– by Adesina O. Koiki
A Lot of Sports Talk editor-in-chief
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WEST POINT, NEW YORK — Even with its quarterback running up and down and all around the stadium, the Army men’s football team once again could not run away from its opponent on Saturday, but again finally found the separation it needed right in the nick of time.
Quarterback Cale Hellums ran for a career-high 223 yards, including a game-tying 58-yard score in the fourth quarter, and also helped set up Dawson Jones’ 25-yard field goal as time expired as Army defeated Tulane 20-17 inside Michie Stadium on Saturday afternoon.
Barn burners and Black Knights football have been besties over the past couple of years, as nine of Army’s last 10 games against FBS opponents have been decided by one score, with eight of the last nine separated by no more than four points. Army made good on another close game soon after the Green Wave failed to convert a fourth down inside of Army’s 35-yard line in the fourth quarter. Hellums and the offense possessed the ball for the final 3:55 as they marched down the field before taking a timeout with two seconds remaining and right before Jones’ game-winning boot.
Like last season’s game against the Green Wave, Hellums carried the ball 38 times yet traveled 60 yards more than the contest in New Orleans. His 223 rushing yards were the most by a quarterback this season in the FBS, and he became the first Black Knight to run for over 200 yards in a game since Christian Anderson against Miami (Ohio) University in 2021.
Tulane quarterback Kadin Semonza threw for 158 yards with a touchdown and an interception, with the score coming on swing pass to Jaylin Lucas that covered 39 yards early in the fourth to give the Green Wave a 17-10 lead. Running back Jamauri McClure, who started last season, made his 2026 debut after a foot injury in fall camp, and he ran for 25 yards on five carries.
*Editor’s note: Above the byline is the photo gallery from Saturday afternoon’s game, with photos taken by ALOST staff photographer Dale Horton. After clicking on a photo to enlarge the picture, press the left and right arrow buttons on either side of the caption to scroll through the rest of the pictures that appear on the first page, Also, click on the numbers and/or arrow appearing immediately below the picture grid to load the next set of photos. There are 38 pictures in total.
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