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Postgame Quotes Army 31, Temple 28 | Saturday, Oct. 21, 2017 Army Head Coach Jeff Monken (Ref.: Opening statement) “What a football game. I don’t even know what to say. It was incredible watching our guys play the way they did. “It was back-and-forth all game and our big plays made the difference. I was so proud of Kelvin (Hopkins Jr.). We got him in during the first half and he overthrew the pass. When we went in at halftime I chewed into him a bit and told him that when you get in there and have the chance you have to make the play. “Our whole team made plays when they needed to. It was an incredible effort by our defense to make the stops. It’s fun to be a part of something like that. I enjoy seeing our players celebrate together and to be able to enjoy the win with our fans and the Corp was great. Our seniors remember that their first two years was a battle for us, and the difficulties we had not coming out on top. We’ve been in some close finishes and it’s forged the mental toughness in this team. That makes me proud and makes me proud to be a part of this team.” (Ref.: On Kelvin being in at the end of the game) “Kelvin has a strong and accurate arm. He spent last season on the scout team and did a nice job with it. Today, he gave us the best chance to put the ball on the money and to release it quick. When we practice our one–minute offense, which we do a few times a week so if it comes up we have a chance to execute, Kelvin is our quarterback. He doesn’t have the strongest arm, but he gives us the best chance and I thought he did a great job. The whole team did a great job. “We overcame a dropped pass, a sack and a penalty, but the guys just believed when we could have just as easily hung our heads. We had the chance to make one last play so fortunately Temple called timeout and we could talk through it. It was a great throw and a great catch.” (Ref.: On the field goal in overtime) “He made the kick when it counted. I have to give credit to the whole group of specialists. The snapper, holder and kicker. I am so proud of those guys and the way we punted throughout the game today to keep us out of trouble. There were great things on special teams as well. The specialists did a nice job.” (Ref.: On Darnell Woolfolk’s performance) “There were times when we were ramming our heads into a wall. They were very good defensively and solid inside. Running the fullback wasn’t automatic and we weren’t gaining the yards we wanted. But he is such a tough kid and he is a hammerhead. You give him the ball and he finds a way to get the yards.” (Ref.: On the punt block) “Cole Christensen getting the blocked punt might have changed the momentum in the game. Looking up there and seeing us execute what we practiced -- it’s fun to see those things happen. We practice that one-minute drill 2-3 times per week, but when we are put into that situation, you have got to have a play there.”
(Ref.: On how much Kelvin Hopkins Jr. has grown throughout the season) “He’s really matured this past year. He spent a year at the prep school and was on the scout team all of last year. When you’re not the starting quarterback and you’re on the scout team, you can throw it wherever you want it. You can try to knife it between two guys and hope to hit a receiver. If you throw an interception, the defensive coach is over there clapping so you don’t get in trouble for it. It’s easy to not have your focus on our offense and being the quarterback, and we really challenged him this spring to mature and prepare like he was going to be the starting quarterback. “He won a lot of games as a high school quarterback. He’s grown up and we have a bunch of faith in him in those situations. Ahmad is our starter though. He’s a strong runner and a great leader. Kelvin’s not at that level yet. I hope he will be at some point, and I think he has the potential to be.” (Ref.: On the celebration after with the Corps) “We want to stay undefeated at home. That is a source of pride for us to not lose at home. The team ran over to the Corps and I told them to get up in the stands. Let’s have fun and celebrate. Winning is not easy and I think sometimes people look from the outside asking why we can’t just do this or that, but it’s not easy to win. So when you win it is a big deal. I want to celebrate and enjoy it as much as I can because when I leave this building it’s in my rearview mirror and we are looking toward the next one.” (Ref.: On gaining bowl eligibility) “I am proud of our team. It is an accomplishment. Everyone who plays football at this level sees becoming bowl eligible as a measure of success. Our goal though is to get into the bowl game and to win it. Our goal today was to stay undefeated at home and that’s what I am happiest about. We are 5-0 at home and that is what we accomplished.” (Ref.: On what you saw on the last kick) “I saw the officials waving their arms saying it was no good. That was about it. He got a chance to kick the first one when we called timeout, and I was thinking about announcers saying coaches called timeout too late and gave him a practice kick. When he hit that one, I said I guess he knows where he needs to strike the ball. We were going after a block in the middle and he had to see some black jerseys falling over the top and in the gaps. Maybe in the back of his mind he was thinking that he better get this thing up there quick. He’s a human being just like the rest of us are. He had kicked really well all day long. When he kicked that long 52-yarder and then had the penalty that forced a punt, I thought that thing was going to be good from 62 yards into a slight wind. I’m sure glad that last kick went wide left. We might still be out there.” (Ref.: On building the program’s resiliency and toughness) “I don’t think it took the last two weeks for me to realize we had a tough team. I thought the past three years we’ve had a tough football team. That year we went 2-10, I thought we had a tough football team. When you come within two-three-five points each week on the losing end, but you keep battling back you know there’s toughness in this. Last year we turned some of those close losses into victories. All of that has contributed to the confidence our team has and the ability to win.”
