It was a mixed weekend for service academy college football. Navy is still unbeaten with a grind-it-out win at home over Rice, stretching its win streak to seven games dating back to last season. Army and Air Force weren’t as fortunate: The Black Knights fell flat in a Thursday night trip to East Carolina, while the Falcons’ defensive woes resurfaced in a high-scoring home loss to Hawaii.
Each school leaves the weekend with plenty to fix, but also clear opportunities ahead as the first Commander-in-Chief’s Trophy matchup of the season looms.
Black Knights Fall Victim to Piracy
Looking to bounce back from a Week 4 overtime loss to North Texas, Army’s offense struggled to find rhythm in Greenville as East Carolina seized control early and never looked back.
In an American Athletic Conference (AAC) matchup on ESPN, quarterback Katin Houser led the Pirates with 251 passing yards and two touchdowns. The 6-foot-3, 222-pound sophomore also added a rushing touchdown to his game stats. Graduate student wide receiver Anthony Smith had 87 yards on three catches for one touchdown. For the Black Knights, quarterback Dewayne Coleman managed 51 rushing yards and a short touchdown run, but turnovers and stalled drives kept Army from mounting any type of counteroffensive in a 28-6 defeat.
It was all East Carolina in the first quarter of play, with the Pirates jumping out to a commanding 21-0 lead. A nine-play opening drive resulted in a Houser three-yard touchdown run at 12:07. Army went three-and-out on their opening possession, with the Pirates defense making an early statement.
The Pirates wasted little time marching down the field on their second possession. On the first snap of the drive, Houser hit wide receiver Smith for a 17-yard pass. A few plays later, Houser again showed off his arm, connecting with wide receiver Smith for a 40-yard touchdown pass.
Down 14-0, Army failed to convert on fourth down, after Coleman’s pass was incomplete at the East Carolina 29-yard line. The Pirates took advantage of the turnover, setting up a nine-play scoring drive that culminated in a 20-yard touchdown pass. Junior tight end Jayvontay Conner caught a 20-yard touchdown toss from Houser with 39 seconds left in the first quarter. The Pirates led 21-0.
Army’s next possession took the game into the second quarter. Unfortunately, the new quarter did not bring about better results for the Army offense. Quarterback Coleman fumbled on 3rd & 2 on East Carolina’s 27-yard line at 12:57.
On the next two possessions, the Pirates and Black Knights exchanged punts. East Carolina got the ball back with around seven minutes left in the half. At Army’s 27-yard line, Houser was picked off by junior safety Stephen Nnadozie. Coleman and the Army offense failed to capitalize on this turnover, going three-and-out and turning the ball over on downs.
On 2nd & Goal at the Army seven-yard line, Houser fumbled with Black Knight outside linebacker Eric Ford recovering the football with 37 seconds left in the half. Army ran two plays before time expired in the first half. East Carolina led Army 21-0 at halftime.
The second half was highlighted by strong defensive play from both squads. The Black Knights got the ball back first in the second half. Head coach Jeff Monken clearly made adjustments on offense, as Army put together an eight-play scoring drive that ended in a Coleman two-yard touchdown run at 10:32 of the third quarter. Army failed to convert the two-point conversion and trailed 21-6.
On the next two possessions, the Pirates and Black Knights exchanged turnovers on downs. Another East Carolina turnover was followed by an Army punt on 4th & 8 at their own 28. The Pirates got the ball back with under a minute left in the third quarter. A six-play possession failed to produce points, as the Pirates punted with just over 13 minutes left in the fourth quarter.
Coleman could not crack the East Carolina defense again on Army’s next drive, turning over the ball on downs. Looking to get out of their own scoring rut, the Pirates’ offense found themselves on 4th & 3 at the Army 32-yard line. A fake field goal turned into a Kyler Pearson 32-yard touchdown run that ended the scoring drought. With the extra point, East Carolina led 28-6 with 8:14 remaining in the ballgame.
