College Sports

Army stuns Missouri in Armed Forces Bowl on last-second FG

Posted December 23, 2021 6:00 am

The Associated Press

Army head coach Jeff Monken, right, looks on as his team celebrate with the trophy after their win in the Armed Forces Bowl NCAA college football game against Missouri in Fort Worth, Texas, Wednesday, Dec. 22, 2021. (AP Photo/Emil Lippe) The Associated Press

FORT WORTH, Texas (AP) - Cole Talley kicked a 41-yard field goal as time expired and Army rallied to beat Missouri 24-22 in the Armed Forces Bowl on Wednesday night.

After the Tigers took a 22-21 lead on a touchdown with 1:11 to play, third-string quarterback Jabari Laws led Army (9-4) downfield to the Missouri 24-yard line, setting up Talley's game-winner.

Talley, who went to high school about 60 miles east of Fort Worth in Rockwall, Texas, said he was thinking about the brotherhood of Army football players when he went out for the final kick.

'œI'd do anything for them, and they'd do anything for me,'ť said Talley, who missed his only two previous attempts this season from beyond 40 yards - including a 43-yard try in the first quarter.

'œWe trust Cole,'ť Army coach Jeff Monken said. 'œWhat a great way for the team to end the season and these seniors to end their careers.'ť

One of those seniors was Laws, who was the Black Knights' starting quarterback in 2019 before a knee injury sidelined him. He didn't play at all last season following a second surgery.

'œI feel like I'm in a movie right now,'ť said Laws, who was 2-of-4 passing on the final drive.

Army backup quarterback Tyhier Tyler came on after starter Christian Anderson injured an ankle late in the third quarter and threw a 14-yard touchdown pass to Brandon Walters to give the Black Knights their first lead, 21-16. Anderson and JaKobi Buchanan scored on TD runs of 22 and 10 yards, respectively, for Army.

Redshirt freshman quarterback Brady Cook threw a 6-yard touchdown pass to Keke Chism with 71 seconds left to put the Tigers (6-7) ahead, but his two-point conversion pass sailed over the head of an open Dawson Downing in the end zone. Cook also ran for a 30-yard score in his first collegiate start.

'œI did some good things,'ť Cook said. 'œMissed the throw when it mattered most.'ť

Missouri played without second-team All-America running back Tyler Badie, who was held out by coach Eliah Drinkwitz in advance of the NFL draft. Starting quarterback Connor Bazelak was sidelined because of a leg injury.

Cook completed 27 of 34 passes for 238 yards and ran for 53 more.

Buchanan led Army in rushing with 68 yards on 21 carries. Elijah Young was the Tigers' top rusher with 75 yards on 13 carries.

In the second half, Missouri was stopped on downs at the Army 43 and lost a fumble by Downing at Army's 48.

'œObviously in the second half the turnover was huge,'ť Drinkwitz said. 'œDisappointed for our team, especially our seniors. Just a difficult way to lose the game.'ť

THE TAKEAWAY

Missouri: The Tigers were hampered going in by a short-handed secondary that then lost multiple players in the first half. Army threw one pass in the first half, good for 42 yards, and was 5 for 8 in the second half for 53 yards. The Black Knights entered 128th out of 130 FBS teams, averaging 94.8 yards passing per game.

Army: The Black Knights snapped a seven-game losing streak to Power Five teams with their first win since 2017. There were some close calls during the streak, including to Oklahoma (28-21) and Michigan (24-21).

FIVE-TOOL PLAYER?

Army senior linebacker Arik Smith was selected the game's most valuable player with 12 tackles, 2ˆ½ for loss, and two sacks. Monken was impressed by Smith's maturity as a recruit, learning on a home visit that Smith finished the family basement.

'œPlumbing. Electrical. Finish work. All of it,'ť Monken recalled. 'œI mean, who does that?'ť

UP NEXT

Missouri: After the Tigers open at Middle Tennessee State next season, they'll host former conference rival Kansas State. The season finale against Arkansas will also be at Faurot Field.

