--- title: "After byes, Army, Navy, and Air Force hit road for conference play" date: "2026-09-21" modified: "2026-09-21" authors: - name: "Matt Ward" job_title: "Army veteran, Contributor" link: "https://www.wearethemighty.com/authors/mattward.md" url: "https://www.wearethemighty.com/entertainment/after-byes-army-navy-and-air-force-hit-road-for-conference-play/" categories: - "Entertainment" - "Sports" tags: - "Sports" --- # After byes, Army, Navy, and Air Force hit road for conference play ![Army football]() *Army running back Zach Mundell elebrates a touchdown against the South Florida Bulls at Michie Stadium on September 12, 2026 in West Point, New York. (Edward Diller/Getty Images)* All three service academies had much-needed byes during Week 3 of the 2026 Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) season. Coming off hard-fought battles against conference rivals, Army, Navy, and Air Force will hit the road in Week 4. Looking to bounce back from early-season setbacks, Army and Navy are slotted for American Conference contests against Temple and UAB, respectively, while Air Force is set for a Mountain West Conference showdown with Nevada. ### Army Travels to Face Temple ![Army football]() *Army running back Godspower Nwawuihe runs for a touchdown in the 4th quarter against the South Florida Bulls at Michie Stadium on September 12, 2026, in West Point, New York. (Edward Diller/Getty Images)* Army (1-1, 0-1 American) will travel to Lincoln Financial Field, home of the Philadelphia Eagles, for a 4 p.m. ET game with the Temple Owls (1-2) on Friday, September 25. ESPN will broadcast the game. The Black Knights are no stranger to that venue, which has hosted the annual Army-Navy Game several times since it opened in 2003. Last season, Army edged Temple 14-13 at Michie Stadium. This will be the Owls’ first conference game after facing Rhode Island, Penn State, and Toledo so far this season. **Also Read:** [**The Army Black Knights are the cleanest team in college football**]() Temple was just more than a minute away from entering its matchup against Army with a 2-1 record. Unfortunately for the Owls, they could not stop Toledo from pulling off a remarkable comeback. Temple led 42-28 late in the fourth quarter, but the Rockets scored two touchdowns in the final 1 minute, 5 seconds of regulation to force overtime. After Toledo scored first in overtime to take a 49-42 lead, quarterback Ajani Sheppard answered with a 22-yard touchdown run. Temple elected to go for two and the win, but Sheppard's conversion pass fell incomplete, giving Toledo a 49-48 victory. Army will square off against a Temple squad that has largely relied on a two-quarterback system this season, with Jaxon Smolik and Sheppard seeing time behind center. Coach K.C. Keeler has rotated both quarterbacks, with Sheppard starting against Toledo after Smolik struggled to find a rhythm against Penn State the previous week. Sheppard leads the Owls with 297 passing yards after throwing for a career-high 164 yards against Toledo. A dual-threat quarterback, he has three touchdowns through the air and two rushing touchdowns on 23 carries for 99 yards this season. Sophomore Keveun Mason leads the Owls’ ground attack with 283 yards and two scores on 49 carries. Colin Chase paces the Owls with 120 receiving yards despite missing Week 2 against Penn State. Temple senior linebacker Curly Ordonez leads the American Conference with 32 total tackles, including 22 solo. For Army, the key to victory will be slowing down Temple's ground attack and containing Sheppard if he starts. The Owls have rushed for at least 176 yards in each of their first three games, including a season-high 261 against Toledo. On offense, the Black Knights will look to reestablish the dominant rushing attack they displayed in the season opener against Bryant while putting together sustained drives to keep Temple's offense off the field. ### Mids Look to Rebound Against UAB ![Navy football]() *Florida Atlantic wide receiver Kelby Valsin catches a pass for a touchdown as Navy safety Cam Robinson defends at Flagler Credit Union Stadium in Boca Raton, Florida, September 12, 2026. (Peter Joneleit/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)* Navy (1-1, 0-1 American) will return to action against the UAB Blazers (1-2) on Friday, September 25. Scheduled for a 7 p.m. kickoff, the game at Protective Stadium will air on ESPN. UAB has designated the matchup as its Salute to Service game, with the evening's festivities honoring active-duty military personnel, veterans, and their families. The Blazers welcome their first conference opponent after a 21-14 road loss to Louisiana. UAB fell behind 21-7 in the first half before pulling within a touchdown in the fourth quarter, but the Blazers’ comeback attempt ultimately fell short. UAB has struggled since joining the American Conference in 2023. Last season, the Mids defeated UAB 38-24 at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium. The score was tied at 24 at halftime before Navy scored 14 unanswered points in the second half. Redshirt junior quarterback Ryder Burton, who appeared in nine games (two starts) in 2025, won the UAB starting QB job out of preseason camp. He has recorded 478 passing yards and two touchdowns, along with another 41 yards on the ground and one touchdown. He has thrown one interception in each of his three