The service academies went three-for-three in conference matchups on Saturday, combining for 1,154 rushing yards. While Army and Navy won hard-fought home contests that were decided in the fourth quarter, Air Force dominated Northern Illinois on the road.
Army Walks Off Tulane at Home
The Army Black Knights (3-2, 2-1 American) defeated the Tulane Green Wave (2-3, 0-1 American) 20-17 on a last-second field goal at Michie Stadium on Saturday. Clad in their gold helmets and black uniforms, the Black Knights honored the 7th Infantry Division, based at Joint Base Lewis-McChord in Washington, with decals on the back of their helmets.
Army controlled nearly every major statistical category except passing yards. The Black Knights racked up 329 rushing yards to Tulane’s 122. They held the ball for more than 11 minutes longer than the Green Wave.
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Quarterback Cale Hellums and kicker Dawson Jones accounted for all of Army’s points. Hellums rushed for a career-high 223 yards and scored two touchdowns. His first touchdown gave the Cadets a 7-0 lead with under two minutes remaining in the first quarter, while his second, a 58-yard run, tied the score at 17 with 6:54 left in the fourth.
After the Cadets’ defense prevented the Green Wave from converting on fourth-and-8 with 3:55 remaining, Army marched 59 yards on 12 plays to set up the game-winning kick. Hellums helped move the Cadets into scoring position with a 17-yard run before coach Jeff Monken called a timeout with two seconds remaining.
Jones then connected on a 25-yard field goal as time expired to secure Army’s victory. The junior from Waxhaw, North Carolina, was 2-for-3 on field goals in the game. He also connected on a 31-yarder with 9:21 remaining to tie the score at 10.
Army senior safety Stephen Nnadozie led the defense with eight tackles. Fellow safety Caleb Williams recorded a clutch interception that halted Tulane’s opening drive and helped set up the Black Knights’ first touchdown on the ensuing possession.
The Green Wave struggled to find any rhythm throughout the first half. Their only points came on Cooper Helmke’s 21-yard field goal with 4:52 remaining in the second quarter.
Tulane’s two touchdowns came in the second half. QB Kadin Semonza’s rushing touchdown with 3:18 remaining in the third quarter gave the Green Wave a 10-7 lead, while his 39-yard touchdown pass to Jaylin Lucas put Tulane ahead 17-10 with 7:44 left in regulation.
The Cadets will welcome Florida Atlantic (4-1, 1-0 American) to Michie Stadium for a noon ET kickoff on Saturday, October 17. CBS Sports Network will broadcast the game.
QB Caden Veltkamp leads the Owls, who are coming off a bye. The senior has thrown for 1,427 yards and 12 touchdowns, ranking among the nation’s leading passers through five games. His top target is wide receiver Kelby Valsin (40 receptions, 512 yards, five touchdowns.)
Army will look to exploit FAU’s rushing defense, which has allowed 166 yards per game.
Commanding Fourth Quarter Gives Navy Victory
Two fourth-quarter touchdowns propelled the Navy Midshipmen (2-3, 1-2 American) to a 34-26 victory against the Tulsa Golden Hurricane (3-3, 0-2 American) at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium on Saturday. The Mids took the field wearing gold helmets and pants with blue jerseys.
Navy started quarterback Jackson Gutierrez in place of Braxton Woodson, who has battled an injury in recent weeks. Gutierrez’s 232 rushing yards and three touchdowns overshadowed his 95 passing yards and one touchdown. Two of his rushing scores came in the fourth quarter. Gutierrez’s 4-yard run with 8:30 to go gave Navy a 27-26 lead, then his 3-yard TD with 1:10 left completed the scoring.
Wide receiver Truman Brasfield and slotback Charles Robinson also scored for the Midshipmen. Gutierrez connected with Brasfield on a 58-yard touchdown pass late in the first half. Robinson reached the end zone on a 7-yard run in the third quarter.
Tulsa quarterback Baylor Hayes completed 20 of 35 passes for 268 yards and a touchdown. Wide receivers Javon Ross and Oran Singleton Jr. combined for 12 receptions and 171 receiving yards. Singleton, who had five receptions for 81 yards, also caught a touchdown pass.
Despite committing four turnovers, Navy amassed 481 total yards, including 386 on the ground. The Midshipmen converted eight of 11 third-down attempts. Navy also held the football for 34:31 and never punted. Navy’s defense limited Tulsa to six points off the Midshipmen’s four turnovers, helping keep the game within reach.
The Mids will travel to face the University of Texas at San Antonio (5-1, 2-0 American) at 8 p.m. ET on Saturday, October 17, on ESPNU. It will be the schools’ first meeting.
Off to its best start since 2021—when it started 11-0 and won the Conference USA championship—UTSA is tied with Memphis and North Texas for first place in the American. Senior QB Owen McCown, the son of longtime NFL QB Josh McCown, has completed 125 of 182 passes for 1,219 yards, seven touchdowns, and two interceptions. Sophomore running back Will Henderson III has rushed for 484 yards and three touchdowns.
The Roadrunners have allowed an average of 184.7 rushing yards per game through six contests, although their defense has shown improvement in recent weeks.
Air Force Runs Through Northern Illinois
The Air Force Falcons (4-1, 2-1 Mountain West) rushed for 439 yards without attempting a pass in their 28-7 victory against the Northern Illinois Huskies (0-5, 0-1 Mountain West). The Falcons, wearing white jerseys and helmets with blue pants, spoiled the Huskies’ Mountain West debut in front of an announced crowd of 15,292.
Leading up to the game, the Falcons announced starting QB Liam Szarka sustained a season-ending, lower-leg injury. This is the second straight season in which the quarterback has missed time because of an injury. Last November, he broke his arm against UConn.
In Szarka’s place, Evan Medders started and ran for 114 yards and two touchdowns. Running back Owen Allen added 100 yards and two scores. The Falcons held the football for 39:09 and converted 10 of 13 third-down attempts.
Northern Illinois quarterback Taron Dickens completed 13 of 20 passes for 140 yards. The Huskies scored their only touchdown on Telly Johnson Jr.’s 9-yard run with 7:58 remaining in the second quarter, tying the score at 7. Air Force’s three unanswered touchdowns thwarted any comeback hopes for Northern Illinois.
On Saturday, October 17, Air Force will welcome UNLV (4-2, 2-0 Mountain West) to Falcon Stadium for a 3:30 p.m. ET kickoff on CBS Sports Network. The Rebels defeated North Dakota State 13-7 last weekend and sit atop the Mountain West standings.
Senior quarterback Jackson Arnold, who previously saw playing time with Oklahoma and Auburn, leads the Rebels’ offense. He has thrown for 1,140 yards and eight touchdowns. A dual-threat quarterback, he has also rushed for 330 yards and five touchdowns.
Rebels running back Jai’Den Thomas has run for 495 yards and two touchdowns on 95 carries. Wide receiver Taz Reddicks has caught 15 passes for 280 yards and two touchdowns.
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