Under the Lights in Philly, Army Relies on Its “DNA” to Extend Winning Streak Over Temple to Five

By: Daniel Rebain | Philadelphia, PA | September 25, 2026 |

Philadelphia, P.A. — A tough loss followed by a bye week usually isn’t the best recipe to find the win column the next game. For Army, it was the reset they needed. The Black Knights stormed into Lincoln Financial Field and left with a nail-biting 21-17 victory over Temple University, its first conference victory of 2026.

Senior quarterback Cale Hellums was sensational on the ground today, rushing for 104 yards and 3 TDs, almost matching his predecessor Bryson Daily’s 165 yards and three scores two years ago. Alongside Hellums today were a multitude of runners, as seniors Samari Howard and Carson Smith both eclipsed the 60-yard mark on the ground.

But the biggest play would come on defense. Two weeks prior at Michie Stadium, USF beat senior corner back Jayden Mayes over the top on a fourth-down play to win the game. Saturday night, it would be Mayes who would find his redemption, breaking up a pass on fourth-and-short to end the game. Two games, same situation, different result. This time Army came out on the positive side.

Friday night in Philadelphia, the Army Black Knights got back to their DNA to the delight of head coach Jeff Monken. Now sitting at a record of 2-1, instead of 1-2, they’ll shift over into the fall with a five-game slate in October.

First Quarter: Strong Start for Cale Hellums

Army once again won the opening coin toss with heads and elected to defer to the second half. The first drive last weekend was a struggle for the defense, and it began similarly against Temple. The Owls found a ton of early success with runs between the guards and gashed Army up the field.

Both Temple running backs Sam Brown and Keveun Mason would find gains of 13-, 7-, 10-, and 8-yard runs before facing a fourth-and-four from the Army 24-yard line. The Owls would opt for another run with Brown, but the Black Knights were ready with a run blitz, and senior captain Stephen Nnadozie met Brown in the hole to force a Temple turnover-on-downs.

It would turn out to be a massive swing in the game for the Black Knights. Cale Hellums led his troops on a march down the field off 12 plays and 77 yards to put the first points of the game on the board for Army. It was a dominating first drive for the Black Knights. Hellums would finish off the drive with a punishing 15-yard run, breaking multiple tackles and dragging an Owl over the goal line for a 7-0 lead.

The drive could have ended much sooner. On second-and-2 from the Temple 44-yard line, Cale Hellums dropped back to pass and hit senior slot back Zack Mundell in stride near the goal line. But that’s not how the play unfolded. Hellums put the ball on a platter for Mundell, but the ball would fall right between his arms for an incomplete pass after he beat his defender.

That play could have derailed and demoralized the offense for the rest of the drive, but Hellums got his offense back on track and helped finish the drive with seven points.

That lead lasted just two plays for Jeff Monken. Following a 2-yard run, quarterback Ajani Sheppard hit his running back Sam Brown sneaking up the seam for a 78-yard score, outrunning multiple Black Knights to the pile-on to instantly tie the game at 7-7 with 2:17 left in the opening quarter.

Facing a tired defense they had just taken down the field, Army had a chance to take advantage. Unlike the first drive, however, the Black Knights offense was ineffective. With just 43 seconds of rest, the Owls’ defense beat their blocks and got to the Army runners near or behind the line of scrimmage. Monken hates to punt the ball, but with a 4th-and-3 from your 32-yard line, the Black Knights were forced to punt it away.

Second Quarter: Mistakes and Penalties

It looked like Temple would capitalize on the next drive, its longest of the game, driving the ball 11 plays and ticking 6:40 off the clock. It wasn’t meant to be for Temple. Owls’ kicker Carl Hardin struck iron with his kick, missing a 42-yard field goal attempt with the opportunity to give the host their first lead of the game. For Army, this play will be seen as the turning point of the game.

The rest of the first half would be littered with mistakes and penalties in critical spots for a Black Knights offense. That’s how both teams would head into the locker rooms: tied on the scoreboard but feeling like they’re losing at the same time, despite the score sitting at seven apiece.

Third Quarter: Back-And-Fourth Eight & Ninth Rounds

Army regrouped at halftime and instantly changed the narrative. After failing to start strong coming out of the locker room against USF two weeks ago, the Black Knights flipped the script on Saturday in Philadelphia. They reclaimed the lead on their longest drive of the game, draining nearly 10 minutes off the clock to open the second half.

It was another extended drive for Cale Hellums, and by the time he snapped the ball for play 15, you could tell it was starting to weigh on the Owls’ defense. The Black Knights ran the ball twelve straight times before getting caught in a third-and-long from the Temple 40-yard line. Hellums found junior wide receiver Brady Anderson on a quick out to set up a fourth-and-manageable.

For Monken, it was a no-brainer to go for it, and Cody Worley drew up a fantastic play to move the chains. In shotgun, Hellums brought Samari Howard in motion, and at the snap, that simulated to Temple that it would be another wide receiver sweep. This time, though, it was a play-action pass, and Godspower Nwawiuahe was wide open, leaking up the seam. If Hellums hit him in stride, it would have been a walk-in touchdown. Instead, it was a massive 20-yard completion to set up the next play from scrimmage.

From the Temple 12-yard line, once again, brought Samari Howard in motion for a read-sweep-option. The Owl defensive tackle was stuck between two minds, and left a window open for Hellums to keep and sneak up the sidelines on the back side for a touchdown, his second of the game, to retake the lead.

