--- title: "Tragedy at Navy game overshadows Army and Air Force victories " date: "2026-10-19" modified: "2026-10-19" authors: - name: "Matt Ward" job_title: "Army veteran, Contributor" link: "https://www.wearethemighty.com/authors/mattward.md" url: "https://www.wearethemighty.com/entertainment/military-football-report-tragedy-at-navy-game-overshadows-army-and-air-force-victories/" categories: - "Entertainment" - "Sports" tags: - "Sports" --- # Tragedy at Navy game overshadows Army and Air Force victories  ![Air Force football]() *Air Force’s Rocco Conti runs down the field with help from a blocker during Air Force’s 41-31 victory against UNLV at Falcon Stadium in Colorado Springs, Colo., October 17, 2026. (U.S. Air Force/Jonathan Suni)* While the [Army]() Black Knights and [Air Force]() Falcons won during Week 7 of the college football season, a tragedy before [Navy]() played at the Alamodome in San Antonio on Saturday overshadowed those games. During pregame ceremonies ahead of the Midshipmen's game against the University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA), an airman assigned to the U.S. Air Force's 6th Combat Training Squadron, Detachment 2, fell during a rappelling demonstration as part of the annual Salute to Armed Forces and Veterans game. Tech Sgt. Ian Patterson, whose unit supports tactical air controller training, died at a local hospital. The incident remains under investigation. Patterson served in the Air Force for 15 years. ### Airman Dies in Accident Before Navy's Loss to UTSA ![Navy football]() *Navy Midshipmen quarterback Jackson Gutierrez runs downfield in the game against the Tulsa Golden Hurricanes on October 10, 2026, at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium in Annapolis, Maryland. (Bradley Rex/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)* After a 10-minute delay, the Midshipmen (2-4, 1-3 American) and Roadrunners (6-1, 3-0) took the field. Navy kept pace with one of the American Conference's top teams but fell 38-34 before an announced crowd of 23,297 fans. **Also Read:** [**Ford is launching the ‘Army-Navy Game for NASCAR’ with the Veterans Day Classic**]() Wearing gold helmets and white jerseys, Navy rushed for 294 yards and finished with 477 yards of total offense. Quarterbacks Jackson Gutierrez and Braxton Woodson both saw action. Gutierrez completed three of seven passes for 120 yards and two touchdowns, while Woodson connected with Gutierrez on a 63-yard trick play that helped set up a fourth-quarter touchdown. Gutierrez connected with sophomore tight end Jordan Collins for a 92-yard touchdown, the longest pass play in Navy history. The score gave the Mids a 27-24 lead with 12 minutes, 47 seconds remaining. Collins earlier caught a 25-yard touchdown pass with 1:03 left in the second quarter, cutting UTSA's lead to 21-20 at halftime. Gutierrez led Navy with 139 rushing yards and two touchdowns. Woodson added 73 rushing yards and a touchdown, including a 7-yard score that put the Midshipmen ahead 34-31 with 4:50 remaining. UTSA quarterback Owen McCown completed 28 of 38 passes for 359 yards and three touchdowns. Running back A'Marion Peterson scored twice, including the game-winning, 41-yard touchdown reception with 2:24 remaining. Navy turned the ball over on downs on its final full possession, sealing UTSA’s victory. After the game, UTSA coach Jeff Traylor described the pregame accident as “heartbreaking” and “tragic.” The university also expressed its condolences to the service member's family and military colleagues. Coming out of the bye week, the North Texas Mean Green (4-2, 2-0 American) will travel to Annapolis to face Navy on Saturday, October 24. Kickoff is scheduled for 3:30 p.m. ET on CBS Sports Network. North Texas ranks third nationally in total offense (533.8 yards per game) and second in passing offense (347 yards per game). Quarterback Tayven Jackson has passed for 1,868 yards with 15 touchdowns and four interceptions through six games. He threw a career-high five touchdown passes in the Mean Green's 50-10 victory against Charlotte on October 10. Running back Jahiem White leads the Mean Green with 687 rushing yards and nine touchdowns, while senior wide receiver Justin Stevenson has caught 33 passes for 453 yards and five scores. ### Army Rolls Past FAU Behind 8 Rushing Touchdowns ![Army football]() *Army QB Cale Hellums dives for a first down against Florida Atlantic at Michie Stadium on October 17, 2026, in West Point, New York. (Edward Diller/Getty Images)* Army (4-2, 3-1 American) defeated the Florida Atlantic Owls (4-2, 1-1 American) 56-24 at Michie Stadium on Saturday. Clad in black helmets and jerseys with gold pants, Army honored the 82nd Airborne Division as the Division of the Game. Despite the “airborne” theme, the