Army vs. Temple 2025 Recap: Black Knights Win 14-13 Nailbiter in Week 11

WEST POINT, NY — It was a beautiful Fall morning at Michie Stadium in Week 11, as the Army Black Knights played host to the Temple Owls in an American Conference showdown. And in typical fashion against academy schools, this was a grinder of a contest that ultimately resulted in a 14-13 win for the Black Knights.

Army vs. Temple 2025 College Football Recap

For many schools, the academy programs bring a tough challenge on the football field. The triple-option is always tough to defend; and Army (like Navy) has shown a willingness to adapt as teams become privy to their offensive style. Defensively, their units always play with discipline and toughness.

Temple head coach KC Keeler has truly turned around the Owls program. And entering Week 11, the team found themselves in a dogfight.

Slugfest at West Point

Like every game against an academy school, the Week 11 matchup between Army and Temple was a true slugfest. The Black Knights attempted just two passes through 45 minutes of play, and held a slight lead entering the final frame. Offensively, the unit was running power concepts consistently and pushing for extra yardage. Yet, Temple had some fight of their own.

Every time the Black Knights scored, the Temple offense responded. The first was a fourth-down conversion where Evan Simon placed a beautiful ball in the hands of Colin Chase. Then, after an Cale Hellums rushing touchdown, the Owls drove down the field and put up three points on the board. And late in the fourth quarter, it was a close-knit 14-13 game in favor of the home team.

For Temple, tight end Peter Clarke was a focal point in playing tough in this game. The tight end had just two catches, but attained 51 yards on only four targets. Most notable was his 34-yard reception that saw him drag multiple defenders with him.

This contest was a true back-and-forth affair, that ultimately saw the home team pull out a close victory.

Temple Miscues

This was a very close contest in the first half, but most of that was due to Temple’s inability to convert. The first mistake came on a missed 45-yard field goal attempt in the first quarter. It was a windy day at West Point. However, that was just the first shortcoming for the Owls.

The second mistake came when Dante Atton pinned the Black Knights on their own half-yard line. Instead of forcing a quick punt or a safety, Temple allowed Army to move the ball out of their own endzone, and able to punt the ball away. On the ensuing possession, despite starting at midfield, the Owls were stopped by Army and forced to punt. Yet that wasn’t all.

There were numerous times when Temple defenders lined up in the neutral zone that extended Army drives. This was especially prevalent on the Black Knights’ first scoring drive. Multiple penalties extended Army’s scoring possession, especially on third-down attempts. Against academy schools, being disciplined and limiting miscues are keys to winning the contest. Unfortunately, the Owls weren’t able to do that early.

In the second quarter, Temple had a fantastic defensive stand on fourth down, and were driving down the field. Yet instead of taking points early, head coach KC Keeler went for the touchdown with just six seconds left in the second quarter. A poor throw by Evan Simon to Peter Clarke missed that scoring opportunity, and instead the team settled for a field goal and a three-point lead entering halftime.

Army Strong

The Black Knights were favorites entering this game, and for good reason. The Army football team is disciplined. Yet perhaps more importantly, they are an incredibly tough program looking to tear teams down due to attrition. Early in the game against Temple, the Black Knights had a lot of success doing so.

On offense, the entire unit was consistently breaking tackles. Turning short gains into chain-moving attempts was the difference early. Whether it was quarterback Cale Hellums or one of the team’s running backs, every inch was hard-fought and forced the Temple defense to play aggressive. And, it helped Army get an early 14-10 lead in the game.

In the fourth quarter, the offense put together a tremendous display of ball-control and toughness. After a stop by the defense, the offense put together over a seven-minute drive to continue to chew clock where the Black Knights ran the ball at will. Even with Temple putting 10 players in the box to sellout for the run, Army continued to churn out tough yardage. It was a test that the Temple defense ultimately failed, and helped play a part in their loss.

Yet it wasn’t just the offensive unit that was impressive.

On defense, Army swarmed to the football. They put plenty of pressure on Temple quarterback Evan Simon, and it was clear they were disrupting the timing of the Owls’ offense. Simon and the Owls were unable to find a rhythm early, and it played into the hands of the Army defense. In the first half, they limited Temple to just seven points, where the Owls had to convert on a fourth-down attempt. It was a typical performance of the Black Knights defense, and made it a close game early.

The biggest stop, however, occurred in the fourth quarter. With Temple backed up inside their own 20-yard line, Army forced a quick three-and-out. However, this included a trick-play that didn’t surprise the Black Knights. The stop forced a punt, which allowed their offense to continue to chew clock with a lead.

Army vs. Temple 2025 Recap: Other Notes

One Man Army

While one player is never the true difference-maker in the grand scheme of a game, Army quarterback Cale Hellums comes close. The quarterback plays like Bryson Daily before him, and that was on display against Temple. Entering the fourth quarter, Hellums had 22 attempts for 83 yards and a touchdown. He also had a 26-yard completion on a critical fourth down play. He also had an incredibly cerebral play in the fourth quarter where he slid instead of scoring, essentially icing the game for an Army victory.

Against Tarleton State in Week 1, I suggested Hellums was the better quarterback option for Army going forward. It turns out, that seems to have been the right call.

A New Era For Temple

Last year, Temple lost to Army 42-14 at home. It’s safe to say that this season’s group under KC Keeler is much different. The contest remained tight throughout the game, and the Owls were more fundamentally sound than they were a year ago. The difference under Keeler is visible for this Temple football team, and it’s hard not to be impressed with the turnaround from the former Sam Houston head coach. Going forward, the Owls will be an interesting team to watchin the American Conference.