Army vs. Air Force score: Black Knights survive OT, keeping Commander-in-Chief's Trophy hopes alive

Air Force took momentum into overtime, but Army West Point was able to hang on

When two service academies get together with the Commander-in-Chief's Trophy on the line, the last thing you expect is an aerial display. Army West Point used a dynamic passing game to slide past Air Force 21-14 and win its first leg of the Commander-in-Chief's Trophy in overtime. This after the Falcons scored the final 11 points of regulation to force the extra period.

The Black Knights scored first in overtime. Quarterback Christian Anderson fumbled on a 6-yard run, but the ball was recovered by Jordyn Law in the end zone for what proved to be a game-winning touchdown. Air Force converted on third-and-15 to give itself the ball within the 10-yard line, but Army cornerback Jabari Moore broke up a pass on fourth down to clinch the game. 

Army led 14-3 at one point after a fully scoreless first half, but Air Force QB Haaziq Daniels completed passes of 31 and 12 yards to score the Falcons' lone touchdown with a two-point conversion, cutting their deficit to three. They went 78 yards over 15 plays for a game-tying field goal on the final drive of regulation, a much more service academy type of grind-it-out performance.

Ultimately, Army's touchdown proved to be the difference-maker in overtime after star linebacker Andre Carter II picked up his ninth sack of the season to stifle Air Force's momentum. 

Anderson completed 7 of 12 passes for 175 yards, including a 79-yard touchdown pass to Tyrell Robinson. The Black Knights rank as the second-best rushing offense in the nation, but Air Force bottled it up, holding Army to 108 yards on 2.5 yards per carry. Robinson and wide receiver Isaiah Alston combined for six of the eight catches. 

Air Force's top-rated rushing offense was a little better with 175 yards on the ground, but the bulk of the offensive movement came on the arm of Daniels, who threw for 226 yards and a touchdown in a sensational performance. Fullback Brad Roberts rushed for 68 yards, a relatively poor performance for the Mountain West's leading rusher. Unfortunately, the Falcons' 401 total yards and 5.5 yards per play was not enough to capture the trophy for the first time since 2016. 

With the win, the Commander-in-Chief's Trophy is assured to remain in West Point given Air Force already beat Navy this season. A win over Navy on Dec. 11 would give Army the trophy outright. A loss would mean a three-way tie for the nation's highest service academy football award, which has not happened since 1993, though the physical trophy would remain with the Black Knights since they won in last season. 

[Nov 6, 2021 at 2:41 pm ET · Shehan Jeyarajah]

And to overtime we go. Army tried one more shot to get into field goal range but couldn't quite get it done. Air Force trailed 14-3 at one point. 

[Nov 6, 2021 at 2:36 pm ET · Shehan Jeyarajah]

Absolutely massive swing by Air Force nailing a 30-yard field goal with just 23 seconds remaining to tie things up at 14-14. Only 23 seconds remaining for Army. 

[Nov 6, 2021 at 1:42 pm ET · Shehan Jeyarajah]

What a play by Andre Carter II, one of the nation's sack leaders, tipped the ball right to Cameron Jones for an interception, completely changing the complexion of this game. The Black Knights are starting to pull away and Air Force is running out of time. 

[Nov 6, 2021 at 1:41 pm ET · Shehan Jeyarajah]

Army and Air Force have combined to throw the ball 12 times, combining for 260 yards and 21.7 yards per pass attempt on such plays. Conversely, the nation's No. 1 and No. 2 ranked rushing offenses are combining for 189 yards on 3.0 yards per carry. 

[Nov 6, 2021 at 1:31 pm ET · Shehan Jeyarajah]

Yet another huge passing play by Army. Christian Anderson connects with Tyrell Robinson once again for a 79-yard pass – and this one goes all the way for a touchdown. Army's 185 passing yards have made all the difference in a game that Black Knights are quickly taking control over. 

[Nov 6, 2021 at 1:24 pm ET · Shehan Jeyarajah]

First completed pass for Air Force of the day and it's a big one. Falcons quarterback Haaziq Daniels finds Brandon Lewis for 36 yards to flip the field.