Evan Medders, Kemper Hodges Lead Air Force Past Army 24-21 To Clinch Commander-in-Chief's Trophy

Air Force answered Army's first lead of the night with a 75-yard touchdown drive, then held the ball for the final 5:27 to finish it. Evan Medders ran for one score and threw a 24-yard touchdown pass to tight end Simon Kibbee on the first play of the fourth quarter, Kemper Hodges ran for 119 yards, and Air Force beat Army 24-21 on Saturday night at Michie Stadium in West Point, N.Y.

Air Force (7-2, 3-2 Mountain West) won its second straight game and ended a three-game losing streak against the Black Knights. Army (5-4, 4-2 American) erased a 17-7 halftime deficit with two third-quarter touchdowns and led 21-17, but did not score again and has now lost two in a row.

The win also clinched the Commander-in-Chief's Trophy for Air Force, which beat Navy 14-9 on Oct. 3. According to the Associated Press, it is the Falcons' first trophy since 2022 and their 22nd overall, six of them under 19th-year coach Troy Calhoun. Air Force now leads the series with Army 39-21-1.

A scoreless first quarter

The two best rushing offenses in the country, according to Air Force's pregame notes, started slowly. Army entered leading the nation at 342.5 rushing yards per game, with Air Force second at 341.0, and the Black Knights opened with a 15-play drive from their own 17 that included a fourth-and-1 conversion by quarterback Cole Hellums at the Air Force 36. The drive ended with Dawson Jones missing a 46-yard field goal at 6:30 of the first quarter.

Air Force answered with a 12-play, 67-yard drive that took 6:37. It stalled at the Army 4, and kicker Cremascoli made a 21-yard field goal on fourth-and-goal 7 seconds into the second quarter for a 3-0 lead.

A bad snap opens the door

Army's next possession lost 12 yards in four plays. On fourth down, a bad snap on the punt left James Wagenseller scrambling, and the punter was brought down 13 yards behind the line. Air Force took over on downs at the Army 13 with 13:59 left in the half.

It took the Falcons three plays to cash in. Hodges, a converted fullback according to the Times Herald-Record, ran it in from 3 yards out at 12:40 for a 10-0 lead.

Army grinds, Air Force answers before the half

Army responded the way it usually does. The Black Knights went 75 yards in 15 plays and used 9:17, converting on fourth-and-1 twice. The second one, at the Army 45, was first ruled a turnover on downs but was overturned on review and ruled a first down. Hellums found Tobi Olawole for 13 yards on the drive, and Godspower Nwawuihe finished it with a 21-yard touchdown run at 3:23 to cut the deficit to 10-7.

Air Force needed 3:16 to get those points back. Medders ran 15 yards early in the drive, and a holding penalty on Army's Julian Porter turned an incomplete pass on third-and-5 into a first down at the Army 32. LaDue ran for 12 yards, Rocco Conti added 9, Medders hit Matt Long for 5, and Medders scored on a 4-yard run with 7 seconds left in the half for a 17-7 lead.

Army takes the lead in the third

The third quarter opened with three straight three-and-outs, including Will Duncan's 56-yard punt for Air Force and Wagenseller's 59-yarder for Army. When Air Force went three-and-out again and punted only 24 yards to the Army 44, the Black Knights took advantage.

Bryson Luter broke a 39-yard run to the Air Force 12, and Hellums scored from 1 yard out at 6:07 to make it 17-14. Hellums entered the game leading the nation with 17 rushing touchdowns, according to CBS Sports.

Air Force then gambled and lost. Facing fourth-and-3 at its own 32, Hodges gained only 2 yards before Brian Ray III stopped the run, and Army took over at 4:06. The Black Knights needed three plays to cover 34 yards. Luter ran for 11, Nwawuihe for 4, and Luter went the last 19 yards for a touchdown at 2:40. Army led 21-17, its first lead of the game.

