Week 1 was expected to serve as a tune-up for all three service academies as they began the 2025 season. Each team faced a Division I FCS opponent, with two programs delivering decisive wins and one stumbling in a surprising upset.
Navy and Air Force impressed with commanding performances, while Army suffered a shocking double-overtime loss to a determined Tarleton State squad. Fans of service academy football now look ahead to Week 2, which features Army and Navy in action while Air Force takes an early bye.
Army Black Knights Stunner
On Friday night, Army fell in double overtime to underdog Tarleton State, 30–27, before 23,032 fans at Michie Stadium. While the Texans are among the premier programs in the FCS, the Black Knights entered as heavy favorites. As defending American Athletic Conference (AAC) champions, Army was widely expected to roll past head coach Todd Whitten’s team.
Instead, the old adage, “that’s why you play the game,” rang true. The Black Knights and Texans found themselves in the college football equivalent of a slugfest. Both squads exchanged offensive blows in a game that was finally decided by a Tarleton State field goal in the second overtime.
Tarleton State was led by strong play from quarterback Victor Gabalis, who had 152 passing yards and two touchdowns. The Texans’ offense benefited from solid rushing performances by Caleb Lewis, 107 yards and a touchdown, and Tre Page III, 89 yards and a touchdown. On defense, the Texans were led by Kasyus Kurns, who recorded two interceptions and a fumble recovery.
Army’s senior quarterback Dewayne Coleman rushed for 100 yards and a touchdown and added 129 passing yards before exiting with a leg injury. Costly turnovers, however, marred the Black Knights’ offensive output.
On defense, co-captain Andon Thomas opened the season strong with 14 tackles. Fellow linebackers Kalib Fortner and Eric Ford also made key stops in the losing effort.
In the first quarter, Army’s opening possession of the game ended in a punt. Tarleton State struck first with a 30-yard field goal at the 8:05. Army responded with a drive that was highlighted by big plays from Noah Short, Hayden Reed, and Coleman. Coleman got the Michie Stadium crowd on their feet with a 26-yard rushing touchdown that put Army ahead 7-3 at 4:08.
In the second quarter, Tarleton State’s Tre Page III tied the game with a 10-yard touchdown run at 9:43. Army regained control of the contest with 10 unanswered points; a Dawson Jones’ 24-yard field goal and quarterback Cale Hellums’ 1-yard plunge into the endzone 15 seconds before time expired in the half. The Black Knights headed to the locker room leading 17-10.
At the 8:14 mark of the third quarter, Army running back Reed found a crease up the middle and could not be stopped by Tarleton State defenders, rushing for a 37-yard touchdown. His first touchdown of the season, the 6-foot, 215-pound junior had one touchdown on 114 rushing yards last season for Army. Tarleton State quickly countered with a six-yard scoring run from Lewis. Texan defensive back Kurns then intercepted Coleman late in the quarter to swing momentum.
The fourth quarter opened with Army ahead 24–17, but turnovers proved decisive. Reed’s fumble was recovered by Kurns at the Army 16, setting up Gabalis’ 15-yard touchdown strike to Dawson Hearne to tie the game at 24. Both teams exchanged punts before Coleman left with an injury. Backup quarterback Hellums took over and helped get Army into field goal position. With eleven seconds left in the quarter, freshman kicker Jones was set up to be the hero of the game when his field goal attempt sailed wide right.
In overtime, both kickers connected, Larson from 28 yards and Jones from 40. In the second overtime, with the game tied up at 30, Army kicker Jones had a shot to put his team up by three points with a 35-yard field goal try. To the dismay of the Army sideline, Jones’ attempt from the left hash sailed just outside the left goalpost. With an upset in their grasp, Tarleton State moved the ball up the field to set kicker Larson up for the game winner, which he hit straight on from 37 yards.
The loss snapped Army’s 17-game win streak against FCS opponents, its first such defeat since Fordham in 2015. A new policy allowing alcohol sales at Michie Stadium may have softened the sting of defeat for some fans.
Looking ahead, Jeff Monken’s Army will travel to meet a 1-1 Kansas State squad on Sep 6 (7:00 PM ET, ESPN). Head coach Chris Klieman’s Wildcats rebounded from a heartbreaking Week 1 loss to Iowa State in Dublin, Ireland, to sneak by Division I FCS opponent, the University of North Dakota, by a score of 38-35. Going into Week 2, the Wildcats were ranked No. 17 in preseason polls.
Led by junior quarterback Avery Johnson, Kansas State’s offense packs a punch. In two games this season, Johnson is 49-73 with five touchdowns in 591 passing yards. Running back Joe Jackson has an impressive 106 rushing yards; however, the 6-foot, 212-pound sophomore has yet to score a touchdown. Wide receiver Jayce Brown has been a favorite target of Johnson through two contests, recording 16 receptions for 187 yards and two touchdowns.
The Wildcats’ defense has struggled in its first two games to contain opponents’ offenses. This was especially evident this weekend when the North Dakota offense put up 35 points on their nationally ranked opponent. Army will look to exploit the Wildcats’ defensive vulnerabilities in this matchup.
Navy Midshipmen sink VMI
On Saturday, Navy cruised past VMI 52-7 at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium before 30,014 fans. Head coach Brian Newberry’s Midshipmen dominated on the ground, amassing 464 rushing yards in their most lopsided opener in nearly a decade.
Quarterback Blake Horvath threw for 66 yards and a touchdown before yielding to backup Braxton Woodson, who took over in the second half and erupted for 180 rushing yards and two long touchdowns. Senior slotback Eli Heidenreich added balance with 70 rushing yards, 65 receiving yards, and two scores. Running backs Michael Barrow, Alex Tecza, and Shane Reynolds each found the end zone as well.
