San Antonio, T.X. — It’s been an up-and-down season across the board for Jeff Monken and the Army Balck Knights in 2025. But in game eleven, when they needed a win, the team responded to its coach.
On Saturday night, Army went into the Alamodome and handed UTSA its first home conference loss in six years to achieve bowl eligibility.
Army junior quarterback Cale Hellums finished the game with 90 yards on the ground and a passing score. The big day came from senior slot back Noah Short, who ran 127 yards with a score and also threw for 32 yards. The defense also stepped up big. Junior corner back Jayden Mayes returned an interception for a touchdown while Army recorded two sacks from senior edge rusher Eric Ford.
This game was very similar to the Tulsa game for Army, which played excellent football for the majority of the game. Unlike against Tulsa, Army responded after relinquishing a 10-point lead. The offense marched down the field on a 13-play, 75-yard scoring drive, capped off by a Cale Hellums four-yard passing touchdown to tight end Parker Poloskey to take back the lead for good.
For Army (6-5, 4-4 American), this was a resilient victory. The team had squandered multiple late-game leads this season, but today, the cadets changed the script.
The victory for the Black Knights makes them bowl eligible for the seventh time under head coach Jeff Monken. It would also mark the ninth season winning 6+ games at West Point in the Monken era (2014-2025). Army now awaits the announcement of its bowl opponent as it prepares for the Army-Navy game.
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UTSA Dominates the First Quarter
It was all Roadrunners in the first fifteen minutes. Army had just two drives, punting after four plays to open the game, and then turning the ball over on downs on fourth-and-1 from its own 46-yard line, on a quarterback power from Cale Hellums.
On the other side of the ball, UTSA went down the field with zero pushback from the Black Knights. It took nine plays for senior quarterback Owen McCown, who was 5/5 for 71 yards on the drive, to get the Roadrunners into the endzone.
UTSA capped the opening drive off with a trick play to put the Roadrunners on the board. McCown threw the ball behind the line of scrimmage to David Amador II, a former high school quarterback, who threw a jump ball to tight end Patrick Overmyer in the back of the endzone to give the host a 7-0 lead.
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Second Quarter
In the second quarter, Army would find its spark to light the fire for the rest of the half. UTSA kicked a 32-yard field goal to extend its lead to 10-0, but that scoreline wouldn’t stand for long.
On a fake pitch to the right, Army would run an option to the left, and it caught the Roadrunners by surprise. With just one man to block, Cale Hellums made the pitch to Noah Short, and the San Jose native did the rest. Short was able to sprint underneath the block by fullback Carson Smith to free him up down the left sideline, taking it 81 yards to the house.
Army kept the scoring coming. Following a punt from UTSA, Cale Hellums was able to grind his way down the field on a 14-play, 87-yard drive that chewed away 8:02 off the clock as the Black Knights tied the game with a 27-yard field goal from sophomore Dawson Jones.
On the Roadrunners’ very next drive, things went from looking positive heading into halftime to a complete disaster. On a third and three from the Army 36-yard line, Owen McCown threw his pass a bit too high for David Amador II, and it would fall right into the hands of cornerback Jayden Mayes.
The Fairfield, Ohio, native showed off his speed down the left sideline and returned the interception for a 73-yard touchdown to give Army a 17-10 lead. It was a massive swing in momentum as both teams jogged into their respective locker rooms.
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Can Army Hold onto Its Fourth Quarter Lead?
The correct answer would be no once again. It was a wishy-washy third quarter for both teams, but Army would come out of the quarter in the positive, scoring the only points on a 37-yard field goal from Dawson Jones to extend its lead to 20-10.
Now onto the fourth quarter lead for Army. Eventually, with all its firepower, UTSA was going to figure it out on offense. On back-to-back drives, the Roadrunners started to click, and within the blink of an eye, 7:59 to be exact, UTSA found themselves in the lead.
First, it was Owen McCown finding Patrick Overmyer from eight yards out for his second touchdown of the game. Then, following an Army punt, UTSA drove the ball down the field just as they did in the first quarter, and McCown cashed in on his third passing touchdown of the game, hitting Jamel Hardy Jr in double coverage at the goal line for a seven-yard score.
For all the positive things Army did in the second quarter, it was all wiped away with 9:10 left in the ball game.
