Mansell with 3 touchdowns in 'Homecoming' loss at Army

Written by Ron Hadfield | Photos: Ben Solomon

WEST POINT, New York – Quarterback Jemel Jones ran for 138 yards and running back Tyrell Robinson added 126 to headline a dominating ground attack while leading Army West Point to a 55-23 win over Abilene Christian University in a non-conference game Saturday afternoon in Michie Stadium. 

Jones engineered Army’s attack by running for two scores and passing for another. The Black Knights opened a 23-0 lead and coasted home, although the Wildcats put up a fight in the second half behind quarterback Peyton Mansell’s three TD passes. ACU wide receiver L.J. McConnell ran for 59 yards and caught 11 passes for 101 yards, and Kobe Clark added 72 yards and two TDs through the air.

The nation’s leading rushing team rolled up 441 yards on 60 rushes in its triple-option offense while attempting only seven passes in defeating FCS-member ACU (0-2 overall) of the Southland Conference. The Black Knights upped their record to 3-1, avenging a 24-10 loss last week at undefeated Cincinnati. They were meeting the Wildcats for the first time.

Army’s scored on its first four possessions of the game but only one of the drives – its first – was in the clock-dominating style for which its overpowering ground game is known. 

Thanks to a gambling ACU offense and one very short punt, the Black Knights’ first three drives started in Wildcat territory, giving the home team a huge kick start. A pair of three-play drives in the third quarter sealed the game for Army on a sunny autumn afternoon in the Hudson River Valley.

But the Wildcats, who traveled 1,700 miles for their first game in the Northeast in 25 years, were full of fight in the game’s second half.

ACU crossed the 50-yard line on its game opening drive, but Mansell was sacked on fourth-and-5 at the Wildcat 45. Ten plays later – all on the ground – Sandon McCoy ran 1 yard up the middle and Landon Salyers’ successful PAT kick gave the home team a 7-0 lead with 8:20 left in the quarter.

The Wildcats tried to convert two more fourth downs on its second drive. They were successful on the first when McConnell caught a 4-yard pass from Mansell, but a pass to Clark fell short on the second, giving Army the ball at midfield for its second drive.

Abilene Christian stopped Army on that march, and the Black Knights settled for a 43-yard field goal by Salyers with 14:55 left in the half. The Wildcats got nowhere on their subsequent drive, compounded via a wayward punt by Logan Burke that netted just 3 yards. The misfire put the Black Knights in business at the ACU 16-yard line.

Army cashed the turnover in for six points just two plays later when Jones ran 3 yards for the score but Salyers missed the PAT kick to make the new score 16-0 with 12:37 remaining. The Black Knights fooled ACU with an onside kick on the following play, recovered the ball and found the end zone once more when another 3-yard run, this time by Jakobi Buchanan, put the home team up 23-0 with 10:15 left.

ACU’s offense awoke to move smartly down the field on its fourth drive, thanks to a 55-yard run by McConnell. The visitors got on the scoreboard with a 31-yard field goal from Blair Zepeda to cut the deficit to 23-3 with 7:59 on the scoreboard.

Abilene Christian stopped Army’s last three drives of the first half – two on 3-and-outs – and entered the intermission with some confidence on defense. The Black Knights, however, opened the second half by racing 75 yards in only three plays and 1:33 to another score TD, building its lead to 31-3.

The Wildcat defense forced a three-and-out on Army’s next possession then launched its most impressive sustained drive of the game: a nine-play march for 61 yards, capped by Mansell’s 2-yard TD pass to Clark that cut the Black Knight advantage to 31-10 with 4:18 remaining in the third quarter.

Army answered with a back-breaking long-distance drive in just three plays, all of them runs by Jones, finished off by a 49-yarder for the TD to put his team up 38-10 with just another 1:11 used on the clock.

Quinn Maretzki added a 40-yard field goal to put his team up 41-10 with 11:12 remaining.

