There is little doubt of the natural talent and upside that sophomore cornerback Elijah Riley has to offer the Army football program. That was apparent when the 6-foot-0, 205 pounder from Port Jefferson (NY) took over the corner spot last year as a freshmen, which was vacated as a result of the untimely death of Brandon Jackson.

Yes, he was making progress on the field, but at West Point, there are three components that essential to reaping the benefits of maintaining ones status as a cadet and eventually becoming an Army officer .... that is the military, physical and academic responsibilities.

However and by his own admission, Riley told GoBlackKnights.com, he had been falling short on the the latter, which lead him to step into the 2017 football in what we describe as his three tier season.

First, he missed the first eight games of the campaign until his academic status was resolved and brought up to par.

Second, Riley returned for the last four games of the year against Air Force, Duke, North Texas and of course Navy.

And now the “post season” as we call it which technically include the Navy game, because the vibe is different than the other regular season games) and of course the upcoming bowl versus San Diego State.

So, what lessons if any has the cornerback learned or gained from those three individual seasons?

Patience was definitely a big thing for the first eight games. I was going into every week waiting to hear if I would play or not. That was kind of a frustrated time, but being in the weight room and being surrounded by the guys on the team and the coaches, they kept me motivated to not only stay out of the dumps, but to keep my head in the right place ... keep getting my school work done and doing the right thing on the field.

Riley then pointed out that there were still lessons that he learned, once he was cleared to officially get back on the field as he who play out the balance of the regular season which included Air Force, Duke and North Texas.

“I was just ready to be back on the field with my boys and be part of the camaraderie for real. Learning the defense ... not necessarily learning it over again, but learning the new things that had been put in, so that I would know it as second nature again. When you are on the sidelines and trying to visually see what going on, it’s different when you are actually out there physically doing it. Being able to play again was just a great feeling.

Which brings us to the “post season” component of Riley’s return to action, which consist of last Saturday Navy contest and the upcoming bowl game against San Diego State.

Navy is always going to be a phenomenal game like you said, no matter what there is going to be a different energy coming into that game. Air Force game which is a rivalry game, but the Navy game is that much greater. It’s something that has been around like 120-years. So, just the history behind it and everything going into it, it’s a way different mentality.

And now going into the bowl game and getting an opportunity to get the first 10-win season in a very long time is great opportunity and it’s going to take a lot of focus and hard work going into this next week now.

Speaking of the game last Saturday, the Navy offense almost plays into one of the strengths of Riley’s game, which is run support, which is unusual for today’s cornerback. So we asked the CB if playing against the run is as fun for him as defending the pass?

“Absolutely, I love to hit,” he bellowed. “Coming up through grade school and playing pee-wee and then middle school, I was always in the box. So hitting has always been a very fun thing to me and doing it on a bigger stage make it that much more fun.”

So in hindsight and after sitting out the early part of the football season, does Riley now feel that he has acclimated himself to the goals and mission of West Point when it comes to being a student-athlete?

“Yes, it gave me an opportunity to really hone in on what I have to do down the hill as well as up the hill at the stadium,” stated Riley. “It was an opportunity to boost my grades and I’m looking to make Dean’s List this semester, so that’s exciting. And really focus on what’s really important about being here (USMA) and that’s being a cadet.”

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