Army vs. Navy: Score and Twitter Reaction from 2014 Game

Navy scored a 17-10 victory over Army in a highly competitive contest on Saturday at M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore. It marks the 13th straight win for the Midshipmen in the rivalry.

The clash between the academies is unlike any other game during the college football regular season. The rivalry dates back to 1890—and has been played annually since 1930—and always creates a tremendous atmosphere.

Here's how the 2014 edition of the Army–Navy Game played out:

Team	1st	2nd	3rd	4th	Total
Black Knights	7	0	0	3	10
Midshipmen	0	7	3	7	17

Although plenty has changed over the years, the widespread appeal of the game remains firmly intact. Laken Litman of USA Today passed along comments from Navy head coach Ken Niumatalolo, who explained why the game is popular regardless of the type of season each team is having:

"

I think the difference with our game is it's a national game. The Auburn-Alabama game is a huge rivalry game, but it's even stronger in the South and the state of Alabama and the SEC. USC-UCLA is a big game on the West Coast and the LA area. Ohio State-Michigan is big for the Midwest. But for our game, everybody has somebody in their family or knows somebody who served, so I think it touches everybody regardless of where you live.

"

A popular sentiment expressed leading up to the game is that the players are rivals today but are otherwise on the same team moving forward. That's where the respect comes from.

CBS Sports noted some showed up to the game in more interesting fashion than others:

Army came into the game with a chip on its shoulder. Not only had it lost 12 straight matchups with Navy, but it was also a 15-point underdog. That extra motivation showed in the early going.

The Black Knights' defense came out fired up, forcing a three-and-out drive by Navy on its first possession. On the ensuing play, a cavalcade of rushers broke through Navy's line and blocked Pablo Beltran's punt. 

Xavier Moss scooped up the loose ball and waltzed into the end zone. It gave Army the lead and sent its fans into a frenzy. Army Times noted it was the second straight game with a key block by Josh Jenkins:

It set the tone for a defensive first half of football. Both sides clearly knew to expect run-heavy attacks and were prepared for the fight at the line of scrimmage.

Particularly impressive was the Black Knights' effort to slow down Keenan Reynolds. The Navy quarterback entered the game with 1,082 rushing yards and 20 touchdowns on the ground this season.

The Midshipmen were also up to the task defensively, though. Of course, Auburn Professor John Carvalho rightfully pointed out that probably shouldn't be much of a surprise given the teams involved:

Navy did get the game back level before halftime. After getting a crucial fourth-down stop at its own 30, Navy covered 70 yards in just six plays to make it 7-7.

The key play was a 39-yard completion from Reynolds to Jamir Tillman. The duo hooked up again for the score a couple plays later from nine yards out with just 18 seconds left in the opening half.

David Ginsburg of The Associated Press pointed out how that one drive changed the entire complexion of the first 30 minutes:

Army moved the ball to around midfield and attempted a Hail Mary, but it fell harmlessly to the turf as timed expired.

Even though the Black Knights defense continued to do its job in the second half, it wasn't enough to stop Navy from creating some separation.

Austin Grebe connected on a 45-yard field goal for Navy just over five minutes into the third quarter. It gave the Midshipmen their first lead of the game.

ESPN Lehigh Valley noted it was a career long for the kicker:

Navy stretched the lead to 10 early in the fourth quarter. Reynolds led the offense on a 15-play, 69-yard touchdown drive that ate up nearly eight minutes off the clock. The quarterback forced his way across the goal line from one yard out for the score.

Kevin McGuire of College Football Talk provided an intriguing stat about Reynolds after his latest score:

More importantly, it put an Army side not used to relying on the pass in trouble. CBS Sports College Football highlighted the uphill battle:

A fumble recovery with less than four minutes left gave the Black Knights one last chance to mount a comeback. They got within a touchdown after Daniel Grochowski converted a field goal from 52 yards out.

Army didn't recover the ensuing onside kick, however. Navy proceeded to run out the clock.

ESPN Stats & Info updated the rivalry numbers:

All told, the game was far closer than most expected with the Army defense standing tall throughout. Its offense just didn't sustain enough drives.

Navy can celebrate keeping the streak alive but not for long. The Midshipmen are set to face San Diego State in the Poinsettia Bowl in just 10 days. If they pull off another win on the quick turnaround, the pair of victories will make for a terrific finish to the campaign.