Army heading to Liberty Bowl

HUNTINGTON, W.Va. (WSAZ) - It took over 24 hours but Army finally got a bowl invite as they will play West Virginia in the Liberty Bowl. The game will be played on New Years Eve afternoon and will kick off at 4 p.m. The Black Knights are 9-2 this season and won the Commander-in-Chief’s trophy after beating Air Force Saturday night.

It’s no secret that Army loves to run the football where they average 281 yards per game which is good for 4th in college football and their defense is also impressive where they give up just 14 yards per game and 271 yards per game. WVU’s defense is 5th best in college football where they allow just under 300 yards per game.

Army replaces Tennessee who withdrew from the game after suffering COVID-19 issues.

Here are comments from WVU AD Shane Lyons and head coach Neal Brown.

Shane Lyons - WVU Director of Athletics

“The opponent might have changed, but that’s it. As I said before, the Mountaineers are looking forward to playing in the AutoZone Liberty Bowl and coming to Memphis,” WVU Director of Athletics Shane Lyons said. “Our team deserves to be in a bowl and so does the 9-2 Army squad. While we are disappointed that Tennessee couldn’t be in the game, Army needed a bowl and an opponent, and the Mountaineers are glad to solve the problem. Even though the two teams have not played since 1961, we are honored to face the Black Knights in a tradition rich bowl game.”

Neal Brown - WVU Football Coach

“I have great respect for the Army football tradition and the sacrifice the Cadets make daily for our country. Coach Monken and his staff have done a terrific job at West Point with 43 wins in the last five years,” WVU Coach Neal Brown said. “We started the day preparing for one opponent and will end it preparing for another but that’s how crazy 2020 has been.”