Army Senior QB Ahmad Bradshaw (Ref.: On coming out strong after halftime) “In the beginning of the game they lined up pretty much how we thought they would. They got into some different formations that we weren’t expecting, and they just got us on a few plays. At halftime, Coach Monken just told us that we have to execute, play hard and lock them in.” (Ref.: On the emotions of winning the game and being bowl eligible again) “I think it is a combination of everything. You obviously want to win every time you play and a win at home is very special to us and it’s one of our goals. Knowing that this win was at home plus making us bowl eligible I think was what made it special for us.” (Ref.: On the celebration after the game) “I think we’ve had a bunch of games, in the past two years where it’s been really close, and sometimes a lot of people didn’t know who would be the team who was going to come out and win. But the biggest thing is that everyone believed, and that was a big one for us.” (Ref.: on developing poise and maturity to win close games) “I think it’s gaining years of experience. The first time in college you get a close game, you don’t know what to do. If you can come out winning it or not, and we have been in that position a bunch of times. We know that we just had to relax and that we were going to make plays, and to believe in ourselves.” Army Senior WR Jermaine Adams (Ref.: On whether his catch in the fourth quarter was the biggest of his career) “Yes sir.” (Ref.: On catching Hopkin Jr.’s pass for the touchdown) “We were really just pressing. We knew he was throwing to us on the outside, so Kelvin threw it to my back shoulder, which is why I opened up the way I did. He threw it in the perfect spot.” (Ref.: On developing poise and maturity to win close games) “It started sophomore year really, we were playing close games. Seven or eight games, where the score was closer than seven points I believe. And since then, we’ve really buckled down as a team, and we have been able to execute on the defensive side for them to stop the offense, and on our offensive side, being able to drive the ball down the field.” Army Sophomore QB Kelvin Hopkins Jr. (Ref.: On whether his pass to Adams was the biggest of his career) “Yes.” (Ref.: On winning the game with a pass) “It’s a great feeling. It’s definitely a great feeling. It’s something we practice, and contrary to popular belief, it is something we work hard at, so to go out there and show it was great. We had great receivers, we have an offensive line that can pass, block, and we had plays to make. It was a great feeling to show that.” (Ref.: On his last drive in overtime) “Coach preaches a no-flinch mentality, so I looked at the offense and we had the consensus that ok, we can do this. We trusted each other, so going into it was a no-flinch mentality. During that drive my goal was to get the ball into the playmakers hand.”