Cale Hellums replaced Coleman behind center on Army’s next possession. Hellums’ 15-play drive ended on downs with East Carolina taking possession of the football to close out the game. Backup quarterback Mike Wright, Jr. took the reins of the Pirates’ offense just before time expired. The one-sided affair ended with a final score of 28-6. Army is now 1-3, 0-1 in AAC matchups, while East Carolina improved to 3-2 overall and 1-0 in conference play.
After a tough 28–6 road loss in Greenville, Army heads to Birmingham to face UAB (2-2, 0-1 AAC) in a matchup that could mark a turning point. Kickoff is scheduled for 12:00 PM ET on Saturday, October 4th, televised on ESPN. UAB looks to recover from a road loss, 56-24, to nationally ranked Tennessee of the SEC.
Coleman will likely remain the engine of the Black Knights’ ground-heavy attack, and sustaining long drives will be critical against a Blazer defense that has struggled on third down. UAB counters with the team’s top offensive performers, quarterback Jalen Kitna and running back Jevon Jackson. Kitna has proven himself to be an effective passer capable of racking up yards through the air. This season, the redshirt senior is 108-for-150 with 1,256 yards and eight touchdowns. Fellow redshirt senior, running back Jackson, has 280 yards and three touchdowns on 51 attempts. He also has 10 receptions for 59 yards and one touchdown through four games.
Air Force Outpaced by Hawaii
Looking to secure their first victory in Mountain West Conference (MW) play, Air Force welcomed Hawaii to the friendly confines of Falcon Stadium in Colorado Springs. The Falcons’ offense found plenty of sparks but couldn’t keep pace with a relentless Rainbow Warriors’ attack.
Quarterback Liam Szarka threw for 278 yards and three touchdowns while adding 139 yards on the ground. Wideout Cade Harris caught three passes for 116 yards, including a 73-yard touchdown catch. Hawaii countered with a monster performance from freshman quarterback Micah Alejado, who passed for 457 yards and three touchdowns, connecting often with wide receiver Jackson Harris, who hauled in seven catches for 144 yards and two scores, to help secure a 44-35 road win.
Both teams wasted little time in getting the offensive action started in what would become a high-scoring game in Colorado Springs. On the opening possession of the game, Hawaii put together a six-play drive in which Alejado connected with Harris on a six-yard touchdown pass. Air Force responded with their own scoring drive, one that culminated with Szarka hitting Bruin Fleischmann with a five-yard touchdown pass at 9:16.
With the contest tied 7-7, the Rainbow Warriors took the lead with an Alejado 24-yard touchdown pass to Brandon White. Down 14-7, Air Force turned the ball over on downs at 1:03. Hawaii took its next possession into the second quarter. Kicker Kansei Matsuzawa nailed a 31-yard field goal at 3:49 in the second quarter.
On the next two possessions, Air Force and Hawaii exchanged punts. The Falcons ran two more plays before time expired in the first half. The Rainbow Warriors led 17-7 going into halftime.
On their first possession of the second half, Air Force got within three points on sophomore Kade Frew’s 11-yard run. The Falcons and Rainbow Warriors failed to convert on fourth down during their next possessions, before Hawaii found the endzone on a Landon Sims’ one-yard touchdown run. The senior running back put his team up 24-14 at the 2:44 mark of the third quarter.
Szarka was picked off by junior defensive back Matagi Thompson at 1:25 of the third. Hawaii made Air Force pay for this mistake, putting together yet another scoring drive on four plays. Cam Barfield ran for 27 yards, putting the Rainbow Warriors up 31-14 at 14:55 in the fourth quarter.
Szarka and crew only needed two plays to score on their next possession. The sophomore quarterback hit one of his favorite targets, wide receiver Harris, on a monster 73-yard touchdown pass. Hawaii answered on their next drive with a Matsuzawa 39-yard field goal at 11:14. The Rainbow Warriors led 34-21.
Air Force and Hawaii traded touchdowns on the next two drives. Falcons’ junior fullback Kemper Hodges punched the ball into the endzone on a two-yard touchdown run. Rainbow Warriors Alejado showed off his big arm when he connected with Harris on a 74-yard touchdown pass at 5:06 in the fourth quarter. Hawaii then led the offensive slugfest 41-28, until Air Force used a two-play drive to storm Hawaii’s gates. Szarka’s 34-yard touchdown pass to Quin Smith made the score 41-35 with 4:30 left to play.
