Monken Moves Up All-Time Win List With Victory

WEST POINT – With the 49-10 victory over the Villanova Wildcats, Head Coach Jeff Monken logged his 59th career win at Army West Point, breaking the tie and surpassing the legendary Charles Daly for No. 2 on the Academy’s all-time win list. Monken, now only trails Earl “Red” Blaik (121 win) in program history.

On the afternoon Army dominated by way of the ground game, stacking up 472 total rushing yards, marking the first time since 2019 tailing over 450 rushing yards as a team.
Army got to work quickly in the first quarter, striking first on a five-play, 68-yard drive on their opening drive of the game. RB Jakobi Buchanan ignited the Black Knights with a 55-yard run (career-long), followed by a seven-yard TD run by QB Tyhier Tyler two plays later.

Villanova answered Army’s quick struck with a TD drive of their own, marching 11 plays, 75 yards to score by way of a QB Connor Watkins five-yard TD pass to WR Rayjuon Pringle.
The Black Knights punched back on their very next drive by way of Tyler’s second rushing TD of the day, a 23-yard run to extend the lead, 14-7. The score gave Tyler his third career multi-TD rushing performance.

After generating zero turnovers in the first two games combined, the Black Knights defense intercepted Villanova QB Connor Watkins twice in the second quarter to halt two Wildcats drives and keep the momentum. The first interception was by S Marquel Broughton on Army’s own 30-yard line and the next offense drive was stopped by an interception by CB Jabari Moore at Army’s 32-yard line.

Army’s offense was able to capitalize on the second turnover by marching nine plays, 80 yards capped off by QB Cade Ballard’s first rushing TD of the year, a six-yard run to take a 21-7 lead into halftime. Army totaled 266 yards on the ground in the first half, a season high.

Coming out of the half, Army came out strong again when RB Tyson Riley broke free on a 70-yard TD run to extend Army’s lead, 28-7 on the opening drive. It marked his first TD of the season, his third career TD and was also his longest career rush. Riley was the workhorse for the Army offense in the game, totaling a career-high 159 yards on 21 carries, the first time a non-Army QB has broke 150+ rushing yards since Larry Dixon did so in 2014.

Following a 11-play drive that resulted in a field goal by Villanova to make the score, 28-10, the Army offense continued to score. Army followed Villanova’s field goal by marching on their longest drive of the afternoon, a 14-play, 75-yard drive that chewed up 8:31 of game clock, which resulted in Tyhier Tyler’s third rushing TD of the game, from three yards out.

Later in the fourth quarter, RB Tyrell Robinson returned a punt 73 yards for a TD, the first punt or kickoff returned for a TD by Army since 2007 and another rushing TD, a 24-yarder by freshman Hayden Reed completed Army’s scoring, in the 49-10 win.