The final viewing of Army football for the school year is complete, and it was a pretty good look.
The Black Knights closed spring ball with an entertaining and productive scrimmage at West Point’s Michie Stadium on a perfect Friday evening. The Black squad – headed up by a good number of likely starters next fall – managed a late first-quarter touchdown from Fenway Bowl hero Godspower Nwawuihe and a pair of field goals by Dawson Jones for a 13-3 victory over the Gold squad in the annual spring-ender.
“It was fun,” said incumbent quarterback and rising senior Cale Hellums, “and I hope the people that came out to watch had a good time watching what we had to display.”
“It’s great to be out there in Michie Stadium with a nice crowd,” said Army head coach Jeff Monken, headed into his 13th season.
“I thought our guys played hard and there were a lot of good things, but obviously some glaring mistakes that we’ll have to get corrected. … (There were) some things to learn from but I’m pleased some some improvements from some of our guys, just seeing their progress.”
Among the running backs, Nwawuihe led the way with eight carries for 28 yards, a pair of first downs and a slicing 4-yard run through a large hole on the left side for the lone touchdown of the full, timed scrimmage – that came on Hellums’ second series of the contest, a nine-play, 78-yard drive.
“I thought that was a well put-together drive,” Hellums said. “I thought GP (Godspower) played amazing.”
“I feel like I made steps in the right direction,” said Nwawuihe, who converted from quarterback to running back last season. “I still have a long ways to go in the fine details of being a back at this level, but this spring definitely helped me get more comfortable in the position, get more comfortable in the offense and just gain some trust in my team and my coaches.”
For the third series, Hellums directed a seven-play, 28-yard series that stalled at the Gold 25 yard line. That’s where the rising junior Jones booted a 42-yard field goal for a 10-0 lead.
Jones added a 28-yard field goal with 10:36 to play for the final 13-3 margin.
“I was pleased with how we played for the Black team,” Hellums said, praising his offensive line. Hellums had six carries for 4 yards and completed five of six throws for 71 yards. His most-heralded completion came on a recently designed play that found rising sophomore Kofi Eduful for a 47-yard gain, to the Gold 7 yard line; however, Eduful, from Forney, Texas, suffered a serious injury to his left leg and was carted off the field wearing an air cast.
There were a handful of other on-field injuries, though none appeared too serious. That only added to a tough spring practice schedule that led to several injuries. Thirty-four players listed on Friday’s scrimmage roster were declared inactive for the contest, either injured during preseason or held out of spring workouts altogether.
The Gold squad (wearing white tops and gold pants) finally cashed in late in the third quarter. Rising sophomore Bryson Luter from Indianapolis – who headed up the scout squad for much of fall 2025 – directed a 10-play, 39-yard drive that resulted in a 44-yard field goal by rising junior Bryson Hosea. The memorable play, though, was a fake punt attempt by incumbent and rising senior James Wagenseller, who hit a wide open rising sophomore linebacker Bryson Banks for a 23-yard gain to the Black team’s 27-yard line.
Luter was 4-for-9 passing for 17 yards and had 13 carries for 52 yards. Rising junior Nehemiah Vann completed two throws, including a 20-yard gain on the final snap of the game, which turned into a folly of laterals in an attempt to close with a touchdown. For the Black team, rising sophomore quarterback Harrison Orr – protected for much of the spring drills – was let loose for 15 carries and 75 yards, in addition to completing five of seven throws for 28 yards.
Unofficially, the Black team amassed 43 carries for 189 yards and went 10-for-14 passing for 99 yards. The Gold squad had 33 carries for 102 yards and combined 7-for-12 passing for 61 yards. There were a number of pass breakups by both teams but no interceptions.
The next time the Black Knights gather for action will be the start of fall practice in early August. Like all NCAA squads, the team will have roughly five weeks to prep for the season opener, set for September 5 against Bryant – that should also be the debut of the renovated East stands at Michie, which have been closed off for reconstruction for the past two seasons.
kmcmillan@th-record.com
X / Twitter: @KenMcMillanTHR
This article originally appeared on Times Herald-Record: Army football closes spring practice with positive scrimmage outing
Reporting by Ken McMillan, Middletown Times Herald- Record / Times Herald-Record
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