Field Level Media
Dec 22, 2018
Quarterback Kelvin Hopkins Jr. ran for 170 yards and five touchdowns as Army rolled to a 70-14 victory over Houston in the Armed Forces Bowl on Saturday in Fort Worth, Texas.
Army finished the season with a nine-game winning streak and ended with an 11-2 record. Houston stumbled in the second half of the year and finished at 8-5.
Hopkins posted those 170 yards on just 11 carries in less than three quarters of work. He completed all three passes he attempted for 70 yards as the Black Knights took charge early with 28 points in the second quarter en route to a 42-7 halftime lead.
Overall, Army finished with 507 yards rushing and 592 yards of total offense. The Black Knights also completed the only four passes they attempted (for 85 yards) and went 7-for-7 in third-down situations.
Houston just could not handle Army's triple-option offense that relies heavily on the run. The Cougars were without top defensive lineman Ed Oliver because he elected to skip the game to prepare for the NFL draft, and on offense Houston did not have quarterback D'Eriq King. He's been out with a knee injury; freshman Clayton Tune did not play badly, but the Army offense ruled the day.
Army got started on its first drive. The Black Knights stuck with the run game off their triple-option and rolled 80 yards on 14 plays capped by a Hopkins 1-yard touchdown run and a John Abercombie extra point for a quick 7-0 lead.
Hopkins then scored on a 77-yard touchdown run with one second left in the first quarter to make it 14-0. Cameron Jones recovered a Tune fumble after he was sacked and ran it back 23 yards for a touchdown and a 21-0 lead 15 seconds later.
Tune finally got the Cougars on the board with a 3-yard touchdown pass to Romello Brooker. Hopkins then ran for touchdowns of 1 and 2 yards before Artice Hobbs IV scored on an 11-yard run late in the quarter for the 42-7 halftime lead.
The Black Knights ran for three more scores in the second half, and backup quarterback Cam Thomas threw for another.
--Field Level Media