Kicker Dawson Jones booted a 25-yard field goal as time expired to lift Army West Point Football to a 20-17 victory over Tulane on Oct. 10 at Michie Stadium.
The Black Knights (3-2, 2-1 American) moved above .500 overall and in American Conference play in front of a crowd of 29,722, while the Green Wave (2-3, 0-1 American) dropped their conference opener.
Tulane faced fourth-and-8 from the Army 33-yard line, but a deep shot from Kadin Semonza into the end zone fell incomplete, handing the ball back to Army with 3:55 left and the game tied 17-17. The Black Knights drained most of the remaining clock on a string of short-yardage runs by quarterback Cale Hellums and running back Carson Smith, and a 17-yard Hellums run set up a chance for the win. After head coach Jeff Monken called a timeout with two seconds remaining, Jones split the uprights from 25 yards out, and his teammates stormed the field in celebration.
Hellums recorded a career-high 223 rushing yards with a pair of touchdowns. His game-tying 58-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter was also his longest career rush.
The quarterback's 38 carries also tied for the fifth-most in school history, matching his rushing attempts at Tulane a season ago.
For the first time this season, Army's opponent won the coin toss, and Tulane deferred, giving the Black Knights the ball first. Army was unable to get a first down on its opening series, and punter James Wagenseller's punt put Tulane at its own 25-yard line to start its drive.
Tulane took its opening drive across midfield to the Army 33-yard line, where safety Caleb Williams intercepted a Semonza pass with 8:19 left in the first quarter.
Army turned the takeaway into points with a 12-play, 74-yard touchdown drive that consumed 6:37. The drive featured a third-and-9 conversion through the air to slotback Zach Mundell. Then, after Tulane's defense bowed up for a pair of stops inside its 2-yard line, quarterback Cale Hellums punched the ball into the end zone from 1 yard out on third-and-goal to make it 7-0 with 1:42 left in the first quarter.
Army's defense built on the momentum with a three-and-out on Tulane's next drive, after a Semonza pass over the middle intended for wide receiver Bredell Richardson fell incomplete.
Army took over with nine seconds left in the first quarter. Hellums picked up one third-and-long with his legs, but the Black Knights couldn't convert a second and sent out the punt team. Instead of punting, however, Wagenseller rushed the ball on a fake punt attempt that came up 4 yards short of the line to gain, giving the Green Wave the ball back at the Army 45-yard line with 9:08 left in the first half.
Tulane took advantage of that field position to reach the Army red zone, where, after converting third-and-6, the Green Wave were forced to settle for a 21-yard field goal to make it 7-3 with 4:52 left in the first half.
On Army's ensuing drive, Hellums extended a third-and-6 play, escaping the pocket and finding slotback Samari Howard downfield for what would have been a first down. Unfortunately for the Black Knights, the play was called back for illegal touching, forcing the hosts to punt.
The Green Wave picked up a chunk play early in the resulting drive as Semonza hit Richardson in stride for a 20-yard gain down the middle of the field, sending the contest to the two-minute timeout. Army's defense, however, responded quickly, forcing a Tulane punt on its next set of downs.
The Green Wave then answered, forcing another Army three-and-out and taking over at their own 28-yard line with just 24 seconds remaining in the half. Though a pair of chunk plays advanced the ball to midfield, a sack by Victor Afolabi on the final play of the half shut down any opportunity for a deep shot, sending the Black Knights to the locker room with a 7-3 advantage.
Army's defense took the field to open the second half and forced a three-and-out, giving the ball back to the offense at its own 20-yard line. The Black Knights then marched 49 yards on 10 plays to the Tulane 31-yard line, but the drive stalled, and Jones' 49-yard field goal attempt was blocked to end the possession without points.
Tulane converted a pair of third-and-longs on its next series to push deep into Army territory, before Semonza punched the ball into the end zone on a 1-yard sneak with 3:18 left in the third quarter, putting the Green Wave ahead 10-7 for their first lead of the afternoon.
Army responded with its own drive, crossing midfield as the third quarter expired. After Hellums converted a trio of third-and-shorts across the possession, a fourth third-and-short turned into third-and-8 after a false start penalty. Howard appeared to pick up the first down, but the play was overturned on review, leaving Army short of the line to gain and leading to a 31-yard field goal by Jones to tie the game at 10-10 with 9:21 left in the fourth quarter.
The pace then picked up as the two teams began trading blows. Tulane wasted little time regaining the advantage, scoring in just three plays on the ensuing drive as Jaylin Lucas hauled in a 39-yard touchdown pass down the sideline. However, the Black Knights answered even faster, as Hellums dashed 58 yards to the house on the second play of Army's next drive, setting a new career long and allowing Jones to knock the PAT through the uprights to knot the score at 17-17 with just under seven minutes to play.
After a 41-yard rush by Tulane's Johnnie Daniels pushed the visitors past midfield on their next drive, Army's defense stiffened, forcing a fourth-and-8 from the Army 33-yard line. Head coach Will Hall then took a gamble and attempted the conversion, but Semonza's deep shot into the end zone fell incomplete, returning possession to the Black Knights with 3:55 left in the contest.
Army used the opportunity to chip away at the Green Wave defense, as a flurry of short-yardage gains from Hellums and Smith moved the Black Knights near field-goal range and drained most of the remaining clock. Then, a 17-yard run by Hellums set up a chance for Army to kick a game-winning field goal.
After calling a timeout with just two seconds remaining, Monken sent out the field goal unit for a 25-yard try. Jones placed the kick right down the middle, giving the Black Knights a 20-17 victory as his teammates stormed the field in celebration.
Division of the Game: The 7th Infantry Division is charged with maintaining the capability of two Stryker infantry brigade combat teams, a combat aviation brigade and a division artillery unit, as well as preparing units for several yearly U.S. Army Pacific exercises. The 7th Infantry Division is the only active-duty multi-component division headquarters in the Army.
Carrying the Flag: Henry Appleton led the Black Knights onto the field with the Black Flag.