It's that time once again to renew the Army-Navy series, which is the last game of the regular season. After this we're on to the bowl games, and beyond that there's nothing but the long, cold off-season. Army and Navy rank second and third nationally in rushing yards per game, and whichever team has more success running the ball seems likely to come out with the victory. They both run the ball an average of nearly 60 times per game, and they've been effective in doing so, with each team averaging well over five yards per carry.
The Numbers
Rankings and Records: Navy is 7-4 this season and unranked in the major polls. Army is 3-8. The Midshipmen lead the all-time series, 57-49-7.
Vegas: Navy opened as a 10-point favorite, while the over/under opened at 54.5.
Weather: The high in Philadelphia isn't expected to climb above 40. There's a 60 percent chance of rain and/or snow showers as well.
Impact Players
Keenan Reynolds -- Navy has been developing effective option quarterbacks forever now, implementing one after the other, hardly missing a beat when one graduates. Reynolds is in his second year as the starter in Annapolis and leads Navy with 1,124 rushing yards as well as 26 rushing touchdowns. His passing numbers aren't bad, either -- he is averaging nine yards per attempt and has eight touchdown passes against two interceptions.
Angel Santiago/A.J. Schurr -- With multi year starter Trent Steelman gone, the Black Knights had a hole to fill at quarterback. Santiago has gotten the call for most of the season, but his struggles have allowed Schurr to get into the discussion. Both played in Army's last game, and both may at some point this week run the offense. Both are capable of running the ball, while Schurr has been the more efficient passer.
Terry Baggett -- Fortunately, Army has a reliable running back, Baggett, who is over 1,000 yards on the season despite averaging only about 11 carries per game. He gives the Black Knights some explosiveness, and his average of 8.3 yards per rush is easily a team-high.
Final Stat Wrap
Army
- Angel Santiago: 5-of-10, 50 YDS, 0 TD, 1 INT, 10 CAR, 40 YDS, 1 TD, 1 FUM LOST
- A.J. Schurr: 0-of-1, 0 YDS, 0 TD, 0 INT, 5 CAR, -3 YDS, 1 FUM LOST
- Terry Baggett: 11 CAR, 41 YDS
- Tony Giovannelli: 7 CAR, 38 YDS
- Larry Dixon: 9 CAR, 33 YDS
- Xavier Moss: 5 REC, 50 YDS
Navy
- Keenan Reynolds: 2-of-7, 10 YDS, 0 TD, 0 INT, 30 CAR, 137 YDS, 3 TD
- Quinton Singleton: 4 CAR, 61 YDS
- Noah Copeland: 5 CAR, 54 YDS, 1 TD
- Chris Swain: 6 CAR, 25 YDS
- Geoffrey Whiteside: 2 CAR, 21 YDS
- DeBrandon Sanders: 2 CAR, 13 YDS, 1 REC, 6 YDS
- Darius Staten: 4 CAR, 11 YDS
All stats courtesy ESPN.com
Navy 34, Army 7—Final
Navy has now won their 12th straight over Army. They dominated the day with Keenan Reynolds leading them. The Black Knights lost this one with turnovers and just couldn't overcome their mistakes.
Keenan Reynolds set an FBS record for rushing touchdowns by quarterbacks
Army-Navy Player of the Game
Navy's Keenan Reynolds
His three touchdowns and 137 yards on the ground never tell the whole story. He ran his offense with great command and led the Midshipmen to five touchdowns against a solid run defense. The Midshipmen jumped out to a 17-0 lead at the half and Army never got the margin back to single digits after that. It wasn't a blowout, but it was never close as Navy coasted to the win. Reynolds put the finishing touches on a dominant career against Army by logging 137 yards and three touchdowns in the victory, and Navy didn't give the ball away under Reynolds' direction all game long. And as mentioned before, he set an FBS record for quarterbacks by rushing for his 29th touchdown of the year with two touchdowns on the day. He topped Colorado State's Kapri Bibbs for the touchdown lead among all FBS rushers (Bibbs has 28), and with both CSU and Navy awaiting bowls, this battle will rage on into late December. As the snow fell on Lincoln Financial Field Saturday, the curtains fell on yet another dismal Army football season as Navy rolled, 34-7. Navy moves to 8-4 but won't make any headway toward the rankings.
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