ACU’s Mansell and Army runningback Anthony Adkins headlined the balance of the final quarter for their respective teams. Mansell tossed a pair of long scoring passes – 45 yards to Clark and 61 yards to tight end Brandon Hohenstein – and Adkins ran for TDs of 3 and 28 yards.  

Clark caught the first four passes of his season – he did not play in the opener with Texas-El Paso – and two were for TDs. McConnell led the Wildcats in rushing and receiving. Mansell, a transfer from the Universitiy of Iowa starting his second game, faced a fierce Army pass rush all day but completed 23 of 37 passes for 279 yards and three scores.

Linebacker Jack Gibbens and defensive end Jordan Paup, a transfer from the University of Nebraska, led ACU tacklers with eight each. Linebackers Jairan Parker, Chike Nwankwo and Tory Hargrove added six apiece.

The Black Knights had some gaudy yards-per-rush averages: Robinson (18.0 on seven carries) Jones (9.9 on 14 carries) and Adkins (7.0 on 10 carries). Jones completed four of seven passes for just 52 yards and one TD.

Abilene Christian returns home Oct. 17 to host former longtime rival West Texas A&M for a distanced Homecoming game in Wildcat Stadium. Kickoff is set for 6 p.m. CDT on Anthony Field.

PLAYS THAT MATTERED

• 1Q – Sandon McCoy ran 1 yard to put Army on top, and Landon Salyers’ PAT kick was good to make the score 7-0.  Scoring drive: 45 yards, 10 plays, 5:19
• 1Q – Salyers’ 43-yard field goal extended Army’s lead to 10-0 with 3:37 left.  Scoring drive: 39 yards, 6 plays, 3:37
• 2Q – Jemel Jones ran 3 yards for a TD but Salyers’ PAT kick failed. Scoring drive: 16 yards, 2 plays, 00:16
• 2Q –Jakobi Buchanan ran 3 yards for a TD and Salyers’ kick put the Black Knights up 23-0. Scoring drive: 58 yards, 5 plays, 2:18
• 2Q – A 31-yard field goal by Blair Zepeda cut the Army lead to 23-3 with 7:59 left. Scoring drive: 62 yards, 6 plays, 2:08
• 3Q – Michael Roberts caught a 33-yard TD pass from Jones to open the second half, with 13:27 left in the quarter. Artice Hobbs ran in the two-point conversion. Scoring drive: 75 yards, 3 plays, 1:33
• 3Q – Kobe Clark caught a 2-yard TD pass from Peyton Mansell. Zepeda’s PAT kick made the new score 31-10. Scoring drive: 61 yards, 9 plays, 4:04
• 3Q – Jones ran 49 yards for a TD for Army and Salyers’ PAT kick padded Army’s lead, 38-10, with 2:36 left in the quarter with 11:12 left in the quarter. Scoring drive: 68 yards, 3 plays, 1:15
• 4Q – Quinn Maretzki kicked at 40-yard field goal to make the Army lead 41-10. Scoring drive: 55 yards, 11 plays, 4:25
• 4Q – ACU’s Clark caught a 46-yard TD pass from Mansell and Zepeda’s PAT kick drew ACU closer, 41-17 with 8:29 left. Scoring drive: 85 yards, 5 plays, 2:35
• 4Q – Army’s Anthony Adkins ran 3 yard for a TD with 4:29 left in the game and Marettzki’s PAT kick made the new score 48-17. Scoring drive: 76 yards, 8 plays, 3:58
• 4Q – Tight end Brandon Hohenstein caught a Mansell pass in the open field and raced 61 yards for a TD with 3:01 left in the game, pulling ACU to within 25 and the game’s final margin, 48-23. Scoring drive: 74 yards, 3 plays, 1:23

THREE THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW

• Neither team had a turnover and despite the score differential, Army barely led in time of possession, 31:45 to 28:15. 
• Army outgained ACU 493-388 in total yards, with the Black Knights outrushing the Wildcats 441-86 and ACU besting Army through the air, 302-52.
• ACU’s third game in Fall 2020 with a FBS team is a Nov. 21 matchup at Atlantic Coast Conference-member Virginia. Last season, the Cavaliers lost to No. 3-ranked Clemson in the ACC Championship Game and played in the Orange Bowl, losing to No. 6-ranked Florida, 36-28.

