Cale Hellums’ 14-yard touchdown with 2:52 left lifted Army past Kansas State 24-21 Saturday night in Manhattan, Kan.
Hellums led Army with 124 yards rushing and two touchdowns. Kansas State (1-2) struggled with Army’s triple-option offense, allowing the Black Knights to rush for 237 yards and dominate the time of possession. Army held the ball for 40:44.
The Black Knights (1-1) became the first team since the 2023 season to rush for at least 200 yards against the Wildcats.
Army took the lead on another long drive late in the third quarter. Hellums punched it in from the 1-yard line with 3:20 left in the quarter, capping a 14-play, 89-yard drive that took more than half the third quarter.
The lead lasted exactly 12 seconds, as Bryce Noernberg returned the ensuing kickoff 99 yards for a touchdown. K-State converted the 2-point conversion, making the score 21-14.
It was K-State’s 136th non-offensive touchdown since 1999, the most in FBS, 10 more than second-best Alabama.
Army trimmed the deficit to 21-17 with 10:46 left on a 35-yard Dawson Jones field goal. The Black Knights then converted an onside kick, recovering at their own 44. Army went 56 yards in 14 plays, taking up 7:51.
Kansas State opened the scoring with a 34-yard field goal by Luis Rodriguez.
After holding Army on fourth down near midfield, the Wildcats appeared to pull ahead 10-0 when Johnson hit Jerand Bradley on a 35-yard touchdown pass. But the call was overturned. It took the Wildcats four more plays to get the touchdown, when Johnson found Jaron Tibbs for a 32-yard touchdown on fourth-and-7.
K-State settled for another Rodriguez field goal to extend the lead to 13-0 late in the first half.
Army took over on its own 25-yard line with 2:25 left in the half. The Black Knights took 16 plays to gain 75 yards, scoring on a 2-yard touchdown pass from Cale Hellums to Brady Anderson on fourth-and-2 on the final play of the half.