starts this season. Wide receivers Ty Mims and EJ Reid are Burton’s favorite targets. Mims has 120 yards on nine receptions. He is also a valuable member of the UAB special teams unit, racking up 91 yards on six punt returns. Reid, a redshirt sophomore who transferred from Wake Forest, has compiled 119 receiving yards on 12 catches with one touchdown. Junior Rod Robinson II leads the Blazers with 225 rushing yards on 48 carries. The Georgia transfer has recorded at least 50 yards on the ground in all three of his starts, including the season opener at Illinois. Robinson also has a receiving score. Linebackers Muaaz Byard (30 tackles) and Ike Esonwune (26 tackles), an Oklahoma State transfer, lead UAB’s defense. One major question for Navy heading into this game is the status of senior quarterback and team captain Braxton Woodson. Woodson sprained his left ankle in the third quarter against Florida Atlantic on September 12, but an MRI revealed no major structural damage. He was considered week-to-week following the injury, with Navy's bye providing additional time to recover before the trip to Birmingham. If Woodson is unable to play, Jackson Gutierrez would be an option behind center after nearly leading Navy to a comeback victory against FAU. For Navy, the key to victory will be establishing its rushing attack regardless of who starts behind center. Defensively, the Mids will look to pressure Burton while limiting Robinson's ability to make plays. Winning the turnover battle and controlling the tempo will be critical if Navy hopes to rebound from its Week 2 defeat to FAU. On September 15, Navy announced that the Mids will wear 1926-style throwback jerseys against Notre Dame on October 31 in Foxborough, Massachusetts. The uniforms will honor the 100th anniversary of the 1926 Navy team that went undefeated under College Football Hall of Fame coach Bill Ingram and earned a share of the national championship. ### Falcons Face Road Test at Nevada ![Air Force football]() *Air Force’s Liam Szarka runs through the defense during a game against North Dakota State University at the U.S. Air Force Academy, Sept. 12, 2026. (U.S. Air Force/Jonathan Suni)* Air Force (1-1, 0-1 Mountain West) will play its first road game at Mackay Stadium in Reno on Saturday, September 26, to face the Nevada Wolf Pack (1-2). Nevada enters its conference opener after consecutive losses to nonconference opponents Montana State and Middle Tennessee. The 10:30 PM ET game will be televised on FS1. The last time that these teams played, Air Force prevailed 22-19. Nevada sophomore quarterback Carter Jones won the starting job in a competitive fall camp. His unavailability due to injury for the Montana State game opened the door for several backups to see game action. Jones returned this past weekend against Middle Tennessee, going 15-for-25 through the air for 185 yards and an interception, his second of the season. Despite missing time already in the young season, the Texas native has 348 passing yards and two touchdowns. He has also rushed for 81 yards and a touchdown. Jones, a quarterback who prefers to beat opponents with his arm, has a solid group of receivers at his disposal. Through three games, the top three targets for Nevada quarterbacks have been wide receivers Gary Givens III (four catches, 121 yards), Damien Morgan (13 catches, 105 yards), and Donnie Cheers (five catches, 71 yards, one TD). Sophomore running back Dominic Kelley has emerged as the team's top running back through three games, racking up 281 yards and three touchdowns on 41 carries. Kelley ranks second in the Mountain West in rushing yards, trailing San Jose State's Jabari Bates. His three rushing touchdowns are tied for the conference lead, a group that also includes Air Force quarterback Liam Szarka. Nevada has received strong defensive play from senior linebacker EJ Smith. Who leads the Wolf Pack with 34 total tackles, including 20 solo stops. He recorded a season-high 14 tackles in Nevada's season-opening victory against Western Kentucky. A 2025 All-Mountain West first-team selection, edge Dylan LaBarbera has recorded 21 total tackles through three games. For Air Force, the key to securing its first conference win will be controlling the line of scrimmage and establishing its rushing attack early. The Falcons are averaging 319 rushing yards per game, while Nevada has allowed 155.3 yards per game on the ground. Defensively, Air Force will need to contain Kelley, who is averaging 6.9 yards per carry and has already produced a 72-yard run this season. The Falcons will also look to put pressure on Jones and force mistakes from a Nevada offense that has committed eight turnovers through three games. **Don’t Miss the Best of We Are The Mighty** **•** [**The worst and best college football traditions in America**]() **•** [**7 military lessons that made Roger Staubach a Hall of Fame football player**]() **•** [**Why the service academies deserve their own spot in March Madness**]() ## Author Matthew H. Ward is an Army veteran, historian, journalist, and author of numerous published articles in print and online media. He also runs a boxing website called "The Weigh-In." He is the co-author of "Boxing in Atlantic City" with John DiSanto (2021) and "The Raritan Bayshore" with John Allan Savolaine (2023). ### Author social links [Twitter]() [Facebook]() [LinkedIn]() [Instagram]()