How a Military Prep School Helped Army Improve in Football

Kelvin Hopkins Jr. didn’t have the test scores to join Army’s football team right out of high school. Now, after a year in the academy’s prep school, he’s the clear star for the Black Knights.

WEST POINT, N.Y — Kelvin Hopkins Jr., the youngest of three children raised by a single parent, was a mama’s boy who was hesitant to move far from home when he graduated high school in Charlotte, N.C. He did not know much about the military life, either, and his test scores were “not ideal.”

All this made Hopkins a risky candidate for the United States Military Academy, which is charged with generating future Army officers. But it did make Hopkins, a charismatic leader with an admirable work ethic — and a sharp passing arm — an ideal prospect for the academy’s prep school.

Now, four years later, the bet West Point made on Hopkins looks like a good one. He is nearing a degree in philosophy, relishes training to become an officer and, not insignificantly, has become a star quarterback and a centerpiece of Army’s continuing football renaissance.

The Black Knights, who had one winning season in 17 years before Jeff Monken was hired as coach in December 2013, have been on an upward trajectory since. They are coming off three consecutive bowl victories and a school-record 11 wins last season, and came within a whisker of their biggest victory in half a century in Saturday’s 24-21 double-overtime loss at then-No. 7 Michigan.

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Why Urban Meyer wasn't surprised Michigan vs. Army was a 'nailbiter'

What article and headline should we choose to describe the game against Michigan?  There were so many great headlines after the Army's double overtime loss to Michigan.  If you have an article you would like us to post about this game, let us know.  Army showed a lot of grit and heart on the field and we nearly pulled it off.  The following artice was written by Isaiah Hole and posted on https://wolverineswire.usatoday.com.

The Michigan fanbase is still in shock at the outcome of the Wolverines latest contest, a 24-21 2OT win over Army, but one of the team’s familiar foes is not. And not because he’s down on the maize and blue this year.

Former Ohio State head coach Urban Meyer is now an analyst for FOX Sports and Big Ten Network, and he sat down with BTN anchor Gerry DiNardo to discuss the difficult game for the Wolverines.

When it comes down to it, Meyer says it was the style of play that Army has, with the triple-option, mixed with controlling time of possession, that kept the Black Knights within striking distance of the win, and the team success is entirely dependent on the scheme that they run at West Point.

Read more: Why Urban Meyer wasn't surprised Michigan vs. Army was a 'nailbiter'

Army vs Rice Analysis

Here is a little more detailed analysis of the Army-Rice game, courtesy of Gordy Larson:

A Close Call

Like most Army fans, we expected this game to be more of a tune-up than a pitched battle fought in the trenches by the defenses of both teams. Many of us were hoping that Army would build a large enough lead to provide opportunities for the some of the new back ups to get some playing experience, but the Owls of Rice had a different agenda. They came to play and just missed a couple of opportunities to upset the Black Knights and snap the home game winning streak that is now up to 14 games.

In the end it was a patented 98 yard sustained drive followed by final strong effort by the Black Knight defenders that carried the day. Army scored only twice on the day, both on drives that were 95 yards or more. Arguably, Army benefitted from two missed field goal attempts by Rice, as they were forced to go for the fourth down conversion in the fourth quarter.

The Good

Defense: Many Army fans expressed some concern as to whether defensive coordinator, John Loose would be able to sustain the defensive performances the Black Knights had under Jay Bateman. We had a preview of Loose’s tenure in the Armed Forces Bowl, when the Army defense impressed the sporting world by holding Houston to 14 points, but that one game didn’t provide enough evidence to form any firm judgements. The Rice game provided additional evidence that the defense would continue to perform well under the direction of Loose. With the exception of a lapse that resulted in Ellerbe’s 54 yard scoring run in the second quarter, the defense was consistent in stopping the Rice offense all evening. The starting cornerbacks, Jahvari Bourdeau and Elijah Riley kept a tight rein on the Rice receivers holding their passing game to 7 completions of 14 attempts for 62 yards.

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After Action Review: Army Football vs Rice

Black Knights stumble out of the gate, but hang on to win in Week 1.

Well that wasn’t exactly the start Army fans were expecting to see coming off the historic 2018 season. Although still a win for the Black Knights (14-7), it doesn’t bode well with a top-tier opponent in Michigan on the docket for Week 2. Army struggled to find a rhythm on offense, as the Rice Owls seemed to have an answer for everything Army threw at them.

Offense

While many fans thought the departures of Darnell Woolfolk and Andy Davidson would be the most significant to Army’s offense, Army’s struggle to control the line of scrimmage would indicate that former center Bryce Holland might have been the most critical loss. Army averaged over 350 yards of offense on the ground in 2018, yet didn’t even produce 250 yards of total offense against Rice. Senior fullback Conor Slomka’s absence due to an “undisclosed injury” certainly didn’t help; however, even Kelvin Hopkins had difficulty finding time and space to break off runs.

Read more: After Action Review: Army Football vs Rice