PHILADELPHIA (Ticker) -- Fullback Kyle Eckel enjoyed his homecoming.
A native of nearby Haverford, Pennsylvania, Eckel rushed for 152 yards and two touchdowns on 29 carries as Navy routed winless Army, 34-6, at Lincoln Field in the 104th meeting between the service academies.
The Midshipmen, who will face a Big 12 Conference team in the Houston Bowl on December 20, finished the regular season 8-4 and captured their first Commander and Chief's Trophy since 1981.
"You try to do the same thing every week, play hard and do your best, but this week had a little more meaning to it," said Eckel, who scored on runs of 16 and 12 yards in the fourth quarter. "It was a little more special in Philadelphia with friends and family here."
Army (0-13) became the first team in NCAA history to lose 13 games in a season and had its school-record losing streak extended to 15 games.
"There's a good football team in there, in those kids," said interim Army coach John Mumford, who went 0-7 after taking over for Todd Berry. "I couldn't get it out of them. They need some confidence."
Army kept it close early, trailing just 13-6 at halftime, but the Midshipmen wore down the Cadets in the second half behind their punishing ground attack. Navy, which leads the nation in rushing, ran for 359 yards on 67 carries.
Eckel dedicated the victory to servicemen overseas.
"There are people who are watching us all over the world with a lot more important things to do than play football," he said. "You're playing for them. You're playing for yourself, but you're playing to give them inspiration."
The Midshipmen finished with a 414-198 edge in total offense, holding Army to 83 yards on the ground. The Cadets came into the game averaging 61.3 rushing yards and lead the nation with 43 giveaways.
"We have to find out who wants to win," said Army quarterback Zac Dahman, who completed 16-of-31 passes for 115 yards with two interceptions.
Navy quarterback Craig Candeto, who scored six touchdowns against Army last season, rushed for 58 yards on 18 carries to join Eckel over the 1,000-yard mark. It's the first time in school history the Midshipmen have had two 1,000-yard rushers in the same season.
"We weren't as efficient as we could have been, but we continued to fight and found a way to win," Navy coach Paul Johnson said. "Kyle played big. He has tremendous strength and balance for a big guy."
Eric Roberts' two-yard TD run, his second of the game, gave Navy a 20-6 lead with 9:49 left in the third quarter before the Midshipmen broke it open in the fourth quarter.
They went on to narrow Army's lead in the all-time series to 49-48-4.
