Keenan Reynolds of Navy set an FBS single-season record for rushing touchdowns by a quarterback, and the Midshipmen picked up their 12th consecutive win over Army, 34-7, in Philadelphia on Saturday.
Reynolds rushed for three touchdowns, giving him 29 this season to break the previous record of 27 shared by Ricky Dobbs, who led Navy to wins over the Black Knights in 2009-10, and Collin Klein of Kansas State.
It was a seven-touchdown outburst in a triple overtime win at San Jose State last month -- a single-game FBS record for rushing TDs by a quarterback -- that put Reynolds within distance of the mark.
With the chance to help Navy sweep both of its service academy rivals for the second consecutive season, Reynolds led the way Saturday by rushing for 136 yards on 30 carries. He also completed 2 of 7 passes for 10 yards and caught a two-point conversion.
Reynolds will have a chance to add to his record in the Armed Forced Bowl on Dec. 30. Navy can finish with nine wins for the third time under head coach Ken Niumatalolo by defeating Middle Tennessee State.
Saturday's game took on an added poignancy beyond its usual pomp, circumstance, and American patriotism by marking the 50th anniversary of the assassination of President John F. Kennedy. Along with a pregame video tribute, Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel used a silver dollar during the coin toss that Kennedy himself was set to use during the 1963 Army-Navy game.
With the game delayed one week to Dec. 7, Navy used a goal line stand to defeated Army, 21-15, also in Philadelphia. Navy quarterback Roger Staubach had already won the Heisman Trophy, and the Midshipmen would finish the regular season undefeated and ranked second in both the coaches and Associated Press polls before falling to Texas in the Cotton Bowl.
The game marked the last moment service academy football was truly relevant on a national scale.
But with two more seasons of eligibility for Reynolds, he could be the catalyst that leads Navy back to prominence not seen in a half-century.
Follow Dan Greenspan on Twitter @DanGreenspan.
