Armed Forces Bowl

Colleges and Universities A-Z Air Force Academy - Colorado Springs
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<p>Air Force and Houston will meet again in the Armed Forces Bowl.</p>

<p>For the second year in a row, Houston (10-3) and Air Force (7-5) will finish their seasons against each other in the bowl game played on the TCU campus.</p>

<p>The Cougars, the Conference USA runner-up after losing to East Carolina on Saturday, beat Air Force 34-28 last year for their first bowl victory since 1980.</p>

<p>Air Force is the Mountain West representative in the Armed Forces Bowl for the third straight season. The Falcons lost 42-36 to California in the 2007 game, which was then their first bowl appearance since 2002.</p>

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<p>U.S. AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo. - Air Force has accepted a bid as the Mountain West Conference representative to play in the 2009 Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl on Dec. 31 in Fort Worth, Texas. Air Force will take on No. 25 Houston of Conference-USA. The game will be played at Amon G. Carter Stadium beginning at 11 a.m. (CST) and will be aired nationally by ESPN.</p>

<p>“We are thrilled to have the Air Force Academy as the Mountain West Conference’s representative in the 2009 game,” said Brant B. Ringler, the executive director of the bowl. “What better way to honor our military than with a service academy competing in our game. With Falcon and military fans numerous at our past two New Year’s Eve games, we have established record attendance figures for our bowl game the last two years.”</p>

<p>“It’s quite an accomplishment by our team to earn a bowl bid for the third straight year. We look forward to playing in such a tremendous and well-run event as the Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl. We know the University of Houston has a very rich football history and currently has an incredibly talented team. Our administration, coaches, players, staff and supporters are excited to spend five days in Fort Worth,” said Troy Calhoun, head coach at Air Force.</p>

<p>The match-up will be the third between Air Force and Houston in a 15-month span. The schools first played Sept. 13 in Dallas, Texas, in a game moved due to weather. The Falcons won the game, 31-28. The two then played in the 2008 Armed Forces Bowl in Fort Worth Dec. 31. The Cougars won the game, 34-28.</p>

<p>Air Force concluded the regular season with a 7-5 overall record and finished fourth in the Mountain West Conference with a 5-3 mark. The Falcons are headed to a post-season bowl game for the 20th time in school history and third consecutive season. This season marks the first time since 1990-92 that the Falcons have played in three consecutive bowl games.</p>

<p>Houston finished the season 10-3 overall and won the C-USA West division with a 6-2 record. The Cougars feature the nation’s top passing offense, averaging 450 yards per game. Houston ranks No. 1 in total offense with a 581.23 per-game average and is second nationally in scoring offense with a 43.92 norm.</p>

<p>Air Force’s defense ranks as one of the best in the history of the school. The Falcons have allowed just 15.3 points per game on the year which is the best mark since the 1998 team averaged 13.3 per game. Air Force has ranked among the nation’s top 10 in scoring defense (ninth), passing defense (first) and total defense (10th) all season, including allowing just over 280 yards per game which is the best mark at the school since 1966. Air Force has the nation’s top pass defense, allowing just 148.7 yards per game.</p>

<p>The Falcons rank among the nation’s elite in turnover margin as well, ranking third nationally with a +17 mark this season that include a 1.42 average margin per game.</p>

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<p>ESPN INSTANT BOWL ANALYSIS: </p>

<p>Don’t pass on this game: Something’s got to give in the Armed Forces Bowl, as Houston takes on Air Force. Led by star quarterback Case Keenum, Houston boasts the nation’s top-rated pass offense at 450 yards a game, nearly 70 more than any other team. Air Force has the nation’s top-rated pass defense, allowing fewer than 150 yards a game. The Falcons allow just 15.3 points a game, while the Cougars average 43.9 points a game.</p>

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<p>I’m going for the third year in a row. It’s pretty cool to see all the air force fans and military support in general. Hopefully they can win this year =P</p>

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<p>FORT WORTH, Texas – Asher Clark and Jared Tew each ran for more than 100 yards with two touchdowns and Air Force’s top-ranked pass defense had six interceptions against Case Keenum, leading the Falcons to a 47-20 victory over Houston in the Armed Forces Bowl on Thursday.</p>

<p>Air Force’s plan to limit Keenum and the nation’s most explosive offense worked almost flawlessly. The Falcons (8-5) ran for 402 yards to go with Tim Jefferson’s effective passing (10 of 14 for 161 yards), holding the ball for 41 minutes and then coming up with the big defensive plays.</p>

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<p>If there was any question as to whether Houston quarterback Case Keenum was ready to forgo his senior season and make the jump to the NFL, he answered that in the Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl with the worst passing performance of his career. Air Force defeated Houston 47-20, the Falcons’ first bowl win since 2000.</p>

<p>How the game was won: Air Force’s defense clamped down on Keenum and the nation’s No. 1 passing offense. It limited the Cougars to 222 passing yards and forced Keenum to throw a career-high six interceptions. The Falcons turned two of those interceptions into touchdowns on subsequent possessions.</p>

<p>Turning point: Air Force opened the game with back-to-back interceptions off Keenum, which showed that the Falcons’ passing defense was going to be as good as advertised. Keenum had trouble keeping control of his passes, which were either falling short or sailing over the intended receiver. Air Force was able to jump out to a 14-0 lead after the first six minutes of the game.</p>

<p>Stat of the game: Air Force had 162 passing yards against the Cougars, which was just 60 yards fewer than Houston had through the air. It was the highest passing total of the season for the Falcons, and the most passing yards since the 171-yard output against Colorado State on Nov. 8.</p>

<p>Second guessing: Houston’s defense had at least three weeks to prepare for Air Force’s rushing attack and it was still manhandled by the Falcons. Air Force had 72 rushing attempts for 400 yards and five rushing touchdowns. Tulane’s 299 rushing yards were the previous high against the Cougars.</p>

<p>Record performance: Air Force’s 47 points set an all-time bowl record for the Falcons. Also, Keenum’s six interceptions were a Armed Forces Bowl record.</p>

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<p>and the 100 yard kick-off return was pretty nice too…</p>

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<p>Boo-hoo on the weather though. Kept the F-16s from flying over and the Wings of Blue parachuters grounded. However, significant rain held off till the game was over and it was an AWESOME win for the Falcons!!! We are glad we only have 30 minutes to drive to go to the game :-)</p>