Cale Hellums runs for five touchdowns as Army overwhelms FAU, 56-24

Cale Hellums ran for 195 yards and five touchdowns as Army beat Florida Atlantic 56-24 Saturday at Michie Stadium. The Black Knights scored 21 unanswered points in the second quarter, then kept breaking off long runs after halftime to end the Owls' four-game winning streak.

Army finished with 479 rushing yards and attempted only two passes. Hellums carried 25 times, beginning his touchdown total with a 58-yard run in the first quarter and adding four scores from inside the 5. The Black Knights improved to 4-2 overall and 3-1 in the American Conference. FAU fell to 4-2 and 1-1.

The game opened with a turnover and an immediate touchdown. Elijah Walton intercepted Caden Veltkamp, and Samari Howard scored on a 30-yard run with 14:38 left in the first quarter. FAU answered when Veltkamp found Easton Messer for a 24-yard touchdown.

Hellums' long scoring run and Veltkamp's 34-yard touchdown pass to Kelby Valsin kept the teams level at 14 through the opening period. That was the last time the Owls caught Army.

Hellums scored from 4 yards with 14:19 left in the second quarter. He added a 2-yard touchdown with 1:18 remaining, then a 3-yarder with 25 seconds left. Army went into halftime ahead 35-14, having turned a back-and-forth start into a three-touchdown lead.

Jake Rendina took over the long-distance scoring after the break. His 61-yard touchdown run with 13:26 left in the third quarter stretched the lead to 42-14. Rendina needed only seven carries to gain 86 yards, and Howard added 43 yards on five attempts.

FAU got a 41-yard field goal from Collin Rogers, but Hellums reached the end zone again on a 1-yard run early in the fourth. Bryson Luter supplied Army's final touchdown, breaking free for 69 yards with 1:48 remaining. Luter finished with 78 yards on three carries.

The Owls generated 432 total yards and converted 10 of 14 third downs. Veltkamp completed 33 of 48 passes for 318 yards, three touchdowns and an interception. Messer caught 14 passes for 102 yards, while Valsin had seven receptions for 89 yards.

Those possessions could not offset FAU's three turnovers or Army's efficiency on the ground. The Black Knights converted all four fourth-down attempts, went 7 of 12 on third down and held the ball for 32:48. Their only completion gained 2 yards.

Veltkamp's 19-yard touchdown pass to Tucker Holloway brought FAU within 49-24 in the fourth quarter, but Luter's late run restored the larger margin. Army visits Tulsa on Friday, while FAU returns home to face Rice next Saturday.