Pittsburgh vs. Navy: Score and Reaction for 2015 Military Bowl

Every time Pittsburgh appeared capable of mounting a comeback against Navy, the Midshipmen had an answer. More often than not, that answer was record-setting quarterback Keenan Reynolds, who capped his excellent career by leading Navy to a 44-28 victory in the Military Bowl on Monday at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium.

Reynolds rushed for 144 yards and three touchdowns, threw for another 126 yards and a score and even registered a 47-yard reception while leading a running game that piled up a whopping 417 yards. Fullback Chris Swain added 114 yards on the ground, while Dishan Romine had 84 yards.

The Midshipmen defense came up big, too, holding Pittsburgh to 335 yards of offense, just 17:55 in time of possession and containing excellent receiver Tyler Boyd to six receptions for 53 yards.

As usual, Reynolds stole the show—in the process, he displayed his potential to NFL teams. Mike Garafolo of Fox Sports was impressed:

Chris Burke of Sports Illustrated is sorry to see Reynolds go:

Navy head coach Ken Niumatalolo said Reynolds is bound for bigger and better things with his college career behind him.

"We're in real good hands with a guy like that leading our country," Niumatalolo said after the game, per the ESPN broadcast.

Pittsburgh started the game with a bang, as Quadree Henderson returned the opening kickoff the length of the field for a touchdown.

The Midshipmen, however, dominated the rest of the first half.

Navy answered Pitt's opening touchdown with a 10-play scoring drive, as Reynolds plunged into the end zone from one yard out to tie the game. And after forcing Pitt to punt, the Midshipmen again drove down the field, this time with Reynolds rushing five yards for a 14-7 lead 41 seconds before the end of the first quarter.

The second quarter was marked by crippling errors by the Panthers. They missed a 29-yard field goal, and quarterback Nate Peterman threw two interceptions. Navy took a 21-7 lead 1:41 before halftime on wide receiver Tyler Carmona's 11-yard touchdown reception.

The Midshipmen appeared to put the game out of reach early in the third quarter. Demond Brown ran 26 yards for a touchdown on the opening drive of the second half, Navy held Pittsburgh to a three-and-out on the ensuing drive and Austin Grebe kicked a 35-yard field goal to give the Midshipmen a 31-7 lead.

The Panthers, however, showed signs of life after that. Running back Qadree Ollison's four-yard touchdown reception gave Pitt some hope, and it appeared to seize control on the next drive when Jordan Whitehead scooped up Swain's fumble and raced 22 yards for a touchdown to cut the deficit to 31-21.

But Reynolds marched Navy 68 yards on the ensuing possession, and Toneo Gulley ran for a 15-yard touchdown at the 10:58 mark of the fourth quarter.

It was the Midshipmen's aggression and execution that kept the Panthers at bay, as Brian Burke of ESPN noted:

After Pitt scored on a 45-yard run by Ollison, Reynolds put the game away with a nine-yard touchdown scamper. 

Peterman threw his third interception on the next drive.

With another outstanding performance, Reynolds added to his record-breaking career at Navy. He became the FBS leader in rushing yards by a quarterback in the third quarter, per ESPN Stats & Info, and the sixth player in FBS history to both run and throw for more than 4,000 yards, according to Navy Athletics.

He also became the FBS leader in touchdowns scored from scrimmage with 88, per ESPN Stats & Info.

The signal-caller headlined a talented senior class this season, and the Midshipmen will have a hard time replacing Reynolds and Co. The NFL may be on the horizon for Reynolds, though he'll likely need to catch on as a running back rather than a quarterback.

The future appears bright for Pitt and first-year head coach Pat Narduzzi, who exceeded expectations by leading the Panthers to an 8-5 record. Monday's result was a disappointing end to the season, but it still has to be considered a success for a program coming off four consecutive 6-6 regular seasons.

Postgame Reaction

While it seemed like everyone watching the game praised Reynolds during his record-setting performance, it was Niumatalolo's turn after the game, per ESPN.com: "All of Keenan's accolades are well-deserved," the coach said. "What an unbelievable career he's had. Once in a generation, some of the things he's done. We're going to miss him."

Rob Carlin of SportsTalk Live noted just how big a role Reynolds played in Navy's victory:

Narduzzi must have grown weary of watching Reynolds dominate his squad, but he was still happy with how the season played out, per ESPN.com: "Just have to keep getting one step closer," he said. "You just have to take one step at a time. Told the seniors, they laid the foundation. We've done a lot of great things this year."