The 31 combined points between Army and Navy were the most scored in the first half of this game since 1998, as Army has a surprising halftime lead despite being 22-point underdogs. Reynolds finished with 136 yards rushing on 21 carries, and threw a second-half touchdown pass that proved to be the game-winning score.
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Navy is the No. 13 in the nation, for instance, in Football Outsiders’ F/+ ratings to Army’s No. 114.
Those are the type of stats a great rushing quarterback would put up by the end of the game, so that should tell you a bit about the type of player that Reynolds is.
Niumatalolo handed bottled waters reserved for players and staff to security guards at the gate to help them cool off on a warm day. Army coach Jeff Monken is 0-1. It’s also possible that this is the last we’ve seen of Niumatalolo in the rivalry, as the coach has been open about the fact that he will meet with BYU about its head coaching vacancy this week. With the victory, he is the only Navy quarterback to go 4-0 against Army. He returned to Navy in 2007, becoming college football’s first Samoan head coach. The junior got behind cornerback Brendon Clements at the 5-yard line and made the catch just before crossing the goal line to give Army a 17-14 lead with 1:59 to play in the second quarter. A missed field goal by Army’s Daniel Grochowski early in the fourth quarter, as well as multiple turnovers deep in Navy territory, doomed the Black Knights. He was critical in the game last season as his one-yard touchdown run is what sealed the victory. Freshman quarterback Chris Carter started the regular season finale against Rutgers and managed to throw for 140 yards and touchdown in the loss.
THE CITY: The game will be played for the 86th time in Philadelphia. Nice weather this weekend in Philly, and I think Navy puts the hurting on the Black Knights. Navy will have one more game left, against Pittsburgh (8-4) at the December 28 Military Bowl in Annapolis, Md.
What the win means for Navy: Yet another Navy class will graduate with an undefeated record against rival Army.
The 2012 season marked the beginning of Reynolds’ sensational, record-setting college career.
“Ultimately, ” said the second-year coach and former Navy assistant, “that’s our job at West Point; to build those warriors”.
“We’re not going wait too long, that’s for sure”, he said.
At 2-10, Army was not bowl eligible so its season is over.
Navy Midshipmen salute ahead of an NCAA college football game between Army and Navy Saturday, Dec. 12, 2015, in Philadelphia.
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The chances kept coming, and Army finally looked like it was in business when Carter hit Tyler Campbell for a 35-yard pass with under three minutes left.
