Cale Hellums rushes for 223 yards as Army survives Tulane, 20-17

Army needed execution in the last minutes, and it got it. In a 20-17 victory over Tulane, the Black Knights leaned on the ground game and answered key moments enough times to turn a close game into a close win.

Central to the outcome was Cale Hellums, who carried the offense with a career-high 223 rushing yards. The result reflected not only a productive night, but a clear theme for Army in this matchup: when the game tightened, the offense found a way to keep moving forward on the ground.

The scoring profile at the end made the margin feel even smaller. Jones delivered the difference with a field goal that lifted Army to the final 20-17 score, a finish that underscored how thin the margin was over the final stretch.

The win also fit the pattern of Army’s recent games. Prior to Saturday, nine of the Black Knights’ last 10 FBS matchups had been decided by one score, and eight of the last nine had been decided by four points or fewer. The Yahoo Sports report framed the Tulane game similarly, suggesting the ending would hinge on which team could execute in the final two minutes.

Tulane’s challenge was that Army’s late-game identity is built around controlling the clock and living with the ball in high-leverage situations. When a game is close in the final minutes, small swings in timing, ball security, and play selection become decisive, and Army’s ability to convert enough of those moments carried the day.

For Army, the immediate takeaway is that the team’s close-game profile is not a coincidence. For Tulane, it is a reminder that keeping games within reach is not the same as finishing them, particularly when an opponent’s offense is centered on a dominant individual running threat and a kicker who can close.

Next, watch how Army handles the knock-on effects of a performance like Hellums’ career-high 223. A rushing ceiling like that often raises expectations for the offense, but Army’s effectiveness in tight games suggests it can still be competitive even when opponents stack the box and try to force different answers.