Armed Forces Bowl Preview: Houston Cougars vs Air Force Falcons
By Bert Jan Brands | December 28, 2009
2008 Armed Forces Bowl MVP's Jared Tew (Falcons) and Bryce Beall (Cougars) (armedforcesbowl.com)
Only for the seventh time in college football history will a bowlgame feature a rematch of the previous year when the Air Force Falcons take on the Houston Cougars on December 31st, at 10 a.m. MST. It will be the third meeting in 15 months between the two teams. In 2008, the Falcons beat the Cougars on the road during the regular season, 31-28, but would lose to Houston in the Bell Armed Forces Bowl later that same season (34-28). Now, exactly a year later, the Falcons will be looking for revenge in this exciting matchup that could very well end up in a shootout.
The appearance in the Bell Armed Forces Bowl 2009 will mark the 20th bowl appearance for the Falcons since 1958. It will be the third straight appearance for Air Force in a bowlgame; the team has played in every Armed Forces Bowl since 2007. The last time Air Force played in the same bowl for more than three consecutive times was during 1989-1992, when they played in four consecutive Libery Bowls. In the previous 19 bowlgames, the Falcons are 8-10-1.
The upcoming bowl game has every ingredient for a great game. The Houston Cougars come into the game with the nations top ranked passing offense, averaging 450 yards through the air. Star quarterback Chase Keenum (junior) has already thrown 43 touchdowns this season, after throwing 44 in his sophomore year. He carries the Cougars offense together with his primary targets, wide receivers James Cleveland (1143 receiving yards), Tyron Carrier (998 receiving yards) and Patrick Edwards (985 receiving yards). Adding to these three threats at wide receiver are 2 players who have 500+ yards, and 7 between 100-500 yards. It is thus easy to conclude that Houston is loaded on offense with weapons, and the Falcons will have their hands full trying to contain them.
To counter this explosive Houston offense, the Air Force Falcons are bringing in the nations top ranked pass defense, which only allowed 148.7 yards per game this season. The Falcons have an experienced secondary, including safety Chris Thomas who has been selected to play in the annual East-West Shrine Game on January 23rd.
The Falcons will be relying on their fourth ranked rushing attack in order to keep up with the high-scoring Cougars. The Falcons have to count on running backs Jared Tew and Asher Clark who both have rushed for 700+ yards this season. They might cause matchup problems for the Cougars, who are 112th against the rush, allowing 213.1 yards per game. The Falcons are 15-3 since 2007 in games where they had a runningback rush for over a 100 yards in a game.
The bowlgame between Houston and Air Force will be the ultimate test between a superior passing and running team. The differences between the two teams will likely make for a very interesting and entertaining game. Though it will be very tough for Air Force to stop the talented Chase Keenum, if any team can it should be the Falcons and their first ranked passing defense. If the Falcons can take advantage of Houston’s problems against the run, they have a chance to take revenge for last years loss in the Armed Forces Bowl.
Houston Cougars vs Air Force Falcons
December 31st, 2009: 10 A.M. MST / 11 A.M. CST
Amon Carter Stadium, Fort Worth, Texas.
TV Broadcast on: ESPN
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