By: Daniel Rebain | West Point, NY | November 7th, 2026 |
West Point, N.Y. — A day that began with Fox Big Noon Kickoff on the Plain and the national spotlight on West Point ended in disappointment. The Army Black Knights entered Michie Stadium as favorites against their rivals from Colorado Springs, but the Air Force Falcons ran off the cold, wet field with the Commander-in-Chief’s Trophy.
It was a rocky first half for the Black Knights. Their opening two drives ended in a missed field goal and a turnover on downs, while the Falcons capitalized to score 17 first-half points—including a touchdown with just seven seconds remaining before halftime.
Army emerged from the locker room with renewed energy, turning to sophomore quarterback Bryson Luter as senior starter Cale Hellums struggled. Luter sparked the offense with a 39-yard run to set up a 1-yard Hellums touchdown, then followed up on the next drive with a 19-yard touchdown run to give Army a 21–17 lead.
Luter finished the game with 81 rushing yards, second only to fellow sophomore running back Godspower Nwawuihe, who posted 82 yards and a touchdown. Hellums endured a tough outing, managing just 34 yards on 13 carries along with a costly interception.
The momentum inside a rainy Michie Stadium was short-lived. Air Force answered Army’s touchdown with a 24-yard pass from Evan Medders to tight end Simon Kibbee. That proved to be the final score of the night with 14:25 remaining in regulation, sparking a mid-field celebration from the Falcons.
Combined with their earlier victory over Navy, the win secured Air Force’s 22nd Commander-in-Chief’s Trophy—the most of any military academy.
The loss marks two consecutive defeats for head coach Jeff Monken and the Black Knights following three impressive wins over Tulane, Florida Atlantic, and Tulsa. With the trophy out of reach and significant help needed to reach the AAC Championship Game, Army’s season now hinges on one core mandate: Did you beat Navy?
Army now enters its second bye week to refocus. When they return, East Carolina (5-4, 3-2 American) visits West Point for Senior Day, where the Black Knights will look to send the Class of 2027 off with one final home victory at Michie Stadium.
First Quarter: Missed Opportunity
Air Force won the coin toss and forced Army to take the ball first, something Army has struggled with this season. But under the lights and with a national audience watching, the Black Knights were able to move the ball on the opening drive.
Army extended the drive three times, twice on third-and-long: a 10-yard pass to senior slotback Samari Howard and a 9-yard pass to senior wide receiver Brady Anderson, and once on fourth-and-one, to set up scoring position. Cale Hellums and the offense were able to chew up the first 8:25 of the first quarter, but eventually would have to settle for a 46-yard field goal attempt.
The snap and hold were good for junior kicker Dawson Jones, but he wasn’t able to hook his kick inside the post, and his kick went wide right. Jones had been basically automatic for Army this season. He made two 50+ yard field goals, including a walkoff field goal against Tulsa just two games ago, but just wasn’t able to get Army on the board early after a 15-play, 54-yard drive.
The Falcons responded with their own 12-play, 67-yard first drive and were able to come away with points. With first and goal from inside the Army 10-yard line, the Falcons couldn’t push through the Black Knights’ defense and had to settle for a Carter Cremascoli 21-yard field goal to give Air Force a 3-0 lead seconds into the second quarter.
Second Quarter: All Air Force
Army’s troubles deepened on their next possession with a rapid three-and-out. The ensuing punt turned disastrous when senior James Wagenseller—one of Army’s top performers this season, according to Jeff Monken—fumbled the snap. As Wagenseller reached to recover the ball, his knee touched the turf, ruling him down by contact. Air Force took over at the Army 13-yard line following the rare mistake from the experienced punter.
Air Force made no mistake and punched the ball into the end zone three plays later. Kemper Hodges powered his way over the goal line from 3 yards out to extend the Falcons’ lead to 10-0.
Trailing by two scores in a heated rivalry game, Army needed to find some traction on offense, and they needed it fast. On the eighth play of the drive, one that was moving very slowly up the field two yards at a time, it appeared that Cale Hellums was stuffed on fourth-and-one on his own 45-yard line. A stop would have been a big gut punch to the Army sails, especially if Air Force went and made it a three-score game before halftime.
