It was the ultimate clash of styles.
Army ran the ball at a top-5 rate in the FBS. Florida Atlantic passed the ball at a top-5 rate.
In the battle between the ground-savvy Black Knights and the air-reliant Owls, the run game won out — in dominant fashion. Army handled Florida Atlantic 56-24 Saturday afternoon in Michie Stadium, giving the Black Knights their third consecutive conference victory, while FAU suffered its first conference defeat.
Florida Atlantic’s 324 passing yards and three touchdowns were no match for Army’s dominance on the ground. The Black Knights exploded for 479 rushing rushing yards and eight touchdowns on an 8.0 average.
Cale Hellums, fresh off a career-high 223 rushing yards, continued his rampage with another memorable performance. The quarterback accumulated 195 yards in a follow-up act and tied the Army program record for most rushing touchdowns in a game. Hellums now sits atop the leaderboard with running back Carlton Jones (2004) and quarterbacks Kelvin Hopkins Jr. (2018) and Bryson Daily (2024) after running in five scores against Florida Atlantic. He also sits atop a season leaderboard, ranking first among FBS quarterbacks with 120 rushing yards per game.
Jake Rendina and Bryson Luter both broke free for 60+ yard runs, combining for 164 rushing yards and two touchdowns, while Godspower Nwawuihe and Samari Howard were other key contributors to Army’s ground explosion.
Army established superiority from the onset. On the first play from scrimmage, defensive end Jack Bousum pressured Florida Atlantic quarterback Caden Veltkamp and got a hand on the ball, allowing outside linebacker Elijah Walton to record an interception. Then on Army’s first offensive snap, Howard ran in a 30-yard touchdown to set the tone.
FAU answered Army’s first two touchdowns, and the game was deadlocked at 14-14 entering the second quarter. That’s when Jeff Monken’s team rattled off 28 unanswered, securing a commanding 42-14 advantage within the first two minutes of the third quarter.
Army did it all through the run game and turnover creation. FAU, which led the FBS in giveaways last season, reverted to its 2025 kryptonite and lost the turnover battle 3-0. Army capitalized on the interception and the two fumbles with 21 points, creating plenty of separation over an improved Owls team.
The Black Knights stayed true to their roots in the blowout victory. While FAU fired the ball 49 times, Army only threw twice. Hellums completed 1-of-2 attempts for two yards, as Army finished with its fewest completions since a Nov. 8, 2025 win over Temple and fewest attempts since Dec. 6, 2024 in the American Championship Game win over Tulane.
Florida Atlantic (4-2, 1-1 American) watched its four-game win streak snap on the road in West Point. The Owls are no longer perfect in their conference slate, leaving North Texas and UTSA as the only unblemished teams in the American standings. Florida Atlantic must solve its run defense moving forward. After allowing a 190+ yard rusher for the second time this season, the Owls rank fifth-to-last in rushing yards allowed per game and 10th-to-last in rushing yards allowed per carry. However, another option-based team is next on the docket, as Florida Atlantic hosts Rice on Oct. 24.
Army (4-2, 3-1 American) finally completed its long-awaited domination. Nine of the Black Knights’ last 10 FBS matchups were decided by four points or fewer, including each of the first four games this season. However, Army secured its largest margin of victory over FBS competition since Oct. 12, 2024, when it pummeled UAB by 34 points. The Black Knights must sustain the momentum in a short week, as Tulsa awaits for a Friday night matchup Oct. 23.