2026 Week 8 Preview: Army Black Knights @ Tulsa Golden Hurricane

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Game notes

• Time and date: Friday, October 23 at 8:30 p.m. ET
• Network: ESPN2
• Location: H.A. Chapman Stadium — Tulsa, OK
• Spread: Tulsa (-1.5)
• Over/under: 54.5
• All-time series: Tulsa leads, 2-1
• Last meeting: Tulsa 26, Army 25 — November 22, 2025
• Current streak: Tulsa, 1 (2025)

Setting the scene

Last November, one of the more surprising upsets in the American materialized in West Point. Tulsa used an interception and a late fourth down stop to stage a double-digit fourth quarter comeback and knock off Army 26-25 on a late field goal. It was the only conference victory in Tre Lamb’s first season at the helm.

Lamb finally secured his second American win last week when the Golden Hurricane scored 31 unanswered at Rice. Now, the second-year head coach looks for his first conference home win, but Army has heated up as of late. The Black Knights have two-straight wins and three-straight conference victories, most recently downing Tulane and throttling Florida Atlantic. They seek revenge at H.A. Chapman Stadium in a Friday night showcase.

Army Black Knights outlook

Army (4-2, 3-1 American) is introducing the country to the Cale Hellums show. Hellums already led all FBS quarterbacks in rushing last season, and the quarterback has taken another step forward in his second year as a starter.

Hellums guided the Black Knights’ Week 6 victory over Tulane with 223 rushing yards and two touchdowns. Then last week against FAU, he continued his tear with 195 yards while tying a program-record with five rushing touchdowns. After posting 418 yards in a two-game span, Hellums ranks fifth nationally in rushing yards per game at 120 and first among quarterbacks, and his 13 rushing touchdowns are second in the country behind West Virginia quarterback Michael Hawkins Jr.‘s 14.

But it wasn’t just a Hellums outburst in the 56-24 win over FAU. The whole team delivered as Army’s No. 1 ranked rushing offense amassed 479 yards and eight touchdowns against the Owls. Fullback Jake Rendina contributed 86 yards, running back Godspower Nwawuihe added 56, and slot back Samari Howard finished with 43 in all-out dominant showing. Those three are among the main options Hellums hands off or pitches too. Other ball carriers include running back Carson Smith and the explosive Zach Mundell, a slot back averaging 14.5 yards per rush on the season

If the offense is moving according to plan, Army doesn’t need to pass. Hellums finished 1-of-2 for two yards last week, as the Black Knights stuck to their traditional option offense, which consumes an average time of possession of 34:32 per game. But if it’s close, Mundell, Howard, and Brady Anderson are the main targets, and that trio accounts for 66 percent of Army’s receiving production.

Army’s two losses to South Florida and Louisiana Tech featured second half defensive lapses. But under first-year coordinator Daryl Dixon, the Black Knights’ defense typically starts strong, allowing an average of 8.0 points per game in first halves. Last week, Army got ahead of the eight ball with an interception on the first snap of the game, which set the tone for the remainder of the lopsided victory.

However, turnovers haven’t been easy to come by for Army. The Black Knights have just two interceptions and two fumble recoveries on the season — yet are a plus-2 in the turnover battle thanks to the offense’s efficiency. Outside linebacker Elijah Walton snagged the early pick last week, and he’s been the most complete player on defense with a team-high 42 tackles and three pass breakups. Other standouts include defensive end Jack Bousum, who created the pressure necessary for that aforementioned interception, and cornerback Jaydan Mayes, who has six interceptions at Army but still awaits his first of his senior campaign.

Tulsa Golden Hurricane outlook

Tulsa (4-3, 1-2 American) finally found its footing in Week 7 after three consecutive defeats. The Golden Hurricane started the year strong with an upset victory over Oklahoma State but struggled in the aftermath of that statement. However, turning a 17-7 deficit at Rice into a 38-17 triumph gave Tulsa the necessary momentum it needed in a quest for its first bowl appearance since 2021.

Quarterback Baylor Hayes played arguably the best game of his college career at Rice. The second-year starter completed 20-of-27 attempts for 249 yards and three touchdowns on the road, all without a turnover. His ball security has notably improved, and he has thrown seven touchdowns since his last interception in Week 1.

Last week, Tulsa proved the depth of its skill position talent. Three different running backs and two wide receivers notched touchdowns in one of the better offensive showings from the program. The most dangerous talent on the offense is wide receiver Oran Singleton Jr., who the Golden Hurricane utilize in a variety of ways. He has thrown three passes, he has fielded six rushing attempts, he returns punts, and most importantly, he has hauled in a team-high 38 receptions for 474 yards.

Other essential pieces to this offense include the running back tandem of Damari Alston and Trequan Jones. Tulsa isn’t running nearly as much as it did in Lamb’s first year, but Alston and Jones have handled their roles well. Alston has 370 rushing yards and six touchdowns, while Jones has 322 on a 5.9 average. They’re guided by a veteran offensive line which has played well in October and ranks third in the American with 1.29 sacks allowed per game.

The Golden Hurricane defense found itself in a unique situation. They will face an option-based offense for the third week in a row. Tulsa lost the first leg of the slate 34-26 to Navy, allowing 232 rushing yards to quarterback Jackson Gutierrez — the most rushing yards by any FBS quarterback since Jayden Daniels in November 2023. Overall, they allowed 386 rushing yards and four touchdowns to the Midshipmen. Last week at Rice, the struggles initially continued as Owls quarterback Jacurri Brown posted 146 rushing yards and two touchdowns in the first half, but Tulsa collected itself and produced a second half shutout.

Containing mobile quarterbacks has been the primary difficulty for the defense this year. For a team that faces the third-most rushing attempts per game in the FBS, generating just 4.57 tackles for loss per game isn’t enough. Tulsa needs more backfield pressure, and the leaders of this movement include defensive ends Thomas Davis and Kyran Duhon, who combine for 10.0 sacks and 13.5 tackles for loss. Tulsa also features two of the nation’s top-20 tacklers on its defense which will be instrumental in containing the run — linebackers Chris Thompson Jr. and Dax Collins.

Prediction

Last week was the first exception of the season, but Army games against FBS opponents typically come down to the wire. Before last Saturday, nine of the Black Knights’ last 10 FBS contests were decided by four points or fewer, including last November’s 1-point loss to Tulsa.

Army hasn’t been as strong on the road this year, narrowly defeating Temple and falling to Louisiana Tech, while Tulsa has performed its best at Chapman Stadium with a win over Oklahoma State and a 1-point overtime loss to North Texas.

Cale Hellums will be the third-straight option quarterback to face Tulsa’s defense. However, the Golden Hurricane withstood a 159-yard, 3-touchdown outing from Hellums last November in the upset win, and they won due to containing Army’s other offensive weapons.

Tulsa limited the non-quarterback contributions against Rice but did not achieve that against Navy, which explains the results of those games. That being said, Army wins this one in Tulsa not just due to Hellums, but thanks to assistance from Godspower Nwawuihe, Jake Rendina, and Samari Howard.

Prediction: Army 28, Tulsa 21

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