Week 3 proved eventful for the Division I FBS service academies. Navy overcame early turnovers to rally past Tulsa with a dominant second half, improving to 3-0 and strengthening its position in the AAC. Air Force, meanwhile, stumbled against Utah State, undone by turnovers and an explosive performance from Aggies quarterback Bryson Barnes, falling to 1-1 on the year. Army did not play, using its bye week to prepare for its upcoming matchup against North Texas.
Army Bye Week
A Week 3 bye was just what the doctor ordered for Army quarterback Dewayne Coleman. The junior was sidelined during last weekend’s victory over Kansas State due to an injury. The open week allowed head coach Jeff Monken to delay a tough decision on Coleman’s availability or playing time. Instead, Coleman is expected to be available for Army’s Week 4 matchup against North Texas.
Navy Weathers the Golden Hurricane
Head coach Brian Newberry led the Navy into his home state of Oklahoma to square off against American Athletic Conference (AAC) opponent the Tulsa Golden Hurricane (1-1). Coming off a tough loss to New Mexico State, Tulsa entered the game hoping to rebound in conference play.
In the first half, Tulsa’s defense appeared prepared for the Midshipmen offense, as they sacked Navy quarterback Blake Horvath for the first time this season. The Golden Hurricane defense caused headaches for the Navy offense in the first half, forcing two interceptions and a fumble. In the second half, the high-powered Navy Hybrid Wing-T offense proved to be too powerful for Tulsa. The Midshipsmen piled on four unanswered scoring drives as they marched towards their third victory of the 2025 campaign.
Navy had the opening possession of the game but only held on the ball for two plays before Horvath was picked off by sophomore cornerback Elijah Green. A five-play Golden Hurricane drive that started at Navy’s 25-yard line ended in a Dominic Richardson 14-yard touchdown run. On the Mids’ next possession, Horvath’s fumble on 1st & Goal at the Tulsa five-yard line was recovered by Devin Robinson. The Golden Hurricane could not capitalize on this mistake, opting to punt on fourth down at their own 36-yard line.
On Navy’s next possession, the Tulsa secondary made another huge play, when Green recorded his second interception of the game. It only took the Golden Hurricane three plays to take a two-score lead against the Mids. Quarterback Baylor Hayes recorded a rushing touchdown on a six-yard run into the endzone at the 2:53 mark. Down 14-0, Horvath and snipe Eli Heidenreich had big runs that set up Alex Tecza’s one-yard touchdown run as time wound down in the first quarter.
Tulsa and Navy exchanged punts on the first two drives in the second quarter. Julien Moutome’s sack on Hayes led to a fumble that linebacker Luke Pirris recovered in Navy territory. The Mids made Tulsa pay for this mistake on the next drive. Tecza and Horvath’s power runs helped the Navy punch the ball into the end zone at the 5:50 mark of the second quarter. Horvath launched through his opponent’s defense from two yards out, and an extra point evened up the game at 14.
On the following possession, Golden Hurricane kicker Seth Morgan’s 34-yard field goal was good, putting Tulsa up 17-14. Horvath and Chapman were key players on the next drive as Navy tried to get more points before halftime. Despite getting sacked for the first time this season by defensive lineman J’Dan Burnett, Horvath had two big runs on this drive, 18- and 19-yarders. These plays set up the Mids for a touchdown pass late in the first half, when Horvath hit Luke Hutchison for a two-yard passing touchdown. This put Navy on top, 21-17, after an early deficit in the game.
Tulsa got the ball back one last time in the first half. Braylon Presley ran for 28 yards as time expired. The two teams entered their locker rooms for halftime with Navy on top.
Tulsa got the ball first in the second half, but Navy’s defense forced a punt. In their first possession of the second half, the Midshipmen showed off the adjustments they made in the locker room. It took Navy five drives to set up a Heidenreich 10-yard rushing touchdown at 11:09 of the third.
The Midshipmen defense shut down the Tulsa offense on the next possession. Looking to shift the momentum of the contest, Tulsa went for it on fourth down. The Golden Hurricane failed to move the chains, turning the ball over on downs to Navy. On the Mid’s next drive, Horvath continued to frustrate the Tulsa defense with his legs and arm. A clock-killing drive for Navy ended in a one-yard touchdown run for Tecza at 2:05 in the third quarter.
