College Football HC Gets 5-Figure Bonus for Upset Win Just One Week After FCS Embarrassment

College football can be chaotic. One week you get embarrassed by an FCS team, the next week you’re toppling a Big 12 favorite. Week 2 delivered upsets like #13 Florida Gators getting shocked by South Florida and coughing up $500K. Meanwhile one Power Five coach walked away with a five-figure bonus after pulling off a massive upset against the preseason Big 12 favorite.

Army HC Jeff Monken and the Black Knights flipped humiliation into history Saturday night, knocking off Kansas State 24–21 in their own house. The storyline is crazy enough, but here’s the kicker: Army didn’t just walk away with respect. They left with a $1.175 million guaranteed check from K-State and Monken himself bagged a $50,000 bonus for smacking around a Power Four team.

College football insider Steve Berkowitz put it plain on X: “Army, which lost last week to FCS Tarleton State, goes to Kansas State — gets $1.175 million guarantee — and a 24-21 comeback victory. In addition, this will give Army coach Jeff Monken a $50,000 bonus for the win over a Power 4 team.” Talk about flipping the narrative in 7 days.

Kansas State fans had to be sick watching it unfold. The Wildcats came out hot, sprinting to a 13–0 lead and looking like the payday game was going to go as scripted. Bryce Noernberg ripped off a 99-yard kickoff return touchdown. Then Army turned the tables. Cale Hellums, making his first career start at QB, played like he had nothing to lose. 124 rushing yards, two touchdowns, and a game-winning 14-yard scamper with under three minutes left. He basically dragged Army into belief mode. His earlier TD pass to Brady Anderson was the real momentum swing, proving this wasn’t just a fluke bounce. It was controlled chaos.

The crazy part? Army didn’t just luck into this win. They dominated the stat sheet in the way only service academies know how. Ball control was the name of the game, and they hogged possession for over 40 minutes, double of Kansas State’s time. The Black Knights pounded out 237 rushing yards, straight-up bullying a Wildcats front that only mustered 74 yards on the ground. Every third and fourth down conversion felt like a gut punch to the home crowd. You could feel K-State’s energy draining as Army kept moving the chains.

And don’t sleep on that defense. Kansas State got completely shut out in the last quarter, and it wasn’t by accident. Linebacker Andon Thomas was flying all over with nine tackles, while safety Casey Larkin added six of his own. Collin Matteson iced it with a late interception that turned a comeback into an upset classic. That second-half clampdown was pure discipline and grit, the kind of thing you expect from a program built on structure and toughness. They kept Avery Johnson and that Kansas State offense guessing all night, forcing bad throws and killing drives.

For perspective, Kansas State shelled out $475,000 the week before just to bring in North Dakota, and now they paid Army $1.175M only to get slapped with a loss. That’s the most expensive L of the season so far. Comparisons hit even harder when you think back to Northern Illinois taking home $1.4 million after upsetting Notre Dame last year. These guarantee games are supposed to be safe wins, but Army just reminded everyone that no win is guaranteed.

Jeff Monken’s masterclass

“Just gritty toughness got us through this,” Monken said after the game. “I am so proud of them. They willed this victory.” And you know what? He’s not wrong. Down 13–0 on the road, most teams fold. Army leaned into its DNA. Monken’s blueprint has always been about patience, physicality, and making every possession count.

Junior Cale Hellums was the poster child for that grit. Starting in place of injured Dewayne Coleman, he looked like he’d been running Monken’s system for years. The QB1 carried the rock 41 times. A school record for a quarterback. He also orchestrated four scoring drives. That’s not just filling in, that’s taking over. His 12-play, six-minute march in the fourth quarter was brutal and effective, exactly how Army wins football games.

Kansas State quarterback Avery Johnson, on the other hand, looked rattled. He tossed a pick late, and his last drive fizzled under Army’s relentless pressure. That’s the Monken effect. Keep leaning on an opponent until they crack. Army out-rushed K-State 284–127, flexing the formula that’s been their identity for decades. When you hold the ball that long, you don’t just win, you strangle hope out of the other sideline.

Army now heads into its first bye week with a new swagger, sitting 1–1 and eyeing a Sept. 20 showdown with North Texas at Michie Stadium. Kansas State, meanwhile, has no time to lick wounds. They’ve got Arizona next, and suddenly their “favorable” start to the season doesn’t feel so safe. Guarantee games are supposed to pad stats and confidence, not bankroll the other team’s celebration. But that’s college football for you: chaotic, brutal, and sometimes just straight-up hilarious.