 In 1931, Poppelman helped Maryland beat Navy, 6–0, on a double reverse where he pitched the ball to Paul Kiernan, who in turn passed to George Chalmers.Chalmers ran the ball 20 yards to the Midshipmen 30-yard line, which set up the Terrapin score on the following play.Poppelman scored twice himself on rushes against Virginia Tech, which helped the Terrapins to a 20–0 win.