Well friends, that sucked. I don’t honestly know that there’s anything we can say this morning that’ll make you feel any better, but we’ll give it the ol’ college try.
We said before the game that dominating the line of scrimmage would become the decisive factor in this contest, and this proved correct. But we expected to see Army’s 2024 Joe Moore Award-winning offensive line do the dominating, and instead, we had to watch Tarleton State’s defensive line run our guys right the Hell over. Our friends in AFF’s Firstie Club said that they saw a bunch of bad reads and missed assignments from Army’s offense. It’s hard to tell that sort of thing from the stands. From where we were watching, it looked like the Black Knight just got their shit pushed in. Let’s hope it’s more the former, though, because that’s way easier to fix.
Final Score: Tarleton State 30, Army 27
— Army Football (@ArmyWP_Football) August 30, 2025
It seems strange now, but Army actually took a two-touchdown lead in this game shortly after the half. Alas, they then threw two interceptions, fumbled, and proceeded to come completely apart on the offensive side of the ball. This let Tarleton State fight their way back and eventually tie the game. It’s hard as anything to win a game when you go minus-three in turnover margin, and T-State’s coaching staff seemed to sense that the Black Knights would self-destruct if they only sat back and allowed it to happen. Late in the game, the Texans just kept handing off the football, punting, and allowing Army to shoot themselves in the foot.
But even with all the mistakes, this plan should have backfired!
QB Dewayne Coleman went out late in the fourth quarter with an injury, allowing cow backup QB Cale Hellums to come in and lead a 7-play, 42-yard drive in just 1:10 to set up a 43-yard field goal attempt. Coming into the game, that’s a kick we’d have expected Army to make. They missed it, though, and then they missed another from 40 yards out in overtime, and we all know what happened from there.
Way too quick thoughts:
— As For Football (@asforfootball) August 29, 2025
1. Losing 21 pounds at QB matters.
2. This is not last year's offensive line. Viti has got to get it figured out quick. Good news is that there's no one better to get it figured out.
3. Tarleton is pretty freaking good.
4. Cale Hellums…?
If the line play wasn’t decisive, then the turnovers were. We can excuse the first because facing 3rd-and-12, Coleman heaved a 50/50 ball from his own 36 to the T-State 22. Yeah, the ball got picked, but that was as good as a punt given the situation. A punt was definitely coming after that play, regardless. By launching it, Coleman at least ensured that T-State didn’t get good field position. Indeed, the Texans went three-and-out on the ensuing series, so Army actually netted about 15 yards from that exchange.
Unfortunately, Army’s second turnover might’ve been the play of the game. The Black Knight struggled mightily to run the ball all day yesterday, but they finally found something like momentum early in the fourth quarter, driving all the way down to the Texan 17-yard-line. On first and ten, however, Army’s staff called a pass over the middle, the Texans read it perfectly, and Coleman wound up throwing right to T-State DB Kasyus Kurns in the end zone. Instead of going back up two scores, the Black Knights self-destructed.
It was at this point that T-State’s coaching staff started counting on Army mistakes as their strategy to win this football game. Army obliged by fumbling on their own 20-yard-line on their next possession, setting up T-State’s game-tying touchdown, and worse, the Black Knights offense never recovered. They lost their confidence after that third mistake. The two missed field goals afterwards just proved the point for a team that had already lost itself on the field.
It’s a shame, too, because the Black Knights wasted a solid defensive effort that kept them in the game for four full quarters. Army’s defense held All-UAC QB Victor Gabalis to just 16/30 passing for 152 yards and a touchdown. CB Jaydan Mayes dropped a sure-fire pick-six when he jumped a route, but even so, Army’s secondary played good ball yesterday. Similarly, though the Black Knights lost contain a few times against the Texans’ running game, they still held this very potent offense to 6/18 on third down and 1/2 on fourth down. Army registered 2 sacks, 7 total tackles-for-loss, and 2 fumbles, though they didn’t recover either. But that pressure forced T-State to all but abandon the passing game late. Friends, the Texans punted *7* times, shanking at least three of those punts. This is the only reason Army’s offense could get into position to even attempt to win this game in regulation.
SACK!!
— Army Football (@ArmyWP_Football) August 29, 2025
Kalib Fortner with his first of the season for a loss of six and forces a punt! pic.twitter.com/qdnpQtngPg
We debated in the AFF group chat late last night about who was Army’s biggest loss from last season. Was it Captain America, QB Bryson Daily, or 60% of last year’s mauling offensive line, or maybe current ASU 3rd string RB Kanyee Udoh?
My vote went to former O-Line Coach Matt Drinkall, now the Head Coach at Central Michigan University. Drinkall designed the current blocking scheme, and from where I’ve been sitting, the line hasn’t looked the same since he got his new job. Army mauled everyone all season in 2024, but then they got their shit pushed in against Navy, immediately after Drinkall’s new job got announced. They caught a reprieve in the bowl game, but then they came out looking very much the way they did in last year’s Navy game here in Week One.
Who is this team, exactly?
They’ve got some stuff to correct, friends. We’ll see if they can get it corrected.
This play from @CMU_Football hat on a hat straight bully 🏈 was thing of beauty! Congrats to @DrinkallCoach on his first win as a head coach many more to come! pic.twitter.com/QKYeZ0B1Uh
— The cfb lliason (@realfbllliason) August 30, 2025
Sometimes Army Football is about watching our team steamroll the opposition, breaking their opponents’ wills, winning championships, and earning eternal glory. Last season was like that, and it was wonderful. But sometimes it’s about catching up with classmates, visiting the Firstie Club for the first time in thirty years, and just enjoying being back at our Rockbound Highland Home whenever the opportunity presents itself.
Yesterday was more of the latter, but I confess that I still enjoyed the game quite a bit. I got to see some old friends, got a couple of rad pictures with my classmates up in the stands, and got to see the — incredibly upscale! — remodeled Firstie Club. I also got to see my team play, for better or worse.
I had a really good time, all things considered.
So yeah. We don’t know what this season is going to bring. We got off to kind of a rough start. But as you’re watching the team this season, cheering like Hell, remember that you’re not blocking or tackling or catching or kicking or really doing much of anything besides hoping and praying as hard as you possibly can. Get loud when you’re in the stadium, but for God’s sake, don’t take it too personally. Reach out to your classmates. Reengage with your friends. Let the coaching staff do what they’ve got to do.
We’ll see you in a few weeks.
Go Army! Beat Kansas State!!!
