WEST POINT, N.Y. – Army quarterback Tyhier Tyler ran 35 times for 121 yards, and Army overcame a 21-7 halftime deficit and hung on to defeat Georgia Southern 28-27 Saturday afternoon in Michie Stadium.
Trailing by a point, the Eagles got the ball back at their own 24-yard line with 39 seconds remaining and no timeouts. Justin Tomlin, in for injured starter Shai Werts, picked up 16 yards with his legs and then found Malik Murray for a 30-yard pass play down to the Army 30-yard line with 22 seconds left. But Tomlin took a 2-yard sack on the next play, and the final horn sounded as Georgia Southern tried to line up to spike the ball and stop the clock.
Georgia Southern built a 21-7 halftime lead with the aid of three Army turnovers, but the Eagles had their own miscues, which proved to be their undoing. The Eagles missed a field goal, and Army blocked a Georgia Southern punt and an Eagle point after attempt.
Trailing 27-21, Army (7-2) got the ball with 4:17 left in the third quarter and chewed up 10:50 off the clock while methodically driving 71 yards for a touchdown. Jakobi Buchanan took it in from two yards out on the 18th play of the drive, and Quinn Maretzki made the point after for a 28-27 Army lead. It was the longest drive against Georgia Southern, in terms of time off the clock, in school history.
The Eagles drove down to the Army 45-yard line on their next possession, but on 4th-and-2, Logan Wright was stopped a few feet short of the first down with 3:19 to play. Army took over, but on and 3rd-and-5 from the 50-yard line, Raynard Ellis burst through the line and tackled Tyler for a 1-yard loss, getting the ball back for the Eagles with 2:20 remaining.
Tomlin hit Darion Anderson with a 19-yard pass on the Eagles' first play, but on the second, Army's Andre Carter jumped the route and intercepted the Tomlin delivery. With 2:07 to play and no timeouts for the Eagles, it looked as if the Black Knights would be able to take three knees and run out the clock. On 2nd down, Tyler tried to milk more time off the clock by running around in the backfield, but Army was flagged for holding, which stopped the clock with 1:19 to go. The Black Knights ran one more play before being forced to punt to Georgia Southern, setting up the Eagles' final drive.
Eagles of the Game: Ellis finished the day with 18 tackles, and Rashad Byrd had 12. Wesley Kennedy III rushed eight times for 71 yards, and Werts completed 6 of 7 passes for 80 yards and two touchdowns before leaving the game with an injury. Gerald Green rushed three times for 49 yards.
Key Moments:
Georgia Southern scored the first two touchdowns of the game 10 seconds apart, thanks to a pair of Army fumbles. After a Raymond Johnson III sack backed Army up deep in its own end, Tyler fumbled at the 1-yard line, where Byrd recovered the ball. Werts punched it in two plays later for a 7-0 Georgia Southern lead.
On the Black Knights' next drive, Tyler fumbled the handoff with his fullback, and the ball popped into the air, where Zyon McGee pulled it over an Army players' head and popped it into the hands of Derrick Canteen, who promptly motored 22 yards into the end zone.
After trailing 21-7 at halftime, Army put together a touchdown drive on its first possession of the second half and forced a 3-and-out by the Eagles. Anthony Beck had his punt blocked, and Kemonte Yow recovered it and returned it to the Eagle 2-yard line. Sandon McCoy took it in on the next play to tie the score 21-21.
Stats of the Game: Army was 4-for-4 on 4th down, and collected eight more first downs, ran 29 more plays and held the ball 16 minutes longer than Georgia Southern.
Trailing by a point, the Eagles got the ball back at their own 24-yard line with 39 seconds remaining and no timeouts. Justin Tomlin, in for injured starter Shai Werts, picked up 16 yards with his legs and then found Malik Murray for a 30-yard pass play down to the Army 30-yard line with 22 seconds left. But Tomlin took a 2-yard sack on the next play, and the final horn sounded as Georgia Southern tried to line up to spike the ball and stop the clock.
Georgia Southern built a 21-7 halftime lead with the aid of three Army turnovers, but the Eagles had their own miscues, which proved to be their undoing. The Eagles missed a field goal, and Army blocked a Georgia Southern punt and an Eagle point after attempt.
Trailing 27-21, Army (7-2) got the ball with 4:17 left in the third quarter and chewed up 10:50 off the clock while methodically driving 71 yards for a touchdown. Jakobi Buchanan took it in from two yards out on the 18th play of the drive, and Quinn Maretzki made the point after for a 28-27 Army lead. It was the longest drive against Georgia Southern, in terms of time off the clock, in school history.
The Eagles drove down to the Army 45-yard line on their next possession, but on 4th-and-2, Logan Wright was stopped a few feet short of the first down with 3:19 to play. Army took over, but on and 3rd-and-5 from the 50-yard line, Raynard Ellis burst through the line and tackled Tyler for a 1-yard loss, getting the ball back for the Eagles with 2:20 remaining.
Tomlin hit Darion Anderson with a 19-yard pass on the Eagles' first play, but on the second, Army's Andre Carter jumped the route and intercepted the Tomlin delivery. With 2:07 to play and no timeouts for the Eagles, it looked as if the Black Knights would be able to take three knees and run out the clock. On 2nd down, Tyler tried to milk more time off the clock by running around in the backfield, but Army was flagged for holding, which stopped the clock with 1:19 to go. The Black Knights ran one more play before being forced to punt to Georgia Southern, setting up the Eagles' final drive.
Eagles of the Game: Ellis finished the day with 18 tackles, and Rashad Byrd had 12. Wesley Kennedy III rushed eight times for 71 yards, and Werts completed 6 of 7 passes for 80 yards and two touchdowns before leaving the game with an injury. Gerald Green rushed three times for 49 yards.
Key Moments:
Georgia Southern scored the first two touchdowns of the game 10 seconds apart, thanks to a pair of Army fumbles. After a Raymond Johnson III sack backed Army up deep in its own end, Tyler fumbled at the 1-yard line, where Byrd recovered the ball. Werts punched it in two plays later for a 7-0 Georgia Southern lead.
On the Black Knights' next drive, Tyler fumbled the handoff with his fullback, and the ball popped into the air, where Zyon McGee pulled it over an Army players' head and popped it into the hands of Derrick Canteen, who promptly motored 22 yards into the end zone.
After trailing 21-7 at halftime, Army put together a touchdown drive on its first possession of the second half and forced a 3-and-out by the Eagles. Anthony Beck had his punt blocked, and Kemonte Yow recovered it and returned it to the Eagle 2-yard line. Sandon McCoy took it in on the next play to tie the score 21-21.
Stats of the Game: Army was 4-for-4 on 4th down, and collected eight more first downs, ran 29 more plays and held the ball 16 minutes longer than Georgia Southern.
Notes: It was the first meeting on the gridiron between the schools. Army blocked the Eagle PAT try on their fourth touchdown of the game, ending the Eagles' streak of 124 straight made PATs. The Black Knights won their eighth straight home game, and Georgia Southern fell to 1-15 in their last 16 non-conference road games, dating back to 2014. It was the Eagles' seventh game decided by one score this season.
