Navy Wins Armed Forces Bowl

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FORT WORTH, Texas – Ken Niumatalolo, whose Navy team had won just one of its previous five bowl games under his leadership, joked on Friday that he hadn’t learned how to coach in a bowl game. His first decision on Monday was a good one, however, and set the tone for the Midshipmen in a 24-6 victory over Middle Tennessee in the Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl.

Going against custom, Navy (9-4) won the coin toss and elected to receive instead of defer to the second half. After a fine return by Marcus Thomas to the 41-yard line, the Midshipmen kept the ball on the ground during a 10-play, 59-yard drive that culminated in quarterback Keenan Reynolds’ three-yard touchdown run five minutes in.

Remarkably, that proved to be enough for the Mids, whose defense held the potent Blue Raiders (42.6 points per game over its last five) to just six points, the fewest by any team in the 11-year history of the bowl game.

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“I could not be prouder of these guys,” Niumatalolo said. “It was a super win and a super year for us. We had a good defensive scheme and carried out our assignments. We really battled the entire game.”

Senior linebacker DJ Sargenti was a catalyst for the defense, tying for the team lead with seven

tackles, recording an interception in the end zone in the fourth quarter and knocking away a potential touchdown pass prior to intermission.

Thanks to its defense, Navy was able to stay on top despite two uncharacteristic turnovers, both in the red zone, by its star sophomore quarterback. Prior to today, Navy had just eight turnovers in its first 12 games and had not lost a fumble since Oct. 26. Navy also overcame a rash of in-game injuries in the physical contest.

After its impressive opening drive, the Midshipmen’s second possession also went 10 plays and resulted in points, this time a 32-yard field goal by Nick Sloan. That countered a Middle Tennessee field goal on its first possession, and gave the Mids another seven-point lead (10-3).

The Blue Raiders (8-5) netted their second field goal of the game at the 6:38 mark of the second quarter to cut the deficit to 10-6, but they were unable to score again versus an unrelenting Mids’ defense.

“We knew going in there were going to be a limited amount of possessions,” Middle Tennessee head coach Rick Stockstill said. “We weren’t going to beat them kicking field goals. Give Navy credit.”

With that in mind, Middle Tennessee picked up the tempo in the second half and immediately marched directly down the field with a hurry-up offense, gaining 57 yards in its first nine plays. The Navy defense came up huge again, however, stopping the Blue Raiders on a fourth-and-2 from the seven-yard line and thwarting their best chance to reach pay dirt.

“I thought our guys played really, really well, played physical,” Niumatalolo said. “We knew it would be a physical ballgame. I’m just proud of the way our guys battled and kept them out of the end zone.”

The Mids turned around and went 87 plays on the ensuing drive before Reynolds fumbled at the Middle Tennessee 7. It didn’t matter in the end, though, as Navy pulled away in the final stanza.

Reynolds, who finished with 86 yards on 20 carries and was named the game’s Starr Most Valuable Player, started the scoring blitz by running in his second touchdown from the 1-yard line with 10:48 left to play to make it 17-6.

After an interception by third-string safety George Jamison on the Middle Tennessee 43, Navy used a short field to ice the game just 1 ½ minutes later on a 41-yard scamper by DeBrandon Sanders, his first career rushing score.

With the win, Navy extended its winning streak to five, while halting Middle Tennessee’s string at five. For the game, Navy finished with 366 yards rushing on 67 carries.

Reynolds’ first score gave him 30 rushing touchdowns on the year, as he became just the fourth player in NCAA FBS history. He joined Barry Sanders (37), Montee Ball (33) and Kapri Bibbs (31) on the elite list. His fourth-quarter score tied Bibbs for the national lead in touchdowns.

“It just feels great,” senior linebacker and captain Cody Peterson said. “I’m just super proud of the guys. It’s just a testament to their determination, guys stepping up and making plays when we need it. It’s huge to finish like this.”

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