Leave it to Army to make the first leg of the Commander in Chief’s trophy chase thrilling.
Army’s 20-17 win over Air Force, its fifth victory in the last six games over the Falcons, didn’t need to come down to Dawson Jones’ 27-yard field goal as time expired.
Jeff Monken’s decision to leave the offense on the field for a 4th-and-1 from Army’s 26 with a 17-14 lead and 2:26 left was a gamble. Whether it was analytics or a gut feeling, it backfired when quarterback Cale Hellums was tripped up by Air Force nose tackle Payton Zrodik for no gain. Three plays later, Air Force tied the game at 17-17 with the benefit of a pass interference call in the end zone.
Cale Hellums, starting his first CIC game, and Army’s offense saved/bailed out the coaching staff from the failed fourth-down decision. Noah Short got the game-winning drive going with a 10-yard run in the edge, his longest rush in a few games. Then, Hellums completed a beauty of a 42-yard pass to Brady Anderson setting up kicker Dawson Jones for the victory.
Think Jones’ 27-yard field goal as time expired was Army’s first walk-off kick since Quinn Maretzki’s double-overtime boot in the 2022 Army-Navy game. There’s a story to tell about Jones and Maretzki’s connection in another post.
The installation of the Lonesome Pole Cat formation during the bye week paid immediate returns with Hellums completing a 40-yard TD pass to Noah Short. Hellums rolled out in the formation, who had two tackles line wide near the sideline and left the center and two guards in the middle of the field, and delivered a great long ball.
Hellums is the first Army QB to complete two passes of 40 yards or more in a game since Bryson Daily against Delaware State on Sept. 9, 2023 (when Army was running more of a shotgun scheme).
Didn’t get a chance to ask but it looked like Gavin Shields got a piece of Air Force’s missed 40-yard field goal to end the first half. Shields was not credited with a block but his pressure up the middle may have also forced the miss, which turned out to be a huge play in the game.
Army was out-Armyed by Air Force in the third quarter, running 22 plays to Army’s three. The Black Knights had three 3-and-outs and a failed four-play fourth-down drive among its 10 possessions.
Predicted an Air Force win with the Falcons scoring 28 points, what was I thinking with Army defensive coordinator Nate Woody’s history against the Zoomies. Incredible stat – Woody’s defense held Air Force without a touchdown on 32 straight possessions before Liam Szarka’s touchdown run in the third quarter.
Andon Thomas set the tone early with a tackle for loss in Air Force’s opening 3-and-out drive. The Black Knights have forced Air Force mistakes in their current 3-game run over the Falcons. Saturday was the same with Army creating three takeaways, two in the red zone.
Casey Larkin picked off a pass for the second straight game. Gavin Shields had his second career pass.
Sophomore wide receiver Brady Anderson continues to emerge as Army’s breakout offensive player this season.
Unsung hero: Going to give to Army senior safety Collin Matteson for his 11-tackle (10 solo) performance. Felt like Matteson was everywhere on the field. Army’s coaching staff named Noah Short (offense), Collin Matteson (defense) and Dawson Jones (special teams) of the game and running back Stroman Bridges and as its scout-team players of the week.
Army senior guard Will Jeffcoat was named to the Pro Football Focus College Group of Five team of the week.
