Army rallies to shade Temple in OT

WEST POINT, N.Y. » Thrust into the spotlight for the first time, sophomore quarterback Kelvin Hopkins keyed Army to a most improbable victory.

Trailing by seven points against Temple with time winding down in the fourth quarter, Hopkins guided the Black Knights on a 14-play, 79-yard scoring drive in the final 91 seconds of regulation. He completed five passes for 67 yards, hitting Jermaine Adams in the left corner of the end zone with a perfectly thrown 16-yard strike with one second left in regulation, and Blake Wilson kicked a 29-yard field goal in the first overtime to give Army a dramatic 31-28 victory on Saturday.

To put that in perspective, the Black Knights entered the game ranked as the worst passing team in the nation, averaging 17.9 yards per game, and Hopkins was 1 for 6 for nine yards and one interception before Saturday’s kickoff.

“It was a great feeling to show that,” Hopkins said. “It’s something we practice and, contrary to popular belief, it is something we work hard at.”

Army safety Max Regan’s stop of Ryquell Armstead for no gain on a thirdand-6 play forced the Owls to try to tie the game with a field goal and force a second overtime. But Temple kicker Aaron Boumerhi missed left from 27 yards and collapsed to the turf on his back, lying in disbelief at the end of a torturous day.

Boumerhi had a 32-yard field goal attempt bounce off the right upright in the third quarter, easily made a 51-yarder in the fourth that was nullified by a delay of game penalty, and had successfully made the kick that would have forced a second overtime, but Army coach Jeff Monken called a timeout before the snap.

“It’s disappointing,” firstyear Temple coach Geoff Collins said. “He (Hopkins) got in a zone, made some nice throws and kept the drive going. We just couldn’t get the score (in overtime).”

The miss sent the Black Knights (6-2) into a gleeful frenzy as they remained unbeaten in five games at Michie Stadium and became bowl-eligible.

“For our team it’s an accomplishment,” said Monken, with Armed Forces Bowl executive director Brant Ringler among those in attendance. “For everybody that plays football at this level, getting into a bowl game is a measure of success. But our goal isn’t to get into a bowl game. Our goal is to go to a bowl game and win it.”

After the game, the Black Knights accepted a bid to the Armed Forces Bowl.