One Drive for the Win
Army had given away its fourth, fourth-quarter lead of the season, but the difference against UTSA, time was on the Black Knights’ side.
Offensive coordinator Cody Worley started with runs of two, four, and two yards to set up Army’s first fourth down of the drive. From their own 31-yard line, Cale Hellums with a play action fake, but on his drop back, he was bumped into by junior fullback Jake Rendina, and it threw the play off ever so slightly. Hellums, off his back foot and pressure in his face, was able to get a throw off and find Samari Howard on a wheel route down the left sidelines for a 14-yard gain.
On the next set of downs, Army kept grinding away, but was faced with another fourth down. The biggest play of the game, and UTSA sent an all-out blitz from the right side. Searching for a man to throw to, Hellums quickly got a pass off and found his tight end, Parker Poloskey, on a jump ball over the heads of the linebackers to pick up a critical first down.
Following that play, it looked like Army was feeling themselves. Cale Hellums and his offensive line imposed its will on the Roadrunners’ front seven, and on second down, the Tomball, Texas, native was off to the races. On a quarterback counter to the left side, Hellums found the daylight and picked up 19 yards to set the Black Knight up for first and goal.
A Tight End Touchdown At Army?
Army had four plays to punch this football into the endzone. The first two plays would see Cale Hellums run quarterback follow, as he followed the blocking of Jake Rendina into the hole, and got Army down to the four-yard line.
On third down, Cody Worley called a similar concept play to the first two, except this time it was a play-action boot to the right side. UTSA was caught scrambling and left Parker Poloskey wide open on his crossing route. Calm, cool, and collected, Hellums hit Poloskey for a four-yard passing touchdown, and the Alamodome, which was filled with a majority of Army fans, erupted.
The touchdown to Poloskey would be the first to a tight end since 2008, and it gave Army a 27-24 lead with only 2:49 left on the clock.
UTSA still had enough time to go down the field and tie the game with a field goal, but Nate Woody’s defense was not having it. The Roadrunners would initially pick up a first down, but from then on, Army held the line.
On second down, Eric Ford would secure his second sack of the game and put UTSA behind the sticks. Owen McCown did get seven yards on the next play, but on fourth down, an Army senior called game. McCown stared down the ‘stick route’ to his go-to target, Patrick Overmyer, but Collin Matteson was stuck to the tight end like glue and broke up the pass, forcing a turnover on downs.
All that was needed was one first down to seal the victory for Army. On the very first play, Cale Hellums, following Jake Rendina and the rest of the offensive line, picked up eleven yards to end the game. Two knell downs later, the game was over.
Coming into the game, UTSA had been 25-0 in conference play the last six years at the Alamodome. With its sixth win of the season, the Army Black Knights are officially bowl eligible.
Post Game Tension
Following the final whistle, there was bad blood that spilled over post-game. At midfield, players had to be separated, but the biggest skirmish happened during the playing of the UTSA fight song. Customarily, Jeff Monken and his team, as a sign of respect, will stand behind the opposing team until the conclusion of the song. The Roadrunners clearly did not see it as respect and didn’t take too kindly.
Eventually, both teams would calm down. Army made its way to the band to sing the alma mater and close out a very successful day with a loud “BEAT NAVY!”
On Deck For the Black Knights: navy
With Army now bowl eligible, they have two games left on their schedule. But now we have gotten to the biggest game of the season, navy!
The Black Knights, along with the full Corps of Cadets, will make the trip to Baltimore, Maryland, and play at M&T Bank Stadium in the midshipmen’s backyard.
We will have full coverage of the Army-Navy Game here on Bad Dawg Sports. Stay tuned for more Army Football news leading up to December 13th.
Game Summary
Final Score: Army 27, UTSA 24
Date: November 29th, 2025
Venue: Alamodome, San Antonio, Texas
Attendance: 22,620
FINAL STATS
| Category | UTSA Roadrunners | Army Black Knights |
|---|---|---|
| Total Yards | 386 | 303 |
| Rushing Yards | 116 | 233 |
| Passing Yards | 270 | 70 |
| First Downs | 18 | 16 |
| 3rd Down Conv. | 6-14 | 3-14 |
| 4th Down Conv. | 1-4 | 4-5 |
| Time of Poss. | 26:53 | 33:07 |
| Penalties | 3-32 | 0-0 |
| Turnovers | 1 | 0 |
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