Keenan Reynolds was not in New York for Saturday night's Heisman Trophy ceremony.
Instead, he will celebrate his fourth win over Army in four seasons at Navy. The 21-17 victory on Saturday at the Linc made him the only Midshipmen quarterback to ever do so (see Instant Replay).
Reynolds did what he's done all season in the 116th edition of the Army-Navy game. He carried the ball 21 times for 136 yards and two touchdowns and completed a 50-yard touchdown pass in the second half that decided the hard-fought game.
To anyone who has watched the senior signal caller this season, this comes as no surprise.
Midshipmen head coach Ken Niumatalolo said he had "sleepless nights" while waiting for Reynolds to choose between Navy and Air Force. Niumatalolo knew Reynolds was talented when he arrived his freshman year. Did he realize he'd be this good?
"I thought he was gonna be a good player but I had no clue he'd be this good," Niumatalolo said. "He's surpassed anyone's doubts of how good he was. But more than that he's been a great leader for this team."
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Reynolds' résumé is pretty gaudy. He's run for 1,234 yards and has 28 total touchdowns. What makes his accomplishments even more impressive is the fact this was Navy's first year in the American Athletic Conference.
And what an inaugural season it was.
The Midshipmen have a 10-2 record and were one win away from playing Temple in the AAC title game. Navy's only two losses were to No. 15 Notre Dame and No. 18 Houston. Not too shabby.
Did Reynolds feel he was snubbed of a Heisman nomination?
"Really my focus was just playing," Reynolds said. "The whole Heisman deal ... it is what it is. Good luck to the three that are in New York.
"My No. 1 goal is winning and now I get to stay here. Didn't have to go in the chopper and rush (to New York for the Heisman ceremony). I can stay here and celebrate with my teammates."
Alabama running back Derrick Henry took home the award (see story). Stanford running back Christian McCaffrey and Clemson quarterback Deshaun Watson were invited to New York along with Henry.
Reynolds said all the right things after the game. As a senior and as the team's starting quarterback, his focus has to be on winning.
That didn't stop his head coach from expressing his disappointment.
"We were all hurt," Niumatalolo said of his quarterback not getting invited to the ceremony. "We're all proud of him. If he finishes in the top five from the Naval Academy? Are you kidding me? The workload academically that this guy is taking here and some of the things he's done. To come from a service academy and be in the mix? What a phenomenal accomplishment."
The game itself was closer than many would have anticipated. After allowing 17 points in the first half, Navy's defense pitched a shutout in the second and forced three fourth-quarter turnovers to seal the win.
Niumatalolo, who has never lost to Army, will have an interesting week ahead of him. He confirmed reports that he has a meeting set with BYU about its head coaching vacancy. He's been the head coach at Navy for seven years and has been involved with the football program for almost 20 years.
He has faced some criticism for not keeping his meeting between BYU and himself. He didn't shy away from questions regarding the meeting. When asked, he became emotional.
"I didn't want to be one of those guys that says, 'Read my lips, I'm not going anywhere,' and the next thing you know you see him on a plane," he said. "I love these guys too much. We're a family. You don't do that to your family. Just take off. I know I took some criticism for it but I know it was the right thing to do."
He broke down when asked if Navy's win today made his decision any harder.
"It's always been hard, man," he said. "I love to go to work. I've been here 18 years. It's been my life. I've given everything for this program."
Being a coach of a service academy is a unique situation. There are far different circumstances surrounding the young men you're leading on the field.
Reynolds has made strides as a football player under Niumatalolo. More importantly, the family atmosphere has helped Reynolds become a better person.
"My family raised me right for 18 years," Reynolds said. "It's an extension of family [with Niumatalolo]. I've just learned a lot about life and about leadership from him."
Niumatalolo gave the players all the credit for staying focused amidst the speculation over his future. He said it's not what he says, but what seniors like Reynolds say that resonates with the team.
The heavily-favored Midshipmen trailed the Black Knights at halftime. Niumatalolo was asked what he said to his team in the locker room.
He deflected all the credit to his players.
"I'm just an overweight guy that stands at the middle of the field," Niumatalolo said. "When those guys say stuff, there's some credence to what they say. The seniors took over."