Army bounces back with 21-17 Friday afternoon win at Temple
· Yahoo Sports
Army and Temple both entered a rare Friday 4 p.m. ET matchup knowing they left the last on one the table.
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The Black Knights squandered a 10-point lead with under four minutes reamining to South Florida in their previous outing. Meanwhile, the Owls watched a 14-point advantage erase in the final 70 seconds of regulation last week at Toledo.
Only one team was going to bounce back Friday afternoon, and it was the one that had more time to recover from the recent heartbreak. Fresh off a bye week, Army traveled to Philadelphia and defeated Temple, 21-17, on a late fourth quarter touchdown. It was familiar territory for the Black Knights, which have been involved in eight one-score games in their last nine appearances.
Trailing 17-14 with 7:38 remaining in the fourth quarter, Army concluded the game with its signature style. The Black Knights consumed roughly six minutes of possession, needing 12 plays to accrue 75 yards for the go-ahead score. With 1:41 left in the contest, quarterback Cale Hellums punched in a 3-yard rushing touchdown. The second-year starter was responsible for all three Army scores in the narrow victory.
Temple had a chance to response in the final 101 seconds and traveled as far as the Army 24-yard line. However, Ajani Sheppard’s pass to Jayce Freeman with under 30 seconds remaining was broken up by Black Knights veteran cornerback Jaydan Mayes, sealing an Army victory at Lincoln Financial Fields.
Hellums, who led all FBS quarterbacks in rushing in 2025, logged a game-high 104 rushing yards and three touchdowns to record his seventh career 100-yard outing on the ground. Samari Howard and Carson Smith provided support with 69 and 63 rushing yards, respectively, as Army controlled over 38 minutes of clock. Interestingly enough, Temple led the time of possession battle at halftime. But the visiting Black Knights hogged 13:39 of clock in the third quarter and 10:01 in the final frame, remaining in full control down the stretch.
Temple started Ajani Sheppard for the first time all season and the quarterback posted the highest passing total of any Owl in 2026. He threw for 242 yards on just 11 completions, connecting on two 60+ yard touchdowns in the defeat. Sheppard found running back Sam Brown V open down the seam for a 78-yard score to knot the score at 7-7 in the first quarter. Then he tied the game in the third quarter on a 67-yard deep shot to Colin Chase, who outran the Army defense.
The Owls established their lone lead with 7:38 remaining on a Carl Hardin field goal, but Army never allowed Temple to possess the ball while in front.
Army now rides a five-game win streak over Temple, dating back to 2016. Jeff Monken’s team won the last two meetings by a combined five points, controlling over 22 minutes of second half clock in both victories.
Temple (1-3, 0-1 American) now rides a three-game skid, dropping back-to-back games where it led in the fourth quarter. Army (2-1, 1-1 American) reverts to a .500 conference record and improves to 13-5 in American play since joining the league in 2024.