Replay review worked in Army’s favor, showing Hellums clearly reached the line to gain for the first down. Offensive coordinator Cody Worley then put the drive in Godspower Nwawuihe’s hands. The sophomore carried the ball on five of the next seven plays, culminating in a dynamic 21-yard touchdown run where he bounced outside along the right sideline to get Army on the board with 3:23 remaining in the second quarter
The Black Knights chewed off another 9:17 off the clock, but they left Air Force time to double up, as they will receive the ball to begin the second half. With some speed behind their offense, the Falcons moved the ball into the Army half. With a third-and-five from the Army 42-yard line, Air Force threw an incomplete pass in part to Dillon Stowers and Deion Miller, pressuring Evan Medders into a bad throw. But there was a flag, and a late one from deep downfield. Army sophomore cornerback Julian Porter was called for holding. Quite frankly, it was a phantom call, but it kept Air Force’s drive alive with 48 seconds remaining.
As you would expect, Air Force took advantage of that break, and Medders ran the ball into the end zone, leaving just seven ticks on the clock. It was a huge swing in momentum back into Air Force’s favor, especially with the Falcons getting the ball when they came back onto the field to begin the half.
Third Quarter: Bryson Luter Lights a Spark
The second half opened with a thud: nine plays, eight total yards, and five wasted minutes. Something had to give. On Army’s next possession, Jeff Monken pulled Cale Hellums in favor of sophomore Bryson Luter. The move paid instant dividends for the Black Knights.
With the threat of Luter’s speed on the field, it opened up rushing lanes ever so slightly, especially on designed quarterback runs. On the second play from scrimmage, Luter took a quarterback sweep to the short side and broke free down the right sideline before being tackled for a 39-yard gain inside the Air Force 15-yard line. Five plays later, from the Falcons’ 1-yard line, Cale Hellums re-entered the game and bowled his way into the end zone to cut it to a 17-14 Air Force lead.
The very next Air Force possession, Army forced a three-and-out. You could feel the vibes shift inside Michie Stadium. Then the Falcons attempted a fake punt. Kemper Hodges was in the punt formation, and a direct snap to him potentially would extend the drive. But it took too long to develop, and the Black Knights stopped him a yard short of the line to gain; a massive break for Army, who would take over at the Falcons’ 32-yard line.
When Luter stepped back onto the field, the Black Knights’ offense exploded once again. Air Force had no answers for the Indianapolis native, who needed just three plays to find the end zone.
On the first play, Luter ran inside the left tackle and cut it upfield to grab 11 yards. Two plays later, he found paydirt. On the snap, Luter ran off the outside edge of his left guard and hit the open hole. With green grass in front of him, he bounced to the outside and beat three Air Force defenders to the pile on as he sprinted into the end zone to give Army its first lead of the game at 21-17.
From one decision by the offensive coaching staff, this game flipped on its head, and now it was Army with all the momentum as the third quarter was winding down.
4th Quarter: Not Able to Win the Fourth Quarter
With all the momentum and the crowd back on their side, the Army defense had an opportunity to seize control of the game. But Air Force found its stride, regaining its footing and starting to churn out rushing lanes much like it did in the second quarter.
Evan Medders broke through the line for a 14-yard gain before finding Mason Hayes for 25 yards, putting Air Force deep in Army territory in just three plays. Later in the fourth quarter, with the ball at the Army 24-yard line, the Falcons caught the Black Knights looking in the backfield. A misdirection play-action pass to the right freed up Simon Kibbee on a deep crossing route over the middle for a touchdown. Kibbee couldn’t have been more wide open—a picture-perfect play call to retake the lead at 24-21.
Could Army respond with another score to reclaim the advantage? It didn’t look promising early on, with the Black Knights instantly facing a third-and-long. Cale Hellums re-entered the game to pass in the crucial situation. Finding nothing open downfield, Hellums escaped the pocket and scrambled down the right sideline for a 12-yard gain to move the chains.
Rather than taking time to reset, Army rushed to the line in a hurry-up offense to catch Air Force off guard. The move backfired, leaving the Black Knights looking flustered. With Hellums still under center, Army called another play-action pass, but the Falcons’ secondary locked down in coverage. Instead of throwing the ball away, Hellums forced a throw into traffic that was intercepted by Korey Johnson at the Air Force 44-yard line.
