Air Force rallies past Army: Falcons secure Commander-in-Chief's Trophy with fourth-quarter TD

FINAL: Air Force 24, Army 21

The Commander-In-Chief's trophy is headed to Colorado Springs for the first time since 2022 after Air Force knocked off Army in a thriller in West Point. It was a slow start for both offenses, but things picked up in the second quarter with Air Force taking control at 10-0 and holding on to a 10-point lead going into the half at 17-7. 

In the second half, Army came out on fire in the third quarter, scoring 14 unanswered to take their first lead of the game. 

Air Force had the answer with a rare passing touchdown from Evan Medders to Simon Kibbee for what ended up the game-winning score. 

Air Force picked off Cale Hellums on Army's ensuing possession and drove down to the goal line, but the Black Knights produced a goal line stand to keep their hopes alive. However, Army could not crack the code of the Falcons defense in the fourth quarter, as Air Force cleaned up their operation after a sloppy third quarter. 

From there, Air Force was able to run out the clock with a 10-play drive that chewed up the final 5:27 to put the game on ice and secure the Commander-In-Chief's trophy. Kemper Hodges led all rushers with 119 yards and one touchdown on 17 carries, while Medders added 59 yards on the ground and 84 through the air with two combined touchdowns in the win to improve Air Force to 7-2 on the season. 

HALF: Air Force 17, Army 7

A scoreless first quarter gave way to an offensive explosion in West Point in the second quarter, as both offenses got moving. Air Force will take a 10-point lead into the break as they look to secure the Commander-In-Chief's trophy, thanks in no small part to an Army special teams blunder that gave them a short field. 

The Falcons converted that into their first touchdown of the game to go up 10-0, but watched as Cale Hellums and Godspower Nwawuihe marched the Black Knights down the field for an answer on a 9-minute touchdown drive, with Nwawuihe finishing off the drive with a 21-yard TD. 

Air Force had just over 3 minutes on the clock to find the answer, and while quick-strike scores aren't usually the story of a service academy game, Evan Medders was able to lead the Falcons on a touchdown drive, punching it in himself with seven seconds to play to give Air Force breathing room again. 

There isn't much between the two teams on the stat line, with Air Force having more success on the ground (133 yards to 78 yards), but Army has been able to find a bit of success through the air (37 yards to 12 yards). The big difference so far is the turnover on the Army punter, who struggled with the snap and took an accidental knee, giving Air Force a short field.