards.

Army rushed 45 times for 157 yards, well below its season average of 323 yards. Santiago completed half of his 10 pass attempts for 50 yards and an interception, with 29 of those yards coming on one pass to help set up his touchdown.

Navy's first points came after a turnover, starting quarterback A.J. Schurr's fumble at the Navy 48. Quinton Singleton then broke off a 58-yard run for the Midshipmen before he was chased down and tackled by Chris Carnegie at the 4- yard line.

The Midshipmen settled for Nick Sloan's 20-yard field goal, but Copeland's 39- yard run gave them a 10-0 lead in the second quarter and Reynolds' 47-yard scamper made it 17-0 with 2:38 remaining in the first half.

Copeland stiff-armed an Army player near the goal line to get in and Reynolds slipped a tackle after going through a big hole on the right side of the line, then was tackled into the end zone.

On Army's only touchdown, Santiago looked to pass but scrambled left instead after finding no one open and scored untouched from four yards out to get the Black Knights within 17-7. He had a 26-yard run and a 29-yard pass to Xavier Moss on the drive.

Sloan's second field goal, from 34 yards, gave Navy a 20-7 lead on the ensuing drive, which was helped along by a roughing-the-passer penalty on Army's Kyle Maxwell for hitting Reynolds in the facemask with the crown of his helmet.

In the fourth quarter, Reynolds had an 11-yard score followed by a catch for a two-point conversion, and a 1-yard touchdown that was set up by a Santiago fumble. Sloan's last point-after attempt failed.

Game Notes

The 114th Army-Navy game was the second snowy game at Lincoln Financial Field in less than a week. The Philadelphia Eagles beat the Detroit Lions 34-20 in heavy snow on Sunday ... Navy reached eight wins for the 10th time in 11 years ... Army hasn't reached four wins in the past three seasons.