Army pulled off an Oklahoma miracle.
Dawson Jones booted a 50-yard field goal as time expired and the Black Knights rallied to beat Tulsa 38-35 at H.A. Chapman Stadium on Friday, Oct. 23. It was his second 50-plus kick in the game, and his second game-winner in three weeks as the clock ran out.
"It was a perfect snap and perfect hold, the guys were able to block and execute,'' Jones said afterward, praising the field-goal unit.
"Dawson Jones, the clutch gene. ... He went into halftime 2-for-2, and he told me just get it in field-goal range and I'll make it happen,'' Army quarterback Cale Hellums said. "This was a great team win.''
"I was proud with how we finished,'' said Army coach Jeff Monken.
Army had a 28-14 lead before its offense began to sputter in the second half – "We laid an egg in the third,'' Hellums said – and Tulsa rallied with 21 consecutive points for a late lead in the American Conference showdown.
It was special teams to the rescue as fullback Tim Kloska blocked a Max Tulen punt attempt and scrambled on all fours to recover the loose ball at the Tulsa 15. After struggling through four failed three-and-out drives, Army covered the distance on four plays; Hellums needed two tries to score from the 1 with 1:50 left.
Army forced a three-and-out, and got the ball at its own 37. Army converted one first down, and then Hellums raced off the right side for a critical 16-yard gain to the Tulsa 36 with six seconds left. Hellums scratched out 3 more yards and Army called its final timeout. The snap was set between the hashes and Jones drove it right down the middle.
Earlier in the week, Monken dismissed the notion of this being a revenge game, as Tulsa rallied late to win at West Point. This certainly erases the sting from that.
Army has won three in a row to move to 5-2, 4-1 in the American.
After seizing a 28-14 lead, Army went scoreless on three consecutive drives over nearly 12 minutes early into the fourth quarter. Tulsa responded, scoring three touchdowns on consecutive drives.
Hellums directed his team to its fifth opening-drive touchdown of the season. Hellums called his own number six times on nine snaps, running untouched off the left side for a 41-yard score thanks to Jake Rendina's seal block. It was very reminiscent of Hellums' 58-yard score against Florida Atlantic a week earlier.
Army's defense got a bad taste of Baylor Hayes' prowess right away. Running a no-huddle offense, he completed all four of his throws, two for 20-plus yards, as the Golden Hurricane quickly got to the Army 8. Javon Ross went in motion to the right side, slipped one tackle bid and slipped inside the flag for the touchdown.
Army used a bit of trickery to open the next series as converted quarterback Zach Mundell took a short pitch and hauled off downfield, finding Brady Anderson wide open for a 45-yard gain. But Tulsa's defense stiffened, and Dawson Jones was called on for a career-best 51-yard field goal with 3:58 left in the first.
It was Army's longest field goal since 2014.
Tulsa converted on a pair of long third-down plays to keep its next series alive. First, Hayes found Javon Ross open for a 20-yard play down the left seam. Then Damari Alston broke two tackles and dove for the necessary 11 yards for another. Alston followed with a 17-yard burst up the middle, and Ross toe-dragged both feet racing across the end zone for a 17-yard score and 14-10 Tulsa lead.
Army executed its second-longest time-consuming scoring drive, moving 75 yards on 15 plays and taking 9:51 off the clock. Hellums capped it with a half-yard leap over the right guard on fourth down, a score confirmed by video review, for his second score of the game. It was his FBS-leading 15th of the season and 33rd for his career for a 17-14 lead, 1:57 before halftime.
Julian Porter dove in front of Ross on a quick out for his second interception of the season, downed at the Tulsa 43 with 38 seconds left. It was Tulsa's fifth turnover of 2026. Hellums completed passes of 14, 18 and 9 yards to get down to the Tulsa 16, where Jones lined up for his second field goal of the game, from 34 yards, for a 20-14 halftime lead.
Tulsa did not make it easy on the Army run game, holding the Black Knights to 2 yards or fewer 14 times out of 30 carries in the first half (with two plays that went for lost yards) and putting them behind the sticks. But the Golden Hurricane also gave up some unexpected big plays, seven double-digit gains. At the break, Army had 148 yards rushing and 102 passing.
Army football struggled
Army's defense got a three-and-out to start the third quarter. On the second snap, Godspower Nwawuihe burst through a hole on the left side and raced 66 yards for the score. As a freshman he scored on a 70-yard play in the Fenway Bowl win over Connecticut. Army lined up with just two middle blockers on the extra point, and Mundell took the direct snap and converted the two-point conversion for a 28-14 lead.
Tulsa had a 98-yard kickoff return TD called back on review as Trequan Jones stepped on the right sideline at the Army 45. Undaunted, the Golden Hurricane ran nine plays, with David Wells Jr. scoring on an 11-yard reverse on fourth down, cutting the gap to 28-21.
Jones made up for his sideline miscue by hitting a hole up the middle and racing untouched for a 59-yard tying score. Holder Max Tulen saved the high snap on the extra point and Owen Carey booted the PAT for the draw at 28.
Army's second-half struggles continued, going three-and-out, and normally consistent punter James Wagenseller shanked a 20-yard boot to midfield. Tulane needed 10 plays to pull ahead 35-28, capped by a 13-yard catch by Jimmy Calloway (his seventh of the evening) in the right corner of the end zone.
Army stayed alive when Carey pushed a 40-yard field goal try wide right with 7:34 left. An 18-yard touchdown grab was negated by a holding call two snaps earlier.
Army football staying in American chase
Army remains in the thick of the race for top-two seeding and a spot in the American Conference championship on Dec. 5. The Black Knights (4-1) trail Texas San Antonio (3-0) and North Texas (2-0) after Friday night action, and lead Memphis (3-1) and Alabama Birmingham (2-1). Army does not play UTSA, nor UNT so the Black Knights are going to need someone to knock one of them off in order to have a shot.
Up next
Army faces another stiff test with a Halloween night game at Memphis. The Tigers trail the Black Knights by a half-game for third place in the American Conference. Game time is 8 p.m. with the game televised by ESPNU.
kmcmillan@th-record.com
X / Twitter: @KenMcMillanTHR
This article originally appeared on Times Herald-Record: Army rallies late for clutch victory at Tulsa