Dawson Jones was lifted in the air by his Army teammates after he made another clutch kick.
The celebration continued as Dawson Jones’ 50-yard field goal as time expired rallied Army to a 38-35 win at Tulsa.
West Point superintendent James Bartholomees congratulated Jones on the kick. Quarterback Cale Hellums made sure he found Jones.
Jones and special teams coordinator Sean Saturnio shared a hug.
“I love you, coach,” said Jones, who had made a walk-off field goal two weeks ago against Tulane.
The bond between players and coach at West Point is what separates Army from most FBS programs.
From coach Jeff Monken’s pregame speech, Saturnio’s on-field rally before kickoff, Monken’s “Fight Some More” to singing together “On Brave Old Army Team” after winning, that bond never wavers.
It keeps the Black Knights believing that they still have a chance even when the odds are against them.
And, then, Tim Kloska steps up to make the game-changing play. Kloska’s punt block switched momentum with a few ticks under four minutes left. Kloska credited his teammates and coaches for Army’s first punt block in nearly three years (Brett Gerena, Coastal Carolina, 11/18/23).
Cale Hellums and Army’s offense capitalized on the short field with the quarterback’s third rushing TD on the game. Hellums
16-yard scramble centered ball for Jones’ winning kick.
Jones may have had the best day by Army kicker ever. He’s the first kicker in the academy’s storied history to make two field goals of 50 yards or more (career-best 51 yards). Only 12 field goals of 50 yards or more were made by Army kickers prior to the Tulsa game.
Cale Hellums is climbing up Army career rushing charts as well as national rankings. Hellums joined Army’s 2,000-yard rushing club as the 15th player ever to hit the career mark. Hellums is 160 yards away from becoming the first Army quarterback and fourth player in academy history to rush for 1,000 yards in back-to-back seasons. His 34 career rushing touchdowns have Hellums 11 away from tying Trent Steelman’s record of 45.
Army may have two rising stars on defense in sophomore Julian Porter and freshman linebacker Deion Miller. Porter picked off his first career pass in the first half. Miller was rated as one of the week’s top linebackers by Pro Football Network.
Great to see Godspower Nwawuihe rips off a 66-yard touchdown run and perhaps, it’s a sign that the sophomore running back is getting back to full health after missing a few games due to injury. Explosive plays from Army’s running backs are going to keep being needed in this second half of the schedule and can punish defenses keying on Hellums too much.
On the flip side, Army slotbacks combined for three yards on four carries. Samari Howard made an impact in the passing game with three catches for 41 yards.
Army’s longest pass of the day came from slotback Zach Mundell, who completed a 45-yard pass to Brady Anderson. It was Mundell’s second completion of the season. Would like to see the next one go for the senior’s first career touchdown pass.
