Army West Point Athletics
Army West Point
1-2 , 0-1
North Texas
4-0 , 1-0
Football Rallies From 21-Point Deficit, Falls to North Texas in OT
September 20, 2025 | Football
WEST POINT, N.Y. — Army West Point football (1-2, 0-1) nearly pulled off another dramatic comeback, erasing a 21-point first-half deficit before falling 45-38 in overtime to North Texas (4-0, 1-0) on Saturday at Michie Stadium. The loss marked the Black Knights' first in American Athletic Conference play after going unbeaten in league competition last season.
On a beautiful 70-degree day along the banks of the Hudson, Army started Cale Hellums at quarterback, making his second career start and first at home. But it was senior Dwayne Coleman who came off the bench in the second quarter and ignited the rally, accounting for three touchdowns — two passing and one rushing — while throwing for 101 yards and rushing for 117 more on 23 carries. He led the Black Knights to a late field goal that forced overtime before exiting with an injury in the extra period which forced Hellums back in.
North Texas' Caleb Hawkins capped a career day with his fourth rushing touchdown in overtime, and Army's fourth-down pass fell incomplete to end the comeback bid.
Coleman's efforts kept Army alive after a first half riddled with turnovers. North Texas opened the game with a 15-play, 75-yard drive capped by a 4-yard touchdown run from Hawkins. Quarterback Drew Mestemaker went 6-of-7 for 52 yards on the opening possession.
Army gained two first downs on the ground before turning the ball over at its own 44 on a fumbled pitch from Hellums to slot back Noah Short, which the Mean Green recovered. North Texas converted the turnover into a 6-yard touchdown run by Makenzie McGill II, taking a 14-0 lead.
Army was hit by another fumble on its next possession when Hellums lost the ball on a quarterback keeper. North Texas recovered and returned it 20 yards to the Army 18. Hawkins scored three plays later on a 7-yard run to give North Texas a commanding 21-0 lead after the first quarter.
Needing a spark, Army sophomore running back Briggs Bartosh broke through the middle for a 75-yard touchdown run, his first career score, coming on just his fourth carry after debuting against Kansas State. After one quarter, Army trailed 21-7.
Army's defense came up with a key stop when North Texas went for it on fourth-and-1 from its own 47. But defensive back Justin Weaver was called for targeting on a defenseless receiver and was ejected for the remainder of the game.
A third turnover of the first half bit the Black Knights when Hellums' third-and-9 pass intended for WR Brady Anderson was intercepted by Da'Veawn Armstead, returned 35 yards to the Army 10. Two plays later, North Texas extended its lead to three scores on Mestemaker's 6-yard touchdown pass with 6:35 remaining in the first half.
With 6:35 remaining in the half and down three scores, Head Coach Jeff Monken inserted Coleman at quarterback. The senior sparked a 13-play, 75-yard drive over 5:58, converting a fourth-and-1 near midfield and capping the series with a 17-yard touchdown pass to running back Samari Howard in the back corner of the end zone.
North Texas drove in the final minute, reaching field-goal range on a 19-yard pass from Mestemaker to Cameron Dorner, but only one second remained on the clock, leaving the score 28-14 at halftime.
Monken stuck with Coleman to start the second half. Army seized momentum as Hayden Reed ripped off a 37-yard touchdown run to bring the Black Knights within seven. Army marched 75 yards on seven plays over 3:53, with Reed rushing for 49 yards on the drive.
Mestemaker completed two passes of more than 15 yards on the ensuing drive, but Army's defense held in the red zone, forcing a 23-yard field goal to extend North Texas' lead to 31-21.
Army responded with a methodical 17-play, 75-yard drive over 9:58, capped by Coleman's five-yard dive into the end zone to cut the deficit to 31-28 with 11:27 remaining in the fourth quarter.
North Texas answered immediately as Hawkins broke loose for a 21-yard touchdown run, pushing the lead back to 38-28.
Trailing by 10 with under three minutes remaining, Army looked finished until Coleman connected with Anderson for a 68-yard touchdown with 2:56 to go, cutting the deficit to 38-35.