It was a costly, unforced error by Hellums, putting the defense right back on the field and demanding another stop. But once again, the Air Force quarterback—this time Kemper Hodges—gashed the Black Knights’ front seven for 32 yards, setting the Falcons up comfortably in the red zone.
Air Force continued to chip away, bleeding valuable time off the clock before grinding their way to a first-and-goal at the Army 6-yard line. The Black Knights boast a storied history of legendary goal-line stands, especially in Commander-in-Chief’s Trophy matchups, but could they pull off another miracle?
On first down, Army stuffed the run for just one yard. An Air Force false start on the next play pushed the visitors back to the 11-yard line. On the ensuing attempt, the Falcons rolled the dice on that same misdirection play-action pass, looking for another wide-open receiver in the end zone. This time, however, Medders checked down to his underneath route, and sophomore linebacker Kai Woolfolk dragged him down short of the goal line at the 3-yard line.
Over the next two plays, Air Force tried to bludgeon its way across the remaining three yards, but the Army defense stood tall. Medders gained just one yard on third down, and when Rocco Conti tried to stretch a run to the right side, disciplined Army defenders beat him to the edge, keeping him out of the end zone. It was another magnificent goal-line stand for the Black Knights, turning away the Falcons after four straight plays inside the 6-yard line.
The Army offense now controlled its destiny: score, run out the clock, and earn the right to sing second. Unfortunately, that script unraveled. The Black Knights went three-and-out, forced to punt from the shadow of their own goal line, leaving their defense to rescue them with just 5:18 left on the clock.
To the Falcons’ credit, they methodically moved the chains, bleeding the clock down to the two-minute warning. The Black Knights had one final chance to force a field goal with a stop. With the game on the line, Air Force handed off to Gage LaDue behind a pulling lineman. LaDue sliced untouched through the front until he was met one yard short of the sticks. In a clash of fullback versus defensive backs, experience and momentum favored the runner, and LaDue picked up the decisive first down to seal the game.
A couple of kneel-downs later, the Falcons celebrated at midfield as the clock hit zero, exchanging handshakes before gathering for the alma mater. With the victory, Air Force earned the traditional right to sing second for the first time since 2022. The win also secured the program’s 22nd Commander-in-Chief’s Trophy, the most of any military academy.
It was a bitter pill to swallow for Army and its fans after a day filled with pageantry celebrating both academies. But when the dust settled on the gridiron, Army simply left too many plays on the field.
What’s Next For the Black Knights
Coming out of the bye, the Black Knights (5-4, 4-2 American) will welcome East Carolina (5-4, 3-2 American) to Michie Stadium on Senior Day. One year ago, Army lost on Senior Day when Tulsa pulled off a fourth-quarter comeback.
In ten matchups with the Pirates, Army has won just one game in this head-to-head matchup (1-9). That game was two seasons ago, with a 45-28 victory at Michie. Bryson Daily (’25) had a day, passing for 147 yards and a score, while adding 174 yards and five touchdowns on the ground to tie a program record. Outside of that game, the Black Knights have struggled against the Pirates. But with a bowl berth on the line, this game is a must-win.
Kickoff at Michie Stadium is scheduled for 12:00 PM, but plan to be in your seats early: Senior Day pre-game presentation honoring players and their parents will take place 30 minutes prior to kickoff.
Stat Leaders (Offense)
- Bryson Luter: 9 carries, 81 yards (9.0 AVG), 1 TD
- Cale Hellums: 13 carries, 34 yards (2.6 AVG), 1 TD; 5/10, 38 yards, 1 INT
- Godspower Nwawuihe: 18 carries, 82 yards (4.6 AVG), 1 TD
- Army Offense: 220 TOT yards, 182 rushing yards (4.1 AVG); 4/11 3rd down, 3/4 4th down
Stat Leaders (Defense)
- Caleb Williams: 8 total tackles (4 solo)
- Kai Woolfolk: 8 total tackles (4 solo)
- Stephen Nnadozie: 7 total tackles (1 solo), 1 pass deflection
- Army Defense (Allowed): 344 TOT yards (84 passing/260 rushing), 5/11 on 3rd down, 0/2 on 4th down
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