By: Daniel Rebain | West Point, NY | September 5, 2026 |
West Point, N.Y. — With the newly renovated $170,000,000 East Stands now open at Michie Stadium, the Army Black Knights put on a much-needed performance against FCS opponent Bryant University (1-1) to begin their 2026 season. Senior quarterback Cale Hellums continued where he left off in 2025, while senior slot back Zach Mundell headlined with two touchdowns each in a dominant 59-3 victory on the banks of the Hudson River.
First Quarter: Perfect First Quarter For Army
In typical Army fashion, they won the opening coin toss and deferred to the second half. That would set up the newly named defensive coordinator, Daryl Dixon, to show off his defense after taking over for Nate Woody, who left for the same job at Cincinnati.
Bryant and quarterback Brennan Myer attempted to be aggressive out of the gate, but Meyer overthrew Sean Wilson Jr., who was heavily covered by senior cornerback Jaydan Mayes. The next two plays saw Myer gain seven yards on a read option, while on third down, Dixon’s defense stonewalled the Bulldogs’ run game, with junior edge rusher Jack Bousum beating his block and making a play in the backfield.
The Army offense would be set up by a nice return of 27 yards to the Bryant 44 yard-line. With the offense already in positive field position, quarterback Cale Hellums was able to mix up the play calls. Opening the drive in Army fashion, sophomore running back Godspower Nwawuihe got the first touch, taking a dive play for 12 yards. The next play, Hellums put the ball in the air, hitting his number one receiver, junior Brady Anderson, on a 7-yard out to keep Bryant on their heels.
Three plays later, it paid off, and the Black Knights punched it in for their first touchdown of the 2026 season. Zach Mundell, a former quarterback in the program who’s now transitioned to slot back, took an end around 15 yards into the end zone thanks to a handful of blocks leading him towards the right pile-on.
Back on the field for the second time, the defense was able to force another three-and-out, and Cale Hellums would not let that go to waste. Two plays into the drive, Cody Worley caught the Bryant defense with a play-action pass. Hellums found Samari Howard on a crossing route behind the linebackers, gaining 33 yards. Now with two completions, Bryant was on notice, and Hellums took advantage. Three plays later, the Tomball, Texas, native slipped through the defense on a quarterback draw, breaking the goal line on a 27-yard run for his first score of the season after 18 in 2025.
Coming into the game, the Army defense had a handful of question marks, but against Bryant, everyone came to play. They were playing everything as best as you could ask of a unit with only three returning starters.
If that’s how good the defense was, the offense took their play to another level. The Black Knights saw themselves drive down the field in 10 plays, slowly cutting away at the Bulldog defense. The passing game from Hellums dried up with a couple of incompletions, but his play on the ground hadn’t missed a beat since 2025. On the tenth play of the drive, Hellums called a quarterback counter, and Army had a positive head count leading the way.
However, the safety didn’t bite on the fake, beat the tight end’s block, and had a clear shot at Hellums. But the senior, standing at 5’11 & 208 pounds, stiff-armed the defender and then had a convoy down the right sideline as he high-stepped into the end zone for his second touchdown of the game, this time from 37 yards out.
Second Quarter: Keeping Their Dominance Rolling
In his first game leading the defense, Daryl Dixon had a perfect first quarter. Army held Bryant to 1 completion, 41 total yards, and zero first downs, forcing 3 three-and-outs in the process. It’s the first time since the 2024 Independence Bowl against Louisiana Tech that Army has started a game with 3 consecutive three-and-outs.
The defense eventually gave up its 1st first down of the game, but Bryant would eventually turn the ball over on downs after its best sustained drive of the game at the Army 33-yard line. And once again, Army would find the end zone, this time with a little trickery.
On a 4th & 3 from the Bryant 30-yard line, Army, with its aggressive nature, was going for it. At the snap, it looked like a routine end-around that looked like it was going to get stuffed. Instead, it was a reverse for wide receiver Brady Anderson, who went untouched down the right side of the field to extend its lead to 28-0.
With that touchdown, it was the first time the team had scored 4 touchdowns on its first four drives since playing the University of Alabama-Birmingham in October 2024.
The next two drives would see both Bryant and Army trade field goals. The Bulldogs got on the scoreboard thanks to a Nicholas Stoyanovich 28-yard field goal, while junior kicker Dawson Jones hit a 37-yard field goal for the Black Knights to make it a 31-3 game heading into the half.
Third Quarter: Black Knights’ Foot Still on the Gas
Deferring to the second half worked exactly how you would have drawn it up for Jeff Monken, scoring the team’s fifth touchdown just three plays into the half. Zach Mundell would find the end zone for the second time today, taking a halfback pitch to the house, 66 yards down the left sideline, pushing the score to 38-3.
With a 35-point lead, Jeff Monken made a quarterback change, giving sophomore Bryson Luter some meaningful reps for the first time in his career. In plus territory, starting from the Bryant 29-yard line, Luter took a quarterback keeper for an 18-yard gain. From inside the ten, Cody Worly gave a new look, putting former quarterback Godspower Nwawuihe in a heavy shotgun set for two plays before Nwawuihe punched the ball over the goal line to balloon the score to 45-3.
Jeff Monken did see a rare sight today from his offense: the need to punt. Luckily for the offense, Daryl Dixon’s squad got the ball back after a 5-play Bulldogs drive.
Fourth Quarter: Finishing the Game Strong
For Bryson Luter, on his second full drive, he was able to rebound with a scoring drive. Army would find three 10+ yard rushes from senior Lloyd Benson III (28 yards), Luter (17 yards), and sophomore Stroman Bridges (10 yards). The Black Knights capped the 8-play drive with a 6-yard rush from fullback senior Carson Smith to make it a 52-3 game.
As the clock was winding down in the fourth quarter, redshirt sophomore quarterback Ethan Washington subbed in to get live reps for the first time in his career. This was also a milestone for Washington, who tore his ACL the week before the season in 2025. Sporting a bulky brace on his left knee, Washington looked very nimble and not physically constrained by his knee injury whatsoever.
Washington led a seven-play drive that resulted in his first career rushing touchdown. He had two rushes, multiple option pitches, and a completed pass. He looked 100% healthy, and that could be a huge bonus for the rest of 2026 for Jeff Monken and Army.
Next up for Army (1-0, 0-0) is the University of South Florida, with the Bulls making the trip to West Point for the first time since 2003 next Saturday afternoon.
Stat Leaders (Offense)
- Cale Hellums: 7 carries, 87 yards (12.4 AVG), 2 rushing TDs, 4/9 passing, 59 yards
- Zach Mundell: 4 carries, 105 yards (26.3 AVG), 2 TDs
- Samari Howard: 4 carries, 63 yards (15.8 AVG), 3 receptions, 52 yards (17.3 AVG)
- Army Rushing: 569 yards, 8 TDs on 57 carries
Stat Leaders (Defense)
- Dillion Stowers: 5 total tackles (3 solo), 1 sack, 1 tackle for loss
- Elijah Walton: 5 total tackles (1 solo), 0.5 sacks, 0.5 tackle for loss
- Jaquavious Moss: 5 total tackles (1 solo)
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