(Ref.: on mindset on game-tying touchdown drive) “Teams obviously know when they see number eight on the field, it’s probably going to be a pass so honestly I just have trust in the offensive line to pick up whatever they throw at them. They did a great job doing that on the last drive. Having trust in everybody that was on the field and having trust in the coaches to get us in the right play and get the ball in the playmakers hands. That was all that I was thinking about on that last drive.” Army Junior LB James Nachtigal (Ref.: On the challenges Temple’s offense presented) “Coming in, we knew they had a great receiving core, and would pass a lot. We were prepared for that. They beat us a few times but eventually we made up for it.” Army Senior LB Alex Auckerman (Ref.: On trying to get pressure on the Temple quarterback) “If you let him sit back there it will turn into a game of seven-on-seven and we had to get pressure. There were a lot of three-step drops and getting the ball out of his hands quick. But, just making him pull the ball down and scramble was our goal.” (Ref.: On what it means to become bowl eligible two years in a row) “That’s what we’ve talked about since I’ve been here. I have seen the full transition from my freshman year to now being a senior. I have suffered the hard defeats of the team, but we’ve followed the plan and this is what we expected to happen. Coach Monken does a heck of a job putting in our heads that we should be going out expecting a win.” (Ref.: on the third down play that forced Temple’s field goal) “That was huge. He is an elusive guy. You saw that throughout the entire game, where some guy would have him and think he was wrapped up and he would break the tackle and gain those extra yards. So we just did we what we preached and tackled him, near foot up, exactly how we teach it. That’s just so motivating.” (Ref.: On developing poise and maturity to win close games) “Obviously two years ago, we were in so many close games, where we didn’t want to stop, but that’s a different story. Just learning how to win, I think that’s why we can make a win in the fourth quarter in practice. Everything is a play in competition, and then in the end you just have to look up and see how you did.” Army Junior RB Darnell Woolfolk (Ref.: on the offensive line’s ability to create running lanes) “The offensive line was executing really well and getting a great push. They were working on the second and third level defenders so once I get the ball and there’s an open hole and they are covering up everybody it makes my job easy.”
Temple Head Coach Geoff Collins (Ref.: on Army’s last drive of the game) “We had a good plan. Keep it in bounds, let that clock run. It got down and we had the pressure down deep. The situation was what it was. The kid just made some really nice throws and kept the drive going. Then hit a nice one at the very end on the back shoulder.” (Ref.: on Frank Nutile’s first college start) “I thought he played really hard, he made some good decisions. I’d have to go back and watch the tape, but the other thing too, is that we were very creative offensively today. We were down some offensive linemen, tried to do somethings to give them some confusion, which we did. Then we worked, we figured out what look they were in and then Isaiah (Graham-Mobley) went for that 50-yard touchdown and it was good a couple other times. But I’ve to be proud of the offensive linemen that were in there, it was time to move the ball, and they did do that, without doing our formations. They hit them really well, they did a nice job.”
Postgame Quotes Army 31, Temple 28 | Saturday, Oct. 21, 2017 Army Head Coach Jeff Monken (Ref.: Opening statement) “What a football game. I don’t even know what to say. It was incredible watching our guys play the way they did. “It was back-and-forth all game and our big plays made the difference. I was so proud of Kelvin (Hopkins Jr.). We got him in during the first half and he overthrew the pass. When we went in at halftime I chewed into him a bit and told him that when you get in there and have the chance you have to make the play. “Our whole team made plays when they needed to. It was an incredible effort by our defense to make the stops. It’s fun to be a part of something like that. I enjoy seeing our players celebrate together and to be able to enjoy the win with our fans and the Corp was great. Our seniors remember that their first two years was a battle for us, and the difficulties we had not coming out on top. We’ve been in some close finishes and it’s forged the mental toughness in this team. That makes me proud and makes me proud to be a part of this team.” (Ref.: On Kelvin being in at the end of the game) “Kelvin has a strong and accurate arm. He spent last season on the scout team and did a nice job with it. Today, he gave us the best chance to put the ball on the money and to release it quick. When we practice our one–minute offense, which we do a few times a week so if it comes up we have a chance to execute, Kelvin is our quarterback. He doesn’t have the strongest arm, but he gives us the best chance and I thought he did a great job. The whole team did a great job. “We overcame a dropped pass, a sack and a penalty, but the guys just believed when we could have just as easily hung our heads. We had the chance to make one last play so fortunately Temple called timeout and we could talk through it. It was a great throw and a great catch.” (Ref.: On the field goal in overtime) “He made the kick when it counted. I have to give credit to the whole group of specialists. The snapper, holder and kicker. I am so proud of those guys and the way we punted throughout the game today to keep us out of trouble. There were great things on special teams as well. The specialists did a nice job.” (Ref.: On Darnell Woolfolk’s performance) “There were times when we were ramming our heads into a wall. They were very good defensively and solid inside. Running the fullback wasn’t automatic and we weren’t gaining the yards we wanted. But he is such a tough kid and he is a hammerhead. You give him the ball and he finds a way to get the yards.” (Ref.: On the punt block) “Cole Christensen getting the blocked punt might have changed the momentum in the game. Looking up there and seeing us execute what we practiced -- it’s fun to see those things happen. We practice that one-minute drill 2-3 times per week, but when we are put into that situation, you have got to have a play there.”