Medders to Kibbee

Air Force started its next drive at its own 25 and went 75 yards in seven plays. Medders, who had been listed as questionable during the week with turf toe according to the Times Herald-Record, ran for 14 yards and threw 25 yards to Mason Hayes to move the Falcons into Army territory. On the first play of the fourth quarter, Medders found Kibbee at about the 10, and the 6-foot-6 tight end walked into the end zone for a 24-yard touchdown and a 24-21 lead at 14:25.

Army coach Jeff Monken pointed to that drive afterward. "We take the lead and we allow a 75-yard touchdown drive," Monken said, according to the Times Herald-Record. Monken also said, "I'm sorely disappointed."

Johnson's interception and a goal-line stand

Army moved quickly on its next possession, with Hellums running for 12 yards, but Korey Johnson intercepted Hellums at the Air Force 44 at 12:18. According to the Times Herald-Record, it was the Falcons' first takeaway against Army in four games.

Air Force drove 55 yards in nine plays from there. Hodges broke a 32-yard run to the Army 19, and Medders hit Long for 8 yards down to the 2. Medders was stopped for no gain on third down, and on fourth-and-goal Conti gained 1 yard before Kai Woolfolk and Jack Bousum stopped the run. Army took over at its own 1 with 7:11 left.

The stand did not last long for the Black Knights. Army went three-and-out from the 1, and Wagenseller boomed a 65-yard punt from the Army 3 at 5:27.

Air Force runs out the clock

That was the last time Army touched the ball. Air Force went 46 yards in 10 plays and ran off the final 5:27. Medders converted a third down with a 15-yard pass to Hayes, LaDue added runs of 14 and 8 yards, and after Army used a timeout, Medders took three knees to finish it.

By the numbers

Air Force outgained Army 344 to 220 and ran for 260 yards on 52 carries. Hodges carried 17 times for 119 yards and a touchdown, LaDue ran 11 times for 65 yards, and Medders added 59 yards and a score on 13 carries. Medders completed 6 of 8 passes for 84 yards and the touchdown to Kibbee. Hayes caught two passes for 40 yards, Kibbee two for 31 and Long two for 13.

Army ran for 182 yards on 44 carries but threw for only 38. Nwawuihe led the Black Knights with 82 yards and a touchdown on 18 carries, Luter added 81 yards and a score on nine carries, and Hellums ran 13 times for 34 yards and a touchdown. Hellums completed 5 of 10 passes for 38 yards with one interception.

Jaylin Reese led Air Force with nine tackles, and Johnson and Brody Bujnoch each had seven. For Army, Caleb Williams and Woolfolk made eight tackles apiece, and Stephen Nnadozie and Dillon Stowers added seven each.

Army converted 3 of 4 fourth downs, while Air Force went 0 for 2, failing at its own 32 and at the Army 2. Each team was flagged once, Air Force for 5 yards and Army for 10. Air Force had 18 first downs to Army's 15 and held the ball for 30:23. The only turnover was Johnson's interception.

What it means

Air Force has bounced back from a 28-14 loss at Wyoming with wins over UConn and Army. Hodges was the key again a week after running for 200 yards and four touchdowns in a 35-26 win over UConn. The Falcons host San Jose State on Nov. 14, then UTEP on Friday, Nov. 20, before closing the regular season at New Mexico on Friday, Nov. 27.

Army had won the last three meetings, including a 20-17 win at Falcon Stadium last season on a field goal as time expired and a 20-3 win at West Point in 2024. Instead, the Black Knights dropped their second straight game after a 49-22 loss at Memphis, which followed a 38-35 win at Tulsa on a last-second field goal. Army is off next week after seven straight weeks of games, then hosts East Carolina on Nov. 21 and plays at Rice on Nov. 28 before facing Navy on Dec. 12 at MetLife Stadium.

Sources: ESPN box score (opens in a new tab) and play-by-play. More college football coverage on Undrafted.

Photos: U.S. Air Force photo/Jonathan Suni.