Hawaii increased its lead to 44-35 on the next drive with a Matsuzawa 25-yard field goal. This play put the final dagger in Air Force’s comeback dreams. Down by nine points, the Falcons ran two more plays as time expired.
Hawaii improved its record on the season to 4-2, 1-1 in conference play. With yet another difficult defeat, Air Force now sits in the basement of the MW with an overall record of 1-3, 0-3 against conference opponents. The Falcons’ struggles on defense this week does not bode well for a team that will travel to Annapolis next Saturday to face the explosive rush-focused offense of Navy.
Navy Remains Unbeaten
Navy leaned on its trademark ground attack to stay unbeaten, with quarterback Blake Horvath powering the Midshipmen to 110 rushing yards and two touchdowns. Running back Alex Tecza added another 104 yards on 11 carries, including a 65-yard burst that set up a score. Navy held Rice’s offense to 234 yards, with sophomore linebacker MarcAnthony Parker contributing 13 tackles to his team’s outstanding defensive performance.
The Owls managed a late push behind quarterback Chase Jenkins and receiver Drayden Dickmann, but the Midshipmen’s early control and defensive resilience carried the day in a 21-13 victory.
The only scoring drive of the first quarter was on the Midshipmen’s opening possession. Junior wide receiver Luke Hutchison ended Navy’s 14-play drive with a two-yard touchdown run. On the next three plays of the quarter, Rice and Navy exchanged punts, with the Owls punting a second time with 1:24 left in the quarter.
Up 7-0, a monster 65-yard run by Tecza opened the door for Navy’s second touchdown. Two plays later, Horvath punched the ball into the endzone on a two-yard touchdown run. With Navy leading 14-0 in the second quarter, each defense shut down the opposing team’s offense two times a piece, with turnovers coming on downs and punt situations.
With mere seconds left in the first half, Navy attempted to set up one last scoring drive. This possession ended with a missed field goal from 43 yards out as time expired. The Mids led 14-0 at halftime.
In the second half, Rice was forced to punt on its opening possession. With Navy formed up on 1st & 10 at the Owls’ 42-yard line, Horvath was picked off at 8:37 by redshirt senior safety Pla Wyatt. On their next possession, Rice’s 18-play drive ended in Enock Gota’s 35-yard field goal with 22 seconds left in the third.
Back-to-back scoring drives occurred on the first two possessions of the fourth quarter. Horvath ran for a two-yard touchdown at the 10:33 mark, which increased the Navy lead to 21-3. The Owls finally scored a touchdown at 7:05 on Jenkins’ three-yard touchdown pass to slotback Drayden Dickmann.
Leading 21-10, the Midshipmen’s next six-play possession came to an end with a punt at 3:07 of the fourth quarter. Rice’s offense fought hard to get into scoring position, but had to settle for a field goal with 24 seconds left in the game. After the kickoff, Navy took a knee as time expired in the game. With this 21-13 defeat, Rice fell to 3-2 on the season, 1-1 in the AAC.
The undefeated Mids sit atop the AAC with Memphis and North Texas. Navy looks to claim its first win in the hunt for the Commander-in-Chief’s Trophy when it hosts Air Force at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium next Saturday, October 4th at 12:00 PM ET, streaming on Fubo and Paramount+.
The Midshipmen’s offense will look to exploit an Air Force defense that has allowed a total of 155 points through four games this season. On the other hand, the Falcon’s offense has kept them in games this season, accounting for a total of 151 points. If both offenses get hot next weekend, a high-scoring affair could be in the works for the first service academy showdown of 2025.
The Road Ahead
The calendar turns quickly for the academies as conference play heats up. Army will look to regroup when it faces UAB on the road next Saturday, hoping to spark its ground attack after back-to-back setbacks. Air Force faces a daunting trip east to Annapolis, where it will clash with Navy in the first service academy showdown of the season. For the Midshipmen, it’s a chance to extend their perfect start and make an early statement in the Commander-in-Chief’s Trophy race.