Down 35-17, Tulsa turned over the ball on downs again. This turnover opened the door for Navy to go up 42-7 on senior snipe Brandon Chatman’s one-yard rushing touchdown at 9:07 of the fourth. Hayes connected with wide receiver Calvin Johnson II for an 18-yard touchdown pass that put the Golden Hurricane within 19 points. Tulsa failed to convert the two-point conversion. Navy led 42-23.
On their next possession, the Mids turned over the ball on downs. A late-game interception by sophomore cornerback Justin Ross at the 39-second mark of the fourth closed out the game for Navy. The Midshipmen improved to 3-0 on the season, 2-0 in AAC play. Tulsa is now 1-2 overall, with one loss in conference competition.
Navy enters the bye week among the top teams in the AAC. The Midshipmen return to the friendly confines of Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium on Sept. 27th against their AAC opponent, the Rice Owls.
Air Force Downed by Utah State
Air Force returned to action after a Week 2 bye to face Utah State in both teams’ openers for Mountain West Conference (MW) play. The biggest storyline of the matchup was the Falcons’ inability to contain Aggies quarterback Barnes, who had a career-high day, accounting for five touchdowns. He was 17-for-22, passing for 287 yards and two touchdowns. The dual-threat quarterback also rushed for 44 yards, scoring three touchdowns on the ground.
Air Force quarterback Josh Johnson had a respectable game, but he couldn’t kickstart the offense at critical moments over the course of the contest. Johnson threw for 112 yards with two touchdowns. Fellow Air Force quarterback Liam Szarka also saw action in this game, rushing for 40 yards with three touchdowns. Senior wide receiver Cade Harris was effective as a multi-role contributor, rushing for 72 yards and compiling 62 receiving yards.
An opening drive fumble for the Falcons set the tone for what would be a disappointing night. Utah State linebacker William Holmes recovered a Johnson fumble near the Air Force 27. The Aggies needed five plays on the offense to get the scoring started when quarterback Barnes rushed for his first touchdown of the game, a seven-yarder at the 10:04 mark of the first quarter.
Air Force and Utah State exchanged punts on the next two possessions. A 12-play Falcons’ possession that began in the first ended with a 31-yard field goal by Jacob Medina at the 14:46 mark of the second quarter. Air Force trailed 7-3. On the following two drives, the Aggies and Falcons traded touchdowns. Barnes connected with wide receiver Braden Pegan on a monster 54-yard touchdown pass that put Utah State up 14-3. Air Force answered with an eight-play possession that led to quarterback Szarka rushing for a one-yard touchdown.
Ahead 14-10, Utah State punted on its next possession. Air Force was unable to capitalize on the defense’s effective play, as Szarka was picked off by cornerback Noah Avinger at 3:40. The two teams exchanged punts on the next two possessions, with Utah State heading into the locker room ahead by four points at the half.
The Aggies came out in the second half with new life breathed into their offense. On the opening drive of the half, Utah State went up 21-10 on an Anthony Garcia 17-yard touchdown run. The defense forced the Falcons to punt on their next possession, and the Aggies again put together a scoring drive that culminated in Barnes rushing for an 11-yard touchdown at the 9:19 mark of the third quarter.
Down 28-10, Air Force scored on a 14-play possession. Junior running back Owen Allen barrelled into the endzone on a one-yard touchdown run. The Falcons failed on the two-point conversion. The Aggies answered on their next possession, when Barnes hit Pegan again, this time for a 38-yard touchdown pass 25 seconds before the end of the third quarter. Utah State entered the final quarter with a 35-16 lead.
Air Force trimmed down the lead to 11 points in the fourth when Szarka rushed for a one-yard touchdown. Harris was successful in the two-point conversion attempt. Utah State was forced to punt on its next possession, but the Falcons’ offense suffered their second interception of the game. The Aggies took advantage of this mistake by storming down the field for a touchdown. Barnes showed off his running skills yet again, this time with a seven-yard touchdown at 3:58 in the fourth.
