Army vs. Air Force score: Black Knights survive OT, keeping Commander-in-Chief's Trophy hopes alive

When two service academies get together with the Commander-in-Chief's Trophy on the line, the last thing you expect is an aerial display. Army West Point used a dynamic passing game to slide past Air Force 21-14 and win its first leg of the Commander-in-Chief's Trophy in overtime. This after the Falcons scored the final 11 points of regulation to force the extra period.

The Black Knights scored first in overtime. Quarterback Christian Anderson fumbled on a 6-yard run, but the ball was recovered by Jordyn Law in the end zone for what proved to be a game-winning touchdown. Air Force converted on third-and-15 to give itself the ball within the 10-yard line, but Army cornerback Jabari Moore broke up a pass on fourth down to clinch the game. 

Army led 14-3 at one point after a fully scoreless first half, but Air Force QB Haaziq Daniels completed passes of 31 and 12 yards to score the Falcons' lone touchdown with a two-point conversion, cutting their deficit to three. They went 78 yards over 15 plays for a game-tying field goal on the final drive of regulation, a much more service academy type of grind-it-out performance.

Ultimately, Army's touchdown proved to be the difference-maker in overtime after star linebacker Andre Carter II picked up his ninth sack of the season to stifle Air Force's momentum. 

Anderson completed 7 of 12 passes for 175 yards, including a 79-yard touchdown pass to Tyrell Robinson. The Black Knights rank as the second-best rushing offense in the nation, but Air Force bottled it up, holding Army to 108 yards on 2.5 yards per carry. Robinson and wide receiver Isaiah Alston combined for six of the eight catches. 

Air Force's top-rated rushing offense was a little better with 175 yards on the ground, but the bulk of the offensive movement came on the arm of Daniels, who threw for 226 yards and a touchdown in a sensational performance. Fullback Brad Roberts rushed for 68 yards, a relatively poor performance for the Mountain West's leading rusher. Unfortunately, the Falcons' 401 total yards and 5.5 yards per play was not enough to capture the trophy for the first time since 2016. 

With the win, the Commander-in-Chief's Trophy is assured to remain in West Point given Air Force already beat Navy this season. A win over Navy on Dec. 11 would give Army the trophy outright. A loss would mean a three-way tie for the nation's highest service academy football award, which has not happened since 1993, though the physical trophy would remain with the Black Knights since they won in last season.