LANDOVER, Maryland (Ticker) -- Kyle Eckel rushed for a career-high 176 yards as Navy defeated a ranked opponent for the first time in 18 years with a 28-25 win over No. 25 Air Force.
The Midshipmen snapped a six-game losing streak against Air Force and took the early lead in the race for the Commander-in-Chief's Trophy, which is presented annually to the school that beats the other two service academies.
Navy has won the trophy six times but not since 1981.
The Midshipmen (3-2) piled up 294 yards on the ground and posted their first victory over a ranked opponent since they defeated Virginia in 1985. Virginia was ranked 20th on September 28, 1985 when Navy posted a 17-13 victory.
"For this team, it means we are 3-2 and our goals are still alive," Navy coach Paul Johnson said. "We can play for the Commander-in-Chief's trophy, we can have a winning season and we can go to a bowl game. These guys have accomplished a lot this year. They won at home, they beat Air Force. They have done a lot of things for Navy football."
Navy had dropped 35 in a row against ranked opponents.
"It felt great out there," Navy defensive back Shalimar Brazier added. "I can't explain how big this is. Beating Air Force is like beating Army. Those are great victories which set you up on a high."
The win did not come easy for Navy, which had an 11-point lead before Brent Waller of Air Force recovered a fumble in the end zone 51 seconds into the fourth quarter. Joe Schieffer ran for the two-point conversion, cutting the lead to 21-18.
Eckel then took over with a 26-yard run to get the Midshipmen inside the 20 before he later scored on a four-yard TD on 4th-and-2 with 7:35 remaining.
"I was going for it," Johnson said. "I just wasn't sure what formation to run. Our offensive line did a great job for us. I felt if we could get up by two scores it would be difficult for them."
Air Force (5-1) again made it a three-point game with 20 seconds remaining as quarterback Chance Harridge scored on a one-yard run. The Falcons attempted a onside kick, but Navy's Josh Smith recovered to secure the Midshipmen's first victory in the series since 1996.
"We're caretakers of the trophy and we didn't do our job today," Air Force coach Fisher DeBerry said. "That hurts because there's a lot of people depending on us. Some days in every given season you are going to play teams that are better than you. Navy was just better than us today."
In a matchup of the top two ranked rushing offenses in Division I-A, Navy followed up its 373-yard performance at Rutgers with another big day on the ground. It never trailed after scoring a pair of TDs in a span of 49 seconds midway through the second to take a 14-3 advantage.
Quarterback Craig Candeto capped a 15-play drive that included 14 running plays with a two-yard TD run. Brazier picked off Harridge and returned it to the Air Force 4, setting up a three-yard TD by Michael Brimage.
The Falcons responded with a one-yard TD by Harridge with 3:35 remaining in the half, but Joey Ashcroft missed a 37-yard field goal with less than a minute remaining.
Navy extended its lead to 21-10 by moving 82 yards on its opening possession of the second half. The Midshipmen converted three third downs and capped the drive when Tony Lane caught a 10-yard TD pass from Candeto, his first completion of the game.
"The story of the game was the start of the second half," DeBerry said. "We kicked off to them and had to stop them. The touchdown gave them a wealth of confidence and hurt ours more."
The Falcons gained 429 rushing yards in last season's 48-7 rout at Falcon Stadium and Harridge had 161. Harridge rushed for a season-high 129 but Air Force had no answer for Eckel, who rushed for 510 yards last season and already has 515 this year.
"Their fullback game was devastating and we couldn't stop it," DeBerry said of Eckel. "Eckel is everything you envision in an option fullback. He's a very strong and good player."