On the first play of the ensuing North Texas possession, Army junior safety Stephen Nnadozie forced a fumble at the Army 47 that Kalib Fortner recovered at the 44, giving the Black Knights one last chance. Coleman drove the offense into field-goal range, and Dawson Jones drilled a 23-yarder with nine seconds left to tie the game and force overtime. It marked the first time Army played back-to-back overtime games at home.
In overtime, Hawkins scored his fourth rushing touchdown. Coleman exited with an injury on Army's possession, bringing Hellums back into the game. Facing fourth-and-5 from the North Texas 9, Hellums' pass intended for Short was tipped and fell incomplete, sealing a 45-38 victory for the Mean Green.
GAME NOTES
Carrying the Flag: Defensive lineman Jacob Tuioti led the Black Knights onto the field with the Black Flag.
Division of the Game: Army honored the 3rd Infantry Division with helmet decals and headset logos. The 3ID (Rock of the Marne) is a combined arms division based at Fort Stewart, Georgia, under XVIII Airborne Corps.
- Saturday marked Army's first AAC defeat. The Black Knights went 8-0 in league play in 2024, before defeating Tulane in the conference championship.
- Army is 17-4 in its last 21 games dating back to November 2023.
- Briggs Bartosh scored his first career touchdown on a 75-yard run, tied for the 10th-longest in program history since 1996. He finished with 99 yards on eight carries.
- Hayden Reed rushed for 113 yards on 19 attempts, scoring his second touchdown of the season and seventh career rushing score.
- Reed and Coleman each surpassed 100 rushing yards. If Bartosh had one more yard, Army would have had three 100-yard rushers in a single game for the first time since 2016 (vs. Morgan State).
- Reed has scored at least two touchdowns in each of his four seasons, becoming the ninth player in Army history to do so.
- Samari Howard caught his first career touchdown, a 17-yard score before halftime, finishing with two receptions for 21 yards.
- Brady Anderson hauled in a 68-yard touchdown late in the fourth quarter, tied for the 21st-longest reception in program history.
- Army totaled 488 yards, including 387 on the ground.
- Army leads North Texas 6-3 all-time.
- Army is 8-2 in its last 10 home games at Michie Stadium.
Team Stats
UNT 7, AWP 0
UNT - Hawkins,Caleb 4 yd run (Nguma,Kali kick), 15 plays, 75 yards, TOP 06:38
UNT 14, AWP 0
UNT - McGill II,Makenzie 6 yd run (Nguma,Kali kick), 5 plays, 44 yards, TOP 01:45
UNT 21, AWP 0
UNT - Hawkins,Caleb 7 yd run (Nguma,Kali kick), 3 plays, 18 yards, TOP 00:39
UNT 21, AWP 7
AWP - Bartosh,Briggs 75 yd run (Jones,Dawson kick), 1 plays, 75 yards, TOP 00:10
UNT 28, AWP 7
UNT - Young,Wyatt 6 yd pass from Mestemaker,Drew (Nguma,Kali kick) 2 plays, 10 yards, TOP 01:00
UNT 28, AWP 14
AWP - Howard,Samari 17 yd pass from Coleman,Dewayne (Jones,Dawson kick) 13 plays, 75 yards, TOP 05:58
UNT 28, AWP 21
AWP - Reed,Hayden 37 yd run (Jones,Dawson kick), 7 plays, 75 yards, TOP 03:53
UNT 31, AWP 21
UNT - Nguma,Kali 23 yd field goal 12 plays, 67 yards, TOP 04:35
UNT 31, AWP 28
AWP - Coleman,Dewayne 5 yd run (Jones,Dawson kick), 17 plays, 75 yards, TOP 09:58
UNT 38, AWP 28
UNT - Hawkins,Caleb 21 yd run (Nguma,Kali kick), 6 plays, 60 yards, TOP 02:22
UNT 38, AWP 35
AWP - Anderson,Brady 68 yd pass from Coleman,Dewayne (Jones,Dawson kick) 4 plays, 75 yards, TOP 00:39
UNT 38, AWP 38
AWP - Jones,Dawson 23 yd field goal 14 plays, 50 yards, TOP 02:40
UNT 45, AWP 38
UNT - Hawkins,Caleb 3 yd run (Nguma,Kali kick), 5 plays, 25 yards, TOP 00:00
