RUSTON, La. — In a game defined by relentless rushing attacks, sudden explosive shifts, and a roaring finish, Army West Point dropped a heartbreaking 31-29 thriller to Louisiana Tech at Joe Aillet Stadium on Saturday night.
The defeat evens the Black Knights’ record to 2-2 on the season. While a .500 start is historically a cleaner baseline than last year’s sluggish 1-3 opening—a season that famously ended with a triumphant Wasabi Fenway Bowl victory in Boston—the narrow loss leaves head coach Jeff Monken’s squad facing critical, immediate technical adjustments on both sides of the ball. With four more wins required to guarantee a bowl bid and a December date with Navy at MetLife Stadium looming, the room for error has officially evaporated.
“Louisiana Tech outplayed us. They were just the better team tonight,” Monken admitted plainly after the game. “I’m not disappointed with how hard they played. I’m just disappointed with some of the fundamental things that we can do better.”
The Play-By-Play: A Gridiron See-Saw
Louisiana Tech took control early, chewing up the clock and slicing through the Army defense on an 83-yard opening drive. Bulldogs running back Sergio Snider capped off the 12-play march with a 24-yard touchdown burst.
Army’s triple-option offense counter-punched with signature discipline. The Black Knights orchestrated a heavy, 9-play, 75-yard drive. Running back Zach Mundell found daylight on the perimeter, breaking away for a 21-yard touchdown run to draw even at 7-7 by the end of the first quarter.
The second quarter turned into a defensive chess match until Louisiana Tech found a crease from deep inside their own territory. Backed up at their own 4-yard line, the Bulldogs executed a breathtaking play. Dylone Brooks caught a handoff and broke into the secondary. Army defender Jaquavis Moss went low but failed to wrap the legs, Steven Adozzi missed with high pad level, and safety Chris Williams took a poor pursuit angle. Brooks broke loose for a stunning 72-yard touchdown scamper, handing Tech a 14-7 lead that held through the halftime locker room. Monken later defended the lack of a whistle on the play, noting Brooks’ legs were never wrapped: “That kid made a really good play. He made a good run—give him credit.”
Second Half Play-By-Play
The third quarter immediately exploded into action. Just three snaps into the second half, Army’s Samari Howard showed why he is the engine of this offense, bursting through the line on a pitch play for a career-long 54-yard touchdown run. Refusing to play for the tie, Monken boldly dialed up a two-point conversion. Quarterback Cale Hellums took the keeper himself, muscling it over the goal line to slide Army ahead, 15-14.
The celebration was short-lived. Louisiana Tech immediately dipped into their bag of tricks on the ensuing drive. Wide receiver Marcus Calwise Jr. took a handoff and launched a perfectly weighted 74-yard trick-play touchdown pass to a completely uncovered Brooks, who benefited from a blown Army defensive assignment. “The defender had the receiver assigned, just got his eyes over there where the ball went and didn’t stay with his man,” Monken noted.
Following a costly Cale Hellums interception pulled down by Bulldogs defensive back Jordan McRae on the next possession, the Bulldogs capitalized instantly. Quarterback Trey Kukuk finished the short drive with a 7-yard touchdown run, extending their advantage to 28-15 entering the fourth quarter.
Anatomy of a Crucial Fourth-Down Decision
Down two scores in the fourth quarter, Cale Hellums engineered a methodical response, keeping the chains moving by delivering a clutch pass to Brady Anderson on a critical 4th-and-8. Hellums finished the drive with a 1-yard touchdown sneak to cut the deficit to 28-22. Louisiana Tech responded by milking the clock, executing a drive that culminated in a clutch 32-yard field goal by Hunter Rioux to make it 31-22 with just over seven minutes remaining.
With four minutes left and still down two scores, Army marched down the field and faced a pivotal decision point. Originally facing a 4th-and-4, Army’s analytics suggested a field goal, but an official re-spot moved the ball inside the 2-yard line. Forced to burn a timeout he desperately wanted to save, Monken elected to go for the touchdown on a play-action bootleg rather than kicking.
“When are we going to get it this close?” Monken explained his math. “We went for the whole thing on a play-action boot, and we had a guy open, and I thought Cale threw a great pass. He gave him a chance… their guy got his hand on it and knocked the ball loose.”
Though the pass fell incomplete, the offense didn’t quit. Getting the ball back at their own 5-yard line, Cale Hellums executed a masterclass in the two-minute drill. Hurrying to the line and finding soft spots in the zone defense, Army executed a flawless 95-yard drive. Hellums put a cap on the magnificent march by slinging a 6-yard touchdown pass to Parker Poloskey with 1:07 left on the clock.
Trailing 31-29, the game came down to execution on special teams. Army’s onside kick attempt took a hard, irregular bounce, but the Bulldogs managed to firmly smother the ball, sealing the victory.
What Went Right vs. What Went Wrong
The Black Knights showed immense resilience, but Monken lamented that the offense and defense failed to complement each other. “We’d score and then they’d turn around and score,” Monken reflected. “We’d get a stop on defense and we’d go out there and get stopped on offense and have to punt.”
✅ What Went Right
- Resilient Quarterback Play: Cale Hellums played with immense toughness, finishing with 151 passing yards and a touchdown while putting throws in excellent spots during high-pressure fourth-quarter drives.
- Explosive Ground Triggers: When blocks connected on the perimeter, the run game was lethal—headlined by Samari Howard’s 158-yard night and Zach Mundell’s physical 21-yard score.
- Roster Toughness: Defensive back David Clark absorbed a scary, rule-breaking crown-of-the-helmet hit but showed immense grit by returning to the game.
❌ What Went Wrong
- Soft Defensive Coverage: Army gave up 503 yards of total offense, consistently allowing chunk plays down the middle and failing to contest routes in space.
- Zero Defensive Havoc: The Black Knights failed to generate any meaningful quarterback pressure and recorded zero takeaways on the night, leaving them empty-handed in turnover margins for the season.
- Costly Penalties: Army beat themselves with 6 penalties for roughly 55 yards, including a devastating chop block and a crucial face-mask penalty by Paulo during pass protection.
- Perimeter Stagnation: Outside of Howard’s long touchdown, the perimeter pitch offense was frequently blown up because blockers failed to seal the final defender.
The Road Ahead
Sitting at 2-2, the Black Knights refuse to let the loss dictate their trajectory as they return to Michie Stadium next Saturday.
“I don’t believe anybody loses momentum unless they stop believing. And I don’t think our guys have stopped believing,” Monken emphasized. “We control much of our fundamentals and our assignments. And when we don’t do those well, they don’t need our help. The other team doesn’t need our help.”
Next up is a tough Tulane Green Wave who will enter Michie Stadium with a record of 2–2 overall; they are also 4–5 at Michie Stadium at West Point. The results are as follows:
- 2024: Army 35, – Tulane 14 (AAC Championship Game)
- 2019: Tulane 42 – Army 33
- 2015: Tulane 34 – Army 31
- 2011: Army 45 – Tulane 6
- 2009: Tulane 17 – Army 16
- 2007: Army 20 – Tulane 17
- 2003: Tulane 50 – Army 33
- 2001: Army 42 – Tulane 35
- 1957: Army 20 – Tulane 14
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