On Friday night before 23,000 at Michie Stadium in West Point, Tarleton State (2-0) dropped the first real shocker of the college football season as it upended defending American champion Army (0-1) in its own building. The Texans had to take the Black Knights to two overtimes before they finally got it done but it was well worth the wait for TSU and its fans that made the trek to New York. The first FCS-over-FBS upset of the season was a doozy and the way it played out tells the story of what likely
lies ahead for both teams for the remainder of the season. For Tarleton State; this might be a year where the sky truly is the limit as far as the FCS championship chase is concerned. For Army; a long, arduous fall could be in store.
There was legitimate heading into this matchup that the Texans might be able to at the very least hold their own. Tarleton is ranked #10 in FCS national polls and returns a bunch of guys that helped it make a trip to the second round of the playoffs last year. Quarterback Victory Gabalis is one of the better signal callers in the subdivision and running back Tre Page III stamped himself as a star in last week’s blowout win over Portland State. Still, the idea that these guys could beat Army was out there to most.
The Black Knights did lose a lot from last year but with Dewayne Coleman taking over QB duties and Hayden Reed coming into his senior season, they were still the odds on favorites… by quite a bit. Playing at home, where they had previously won nine straight, Army was expected to roll out to a win. A perfect storm of roster replenishments, injuries and downright inexperience in big moments, though, flared up and hit the Black Knights in the worst of ways.
The game started slowly for Army as a quick three-and-out forced them to punt on their opening possession. Gabalis and Tarleton State proceeded to march 65 yards in 12 plays on their opening possession whilst chewing over five minutes off the clock. That drive yielded a field goal from senior kicker Brad Larson to give the Texans an early 3-0 advantage.
The Black Knights responded well, however. The run-oriented offense flexed its muscles and chunk plays of at least ten yards helped Reed and company notch the first TD of the night. A big 19-yard pass from Coleman to Noah Short helped set up the eventual 26-yard scoring scamper from Coleman himself. Up 7-3, things were looking as they should.
Traded punts, though, kept it a one-score game heading into the second quarter and when TSU’s offense got the ball back, they went on another lengthy drive to retake the lead. Running back Caleb Lewis broke free on a big 40-yard rush and Gabalis connected with wideout Peyton Kramer to keep the chains moving. Then it was Page that cut it in for a 10-yard run to swing the momentum back Tarleton’s way.
It wasn’t just the Texans offense, though, that was making plays. In arguably the most significant defensive series of the contest, the TSU defense stonewalled the Black Knights at the goal line late in the half. On third and goal from the three-yard line, the Texans front smothered Coleman and forced a field goal; a disappointing ending to a 15-play drive that was nearly eight minutes long for Jeff Monken’s group.
Army did get that touchdown back right before halftime as Cale Hellums bowled in for a one-yard score. Despite leading 17-10 at the break, though, things were awfully uncomfortable for the home team.
The second half began with both coaches rolling the dice on fourth down. Monken drew up a run on fourth and two but the Tarleton defense buried Coleman in the backfield for a loss on the play. Todd Whitten tried something similar on fourth and one but Gabalis was hit behind the line as well.
Army appeared as though it was starting to put the game away when Reed ran in from 37 yards out to make it 24-10. The crowd was into it and it seemed like that moment where it always goes south for an FCS unit in these situations. A two-touchdown lead made the task daunting for the Texans midway through the third… but not impossible.
Whitten’s team got what it needed on the next series as Lewis rumbled in for a six-yard touchdown. Gabalis again was solid on the drive as well. completing two passes and Page exploded for a 28-yard scamper, too.
The next three Black Knight possessions ended with turnovers, allowing Tarleton to hang around. Two interceptions from Coleman were followed up by a fumble from Reed and it was that last one that would really hurt. It only took the Texans three plays to tie it back up at 24. Gabalis hit Dawson Hearne for a 15-yard strike that silenced the West Point crowd with 9:05 to play in regulation. That score would hold until the clock ran out but it really looked like it wouldn’t.
Army had its chance right at the end. Freshman kicker Dawson Jones trotted out with just 11 seconds left and faced a 43-yarder to win it. His attempt sailed wide right much to the dismay of the stadium and overtime was ensured. That wasn’t even the worst news for the Black Knights, though, as Coleman left the game with an injury in regulation.
The two teams swapped field goals in the first overtime period but in the second the demons reared their head for Jones once more. He was again asked to nail a high-pressure field goal and again he missed. This time, though, it gave Tarleton the chance to win it.
Four plays later Larson did just that from 37 away. His kick sailed true and put the finishing touches on what was an incredibly gutsy showing from the Texans.
This will be one that takes a long time to recover from for Army as it suffers its first loss to an FCS foe in a decade. Coleman completed seven passes for 129 yards but also had a pair of picks. He also led the way on the ground with 100 yards and a TD before exiting the game late. The actual status of his injury is still unclear at the time of publication.
For Tarleton State, this win is as good as it gets and is a landmark victory for the program. The Texans are now in just their fifth year as a Division I program and Whitten has a team that is suddenly going to be truly considered as a national title contender at their level this year. Gabalis threw for 152 yards and two scores while the TSU defense made nine tackles behind the line of scrimmage. Lewis ran for 107 yards while Page went for 89.
Up next for the Texans… the first team in college football to reach the 2-0 mark this year… is the home opener against Mississippi Valley State. For the Black Knights the road doesn’t get any easier as they must travel to face Kansas State next Saturday.
