Houston beats Navy, clinches AAC conference championship game berth

The Houston Cougars advanced to the American Athletic Conference Championship Game with a win over Navy.

Greg Ward returned as the starting quarterback for the Coogs and did terrific on the ground and in the passing game. Ward threw for 308 yards and three touchdowns, along with 83 rushing yards and a touchdown. And converted defensive back Brandon Wilson ran for two touchdowns and 111 yards to help drive Houston to its 11th win of the season to clinch the AAC West title.

Following a close loss to UConn that ended Houston’s undefeated season, Tom Herman’s team should find itself back in the College Football Playoff Top 25 this week. Houston will play either Temple or South Florida from the AAC East division, and will have to win to make a New Year’s Six bowl game.

Navy kept the game competitive, but Houston was still able to come away with a solid 52-31 win. Navy quarterback Keenan Reynolds had a career passing day, going 13 of 16 for 312 yards with one touchdown and one interception. The one turnover for Navy was intercepted by Houston after bouncing off a player downfield. Reynolds made a some impressive throws to get the team some key first down conversions and scores.

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Reynolds tied the all-time touchdown record following a short quarterback run up the middle. Reynolds and former Wisconsin running back Montee Ball have 83 touchdowns scored during their careers. Navy still plays Army in the regular season, so Reynolds still has time to take over the record.

It’s been a great season for Navy, but one that came up a few plays short of becoming the first service academy to play in a major bowl since Air Force in 1971.