Air Force, trailing 42-24, set up Szarka for an 11-yard rushing touchdown at 1:34. Utah State put the final nail in Air Force’s coffin with a 52-yard rushing touchdown by junior running back Javen Jacobs. The game ended with Air Force in control of the ball as time expired. With this 49-30 loss, the Falcons are 1-1, with one loss in MW conference play. The Aggies successfully bounced back from their loss to nationally ranked Texas A&M, holding an overall record of 2-1 and a conference record of 1-0.
Air Force will look to improve their record to 2-1 when it welcomes MW foe Boise State to Falcon Stadium in Colorado Springs. This game is scheduled to kick off at 7:00 PM ET with streaming available on Fubo.
Under head coach Spencer Danielson, the Broncos are 1-1 on the season, coming out of a bye week. Boise State suffered a blowout loss to USF in Week 1, rebounding to dominate FCS opponent Eastern Washington. The Week 4 matchup against Air Force is their first game against a MW opponent, and should be a strong benchmark of how competitive the Broncos will be in conference play this season. The Boise State offense is led by junior quarterback and 2025 MW Preseason Offensive Player of the Year, Maddux Madsen. In two games, the 5-foot-10, 201-pounder is 41-for-72 with 532 passing yards and three touchdowns. The Lehi, Utah-native also has one touchdown on 66 rushing yards.
Other key offensive players include wide receiver Latrell Caples, wide receiver Chris Marshall, and running back Sire Gaines. The 6-foot, 195-pound Caples, a sixth-year man, has five receptions for 69 yards. The Broncos have high hopes for the veteran receiver and believe he will become a big target for Maddux as the season progresses. Marshall has been an important contributor to the Boise State offense through two games. The Missouri City, Texas-native has racked up 151 passing yards with one touchdown. The 6-foot, 217-pound Gaines has 170 total yards (142 rushing and 28 receiving) with one rushing touchdown.
Coming off a loss, the Falcons will face a tough conference opponent in Boise State. Head coach Troy Calhoun and his offense will look to exploit vulnerabilities in the Broncos’ secondary. Air Force will need to look for inspiration from a very good USF team in order to successfully attack the Broncos through the air. USF took advantage of holes in the secondary to beat up on Boise State in their Week 1 matchup.
Army Hosts North Texas
Army returns to the gridiron on Sept. 20th at 12:00 PM ET (streaming on Fubo) when they host the North Texas Mean Green. North Texas, Army’s first conference opponent of the 2025 campaign, sits at the top of the AAC with a record of 3-0. The Mean Green have defeated three nonconference opponents, including Lamar, WMU, and Washington State.
In the first three games of the season, the North Texas offense has put up 143 points. This is largely due to the performance of standout playmakers, including quarterback Drew Mestemaker, running back MacKenzie McGill II, and wide receiver Wyatt Young. Mestemaker, a 6-foot-4, 210-pound freshman, has put up strong numbers this season. He is 66-for-94 with 764 passing yards and nine touchdowns. The Austin-native also has 49 rushing yards and a touchdown. The redshirt freshman McGill has racked up an impressive 170 yards on 31 carries with three touchdowns. A favorite target of Mestemaker, freshman receiver Young has 160 receiving yards on 10 receptions for two touchdowns.
It is important to note that Army will be North Texas’ first big challenge of the season. Nevertheless, the Black Knights’ defense must show up this weekend to limit scoring opportunities for a team with a variety of offensive weapons it is capable of employing in this matchup.
Army’s offense can help out by applying constant pressure to the Mean Green’s defense with its strong run game. When tested in 2024, North Texas’ defense was a glaring weak spot. This vulnerability may have carried over to this season, based on the mix of returning players and newcomers to the defense. The Army’s triple-option offense has the potential to punish any struggles the Mean Green may show in its run defense.
The Road Ahead
The academies now enter a pivotal stretch of the 2025 season. Navy rides the momentum of a 3-0 start but faces more formidable AAC opponents ahead. Air Force must rebound quickly against Boise State to avoid slipping in Mountain West play, while Army has a chance to make an early conference statement against undefeated North Texas. Each program’s success will depend on discipline, execution, and seizing control in critical moments.
