Cale Hellums ran for 87 yards and two touchdowns, and Zach Mundell broke a 66-yard scoring run as Army overwhelmed Bryant. The Black Knights won 59-3, rushing for 569 yards and finishing with a 648-165 advantage in total offense. Army possessed the ball for only 5:56 longer than Bryant, so this was less a familiar clock squeeze than a burst of explosive plays and efficient drives.
That distinction matters Saturday. Army already knew what Hellums and an experienced offense were supposed to be; the opener showed how many ways that group might punish a defense. Hellums started behind Brady Small, Henry Appleton, Paolo Gennarelli, Teddy Williams and Kyle Kloska, then carried seven times for 87 yards while Army did not allow a sack. The continuity up front produced a clean first outing, but South Florida can make that irrelevant if it disrupts the quarterback-fullback exchange, forces hurried pitches or steals possessions.
Mundell’s four carries produced 105 yards and two touchdowns, while Godspower Nwawuihe gained 53 yards and scored on 11 attempts. Samari Howard added 63 rushing yards on four carries and caught three passes for 52 yards. That distribution gives Army more than one answer. South Florida cannot devote every defender to Hellums without risking another back escaping into space.
Army’s game is the week
South Florida visits Michie Stadium at noon ET Saturday on CBSSN. The model gives Army a 41% chance to win, which makes the Black Knights a live underdog rather than a team fans should expect to handle comfortably.
This also carries immediate weight. South Florida at Army is the American’s first conference game of 2026 and the league opener for both teams. An Army win corresponds to a 34.2% chance of reaching the conference title game; a South Florida win leaves that chance at 8.5%. The playoff branches are smaller but point the same way. The chances are 2.9% with a win, 0.7% with a loss.
Army needs boring option football with secure exchanges, manageable third downs and drives that end with Army kicks rather than South Florida takeaways. The Bulls held FIU to 80 rushing yards and forced three turnovers, each followed by a South Florida scoring possession. Army’s 569-yard opener proved the offense can be devastating when it stays on schedule. It did not prove that the same rhythm survives a defense that has already turned mistakes directly into points.
The other side supplied a real reason for optimism, too. Army held Bryant to 165 yards, nine first downs and no touchdown. Dillon Stowers had a sack, Elijah Walton shared another with reserve Nick Buchys, and Jack Bousum made 1.5 tackles for loss. Those contributions matter because the defense is working through a leadership change. Longtime Army assistant Daryl Dixon replaced Nate Woody as defensive coordinator, with Scot Sloan serving as co-defensive coordinator, while Cody Worley returned for a third season directing the offense. Bryant offered an encouraging first look at Dixon and Sloan’s group; South Florida can show whether the rebuilt unit can keep another game within the offense’s preferred terms.
So root for Army to make USF drive the field, then make Hellums protect every possession. The Week 1 explosiveness was fun. Winning the American opener will require the veteran offense and the new-look defense to complement each other when the margin is much thinner.
Navy at Florida Atlantic: root for Florida Atlantic
Kickoff is 7:30 p.m. ET Saturday on ESPNU. Florida Atlantic has only an 18% chance to win, so treat this as an entertaining bonus rather than a result Army needs.
An Owls upset would put an early American loss on Navy. Army’s modeled chance of reaching the title game is 21.2% if Florida Atlantic wins and 18.5% if Navy wins, a difference of 2.7 percentage points. It is worth checking in if the Owls are hanging around late; it is not worth letting a likely Navy win spoil the afternoon.
The interactive Army guide has every modeled branch, and the methodology explains how the percentages are built.