(Ref.: On how much Kelvin Hopkins Jr. has grown throughout the season) “He’s really matured this past year. He spent a year at the prep school and was on the scout team all of last year. When you’re not the starting quarterback and you’re on the scout team, you can throw it wherever you want it. You can try to knife it between two guys and hope to hit a receiver. If you throw an interception, the defensive coach is over there clapping so you don’t get in trouble for it. It’s easy to not have your focus on our offense and being the quarterback, and we really challenged him this spring to mature and prepare like he was going to be the starting quarterback. “He won a lot of games as a high school quarterback. He’s grown up and we have a bunch of faith in him in those situations. Ahmad is our starter though. He’s a strong runner and a great leader. Kelvin’s not at that level yet. I hope he will be at some point, and I think he has the potential to be.” (Ref.: On the celebration after with the Corps) “We want to stay undefeated at home. That is a source of pride for us to not lose at home. The team ran over to the Corps and I told them to get up in the stands. Let’s have fun and celebrate. Winning is not easy and I think sometimes people look from the outside asking why we can’t just do this or that, but it’s not easy to win. So when you win it is a big deal. I want to celebrate and enjoy it as much as I can because when I leave this building it’s in my rearview mirror and we are looking toward the next one.” (Ref.: On gaining bowl eligibility) “I am proud of our team. It is an accomplishment. Everyone who plays football at this level sees becoming bowl eligible as a measure of success. Our goal though is to get into the bowl game and to win it. Our goal today was to stay undefeated at home and that’s what I am happiest about. We are 5-0 at home and that is what we accomplished.” (Ref.: On what you saw on the last kick) “I saw the officials waving their arms saying it was no good. That was about it. He got a chance to kick the first one when we called timeout, and I was thinking about announcers saying coaches called timeout too late and gave him a practice kick. When he hit that one, I said I guess he knows where he needs to strike the ball. We were going after a block in the middle and he had to see some black jerseys falling over the top and in the gaps. Maybe in the back of his mind he was thinking that he better get this thing up there quick. He’s a human being just like the rest of us are. He had kicked really well all day long. When he kicked that long 52-yarder and then had the penalty that forced a punt, I thought that thing was going to be good from 62 yards into a slight wind. I’m sure glad that last kick went wide left. We might still be out there.” (Ref.: On building the program’s resiliency and toughness) “I don’t think it took the last two weeks for me to realize we had a tough team. I thought the past three years we’ve had a tough football team. That year we went 2-10, I thought we had a tough football team. When you come within two-three-five points each week on the losing end, but you keep battling back you know there’s toughness in this. Last year we turned some of those close losses into victories. All of that has contributed to the confidence our team has and the ability to win.”
