PHILADELPHIA — Jeff Monken’s second season at Army in 2015 ended with 10 losses and a record 14th straight defeat to Navy.

While it pointed to more of the same for a struggling program, Monken was confident a West Point turnaround was imminent thanks to successful recruiting and the number of close losses.

Monken was proven right. He guided Army to a long-awaited and emotional comeback win over Navy last season followed by a bowl victory. On what could be a snowy renewal one of the nation’s top rivalries, the Black Knights (8-3) enter the 118th meeting with Navy on Saturday as a bowl-bound team again, holding a better record than the Midshipmen (6-5) for the first time since 2001.

“The cadets have fully bought into what he’s doing,” Army athletic director Boo Corrigan said.

Behind their humming triple-option offense, the Black Knights strung together six straight wins before a 52-49 loss at North Texas in their last game Nov. 18. Army has won 11 of its past 14 games and clinched consecutive winning seasons for the first time since 1989-90.

“It’s good for our football team to feel confident,” said Monken, one of eight finalists for the Eddie Robinson Coach of the Year Award.

Navy opened as a 3 1/2-point favorite and leads the all-time series 60-50-7.