STAT CORNER

• Both teams struggled in third-down conversions; ACU was 1 of 10 and Army 3 of 11.
• In the relatively score-happy fourth quarter, ACU dominated in passing (176-0) while Army led in rushing (153-1), yet the Black Knights outscored the Wildcats only 17-13 in the final frame.
• In the first quarter, Army led in total offense (69-52), rushing yards (69-7) and total yards (69-52). The Wildcats led Army in passing yard, 45-0. At the half, Army prevailed in first downs (11-6), rushing yards (148-50), total yards (167-105) and time of possession (16:01-13:59). ACU led in passing yards, 55-19.

NOTABLE

• ACU quarterback Peyton Mansell’s mother and father, Kim and Mike, met at West Point, where Kim (Hanson) played basketball and Mike played ice hockey for Army. Mike scored 80 points (10 goals and 70 assists) in his 108-game career for the Black Knights.
• ACU has never played Army until today, but traveled to Colorado Springs to play Air Force in 2016. The Wildcats lost 37-21 to a top-gun Falcon team that went on to forge a 10-3 record while beating Army and Navy (winning the Commander-in-Chief’s Trophy) and besting South Alabama in the Arizona Bowl. 
• Army entered the game leading the nation in rushing at 320.3 yards per game. The Black Knights seldom throw the ball in their triple option attack, averaging just 50.3 yards through the air. In its 2020 season opener at UTEP, ACU gave up 98 yards on the ground and 195 in passing (293 overall).
• The U.S. Military Academy in West Point, New York, is the oldest of the five military service academies. All graduates earn a Bachelor of Science degree in one of 36 majors, and most leave commissioned as second lieutenants. Their tuition is fully funded by the Army in exchange for active duty. Enrollment in Fall 2019 was 4,457.
• Ninety-six-year-old Michie Stadium, with a seating capacity of 38,000, is one of the oldest college football venues in the nation. Blaik Field is named after Earl “Red” Blaik, the winningest head coach in Army history (121-33-10 record from 1941-58, including its three national championships from 1944-46). The picturesque stadium is named in memory of Dennis Michie, a former cadet who organized and coached the first football team at Army in 1890.

QUOTABLE

• We played extremely hard and obviously we made mistakes and we got beat physically at times, but we didn’t come out here and trip on ourselves and make a bunch of stupid penalties … didn’t turn the ball over once today. I thought we had another really spectacular day on special teams. Just really proud of our guys, really proud of their effort.” – ACU head coach Adam Dorrel

• “We play another team later in the year [Mercer] that does this [runs an option offense], and so hopefully this game will help us prepare for that game. It’s just really difficult to get ready for option football, and that’s [Army] a really, really good football team.” – ACU head coach Adam Dorrel

• “Overall, just an unbelievable experience today for our student-athletes and our coaches. What a first-class group – Army coach [Jeff] Monken and those kids – they don’t say anything, they just play hard. Makes you proud to be an American when you have people like that representing you.” – ACU head coach Adam Dorrel

• “We got better as a football team today but we also got better from a family and a community standpoint, just spending this time with each other. I think we’re close to being very good on defense and I think we’re close on offense, too. We’ve got to get Kobe back and get him going. We have to shore up our running game a little bit and we have to continue to develop our receivers … [they] have a chance to be really dynamic. I’m just really proud of Peyton [Mansell] because I think he turned a corner today. I think in the second half we gained a lot of confidence as an offense.” – ACU head coach Adam Dorrel