Army Senior QB Ahmad Bradshaw (Ref.: On coming out strong after halftime) “In the beginning of the game they lined up pretty much how we thought they would. They got into some different formations that we weren’t expecting, and they just got us on a few plays. At halftime, Coach Monken just told us that we have to execute, play hard and lock them in.” (Ref.: On the emotions of winning the game and being bowl eligible again) “I think it is a combination of everything. You obviously want to win every time you play and a win at home is very special to us and it’s one of our goals. Knowing that this win was at home plus making us bowl eligible I think was what made it special for us.” (Ref.: On the celebration after the game) “I think we’ve had a bunch of games, in the past two years where it’s been really close, and sometimes a lot of people didn’t know who would be the team who was going to come out and win. But the biggest thing is that everyone believed, and that was a big one for us.” (Ref.: on developing poise and maturity to win close games) “I think it’s gaining years of experience. The first time in college you get a close game, you don’t know what to do. If you can come out winning it or not, and we have been in that position a bunch of times. We know that we just had to relax and that we were going to make plays, and to believe in ourselves.” Army Senior WR Jermaine Adams (Ref.: On whether his catch in the fourth quarter was the biggest of his career) “Yes sir.” (Ref.: On catching Hopkin Jr.’s pass for the touchdown) “We were really just pressing. We knew he was throwing to us on the outside, so Kelvin threw it to my back shoulder, which is why I opened up the way I did. He threw it in the perfect spot.” (Ref.: On developing poise and maturity to win close games) “It started sophomore year really, we were playing close games. Seven or eight games, where the score was closer than seven points I believe. And since then, we’ve really buckled down as a team, and we have been able to execute on the defensive side for them to stop the offense, and on our offensive side, being able to drive the ball down the field.” Army Sophomore QB Kelvin Hopkins Jr. (Ref.: On whether his pass to Adams was the biggest of his career) “Yes.” (Ref.: On winning the game with a pass) “It’s a great feeling. It’s definitely a great feeling. It’s something we practice, and contrary to popular belief, it is something we work hard at, so to go out there and show it was great. We had great receivers, we have an offensive line that can pass, block, and we had plays to make. It was a great feeling to show that.” (Ref.: On his last drive in overtime) “Coach preaches a no-flinch mentality, so I looked at the offense and we had the consensus that ok, we can do this. We trusted each other, so going into it was a no-flinch mentality. During that drive my goal was to get the ball into the playmakers hand.”
(Ref.: on mindset on game-tying touchdown drive) “Teams obviously know when they see number eight on the field, it’s probably going to be a pass so honestly I just have trust in the offensive line to pick up whatever they throw at them. They did a great job doing that on the last drive. Having trust in everybody that was on the field and having trust in the coaches to get us in the right play and get the ball in the playmakers hands. That was all that I was thinking about on that last drive.” Army Junior LB James Nachtigal (Ref.: On the challenges Temple’s offense presented) “Coming in, we knew they had a great receiving core, and would pass a lot. We were prepared for that. They beat us a few times but eventually we made up for it.” Army Senior LB Alex Auckerman (Ref.: On trying to get pressure on the Temple quarterback) “If you let him sit back there it will turn into a game of seven-on-seven and we had to get pressure. There were a lot of three-step drops and getting the ball out of his hands quick. But, just making him pull the ball down and scramble was our goal.” (Ref.: On what it means to become bowl eligible two years in a row) “That’s what we’ve talked about since I’ve been here. I have seen the full transition from my freshman year to now being a senior. I have suffered the hard defeats of the team, but we’ve followed the plan and this is what we expected to happen. Coach Monken does a heck of a job putting in our heads that we should be going out expecting a win.” (Ref.: on the third down play that forced Temple’s field goal) “That was huge. He is an elusive guy. You saw that throughout the entire game, where some guy would have him and think he was wrapped up and he would break the tackle and gain those extra yards. So we just did we what we preached and tackled him, near foot up, exactly how we teach it. That’s just so motivating.” (Ref.: On developing poise and maturity to win close games) “Obviously two years ago, we were in so many close games, where we didn’t want to stop, but that’s a different story. Just learning how to win, I think that’s why we can make a win in the fourth quarter in practice. Everything is a play in competition, and then in the end you just have to look up and see how you did.” Army Junior RB Darnell Woolfolk (Ref.: on the offensive line’s ability to create running lanes) “The offensive line was executing really well and getting a great push. They were working on the second and third level defenders so once I get the ball and there’s an open hole and they are covering up everybody it makes my job easy.”
Temple Head Coach Geoff Collins (Ref.: on Army’s last drive of the game) “We had a good plan. Keep it in bounds, let that clock run. It got down and we had the pressure down deep. The situation was what it was. The kid just made some really nice throws and kept the drive going. Then hit a nice one at the very end on the back shoulder.” (Ref.: on Frank Nutile’s first college start) “I thought he played really hard, he made some good decisions. I’d have to go back and watch the tape, but the other thing too, is that we were very creative offensively today. We were down some offensive linemen, tried to do somethings to give them some confusion, which we did. Then we worked, we figured out what look they were in and then Isaiah (Graham-Mobley) went for that 50-yard touchdown and it was good a couple other times. But I’ve to be proud of the offensive linemen that were in there, it was time to move the ball, and they did do that, without doing our formations. They hit them really well, they did a nice job.”
