WEST POINT, N.Y. (AP) — Larry Dixon tied a career high with three touchdowns on 158 yards to become the fourth player in school history with 3,000 yards rushing as Army came back to beat Fordham 42-31 on Saturday.
Terry Baggett added 52 yards rushing and a score, and quarterback A.J. Schurr ran for 70 yards off the bench for the Black Knights (4-7), who topped Fordham for the fourth time in four meetings.
Mike Nebrich was 27 for 38 for 352 yards, three scores, and an interception for the Rams (10-2). Brian Wetzel added 193 receiving yards on 12 catches, including a 65-yard touchdown.
In the teams' last meeting three years ago, Army cruised 55-0 in a freak October blizzard that had fans evacuating by halftime. It would be closer this time, but the Black Knights never trailed after taking a 14-10 lead in the final seconds of the first half.
Fordham scored on the opening drive on Michael Marando's 40-yard field goal, and Nebrich completed 12 of his first 13 passes. But the Rams didn't capitalize until a wild play on fourth-and-16 from the Army 29.
Off a timeout, the Rams set up to punt. Instead, Joseph Pavlik surprised everyone with a pass high over the middle to the goal line, where several players went up for the jump ball. Marc DeSisto somehow came down with Pavlik's first completion, and Fordham led 10-0 with 11:31 to go in the half.
Army answered when Schurr reversed field and scurried 54 yards to the Fordham 9, setting up Baggett's rush two plays later. Baggett broke two tackles running in from the 6, and Army shaved the lead to 10-7 with 9:20 left before halftime.
It looked like that would hold up into the break with Fordham punting from its own 8 with 16 seconds to go — until a diving Josh Jenkins got a hand on Pavlik's punt from the end zone.
That set off a wild scramble for the loose ball before Lamar Johnson-Harris finally fell on it for Army's first touchdown off a blocked punt since 2007.
Outgained 219-127 in the first half, the Black Knights relied on a fake punt of their own, a John Voit pick, and the blocked punt to build a 14-10 edge at halftime. The Black Knights came in 0-4 when trailing at the break.
Dixon's three touchdowns in the second half gave Army — which converted all four of its fourth-down attempts and was 7 of 14 on third downs — an important cushion.
His second score came 2 minutes into the fourth, when he muscled through from a yard out to finish off a season-best 20-play, 84-yard drive that ate up more than 11 minutes of game clock.
Trailing 35-24 with 5:17 left after a touchdown pass to Tebucky Jones, Fordham had to try an onside kick but Jeremy Timpf recovered to all but seal the win for Army.
Next up for the Black Knights is Navy on Dec. 13. Army hasn't beaten its archrival since 2001.
Fordham — which already clinched at least a share of the Patriot League title and a trip to the NCAAs — lost for the first time since Sept. 6 at Illinois.