Black Knights rushed for 479 of their 481 total yards. Quarterback Cale Hellums rushed for 195 yards and five touchdowns and completed one pass for 2 yards. His five rushing touchdowns tied the program's single-game record. Hellums scored three times in the second quarter as Army built a 35-14 halftime lead. The Cadets also scored on runs by Samari Howard (first quarter), Jake Rendina (third quarter), and Bryson Luter (fourth quarter). Luter, a backup quarterback, recorded his first career touchdown on a 69-yard run with 1:48 remaining. FAU's three touchdowns came on passes from quarterback Caden Veltkamp, who completed 33 of 48 passes for 318 yards and an interception. Army junior linebacker Elijah Walton intercepted Veltkamp on FAU's opening drive, setting up a one-play touchdown drive that gave the Cadets a 7-0 lead. Fifth-year receiver Easton Messer led the Owls with 14 receptions for 102 yards. His first-quarter touchdown tied the score at 7. Veltkamp also connected with Kelby Valsin and Tucker Holloway for touchdowns in the first and fourth quarters, respectively. Army leads the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) with 2,145 rushing yards through six games. Air Force ranks second with 2,058 yards, while Navy is fifth with 1,791. The Black Knights will travel to Tulsa (4-3, 1-2) on Friday, October 23, for an 8:30 p.m. ET matchup at Chapman Stadium on ESPN2. Tulsa quarterback Baylor Hayes has passed for 1,081 yards and eight touchdowns in five starts this season. He has also rushed for 73 yards and two touchdowns. Running back Damari Alston leads Tulsa's ground attack with 370 yards and six touchdowns on 91 carries. Oran Singleton Jr. leads Tulsa’s receivers with 38 catches for 474 yards and four touchdowns. ### Big 4th Quarter Powers Air Force Past UNLV ![Air Force football]() *Air Force players celebrate after recovering a UNLV fumble during the 4th quarter at Falcon Stadium at the U.S. Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, Colo., October 17, 2026. The Falcons won 41-31. (U.S. Air Force/Trevor Cokley)* A 21-point fourth quarter powered Air Force (5-1, 3-1 Mountain West) to a 41-31 victory against the UNLV Rebels (4-3, 2-1 Mountain West) at Falcon Stadium on Saturday. Wearing blue jerseys, white pants, and white helmets emblazoned with the school's iconic blue thunderbolt, Air Force totaled 448 yards of offense, including 430 rushing, against the Rebels. The Falcons held the ball for 35:13, converted both fourth-down attempts, and had no turnovers. Quarterback Evan Medders completed two of three passes for 18 yards. Filling in for the injured Liam Szarka, the sophomore rushed for 152 yards and three touchdowns, one in the second quarter and two in the fourth. His fourth-quarter scores at 14:54 and 9:11 helped fuel Air Force's 21-point surge. Senior running back Owen Allen rushed for 96 yards on 19 carries, scoring on a 2-yard run with just under four minutes left in regulation. Fellow running back Rocco Conti added 103 yards and a touchdown on 12 carries. His score capped a 13-play drive that opened the second half and lasted 7:32. Carter Cremascoli made field goals of 37 and 34 yards. UNLV quarterback Jackson Arnold completed 21 of 33 passes for 246 yards, two touchdowns, and an interception. He added 78 rushing yards and a touchdown. Wide receiver Kayden McGee caught five passes for 99 yards and two touchdowns. McGee's score gave UNLV a 24-20 lead with 1:41 remaining in the third quarter. The Rebels finished with 376 total yards and two turnovers, including a costly fourth-quarter fumble. Ethan Schwartz connected on a career-long, 60-yard field goal as the first half expired, giving UNLV a 17-13 lead. The kick tied the Falcon Stadium record, which was set in 1974. On Friday, October 23, Air Force travels to Laramie to face the Wyoming Cowboys (4-3, 3-1) at 9 p.m. ET on the CW Network. The Falcons are one victory from securing bowl eligibility. Wyoming enters the matchup with consecutive victories after a loss to North Dakota State on October 3. Quarterback Tyler Hughes has passed for 1,018 yards, three touchdowns, and seven interceptions while rushing for 459 yards and five scores. The Cowboys’ offense relies heavily on a two-running-back system featuring Markell Holman and Samuel Harris, who have rushed for a combined 726 yards and five touchdowns. Harris was sidelined last week due to an undisclosed injury. **Don’t Miss the Best of We Are The Mighty** **•** [**Meet the only Heisman Trophy winner who died while serving during wartime**]() **•** [**‘The Mosquito Bowl’ is based on a real World War II football game**]() **•** [**7 military lessons that made Roger Staubach a Hall of Fame football player**]() ## 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]()