But like their first quarter lead, it didn’t last. Four plays into their next drive, Temple would beat Army over the top again to tie the game at 14-14. Ajani Sheppard hit Colin Chase on a deep crossing route over the middle of the field, and Chase took it the rest of the way down the sideline, running away from the trailing Black Knights’ defenders for a 67-yard touchdown.

4th Quarter: Winning the Fourth Quarter

Army’s run game came alive in the fourth quarter. Continuing a drive from the third, the Black Knights averaged 4.5 yards per rush behind a dominant offensive line. Hellums led the offense down to the Temple 30, but what appeared to be a successful fourth-and-1 conversion was called back for holding. Instead of coming away with points, Monken was forced to bring out the punt team once again.

Senior punter James Wagenseller has been money through three games in 2026, averaging around 50 yards per punt. On Friday night, he had his best game so far this year, downing three punts inside the Temple 10-yard line, including this last one, which went out of bounds and pinned the Owls down at the 1-yard line.

One game after squandering a 10-point lead late in the fourth quarter, Jeff Monken’s defense posted a strong bounce-back effort. Yet Army’s tendency to commit undisciplined mistakes at crucial moments resurfaced once again on Temple’s penultimate drive.

From the 4-yard line, Sam Brown bounced a run outside of the left tackle, and with zero contain, took the ball 47 yards to midfield. Two plays later, Temple confused Army with play-action and Ajani Sheppard found Ryder Kusch unguarded down the left sideline for a 22-yard gain.

With players not sticking to their keys and losing assignments, Temple turned a drive that would statistically lead to a punt into a field goal attempt, and took its first lead of the game, 17-14 with 7:38 remaining on the game clock.

Make or Break Drive For Army’s Offense

It was gut check time for the offense; either they score points on this drive, or they head back home with a 1-2 record. Play number one to Samari Howard set them up in a positive direction, as Howard received a toss to the right and gained 12 yards.

From there on out, it turned into Carson Smith and Cale Hellums taking turns at punishing the Temple defense all the way down the field. Smith, in the game for a banged-up Godspower Nwawuihe, carried the ball six times on the drive, averaging 5.5 yards per touch and was just plowing his way through the line of scrimmage. Each carry, he’d make his first man miss, then carry another two for a couple of more yards and fall forward.

Smith’s physical running helped spell Hellums for a majority of the drive until the field started to shrink. With a goal-to-go opportunity from the 3-yard line staring the offense in the face, following a huge third-down conversion from Smith, Hellums stepped up to the plate and lowered his head and shoulder, powering his way over the goal line to put the Black Knights on top for good with a 21-17 lead.

The drive spanned 75 yards and shed almost six minutes off the clock, leaving just 1:45 on the clock at Lincoln Financial Field. The game wasn’t done just yet. As Temple showed twice, it can score in the blink of an eye. With the memory of USF still fresh in their minds, this was an opportunity for Daryl Dixon’s defense to show the country that two weeks ago was a fluke.

Early on, things felt eerily similar to the USF game, but Army quickly found the “bend, don’t break” rhythm of their first drive. The Owls kicked off with a 12-yard Ajani Sheppard rush, a 20-yard pass to Jayce Freeman, and a 9-yard Sheppard run, pushing the Black Knights deep into their own half.

Eventually, the Army defense settled into its coverage, and now time was the Owls’ worst enemy. With a third-and-2 from the Army 23-yard line, Sheppard went for the endzone looking for JoJo Bermudez, but under-threw him by a yard. With the game now on the line, all Temple needed was 2 yards to keep their hopes alive. Needing a completion, Sheepard attempted to find Jayce Freeman right at the sticks, but Army corner back Jayden Mayes was right on top of his man and broke up the pass to put the game to rest.

Two weeks ago, Mayes was the scapegoat after his man beat him over the top and Army blew a 10-point lead in the final seconds to USF. Friday night, Mayes got his swagger back with his victory-sealing play, and the bus ride back up I-95 would be a joyous one for Jeff Monken and the rest of the Black Knights.

Now 2-1 (1-1 AAC), Army heads south to face Louisiana Tech (1-2, 0-0 Sun Belt) to open its October slate. Their last matchup came in the 2024 Independence Bowl, a 27-6 Army win powered by 100-plus rushing yards apiece from Bryson Daily (three TDs) and Hayden Reed (one TD). The Black Knights boast a 3-0 all-time record against the Bulldogs and will look to keep that streak going this weekend.

Stat Leaders (Offense)

• Cale Hellums: 22 carries, 104 yards (4.7 AVG), 3 TDs; 3/6 passing, 36 yards
• Samari Howard: 8 carries, 69 yards (8.6 AVG)
• Carson Smith: 12 carries, 63 yards (5.3 AVG)
• Army Offense: 317 TOT yards, 281 rushing yards, 37:37 Time of Possession

Stat Leaders (Defense)

• Stephen Nnadozie: 9 total tackles (5 solo)
• Dillon Stowers: 4 total tackles (3 solo), 1 sack, 1 tackle for loss, 1 pass deflection
• Jayden Mayes: 5 total tackles (2 solo), 1 pass deflection
• Army Defense (Allowed): 459 TOT yards, 3/9 on 3rd down, 0/2 on 4th down

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