Houston ? B.J. Symons did what he’s done all year, busted knee and all.

Symons completed the most prolific passing season in Division I-A history by throwing for 497 yards and four touchdowns to lead the Red Raiders to a 38-14 victory Tuesday over Navy in the Houston Bowl, then said afterward he had been playing despite a torn ligament in his left knee for more than two months.

Neither he nor the school ever had revealed how badly Symons hurt himself Oct. 11 while jumping to celebrate a TD pass to teammate Wes Welker. After finishing his career by extending his single-season passing record to 5,833 yards, he told reporters he will undergo reconstructive surgery on his anterior cruciate ligament Tuesday.

“I think I’ve got a lot of football left in me,” Symons said, referring to the NFL draft.

His gritty performance, the seventh on the bad leg, lifted Tech (8-5) to the first back-to-back bowl victories in school history.

“I had a lot of people tell me I shouldn’t play in this game,” said Symons, who capped his only year as the starter with the win in his hometown. “But this was the only season I had, and I wanted to take advantage of every opportunity.

“Besides, how would I explain (not playing) to my teammates? It wasn’t even a decision to me.”

The game ended a remarkable turnaround season for Navy (8-5), which won just three games during the previous three years. Quarterback Craig Candeto, at the controls of coach Paul Johnson’s top-ranked rushing offense, ran for 90 yards and both touchdowns in his last game.

Tech’s 110th-ranked defense never quite stopped Navy, which rolled up 289 yards rushing, but slowed the Midshipmen enough despite a fourth-quarter scoring plunge by Candeto. Symons poured it on at the end with TD passes to Jarrett Hicks and Mickey Peters.

6Sports video: Red Raiders roll over Navy

“We should be proud of where we are right now,” Candeto said. “Obviously we’re disappointed with the loss and all the guys have their heads down, but when we reflect on the season we have a lot to be proud of.”

Tech, which beat Clemson in last year’s Tangerine Bowl, improved its postseason record to 7-19-1.