You can’t win a football game in the first quarter but you can certainly lose one as Army has found out the hard way the past two weeks.
Army fell behind by three touchdowns once again, only this time the Black Knights could not battle out of the hole and fell 28-6 to East Carolina on Thursday night in Greenville, North Carolina.
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Reigning American Conference champion Army (1-3) is the first team in the league to drop two contests, severely hampering its hopes for a repeat.
It was an almost identical start to a week ago against North Texas as Army fell behind 21-0. But it was the first time a Jeff Monken Army team (over 12 seasons) gave up 21 points in the first quarter. And with no scoring in the second quarter, it marked the first time the Black Knights had been shut out in the first half since a 62-0 blowout loss at LSU in 2023. Army came up empty on five full drives.
Sep 25, 2025; Greenville, North Carolina, USA; Army Black Knights quarterback Dewayne Coleman (10) gets ready to pitch the ball against the East Carolina Pirates during the second half at Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium. Mandatory Credit: James Guillory-Imagn Images
“We put ourselves in a real hole in the first half,” Army coach Jeff Monken said. “I was proud of the effort in the second half … our guys really battled. We didn’t make enough plays and that’s the bottom line. We have to make plays. So I’m disappointed sorely but it wasn’t the last game of the year. We’ll try to get better.”
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Ironically, it was Army that jumped out to a 31-0 lead on East Carolina in a 45-28 victory over the Pirates last season at West Point.
Senior Dewayne Coleman earned the start — his second of 2024 and third of his career — at quarterback by virtue of his practice work this week. Through two appearances, Coleman was 13-for-23 passing and 230 yards, with two picks against Tarleton. He also had 217 yards on 47 carries and two touchdowns.
East Carolina proved effective with its quick-strike, up-tempo offense. The Pirates wasted little time on each snap, with quarterback Katin Houser making quick throws or instant handoffs, not allowing Army’s defense to mount any sustained pressure.
Houser capped a nine-play, 75-yard drive to start with a 3-yard burrowing score off the left side. The officials initially ruled him down at the 1-yard line, but a review confirmed the score and 7-0 lead.
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Anthony Smith hand jockeyed with Army defender Jayden Mayes on a long route, spun and caught a 40-yard pass from Houser for the receiver’s first touchdown of the season and a 14-0 lead with 8:22 left in the first.
Coleman found back Hayden Reed open on a fourth-down call from the 29 but perhaps wrong-turned him and Reed bobbled and dropped the pass.
East Carolina capitalized with a nine-play, 71-yard drive. Coming out of the backfield, Houser hit Javontay Conner at the 9 and he finished off the 20-yard scoring play. Four plays earlier, it was Conner saving his quarterback by falling on a fumble that went through the hands of several Army players at the 30.
Coleman was caught holding the ball with his left hand and fumbled at the East Carolina 24. Julien Davis had the strip and Rasheed Reason the recovery. That was Army’s seventh giveaway of the season, with three apiece in the overtime losses to Tarleton State and North Texas.
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Junior Cale Hellums relieved Coleman in Week 1; played throughout the 24-21 win at Kansas State; and, started but was ineffective in the first quarter against North Texas.
Army football: History not on side
This is the fourth time under Monken that Army has opened a season at 1-3: 2014 (finished 4-8), 2015 (2-10) and 2022 (6-6). Army has never opened a season at 1-3 and finished with a winning record, which is the bare standard for bowl eligibility.
The American: Finals passage tough
With the setback, Army will have a tough path back to the Dec. 5 American Conference final.
The American has conducted 10 championship games since 2015. There have been only two participants who played in that game with two conference losses. In 2018, Memphis was one of three West Division teams at 5-3, and the Tigers lost to UCF. In 2022, runner-up UCF had the tiebreak over Cincinnati at 6-2, bowing to Tulane in the final.
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Up next
Army (1-2) will visit Alabama Birmingham at noon on Saturday, Oct. 4 (ESPNU). Army beat UAB 44-10 at West Point on Oct. 12, 2024. The Black Knights return home against Charlotte at noon on October 11 (CBS Sports Network).
East Carolina (2-2) will also play its next two games on the ESPN’s Thursday night showcase: Oct. 9 at Tulane and Oct. 16 vs. Tulsa.
kmcmillan@th-record.com
X / Twitter: @KenMcMillanTHR
This article originally appeared on Times Herald-Record: Early Army football struggles lead to road loss to East Carolina
