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Army Marches Into Philadelphia And Liberates The Temple Owls From A Win At Home

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Football

PHILADELPHIA – Army West Point Football scored a go-ahead touchdown with less than two minutes remaining at Lincoln Financial Field, before turning the Temple Owls away late to complete a 21-17 victory on Friday night.

The Black Knights (2-1, 1-1 American) walked away with the win in their road-opener, while Temple drops to 1-3 overall and 0-1 in the American.

Trailing 17-14 and finding themselves behind for the first time all day with 7:38 to play, running back Carson Smith touched the ball six times, including a rush for 14 yards and two carries on third down, to spearhead a 12-play 75-yard touchdown drive, which quarterback Cale Hellums finished with a three-yard touchdown rush to put Army ahead 21-17 with 1:41 left.

The Black Knights still had to make a stop on defense to complete the win. But after Temple reached the Army 24-yard line in the final minute, the defense got the stop it needed, as cornerback Jaydan Mayes broke up a pass on fourth-and-3 to turn the Owls over on downs and seal the win.

Hellums rushed for 104 yards and three touchdowns on 22 carries in the win, while going 3-for-6 through the air.

Smith recorded career highs in both carries (12) and yards (63) in his breakout performance, while Samari Howard added 60 yards on the ground and Jake Rendina provided 20.

Defensively, safety Stephen Nnadozie led Army with nine total tackles, with five of those solo tackles.

The Black Knights won despite being outgained 459-315 in total yardage, in part due to their 3-for-3 touchdown output in the red zone.

Army won the coin toss for the third time in as many games this season, and sent its defense onto the field first. The Owls drove into Army territory on their opening drive, reaching as far as the Black Knights 22-yard line. 

However, Army bowed up with a tackle for loss by Kody Harris-Miller and Jaquavious Moss on third-and-2, before Stephen Nnadozie and Elijah Walton combined for a stop on fourth-and-4 to give the offense the ball at its own 23-yard line. 

Getting its first turn with the football, the offense methodically drove down the field, converting a pair of third-and-shorts on the Temple side of midfield. Despite just missing on a deep ball to Zach Mundell earlier in the drive, Hellums rushed for a 15-yard touchdown to put Army ahead 7-0 with 3:06 left in the first quarter.

Temple, however, responded on the second play of its next drive with a 78-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Ajani Sheppard to Sam Brown quickly tying it at 7-7. The home team then forced an Army three-and-out on its next series, setting the Owls back up at their 29-yard line to open the second quarter.

The Owls once again crossed midfield, and after penalties forced them into a third-and-20 situation, Sheppard scrambled for 16 yards to get Temple back into field goal range. However, the drive came up empty as the field goal attempt deflected off the right upright, and Army took back over at its 24-yard line with 8:20 left in the half.

Army went three-and-out on the Black Knights subsequent drive, with a 6-yard rush by Hellums on third down not enough to convert. A receiving penalty on the punt backed the Owls up to their own 3-yard line to start the drive. A pair of rushes by Keveun Mason and a Sheppard keeper brought the Owls to fourth-and-1, and the home team brought out the punt unit.

Army had good field position after a 13-yard punt return brought the Black Knights to the Temple 48-yard line to begin its drive, but after an 11-yard rush for a first down by Howard, a holding penalty backed Army up to second-and-20. Despite a 14-yard rush by Brady Anderson, an incomplete pass and a fumble for a loss forced a Black Knights punt.

Temple began its drive at its own 8-yard line and recorded a pair of first downs, but a sack by Dillon Stowers for a loss of eight made it third-and-13. The Owls rushed for just two yards, with Sheppard brought down on the play by Elijah Walton, to force another Owls punt. Army received at its own 26-yard line with 12 seconds remaining in the half and took a knee before heading into the locker room for the halftime break.

Coming out of halftime, Army took possession and converted a fourth-and-1 on its first set of downs. Eleven plays later, the Black Knights once again moved the sticks on a fourth down, with Hellums hitting a wide-open Godspower Nwawuihe in the middle of the field. Then, on the next play, Hellums found open space on the right side for a 12-yard touchdown rush, making it 14-7 Army with 4:59 left in the quarter to cap a marathon drive of 9:56.

However, in what closely resembled Temple's tying score in the opening half, the Owls struck back on a four-play drive, with a 67-yard pass from Sheppard to Colin Chase knotting the game at 14-14 with 3:43 left in the third.

Army got the ball back next and crossed midfield, but the drive stalled after a holding penalty on fourth-and-1 at the Temple 30-yard line. Punter James Wagenseller, however, made the most of the situation, with a 39-yard punt to pin the Owls at their own 1-yard line with 11:30 remaining in the game.

Temple started its drive at its own 1-yard line before Sam Brown broke off a 47-yard run on second-and-4 to move into Black Knights territory. The Owls were stopped at the Army 12-yard line and settled for a 29-yard field goal from Carl Hardin, taking their first lead of the contest, 17-14, with 7:38 remaining in the fourth quarter.

Division of the Game: The 11th Airborne Division ("Arctic Angels") is a United States Army multirole infantry division made up of specialized light infantry and airborne infantry based at Joint Base Elmendorf–Richardson in Anchorage, Alaska. Currently, this unit specializes in arctic warfare, airborne operations, combined arms, maneuver warfare, and urban warfare.

Carrying the Flag: Kody-Harris Miller led the Black Knights onto the field with the Black Flag.   

Postgame Notes

  • Army's first offensive drive lasted 7:10 and was its longest opening offensive series of the season in time, plays (12), and yards (77).
  • The 9:56 drive to open the second half was the second-longest of the season, just one second quicker than Army's touchdown drive to close the first half vs. USF.
  • Army played on a Friday for the fourth consecutive season.
  • Friday's game marked the latest road-opener for an Army team since 2020.
  • Army has won eight of its past 12 games dating back to October 4, 2025,  a season ago.
  • Army is 5-0 vs. Temple in the Jeff Monken era and 3-0 against the Owls since joining the American Conference. 2026 marked the third straight year the Black Knights and Owls faced off.
  • Since 2023, Army has played eight games in a late-afternoon time slot (between 3-5 p.m.) and is 5-3 in those contests.
  • Army played at Lincoln Financial Field for the 20th time since the venue opened in 2003. This includes 14 Army-Navy games.
  • The Black Knights are 6-2 at Lincoln Financial Field in the Monken era, including 3-0 vs. Temple and 3-2 vs. Navy.
  • Army has won three consecutive games at Lincoln Financial Field, dating back to its 20-17 overtime win over Navy in 2022. The Black Knights have also won six of their past seven at the venue since a win over Temple in Week 1 of the 2016 season.