Defensively, Navy was nearly flawless, holding VMI to just 212 total yards, including only 15 on the ground. The Keydets’ lone highlight came in the third quarter on a 75-yard touchdown pass.
The Midshipmen wasted little time getting the scoring started against the Keydets. Navy’s opening drive ended with a seven-yard touchdown run by Barrow at the 6:00 mark of the first quarter.
In the second quarter, Navy put together three more successful scoring drives, including an 18-yard touchdown pass that connected Horvath with Heidenreich at 11:07. Senior running back Alex Tecza (six yards) and Heidenreich (four yards) rushed for touchdowns later in this quarter, giving Navy a commanding 28-0 halftime lead.
Navy’s dominant first half opened the door for starting quarterback Horvath to rest in the second half with junior backup quarterback Woodson taking charge of the Midshipmen offense. The Pittsburgh-native was most effective on the ground, but also completed three of seven passes for 26 yards. In Navy’s first drive of the second half, the 6-foot-3, 215-pounder helped get the Midshipmen in position for a field goal. Senior kicker Nathan Kirkwood’s 28-yard attempt was good at 7:22.
On the next drive, VMI quarterback Collin Shannon took a big shot and connected with freshman wide receiver Owen Sweeney for a 75-yard touchdown pass.
Woodson’s first rushing touchdown, a monster 74-yard run, came at the 0:50 mark of the third quarter. On Navy’s first possession of the fourth quarter, Woodson put on another show for the home crowd. Taking the snap on 3rd & 2 at the Navy 32-yard line, he scrambled and dodged VMI defenders on the way to a 68-yard touchdown run. This impressive follow-on performance put Navy up 45-7 at 9:39 of the fourth.
Senior running back and Glen Mills, Pennsylvania-native Shane Reynolds got the last word for Navy’s offense in the blowout victory. He rushed for a four-yard touchdown that put Navy up 52-7 at the 2:37 mark.
Navy looks to replicate its outstanding offensive performance against an AAC opponent when it welcomes UAB to Annapolis next Saturday, Sep 6 at 3:30 PM ET (streaming on Fubo).
The UAB Blazers are coming off a 52-42 win against FCS opponent Alabama State. In this Thursday night matchup, UAB struggled against the Southwestern Athletic Conference team throughout the first half. The Hornets had a 28-17 lead in the second half, before UAB’s offense woke up and scored on five consecutive possessions. UAB running back Jevon Jackson had two touchdowns on 166 rushing yards in his debut, while sophomore running back Solomon Beebe had two touchdowns on 51 rushing yards. Quarterback Jalen Kitna, a 2024 Florida transfer, completed 18 of 23 passes for 247 yards and two touchdowns.
Air Force Falcons top Bucknell University
Head coach Troy Calhoun and the Air Force Falcons opened up their 2025 campaign with a commanding 49-13 victory over FCS opponent, the Bucknell University Bisons. Representing the Patriot League in Colorado Springs, head coach Dave Cecchini’s Bucknell was on the receiving end of an explosive offensive performance by the Falcons.
For those who watched the game, there is no doubt that senior wide receiver Cade Harris stole the show. The 5-foot-8, 185-pounder had a total of three touchdowns (one receiving and two rushing) on 149 all-purpose yards. Starting quarterback Josh Johnson went 4-for-7 with 112 passing yards. He connected on passes with Quin Smith and Harris for touchdowns. Backup quarterback, junior Maguire Martin, also saw action in the game, recording his first career touchdown.
The Falcons’ defense also shined against Bucknell. Linebacker Blake Fletcher recorded a career-high 11 tackles, while fellow linebacker Luke Fisher had eight tackles. Isaac Hubert, a sophomore linebacker who primarily played on special teams last season, had two sacks.
Air Force drew first blood on its second possession of the first quarter on Johnson’s 40-yard touchdown pass to Smith, followed by Harris’ nine-yard rushing score.
In the second quarter, Bucknell responded with a 12-yard touchdown pass from Ralph Rucker IV to Sam Milligan at 12:54. Air Force immediately responded with another touchdown of their own, a Harris nine-yard run.
The Falcons got the ball back on Bucknell’s next possession, thanks to a Roger Jones Jr. interception on the Bison’s 48. Johnson made Bucknell pay for this mistake by tossing a 62-yard touchdown pass to Harris at 4:41. A missed 42-yard field goal by Jacob Medina didn’t dampen the Air Force squad’s spirits as the team entered halftime up 28-7.
Bucknell’s first possession of the third quarter ended in disaster when quarterback Rucker fumbled at the Bison’s 26 during Bucknell’s first possession of the third quarter. Sophomore defensive back Korey Johnson emerged from the scrum with the ball and returned it for a 34-yard defensive touchdown. Moments later, Harris capped his day with an eight-yard rushing touchdown. Bucknell salvaged a Matt Schearer 37-yard field goal to cut the deficit, but the Falcons still led 42–10.
In the fourth, Martin closed the scoring for Air Force with an eight-yard rushing touchdown, while Bucknell added a late 39-yard field goal. Leading 49-13, the Falcons took a knee for the final two plays of the game.
Air Force has its first of two bye weeks during week 2. The Falcons will next meet Mountain West Conference rival Utah State on Sept. 13 (9:45 PM ET) at Maverik Stadium in Logan.
The Road Ahead
Week 1 delivered a mix of dominance and disappointment, with Navy and Air Force rolling to decisive wins while Army stumbled in a shocking double-overtime loss to Tarleton State. Looking ahead, Army seeks redemption against Kansas State, Navy aims to sustain its offensive momentum versus UAB, and Air Force prepares for Mountain West Conference play after a bye.
