MOBILE, Ala. — Navy intercepted a two-point conversion pass in the end zone with 39 seconds left to hold off South Alabama 42-40 at Ladd-Peebles Stadium, after two earlier South Alabama conversion attempts were wiped out by penalties.
Midshipmen quarterback Keenan Reynolds ran for 119 yards and three touchdowns, setting a record for career rushing touchdowns by a quarterback. The win made Navy bowl eligible ahead of its annual season finale against Army.
Jaguars Start Fast
South Alabama opened with an eight-play, 73-yard touchdown drive, then recovered a Navy fumble and added a field goal for a 10-0 lead with 8:10 left in the first quarter.
After the Jaguars stopped Navy on fourth-and-1, quarterback Brandon Bridge threw an interception, and Navy scored two plays later with 4:56 left in the opening quarter. South Alabama answered with a nine-play, 74-yard scoring drive, but Navy followed with 21 unanswered points.
The Jaguars kicked a field goal to pull within 28-20 with 3:43 left in the third quarter. Reynolds answered with a touchdown run.
Fourth-Quarter Comeback Bid
South Alabama recovered another Navy fumble early in the fourth quarter and converted the short field into a touchdown with 11:33 left. Reynolds scored again to make it 42-27 with 8:22 remaining.
Bridge then threw a 48-yard touchdown pass to Shavarez Smith to cut the deficit to 42-34 with 5:31 left. On third-and-9, Montell Garner forced Navy’s third fumble of the game, and South Alabama recovered. Bridge kept the drive alive with a fourth-down conversion and threw a 10-yard touchdown pass to Jereme Jones with 39 seconds remaining to make it 42-40.
Three Tries at Two
On South Alabama’s first two-point attempt, Bridge completed a pass over the middle, but an ineligible-receiver-downfield penalty moved the ball back to the 8-yard line.
On the second try, Bridge rolled left under pressure, ran toward the end zone, leaped over a Navy defender near the 3 and tumbled in. A holding penalty negated the score.
From the 18 on the third attempt, Navy blitzed and Bridge rolled left again before throwing across his body toward Smith in the right side of the end zone. The pass was short and was intercepted 3 yards deep in the end zone.
Statistical Leaders
Navy outgained South Alabama 430 to 415, rushing for 388 yards. South Alabama ran for 238 yards and passed for 177.
- Bridge completed 19 of 28 passes for 172 yards, four touchdowns and two interceptions. Hunter Vaughn went 2 of 3 for 5 yards.
- Terrance Timmons ran 15 times for 124 yards and a touchdown, and Kendall Houston added 80 yards on 21 carries.
- Smith caught six passes for 80 yards and two touchdowns.
- Danny Woodson caught five passes for 49 yards and a touchdown.
- Jones caught three passes for 21 yards and a touchdown.
For Navy, Reynolds completed 1 of 4 passes for 42 yards in addition to his 119 rushing yards on 10 carries. Noah Copeland ran 17 times for 112 yards and two touchdowns, and Chris Swain had 64 yards and a touchdown on nine carries.
Awaiting a Bowl Decision
The game was the regular-season finale for South Alabama, which is bowl eligible and now waits to learn whether it will receive a bowl invitation. The GoDaddy Bowl in Mobile and the Camellia Bowl in Montgomery are considered likely possibilities.