Army: The Black Knights won't face any Power Five teams next season for the first time since 2004 (except for the reworked 2020 schedule). The first two games will be against Group of Five heavyweights Coastal Carolina and UTSA, and the Army-Navy game will return to Philadelphia.

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Army running back Brandon Walters, second from left, is lifted by offensive lineman Cooper Smith (50) as running back Cade Barnard (40) and others celebrate a touchdown scored by Walters on a pass play in the second half of the Armed Forces Bowl NCAA college football game against Missouri in Fort Worth, Texas, Wednesday, Dec. 22, 2021. (AP Photo/Emil Lippe) The Associated Press

Army, left, and Missouri players, right, watch the coin flip at the start of the first half of the Armed Forces Bowl NCAA college football game in Fort Worth, Texas, Wednesday, Dec. 22, 2021. (AP Photo/Emil Lippe) The Associated Press

Army defensive back Leo Lowin (31) moves in to make the stop on Missouri quarterback Brady Cook (12) as he runs the ball in the first half of the Armed Forces Bowl NCAA college football game in Fort Worth, Texas, Wednesday, Dec. 22, 2021. (AP Photo/Emil Lippe) The Associated Press

Army defensive back Cedrick Cunningham Jr. (22) and others celebrate a defensive stop on a fourth down by Missouri as Luke Griffin (54) and Michael Maietti (55) look on in the second half of the Armed Forces Bowl NCAA college football game in Fort Worth, Texas, Wednesday, Dec. 22, 2021. (AP Photo/Emil Lippe) The Associated Press

Missouri defensive lineman Darius Robinson (6) is unable to stop Army running back Jakobi Buchanan, center top, who reached the end zone for a touchdown on a running play in the second half of the Armed Forces Bowl NCAA college football game in Fort Worth, Texas, Wednesday, Dec. 22, 2021. (AP Photo/Emil Lippe) The Associated Press

Fans remain in the stands looking on as Missouri running back Dawson Downing (28) and tight end Ryan Hoerstkamp (84) sit by each other on the bench after their loss to Army in the Armed Forces Bowl NCAA college football game in Fort Worth, Texas, Wednesday, Dec. 22, 2021. (AP Photo/Emil Lippe) The Associated Press

Army quarterback Christian Anderson, right, gives a thumbs up as he is walked off the field after suffering an unknown injury in the second half of the Armed Forces Bowl NCAA college football game against Missouri in Fort Worth, Texas, Wednesday, Dec. 22, 2021. (AP Photo/Emil Lippe) The Associated Press

Missouri wide receiver Keke Chism (6) is stopped short of the end zone by Army defenders in the first half of the Armed Forces Bowl NCAA college football game in Fort Worth, Texas, Wednesday, Dec. 22, 2021. (AP Photo/Emil Lippe) The Associated Press

Army head coach Jeff Monken watches play against Missouri in the second half of the Armed Forces Bowl NCAA college football game in Fort Worth, Texas, Wednesday, Dec. 22, 2021. (AP Photo/Emil Lippe) The Associated Press

Army's Connor Finucane (60) looks on as running back Tyson Riley attempts to escape the grasp of Missouri defensive lineman Darius Robinson, right, in the first half of the Armed Forces Bowl NCAA college football game in Fort Worth, Texas, Wednesday, Dec. 22, 2021. (AP Photo/Emil Lippe) The Associated Press

Members of the US armed forces carry an American flag during the playing of the national anthem before the first half of the Armed Forces Bowl NCAA college football game between Missouri and Army in Fort Worth, Texas, Wednesday, Dec. 22, 2021. (AP Photo/Emil Lippe) The Associated Press

Missouri wide receiver Barrett Banister (11) blocks as wide receiver Keke Chism (6) runs the ball against Army cornerback Cameron Jones (10) and others in the first half of the Armed Forces Bowl NCAA college football game in Fort Worth, Texas, Wednesday, Dec. 22, 2021. (AP Photo/Emil Lippe) The Associated Press

Missouri head coach Eliah Drinkwitz directs his team in the first half of the Armed Forces Bowl NCAA college football game against Army in Fort Worth, Texas, Wednesday, Dec. 22, 2021. (AP Photo/Emil Lippe) The Associated Press

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