COLLEGE FOOTBALL RECAP

No. 21 Navy beats Army 21-17 behind Reynolds

The Sports Xchange

December 12, 2015 at 4:00 pm.

Dec 12, 2015; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Navy Midshipmen quarterback Keenan Reynolds (19) rushes  during the second quarter against the Army Black Knights at Lincoln Financial Field. Mandatory Credit: Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports

Dec 12, 2015; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Navy Midshipmen quarterback Keenan Reynolds (19) rushes during the second quarter against the Army Black Knights at Lincoln Financial Field. Mandatory Credit: Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports

PHILADELPHIA — Keenan Reynolds closed out his brilliant career against rival Army by accumulating 249 yards while accounting for all three touchdowns in Navy’s 21-17 win in the 116th meeting of the service academies Saturday before 69,722 at Lincoln Financial Field.

Reynolds is the first quarterback in the history of the rivalry to go 4-0 against an opponent.

Reynolds rushed for 136 yards and two scores and completed 6 of 14 passes for 113 yards and one touchdown. He set the NCAA top-division record for most career rushing TDs; his 85 broke the mark held by Georgia Southern’s Adrian Peterson and Towson’s Terrance West.

No. 21 Navy (10-2) leads the series 60-49-7 thanks to a record 14 straight wins over Army (2-10).

Reynolds became the first Navy quarterback to rush and pass for 1,000 yards in a season twice in a career, and his 30 career TD passes are also a Navy record — eclipsing Bill Byrne, who threw 29 in 1984-86.

Reynolds, a senior, gave Navy the lead for good when he connected with wide receiver Jamir Tillman on a 50-yard bomb down the right sideline with 5:51 left in the third quarter, making it 21-17 after the extra point.

Tillman caught five passes for 102 yards.

The Black Knights had three turnovers in the fourth quarter.

Safety Daiquan Thomasson picked off a pass at the Navy goal line with 1:42 to play and safety Lorentez Barbour had an interception with 3:27 to play.

Army was traveling for a potential go-ahead score earlier in the quarter, but freshman quarterback Chris Carter fumbled the snap and Navy linebacker Ted Colburn recovered the ball at the Navy 34 yard-line with 8:33 to play.

Carter completed 9 of 15 passes for 208 yards and a touchdown. He was sacked three times. Wide receiver Edgar Poe caught five passes for 121 yards.

The Black Knights led 17-14 at halftime — their first halftime lead since 2009, when they held a 3-0 edge.

Army’s 10th TD reception of the season — a 39-yard, over-the-shoulder catch by Poe — provided the Black Knights with the 17-14 lead with 2:08 left in the second quarter.

Reynolds picked up 166 yards in the first half. He carried nine times for 114 yards and two TDs and passed for 52 yards in the first half. Reynolds’ second TD, a 1-yard dive at the 12:18 mark of the second quarter, gave the Midshipmen a 14-10 edge. He scrambled for 35 yards on the drive.

For the second straight time in the series, the Black Knights led after the first quarter. Freshman running back Tyler Campbell sprinted 29 yards around right end and Dan Grochowski’s extra point gave Army the 10-7 edge with 4:10 left in the quarter.

Reynolds’ record-breaking score, a 58-yard scamper, came just two plays after Army had taken a 3-0 lead on its first possession. He shed a few tackles at the line of scrimmage, then broke free up the middle all alone for his 20th rushing TD of the season.

NOTES: Army ranks eighth in the nation with 254 rushing yards per game. … Navy is second in the country in rushing, averaging 330 yards a game. … Navy wore hand-painted helmets depicting the seven warships that comprise the U.S. Naval Fleet. In addition, the rally cry “Damn the Torpedoes” was featured on the Navy uniforms. … After 134 years playing as an independent, Navy finished its first year in a conference as the American Athletic Conference West Division co-champion with Houston.